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Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
July 2nd, 2009 | 1:17pm
- Apartment Pictures
My friend [info]rheymoon just said today in a post that she wishes that she had taken pics of all the places in which she lived...well, coincidentally, just yesterday I happened to do just that of my current dwelling, inspired by the meme I just finished. ^^

Pictures )

current mood: calm
current music: laughter of the researchers
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
June 25th, 2009 | 9:11pm
- ...!!
I was really sad about Farrah Fawcett dying, but now Michael Jackson is gone, too!? WTH!?

current mood: depressed
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
June 23rd, 2009 | 9:52pm
- WANT TO SEE
Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton Style!

*dies*

Luckily, I'll be doing a Forensic Pathology rotation when it comes out, so I'll definitely have time to go <3

current mood: bouncy
current music: Gilmore Girls Season 6
Friday, June 19th, 2009
June 19th, 2009 | 1:58pm
- Gaijin Smash
While waiting for DNA bonds to break in the research lab, I've been catching up on Gaijin Smash, a blog I used to read that is written by a large African-American man who lives near Kyoto, Japan. It is epic. I just read this one, "Japanese People Say The Darndest Things - Version XP", and it reminded me of a my very first conversation that my partner and I came up with last night in Medical Spanish. XD Me duele la cabeza! Ah, to learn a new language...

current mood: silly
current music: Bach
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
May 20th, 2009 | 7:58pm
- Wee!
My long-time pen pal and friend, [info]so_low, did this great anime-style pic of me! (She was taking commissions and I wanted new icons, so it was the perfect deal)! I have to show it off now. :3


Oh, and since I uploaded it to the same photobucket album, a replay of this illustration of Dr. Zelda and Nurse Link by my friend [info]om_nom_berries, who I will be meeting for the first time IRL on Friday! :D


Today my classmates/friends Bethany and Tiffany and I gave a group presentation to the psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses about one of the sickest patients in Larue Carter hospital, and it went fabulously. (I'll talk more about the case later) The presentation was not something that we had to do for our grade or anything...we three just happened to be asked if we'd be interested in participating in a case presentation, and since we just couldn't say no, we wound up coming up with the whole thing. We learned a lot by researching this patient's past history and all the different behavioral therapies and medications that have been tried, so it was interesting. Because we put in all that extra work, our preceptors each told us that we'd be getting Honors and that we should all consider teaching in our future medical careers, so yay! (And actually, we all three ARE considering teaching someday, even if it is to residents and medical students. We also worked really well as a group on this presentation. It helps working with friends!) My preceptor also offered me a rec letter if I decide to go into Psychiatry, and she's the hospital administrator so she's kind of a big name. :) So...it's a door that is still open to me, if I change my mind about neurosurgery over the next few months.

Ha ha, and with nearing the end of my psychiatric rotation, I find several disorders that I think I have, just like I do with every other rotation that I've ever been on. A mild case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (different from the first one), and Bipolar II. I can't take St. John's Wort because it makes me hypomanic and I drive my friends crazy (ask [info]cielopollo). I also have to be careful when I pull all-nighters for the same reason...man, being on call leaves me wired for days. At least I don't get wild enough to get myself into trouble...at least, not yet. I keep my eye on it. My mom does the same thing when she gets really into her sewing or beading...and she's the least impulsive person I know. :x

current mood: chipper
current music: Oasis
Sunday, May 17th, 2009
May 17th, 2009 | 7:27pm
- Mini Update: Psychiatry and Obama
Obama at Notre Dame University

It would have been a good time to still be in South Bend...missed him by a year! Oh, well.

Today I went in for a 5 hour mini-shift for psychiatry call at the Wiz, where we saw a few emergent patients who came in this afternoon at the Veteran's Hospital (aka VA). The first patient was a 33-year-old man who looked older than his stated age, who came in to the VA hospital because he claimed that he was scheduled to have brain surgery to remove "Electrostatic electrodes" that were implanted into his 'equilibrium' by the government, and that they were expecting him there. He would start rhyming when he talked (clang association), and using lots of malapropisms with the utmost confidence that he knew what he was talking about regarding his "past" brain surgeries (he had a shaved head and had absolutely NO scars on his scalp). He also claimed to be George Bush (and tried to show a secret message that only he could understand that he found in the phone book to prove it to us), and after he had his operation, "they" (the government) were flying him back to Washington DC so he could continue with his presidency. He also said that he was a CIA agent with a license to kill, but he wouldn't harm us because he wanted to protect "innocent" people. He laughed when he found out we were with psychiatry, and kept checking his watch. Well, he wasn't even a veteran, so we had to transfer him to another hospital, and conveniently, the neurosurgeons don't do BRAIN surgery at the VA (only spine and peripheral nerve), and they're the same surgeons who operate at the other hospitals, so being quite vague as to not deceive him, we got him to agree to the transfer by explaining that fact to him. I wonder if he'll eventually be transferred to the psychiatric hospital where I'm rotating at right now...

