Christmas Blog.

5th December, 2010.

Today I went with my family (minus my sister) and my boy to meet my new baby cousin F and see the rest of my family.

These flowers greeted us when we arrived at my parents.



We piled into the backseat of my parents 4WD where I proceeded to become car-sick from reading the GPS coordinations. This part of my family lived a good 40min drive out of the city - it's a gorgeous little country town where the local pub is frequented by bikers and the farm yards are filled with random bath-tubs. As my mum said: The place where bathtubs go to die.



My gorgeous little cousin C - he is only 2yo but if he's anything like his father and uncles, he'll end up 6ft plus. His parents are expecting a little sibling in 2 weeks time.



The newest addition to our family - baby F.



After an evening snooze following a fantastic lunch and another long drive home, the boy and I settled down to reacquaint ourselves with the TV show of our adolescence - The OC.

Christmas Blog.

4th December, 2010.

Met up with one of my friends for breakfast this morning. It started off as a bit of a rush since I forgot to set my alarm but I managed to arrive only 20min late. I hate being late so this was really embarrassing! I did some christmas and birthday shopping for various people and then headed home to spend another afternoon lying in bed watching tv shows.

I love the store T2 - they always have the most delightful selection of teapots and teacups! Last christmas they had these beautiful turkish-styled glass teacups which I purchased for my friend and this year they have a gorgeous range of turkish-styled china teacups.



I also did some shopping of my own.



And finally - this is the 4th day of summer. We are yet to see the sun...



A minute later it started pouring with rain. This is a shot from my bedroom window to the abandoned property next door. One sunny afternoon when it has been mowed, my housemates and I hope to take a picnic blanket and work on our vitamin D levels.

Christmas Blog.

I've missed the first 3 days but I intend to update my blog daily until christmas with a daily photo shoot of what I'm getting up to these holidays.

1st December, 2010.
I went to Karaoke with my boy and our friends. These are my two closest friends in Med singing to one another.



2nd December, 2010.
Disappointingly, I didn't take any photos of this day despite it being the first time that my boy sat down with my parents, my brother and his fiancee, and my sister and her boyfriend. My mum cooked a fantastic roast lamb with roast vegetables and an apple crumble and bread-n-butter pudding for desert. It was superb.

3rd December, 2010.
I again didn't take any spontaneous photos today but I did discover that I passed my third year exams and am thus set to become a 4th year (and more importantly a final year) medical student. Only twelve more months. Here is a shot of me still feeling excited (despite appearing somewhat forced).

My sister, on seeing a movie..

Jess: So we'll go see that movie... I- I ... in-
Me: Inception?
Jess: Yeah that's the one. We'll go see that one Tuesday next week.
Me: You mean the tuesday next week, because there's only one tuesday.
Jess: Hi - I'm Tuesday and I'm a day of the week.

Lets stop fighting and make out - an interpretation of Alexander.

My housemate's interpretation of the movie Alexander:

Me: What are you watching?
Housemate (HM): Alexander... I'm not quite sure what's going on?
Me: Where's colin farrell
HM: I'm not sure who's side he's on... I think the persians are wearing multiple colours...
Me: And the persians are not Alexander? Is he Greek?
HM: No... Alexander was macedonian... that's north of Greece.
Me: Don't judge me... I learnt all I know about history through ancient history and like most of school - I've forgotten it all.
HM: I learnt everything I know from those fictional history books.
Me: Oh! Those ones where they were pedophiles...
HM: I don't think caesar was a pedophile... but some of the other Romans were...
Me: Was alexander one?
HM: No - I think he was a homosexual...
Me: Ooh! Have their been any sexy moments between Colin Farrell and sexy male co-stars...
I proceed to mimic a sexy kiss for some reason.
HM: No! But there was a moment before he went to war-
Me (Interrupting): and they sexy man kissed!
HM: No... they were like:


"If you die, I will avenge you"


And then they hugged.

HM: They wear very short shorts... maybe that's why they were homosexuals.
Me: Possibly...
HM: Actually - they're more like skirts. Perhaps they were like the Scottish and wore no underwear and so they were all a little turned onafter the war.
HM: Perhaps they were like 'Lets stop fighting and make out.'

The mechanic lied...

