So I’m revising Puerpural Fever, and I come across “Offensive Lochia”… now, having not done Gyne (that’s next year) and presumably having forgotten if we were ever told what it was, I googled it. Being a medical student, and therefore somewhat of sick mind, I also thought it could be interesting to have a quick click on Images…. I found it quite amusing that there were just pictures of skipping couples and daffodils.
A bunch of pre-exam medics in one room.
Exam-fever has truely hit the medical school, and as such I am ready to kill the majority of my colleagues.
No. I do not want to listen to a breakdown of what you’ve revised.
No. I do not want to hear all about what you’ve still got left to do.
No. I do not need to know exactly how you’re going to fit this into the coming weeks, or how much you revised today, or yesterday.
There is one thing that I hate more than post-exam analysis, and that is pre-exam analysis. So, if you’re one of these culprits… next time your msn list looks surprisingly empty, it may not be because everyone is off revising, it is probably because- like me- everyone has blocked you because they really don’t want to know.
On a lighter note…. I bring you Medicine According To My Sister:
“Nephrology would be exciting. Kidneys are cool- they have all those woogly-things in them.”
Medicgirl x
So it’s been a rather uneventful weekend- I decided that in order to not get spoiled in regards The Last Harry Potter, I should read it ASAP. It therefore made sense to get that out of the way and give up the necessary time to reading it- hang the revision!
So yesterday was spent rather enjoyably curled up in various places in the flat(I found I rotated depending on my mood), and punctuated by many phone calls to Atopy Law Student to discuss the book as we both read it on our respective sides of the city.
I then ended up going out for a friends birthday, and much food was consumed, as well as moderate amounts of alcohol, before I bowed out early on the basis of wanting to come home and sleep (and read a bit more).
This was when things got interesting.
Weirdly- I was fine before- or I thought I was fine at least… but within about half an hour of getting home I felt like death. I felt sick and my eyes were burning… in the end I did actually vomit, which helped slightly, but I was still left with a temperature- shivering and shaking despite being actually boiling hot. So I did what any self-respecting medic does when her mother is on holiday and her sister is a hypochondriac, I rang a friend that could do nothing about it, and wimpered down the phone to them. Surprisingly perhaps, despite a distinct lack of medical literature on the subject, it did actually make me feel better, and I managed to get to sleep afterwards.
This morning I felt a little better- but still not right. I’ve spent much of the afternoon napping, and still feel tired. I guess at least my body is having its little tantrum now and not in three weeks time!
Medicgirl x
Something rather disturbing happened to me tonight; I went over to partner-in-crime’s house- another medic- where we revised for a couple of hours and had supper together before going out for another friend’s birthday drinks.
Maybe it was the tiredness. Maybe it was the stress. But I actually had more fun revising than I did once out… The upshot being we both left together rather early, much to the chagrin and shock of our colleagues, who are more familiar with a more lively gruesome-twosome.
Still, watch this space, I’m sure once exams are over I’ll be back to normal.
Medicgirl x
It has come to my attention that there are just some things that I cannot run out of my system, and as such, work has taken a distinct back seat this week while I sort out other things.
I’ve given myself until Saturday morning to be annoying.
an·noy·ing [uh-noi-ing]
–adjective
Ignoring the pile of work by your desk, listening to certain songs, eating your feelings and being far too introspective for your own good.
Luckily there have been enough revision sessions and clinics that I’ve had to attend, so I’ve not slacked off entirely; definately a good thing given how exams are now looming and I’ve got a shocking amount of work to get through.
Medicgirl x
On most of the placements I’ve been on this year, I’ve had a favourite doctor- not necessarily the one who likes me, or thinks I’m really good (but clearly that does help!), nor even the one I respect the most, or aspire to be. And for the record- no, I havn’t had crushes on them all either!
Currently my favourite doctor doesn’t actually teach me, but I tracked him down today in clinic to ask him to have a quick look at my hand. Which he duely did and instantaniously diagnosed me (De Quervain tenosynovitis) before giving advice and telling me to come back and see him if it didn’t settle down. He even remembered my name!
Anyway, the combination of actually being remembered by someone who’s not teached me now for months on end, knowing what the hell is wrong with my hand as well as what to do if it doesn’t get better means I am a happy medicgirl tonight (sort of, but thats a totally different story).
Medicgirl x
Flatmate and I are lying on the sofa watching the Simpsons. Flatmate idly percusses my abdomen as I extol on the new style of percussion I’ve developed (I copied one of the MAU consultants I was on with last week).
Londonmedicgirl: Find any death?
Flatmate continues percussing, remaining rather ominously silent, before my sister comes in. She watches us for a minute before commenting;
“Medicine hasn’t really changed much in a long time has it…”
1 part personal stress
2 parts professional stress
Shake together with over-tiredness and ice
Serve garnished with hormones
One of the reasons for my absence over the last few days was because I was hit with a rather crushing if short-lived depression on Saturday; something that happens to me from time to time, and normally can dealt with by hiding from the world in pyjamas for the day and getting a decent nights sleep.
“Mental-health Days” I tend to call them. Other people skive clinics because they’re hungover;I skive when I’m miserable. I don’t see this as a cop-out; I see it as a sensible move that staves off anything worse.
An episode of Doctor Who, a decent nights sleep, and an early Sunday morning trip to the hospital to check on a patients notes, and I was feeling a lot better.
The main thing that was praying on my mind was that I had to present to my tutor on mornday morning; although I’ve presented a million and one times before this guy was an unknown quantity and pretty scary. However, when it actually came around I did an OK job- sure I may have rushed the actual history because I was nervous and shaking, and I may have flubbed a few questions, but he marked me fairly and gave constructive criticism that I could actually learn from. So although I’m still scared of him, I do respect him, which is a good state of affairs to be in.
MedicGirl x