Another was an elderly man who was having a COPD exacerbation and felt panicked, so he put a loaded gun to his head and pulled the trigger, but somehow the gun didn't go off. He had his larynx removed because of cancer, and he didn't have his talking device with him so he had to write all the answers to my questions down on a pad of paper. He lives all by himself with his dog, who is 13-years-old and nearing the end of his life. Sick old men who live alone are at very high risk of committing suicide, especially if they have access to weapons, which he does. He wanted to know if I'd come back to visit him in his hospital room, which just broke my heart. T_T Gargh, I can't do psychiatry...I'd want to take these people home with me, which is just a horrible, horrible idea. The kids I see everyday on the Child Psychiatry unit especially get to me at times...until they start throwing their epic temper tantrums, which reminds me why they're there...

current mood: blank
current music: Stereolab
Saturday, May 16th, 2009
May 16th, 2009 | 10:21am
- *Dies of cuteness*
Nine-year-old Japanese Guitar Prodigy on Ellen


One more week left to go of my final clerkship of 3rd year, Psychiatry! Then I'm off to Toronto for 5 days!

current mood: impressed
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
May 6th, 2009 | 7:00pm
- Meme
From [info]sobloodycute

1. Comment and I will give you 3 people from a fandom I have some idea you are interested in.
2. Post this meme with your answers.
3. Provide pictures and the names of the three people.
4. Label which you would marry, shag, or throw off a cliff.

She gave me Youko Kurama, Vincent Valentine, and Trent Reznor.

Meme )

current mood: ditzy
current music: Bats for Lashes
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
April 22nd, 2009 | 6:02am
- Progression of Clinical Skills
Here's a cute comic from yuki_snowcraft about the progress of a medical student from 1st year to 4th year. I can't believe that in a month's time, I'll be a 4th year, and then a year after that, a "doctor." Weeeeeiiiiiiird. I've already gotten used to being called "doctor" by patients (and sometimes "Nurse! Hey Nurse!" too), but soon it will be for reals. Meep.

Ah, the importance of the third year question. We were keeping a guy who we did a cervical spinal cord decompression (he had giant blood clot sitting on his cord) in the hospital until he had a bowel movement, and he was on a boatload of stool softeners and suppositories...so when I came in to get his vitals yesterday AM, he passed some gas while I was in the room, which is always an awkward situation between strangers, even in the hospital. I pretended like I didn't hear it and didn't find it amusing, and then nonchalantly asked, "So, have you had a bowel movement yet?" :D He's home now and not quadriplegic, so yay.

current mood: amused
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
April 3rd, 2009 | 10:18am
- CSF a pristine bodily fluid that looks like "the essence" from The Dark Crystal
Quote from one of my neurosurgery attendings: "When thinking about what medical specialty that you'd like to go into, you should always consider the bodily fluids you may come into contact with. ENTs and pediatricians deal with snot, GI docs work with feces on a daily basis, and OB-GYN deal with secretions that I'd rather not even think about. In neurosurgery, you deal with cerebrospinal fluid, which is the only bodily fluid that you'd rather have someone else's on you than your own."


I'm currently doing Neurosurgery for my Neurology clerkship (natch) right now, and loving it, of course. We are supposed to be in the OR right now doing a cervical spine fusion, but the patient didn't show up. He arrived in an inebriated state the last time he came in, so his surgery was already postponed once. So...we're just waiting around in case he decides to show, or if a head trauma comes in we'll be ready for them.