So I was reading back over my blog a little and stumbled across this entry:


So with regards to my car, turned out I had a hole in my exhaust pipe. I found this out at one of my services where I had this conversation with the mechanic.

Mechanic: So it turns out that you have a hole in your exhaust pipe.
Me: Oh gosh, do I really? Is that dangerous...
Mechanic: Oh no... not really...
Me: So I'm not likely to die from it.
Mechanic: ... well no, probably not...
Me: Then in that case, how long can I leave it.
Mechanic: I'd say you have till about 110,000km
Considering the car still has 10,000 till then.
Me: And you say it will cost how much.
Mechanic: X-dollars.
Me: See you in 10,000km.

For the next 7,000km my car became increasingly louder as the hole got larger, until I was driving through an intersection one day and...



this dropped out of the bottom of my car.
I literally drove through it, heard a kind of crumple-crash, looked in my rear-view mirror to see that lying in the middle of the road. At which stage I pulled over and called my sister who was 300m away.

Me (No idea what it is): I think my engine just dropped out of the bottom of my car...

Chinese whispers.

Learning in post-grad medicine is a lot like Chinese-whispers.

It's assumed that as post-grad entrants we're all adults and have also completed a previous degree and are therefore capable of studying the concepts of medicine on our own with as little direction AND correction as possible from the university staff. The direction that we do receive is through our PBL-sessions - twice-weekly meetings with five or six other students where we're presented with a medical case (ie. Patient X presented to hospital with symptoms-X and a past-history of...) and given a set of learning objectives.

'Learning objectives' is a broad term used to describe a list of anywhere from five to twenty concepts which we're expected to research and study, such as "Identify the pathology, clinical features and investigations of Endometrial Cancer". As I was saying - broad... very, very broad.

Although this is a fantastic way to learn - as it allows for adequate communication between students regarding the topics we're meant to be covering, it is also the FULL extent of involvement that the university has in directing our learning. This therefore means that our understanding of this topic solely relies upon the resources that we look up and the information that other students bring to the table during PBL. This means that should one student look up wikipedia for their information and the other looks up MD consult, regardless of the reliability of this information - it becomes fact.

This happened the other day in the hospital.

Registrar: Tell me about the eye-symptoms of GRAVES disease
Student A: Lid lag, lid retraction, proptosis and exophthalmus. Student recounts exactly what was learnt in PBL last year.
Registrar: Not quite. Graves Disease leads to exophthalmus (protrusion of the eye) and ophthalmoplegia (limited eye movement and double vision). Thyroid eye disease covers lid lag, lid retraction and proptosis.
Student B verifies this in the book...

Major PBL fail, because both students were from different PBLs but had both received the same information from their PBL group and because of the lack of regulation of the resources available to students by the university or the lack of regulation of what material is learnt...

I can imagine the following scenario taking place.
In PBL:
Student A: Ok - so Student B was going to tell us about pregnancies.
Student B: pregnancies... blah blah blah... can happen in men.
Student A: Hang on a second! Where did you find that?
Student B: In book C, page X, paragraph J.
Student C: Oh well, it must be right then...
In hospital.
Doctor: So tell me about pregnancies.
Student A (Thinking: they said male pregnancy is right): Pregnancy can happen in both MALES and FEMALES!

Stethoscopes

There's a quote from the book 'The House of God' that describes a doctor's stethoscope:
"He wore a butcher-length white coat and a long old-fashioned stethoscope wended its way across his chest and abdomen and disappeared mysteriously into his pants. A question flickered across my mind: WHERE DID THAT STETHOSCOPE GO?"

I remember watching a movie or a TV episode or seeing a picture about wearing stethoscopes and how wearing them in a certain way told a lot about the individual.

There was this doctor at my hospital who wears his stethoscope, so that the ear pieces are around his neck and the diaphragm dangles down to his waist. I specifically remember this position being considered the 'bastard' way because it's meant to draw attention to the crotch of the individual and I have to agree.

Whenever men wear stethoscopes which dangle of their crotches, I wonder, "Do you feel the need to listen to your penis?"

