Spring Break Update

First of all, let me apologize to anyone who has been following this blog for my lack of attention over the past few months. After winter break, school became brutal and the only person I was talking to regularly back home was Annie. Needless to say, a lot has happened since January, so let me try to get you all up to date.

Classes
So, last I left you, I had started a class called Cell Structure and Function. This class took over my life. This course had three main components: cell histology, metabolism and genetics. The histology (looks at tissues under a microscope) was not bad, and neither was the genetics. The metabolism, however, was evil. I don't even remember what happened during that time. It is all a blur. Here is an image which we basically had to memorize. You probably can't read the text, but I think you will get the idea.

So anyway, in the end I survived, which is all that really matters in medical school. I am now in the last quarter of the next course, which is called Systems, Processes and Homeostasis. It is a much more civil course and more conceptual. I actually think I am working harder at this course than the previous, nightmare course. But that might be because I find it innately more interesting.

Skype!
So the other big thing that I was doing over the past few months is a research project involving the videophone software, Skype. My group has a number of seniors who have agreed to let us set up videophones on their computers so they can call a designated family member or friend. The idea is that if we get them interacting more with people, that we can potentially improve their overall health. But before we could get started on the project, we had to work out the bugs with a test subject. My group decided that Annie would be the perfect candidate. If we could get Skype working for her, than we could get it working for anyone! So, I mailed out the camera to Annie and, after many hours of fighting with her computer from 3,000 miles away, we got it to work! Unfortunately, her computer has proven to be a bit unreliable, so we haven't been using it that much, but we were able to talk a few times and she was able to see Drac, which made her very happy.

Courtney
As some of you already know, Courtney has finally received an official diagnosis of what has been ailing her over the past few years. It seems that she has a disease (Ellers Danlos, Type III) that the collagen fibers in her body by making them super stretchy. While this may indeed mean she has super stretchy lips, the real effect is that she has hypermobile joints. As a result, she is consistently causing "microtraumas" in her joints by overextending them. So, she has to now work to redefine the limits of her mobility and strengthen her joints in order to avoid causing more injury and as a result up her energy levels. While it certainly sucks, it is better then some of the other options (i.e., Lupus) which would have some very serious effects down the road.

Drac
He is getting fat again. We weighed him last night and he is almost 15 lbs! When we moved out he was 12 lbs. He is going on a diet.

Hospital Stuff
After working with the urologist, I spent the winter working in the Emergency dept at OHSU. This was fun, but it was a very different experience than being at the ED at University of PA. OHSU is situated on the top of a hill, about 15 minutes drive from the city. As a result, the patients that come to the ED are very different. Also Portland is much less violent than Philly. Anyway, the patients we saw were often homeless, drug addicts/seekers, and people with very complex diseases that were already being treated by specialists at the hospital. I learned a lot, but I certainly did miss the action of Penn.

Now I am working with a rheumatologist, actually the same one that diagnosed Courtney! My work with him so far has been a welcome change of pace from the ED. I really like having the extra time with the patients to try to get to the bottom of a disorder. When you are working in the ED, the main concern is "How can I keep this patient alive" whereas in rheumatology you are more concerned with trying to either cure the patient (rarely possible) or at least manage their pain and symptoms. Because he is a specialist, he also gets some exotic cases which have stumped other doctors.

So, anyway, that is the summary. Hopefully I will have time to post again before I come back. I think that I am through the worst of first year and some projects of mine that have been ongoing will be wrapping up, so I should have less on my plate and more free time. I will hope that makes for more frequent and interesting blogging...but it remains to be seen!

lee