I will update about my experiences on the Liver Service once I get around to typing it up. ^^

current mood: hopeful
current music: Sounds of construction
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
March 19th, 2009 | 6:33am
- Zelda Rap
So, someone decided that Jay Z/Dr. Dre and others set to soundtrack music from the Legend of Zelda would be awesome...and it is! Check it out. Thanks, Melora!! :)

I had a nice birthday last weekend. I'll post more later when I'm not on my way to the House of Pain.

current mood: touched
Thursday, February 26th, 2009
February 26th, 2009 | 3:57pm
- Tiny Japanese Tupperware
The two male medical students on my team were admiring my "tiny Japanese tupperwares" that I pack my lunch in everyday and were even inquiring where I acquired them...then one piped up, "You know, this is the most UN-MANLY conversation that I've had in years."

Yay for tiny Japanese tupperware. :D

I need to put my Netflix account on hiatus again...Gilmore Girls is so addicting, I even got my dad and redneck uncle hooked. (On end of Season 3 right now)

current mood: giddy
current music: Gilmore Girls
Thursday, January 29th, 2009
January 29th, 2009 | 2:58pm
- Oh, Pretest...*rolls eyes*
Today I was given the day off to study for my Surgery shelf exam (big time exam), which is tomorrow. I have a knack for these kinds of exams, and used a question-and-answer book series called Pre-Test to prepare for all my previous exams. The kinds of questions that appear in Pre-Test are usually much harder and nit-picky than what the actual exams are like, which is good on one hand, but they also quite reliably infuse me with an increased amount of anxiety. They also love bizarre cases, like this one:

"A 33-year-old woman presents with coughing and shortness of breath over a 3-month period. More recently, she complains of coughing up hair. Chest x-ray shows an anterior mediastinal (chest) mass."

The answer is a cystic teratoma, which is a kind of usually benign germ cell tumor that can occur in the ovaries, testes, and the thymus gland (and in the brain and other random places). The thymus gland is in the chest anterior and superior to the heart, and it's where your T-cell lymphocytes (type of white blood cell) go to their little military academy to learn how to defend your body (and also not to commit treason, which is a capital offense punishable by death in the thymus gland). Sometimes teratomas can have TEETH and HAIR in them (and even more sophisticated parts), which ups their freakiness factor by 10.

But yeah, having a patient who coughs up hair as an example on an exam would make me giggle in the middle of the test.

current mood: silly
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
November 5th, 2008 | 3:37am
- Sweet
It's not so terrible to wake up at 3 AM if it's to hear good news!

current mood: pleased
Monday, October 20th, 2008
October 20th, 2008 | 3:45pm
- New Ranma 1/2 OAV!
It was only a matter of time...12 years, to be exact!

I'm still hunting for the new 30 minute OAV (悪夢!春眠香/Nightmare! The Incense of Spring Slumber), which hasn't been a very fruitful search thus far, but there is a cute short with characters from UY, Inuyasha, and Ranma 1/2! I can't wait to see the full thing, and hope that there are more new episodes in store for the future, since Ranma 1/2 has always been one of my favorite anime!



current mood: happy
Sunday, October 19th, 2008
October 19th, 2008 | 11:07am
- Sally's Song
I'm not a big Evanescence fan or anything, but this cover by Amy Lee of one of my favorite songs ever, "Sally's Song" from Nightmare Before Christmas, is beautiful.



current mood: impressed
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
October 16th, 2008 | 2:25pm
- Trauma On Call
I just did my very first overnight call in med school, at Methodist hospital with the on call trauma surgical resident. I've been awake since 3:30 AM yesterday (10/15). *_* At least it was pretty eventful, so I managed to fight the sleepies well while I was there. We get to leave after any lectures we have post-call the following day, so I shuffled home at 8 AM after a stimulating lecture on medical ethics (about Advance Directives).

So, on call went like this: I left Riley after a full day of work (starting at 4 AM) at 4:30 PM, and took the People Mover, which is a cute train that connects Riley/University/Wishard/the Med School to Methodist Hospital. I went straight to the information desk, and the sweetest young lady paged the trauma resident for me. (My experience at Methodist was that people there are very nice and helpful, even (especially?) to medical students.) He told me the password to get into the physician's lounge upstairs, where I was to meet him. I waited from about 5 PM to 7 PM for him to show up, and he didn't answer my subsequent pages to make sure that I wasn't missing anything, so I think that he was taking a nap, since he just did a full shift himself. Luckily, his chief resident was in there and hung out with me, so I knew that I wasn't missing out on much. We chatted about the election and surgery a bit, then I ate dinner and attempted to get some work done on a History & Physical and did some refreshing about trauma/emergency medicine/ACLS/CPR, which proved useful later on. *dun dun dun*