As a med student, having your stethoscope on display is a debatable topic. On the one hand, wearing your stethoscope around your neck is the most comfortable and accessible place and makes it easy to use BUT also gives the actual Doctors the wrong impression that you're actually capable of using it, which, let us be honest isn't true about any of us. Most of the time, if mines around my neck I spend my time adjusting which side is audible and then low-and-behold when I come to use it, I can't hear anything because I've switched diaphgrams. Useless. On the other hand, wearing your stethoscope around your neck is considered 'dicky' by other students, like you're showing off so a lot of students store it in their bags or their pockets and as a result above-mentioned doctors criticize our lack of commitment to the practice.

It's a conflicting situation.

I wrote a list a while ago of things that had happened in the hospital recently which seemed like good topics to blog about, but which I was too lazy at the time to write about. Writing that list has made me realise quite how unorganised I am. Now, I knew it was in one of the notebooks I wrote in, but upon looking for said notebook I realised that in my effort to become more 'organised' as I probably put it to myself - I had purchased and used around 10 of those notebooks.

I eventually discovered the list on a random page in the middle of an un-used section of the notebook. 'Because really, Caitlin, who wouldn't think to look there..."

Dear Medical School,

5am starts are not cool. Neither is the lack of left-overs in my fridge and therefore my having to eat 2 minute noodles for lunch today.

I fart in your general direction.

Dear Life,

You always happen at inopportune moments!
Today I hope to spend my Sunday studying furiously, doing a small amount of grocery shopping and completing the several loads of washing. What I instead did today was:
- A small amount of studying
- A tonne of grocery shopping
- And, two loads of washing, one of which I only hung out a couple of hours ago and am thus unable to make my bed.

I also went to the football with my Dad, one of his good friends and the good friend's son, who is also my best friend. Soon after hearing that my friend (we shall call him T) was going, I received this text.

T: Yay rugby tomorrow? Twill be fun
Me: Haha you can explain most of it to me.
T: Is rugby the one where all the players have sticks?
Me: I thought they had horses?
T: No you retard that's golf.

And thus began the theme which was played upon the following afternoon.

Me: But really? It's the game with rackets right?
T: Dad, Caitlin wants to know if rugby has rackets?
T: Do you even know who's playing?
Me: The REDS! *I tell him proudly*
T: Against?
Me: ... The blues? *I replied hopefully*
T: That's league. The force, Caitie. The force.

Which I proceeded to mistakenly call The Storm for the entire rest of the day.

T: I only know it's the Force because I decided to read up on it on the internet.
Me (thinking): Does he mean The Storm?
T: Anyway - if you want to pretend that you know what you're talking about, I have the best piece of random information about this game.
Me: Oh yeah... *Please tell me, and let me be the impressive child*
T: David X is an ex-all black player who... blah blah blah. So if you just randomly use this piece of information in front of our dads, they'll look at you with respect.
Me: I have this terrible fear that you've made up this story and you're just waiting for me to turn to my dad and say "David X is an ex...." and then he will turn around and be like, "Caitlin, I have no idea what you're talking about. David X is a soccer player who played for South Africa..."
T: ...."And is now dead."
Me: Exactly! ... Hey?
T: Just trust me...

But, as I was saying - life is just too busy at the moment and it's just not right. I need to start culling activities and events from my life but besides dinner on Friday night with med friends, I have been spending all my weekend with family. And who can say no to good company and a roast lamb. So Life, it is time for you to become dedicated and gain some direction.

The end.

Today I witnessed my first ever birth. It was a normal vaginal delivery and I'm sure it wasn't as gross as it could have been since I've heard stories about women peeing and poo-ing throughout delivery. But all I could think as the woman was pushing, was:

- How on earth is THAT going to fit through THAT?

Midwife (to woman in labour): Now a big push because we can see the head.
Mother of WiL: I can see its head, it's got a lot of hair.
Me (thinking): THAT'S THE HEAD?!

I've also got to remember to breath while watching births as it seems I have a habit of holding my breath while the contracting mother does. It makes one a little short of breath at the end of the whole process.

When asked what I did on my weekend I replied - I fell asleep on two different couches.

Boy, do I live a life of adventure!

I also learnt how to do squats right so as to tone my thighs. The essential things, obviously.

Pretty sure I was being hit on by a patient...