Promptly at 7 PM, my res shows up and introduces himself, and we head to the ER to see two patients: a middle aged gentleman whose spleen spontaneously ruptured in his sleep secondary to a viral illness (we admitted him to watch him, since he wasn't actively bleeding), and a young man who had been cleaning his gun, which of course went off and nicked his little finger, and then shot into and out of his anterior thigh superficially. Pretty damn lucky for a gunshot wound, I would say. He and his girlfriends were kind to me, although they looked a bit intimidating...gold teeth and gang tattoos 'n all. Welcome to Indianapolis!

some )

current mood: sleepy
October 16th, 2008 | 2:06pm
- Birth Month Meme
RULES:
_ Pick your birth month.
_ Strike out anything that doesn't apply to you.
_ Bold (or italicize) the five-ten that best apply to you.
_ Copy to your own journal, with all twelve months under a lj-cut.
_ Tag 5 people from your friends list.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.


More of these apply to me than don't, really.
pick your month )

current mood: tired
Monday, October 6th, 2008
October 6th, 2008 | 9:04pm
- The Last Airbender
I finished one of my major goals during my vacation/elective month...I watched all of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I loved (probably as much as Harry Potter)!! I can't wait for the movies to come out...

This week I'm starting my General Surgery clerkship, so it's likely that I won't be around much since it's one of the most time-intensive and exhausting periods of medical school. I got placed with Pediatric Surgery at Riley, which is what I wanted (I will never leave that place, lol)...the hours are going to be murder, though...rounds are at 5 AM, and we have to preround on our patients before that! If I eat breakfast while I walk to Riley, then I can "sleep in" until 3:30 AM...craziness! I have a definite mix of excitement and trepidation going on here. Tomorrow is orientation, so I don't have to go in until 7 AM.

current mood: accomplished
current music: Ouran High School
Monday, September 29th, 2008
September 29th, 2008 | 11:19am
- Another picture meme
1) STOP.
2) Grab a camera.
3) Take a picture of your desk, don't fiddle around with it/tidy it/etc.
4) Post on your journal.
5) Make your friends do the same.





current mood: chipper
Monday, September 15th, 2008
September 15th, 2008 | 5:02pm
- Books 'n Stuff
I've been doing some volunteer work lately because I have some extra time. This weekend, I went to a Community Health Fair at an inner city elementary school and did face painting for the American Medical Association. It was so much fun! This one kiddo wanted a cobra spitting fire on his arm, so after I did that one he showed his friends and they all wanted the same "tattoo" as well. I even did a black shark with red eyes that was also breathing fire. Rock. I think that I may have finally found my calling in life.

My pal [info]cielopollo came down to visit me this weekend, so we grabbed some green tea lattes and attempted a trip to the mall, but I got hot and tired and thus we made curry and lazed about my apartment instead, watching House M.D. and the English dub of Howl's Moving Castle (Christian Bale!!). I talked her into trudging to Circle Center mall this afternoon in the wind and rain. Adventures.

Here's a pile of stuff that I just read/am in the process of reading before my General Surgery rotation next month. :D
Photobucket


When the Air Hits Your Brain was an interesting look at Neurosurgery residency...lots of depressing stories, but some with a few shades of hope thrown in for good measure, much like what I've experienced of Pediatric Neurosurg this week...(I'm procrastinating writing about it just yet, can you tell?)

House of God is kind of like Catch-22, only it's about internal medicine residency. It's delightfully twisted and absurd, but full of so many frightening truths...

And of course I have to catch up on my manga! Thank heavens for Kinokuniya, especially since shipping from Amazon Japan has gone up astronomically. I've got Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden, Detective Conan, and Fullmetal Alchemist to enjoy. :O

I'm ecstatic to find out that a second anime series of Fullmetal Alchemist is going to be made (there was a flyer in Vol. 20 that mentioned it). *GLEE*

Oh, and I changed my mood theme to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. A couple of weekends ago I went home to visit my parents, and my friend Crystal and I got out my old NES and SNES so we could do some Ganon-whooping. I was happy to see that not only do both systems still work, but my old files are still on there, immaculate. Huzzah!

current mood: ecstatic
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
September 10th, 2008 | 7:46pm
Fewer U.S. Medical Students Choosing to Work in Primary Care

This is nothing new. I never did intend to go into primary care, but they sure do make you feel guilty about it. X(

That said, I really enjoyed my Family Medicine rotation. They even got me a huge cake that said, "Good Luck, Andrea!" and a card signed by the whole clinic on my last day! It was so sweet of them. ;_; I tend to make bonds with people and it's always so hard to leave--it makes me feel like Unico!