The other day I was putting an IV in a patient and drawing bloods.
Me: So, now that that's all over how about you tell me your name to make sure I didn't just take all the blood for no reason.
Patient: Mr Smith.
Me: And your date of birth.
Patient: X of the X 19XX.
Me: That's great, and your address.
Patient: X street road.
Me: Well I think that's all, pretty sure I stabbed the right person.
Patient: How about my number? Do you want that as well incase you want to call me?
Me (startled): Er... well I have in fact got that on this sheet of paper, so no need, Mr Smith.

My patient is a cheeky yet charming 80-something year old man who I may have caused anaemia in because his IV bled so much.

My beverage of choice this year is...

Gin.

Mother's ruin?

Nonsense, I give you Medical Student's ruin.

I'm exhausted. I spent 10 hours at the hospital today and then 2 hours visiting my friend in hospital. And then I returned home to make myself dinner.

I looked in the fridge - there was milk, cheese, eggs, old brocoli, one carrot, fruit sticks and prunes
I looked in the pantry - there was salmon, potato, canned tomatos, and cornflakes.

I contemplated salmon mornay; there was no can opener.
I contemplated an omelette; it was too hot.
I contemplated boiled vegetables; the brocoli was too old and potato and carrot are really not healthy enough.
I contemplated prunes; I don't need any more gas.

I decided on cornflakes...

I'm up at 5am five days a week, these days. I haven't woken up this early and regularly since I was 10 years old.

My mother keeps asking me if it's getting easier.

I honestly can't comprehend the question - how could waking up at 5am be considered an easy thing?

Surgical rotation

I was meant to keep you all (my small, minute number of readers) up-to-date with what's going on in my third year but it seems that life and the roller-coaster which is medicine, has once again run away with me and I am left - 5 weeks into the semester, already - wondering where the fuck has the time gone?

My first rotation has been surgery and it has been a major cultural, social, educational and emotional shock to the system. It is, as stereotypically described, 'the jock' club or the boys brigade of medicine; and they all have egos-the size of planets. I haven't experienced any of the other rotations yet - as each is 7 weeks long, but I assure you, being medical students makes you the most insignificant, invisible individual in the entire hospital. If you don't get paid by QLD Health than get out of the way, stand with your back against the wall and say 'sorry', 'please' and 'thank you' to everyone, regardless of the scenario.

One of my last journal entries also talks about retaining the information that I was taught in the first two years of medicine - that has also failed to help me. In fact, surgeons are SO intense and intimidating that regardless of whether I know the answer - my entire my mouth fails to operate and I seem to always be left with the words - 'I don't know'.

I've also discovered that the idea that 'surgeon's know only how to cut and don't know any theory' is the biggest lie on the planet and I don't know why it was passed around. I can imagine it was some cruel game of 'Chinese Whispers' between medical students, but honestly - it's not helping anyone... especially not me, at this current moment.

Intern: They think it's possibly gout and patient X says he has a previous history of gout.
Surgical Registrar A (to myself and student B): What are the crystals characteristic in gout?
Me: Urate crystals?
SRA: Yeah... but what kind of urate crystals?
Me: What kind...? There are kinds? Gout crystals?!
SRA: What type of SODIUM crystals?
Me: Sodium urate?
SRA (gives me a look): Look it up.
*Me/StudentB quickly look it up in our trusty handbook*: Monosodium urate crystals.
Later - when the SRA and I are standing at the nurses station.
Same intern as before: The infectious diseases guy say that it's pseudogout.
Me (thinking): Oh god... please don't ask me what I think you're going to ask me!
SRA (begins turning towards me): What type o-
Me: Don't even think about asking me that?!

My Registrar looked before incredulous and disheartened, which he can do because even though he's probably the best teacher I have had in the hospital and he's only 5.4ft he's also INCREDIBLY intimidating. I wonder if I was ever that intimidating, or did the extra 2 inches I grew make me average in all ways?

But! Despite all the intimidation and the constant internal wailing that goes on during this rotation, I have learnt 100, no 1000 times more in the last 5 weeks than you could ever hope to learn in university. I've also managed to put in 2 successful IVs, take bloods successfully from every patient who I've approached and filled out pathology forms.

It's been exciting, exhilarating and I've enjoyed coming home on the rare occasions to be proud of the day that I've spent in the hospital, the procedures that I've seen and the knowledge that I've gained... But right now, it so doesn't outweigh an alarm going off at 5am every morning!