Right now, I'm doing a month-long elective in Pediatric Neurosurgery at Riley, and I've already spent about 16 hours in the operating room! I have a lot to post about, so I'll do that in a few days.

-------
My cat, Emmy, has finally met Almy's cat, Charlie. He's never been around another cat before, and he used to play very roughly with Almy's former landlady's Golden Retriever, so I was worried about what HIS reaction to her would be. Surprisingly, Charlie is ENCHANTED by Emmy, but she wants absolutely nothing to do with him! He tried to use HER litter box, which is in my bathroom, and she lunged at him and startled him so badly that he jumped up on top of the toilet, like a raccoon treed by a hounddog. Poor Charlie! Right now, she's on the couch washing herself, and he's sitting on the chair across from her, amazed at her every move. Hopefully she'll warm up to him soon. She and Chloe were actually starting to groom each other, and thanks to Emmy's presence, Chloe learned not to use her claws or teeth when she play-fights with my parents.

current mood: curious
current music: The Forbidden Kingdom
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
September 2nd, 2008 | 6:41pm
- News blurb
"UK banking giant de-pants irate customer"

current mood: amused
current music: Debussy
Monday, August 18th, 2008
August 18th, 2008 | 10:14am
- Weird Eats
Yoinked from [info]rheymoon
1. Bold what you've eaten
2. Cross out whatever you won't

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile - and kangaroo
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp

9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans

25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly – does plum wine jelly count? It was pretty strong
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects – not on purpose, anyway
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk

45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu – it was good! I had a full course with fugu in it – even fugu jelly for dessert!
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal

56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini - the only way that I'll drink them!
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian - the local Asian market sells Durian popsicles, which are fun to give to unsuspecting friends
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake ALL!
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain 
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe - I wish!
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu (no, but I've had both shochu and soju)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail

79. Lapsang souchong - Tiff refers to this as "butt tea"
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse -
as bazashi with raw quail egg...I'm sorry, scar! >.<
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

100. Snake 
 
I've eaten more weird things than I realized. O.o How did someone I manage to get me to eat foie gras when I won't even touch a hot dog? (I didn't cross it out because I try to never say never...) I tried a bite of the foie gras, and then promptly gave it to my Brazilian friend Monica's Japanese grandpa. It was his birthday, anyway. I remember that he wanted Nagoya's famous curry spaghetti, and we all went to a fancy French restaurant instead. We had the spaghetti for lunch the next day.

current mood: horrified
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008
July 16th, 2008 | 8:00pm
- Wee!
I got my board exam results today! I did even better than I had hoped, so I have a huge weight lifted off my shoulders right now. I feel like my hard work paid off! I can now think more seriously about what specialty that I want to go into, and what other things I need to do (i.e., research, writing articles, etc.) to be a competitive applicant. That means that 1st and 2nd year, which every single doctor I've ever spoken to cite as the roughest 2 years, are both officially behind me!!

Today I started inpatient pediatrics in the afternoon. I was assigned a very sweet resident who was an ophthalmologist in Russia, and I basically hung out with her and helped her do stuff, like write discharge notes, call and make appointments for patients...I really felt like I was helping, not inconveniencing! Tomorrow I start out with my own patient in the morning, who I have yet to meet...

Oh yeah, I briefly saw [info]rheymoon in the Housestaff Office today. She's one busy intern! :)

Oh, and in case you haven't already seen this:

http://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2008/07/help-save-the-t.html

"Did you know that Sayama Forest, the woods that inspired Hayao Miyazaki in My Neighbor Totoro, is in jeopardy of becoming victim to urban sprawl? In a creative effort to prevent this, Pixar Animations Studio is teaming up with a bunch of cool contemporary artists in a mega-auction fundraiser on September 6th. After that, starting September 20, the art will be displayed at the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum."

Thanks to [info]agermain and [info]ginreisan for posting this (originally by Lisa Katayama)!

current mood: ecstatic
current music: Billy Idol

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