Monday, February 20, 2012
Science is Cool: Neuroscience Edition
This video was recommended to us by one of our neuroscience professors. Its pretty fascinating! So, if you are interested in learning about a very rare case of proprioceptive nerve degeneration, you will enjoy this...
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Spring Break Countdown
Spring Break starts in 13 days!!!!!!! Here is all of the things that stand in my way from a glorious week of freedom:
1) 5 exams (including 1 final)
2) 2 quizzes
3) 1 Career Development session
4) 1 Mentor Meeting
5) 1 Clinical Skills sessions
Its going to be a busy 2 weeks, but I just cannot wait for this spring break. Besides going back to sunny California, I will also be celebrating one of my best friend's bachelorette party! The bachelorette party location is a total surprise to her, so if you know where we are going...don't spoil it! I can't wait! :)
1) 5 exams (including 1 final)
2) 2 quizzes
3) 1 Career Development session
4) 1 Mentor Meeting
5) 1 Clinical Skills sessions
Its going to be a busy 2 weeks, but I just cannot wait for this spring break. Besides going back to sunny California, I will also be celebrating one of my best friend's bachelorette party! The bachelorette party location is a total surprise to her, so if you know where we are going...don't spoil it! I can't wait! :)
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Science is Cool: Reproductive Edition
Yes, Im a big science nerd...and yes, I find science to be the most interesting topic in the entire world. So, if you share this love, Im sure you have been missing my "science is cool" sections of my blog. Lets face it, I have been too lazy and too pressed for time to share all of my fun little tidbits...BUT, today is the day this changes! "Science is cool" is back!
We are currently on the reproductive unit in physiology, so here are just some more reasons that science is cool:
1) There is a hormone that is released during pregnancy that causes collagen breakdown, leading to dilation of the cervix. Whats interesting about this hormone is that it also loosens bones and joints in the body to prepare for delivery. One of the consequences is the loosening of the calcaneonavicular ligament in the foot, which is one reason for larger post-pardem shoe sizes!
2) The inner-most layer of the uterus (the endometrium) has Spiral arteries. Once a month when a women's estrogen levels decrease, these spiral arteries get constricted and become necrotic. This is one of the lovely reasons why women experience menstrual cramps.
3) Sperm best survive at 2-3 degree lower than the rest of the body's temperature. Whats really interesting is that for a few days before a women' ovulates, her basal body temperature actually drops a bit (to help sperm survival) ... Oh evolution!
Finally, I always talk to people in my histology lab about how I LOVEEE histology images. I just think they are so pretty... I really really really want to blow some up and frame them and have them as artwork in my house! Yes, I know that sounds strange, but if you have not seen what Im talking about, go google image search some pictures of histology slides and see for yourself! For now, I found these really awesome photos that I thought I would share:
*These photos are not mine! Property of Yorgos Nigas, found at http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/images-inside-human-body-images/8292?image=13
We are currently on the reproductive unit in physiology, so here are just some more reasons that science is cool:
1) There is a hormone that is released during pregnancy that causes collagen breakdown, leading to dilation of the cervix. Whats interesting about this hormone is that it also loosens bones and joints in the body to prepare for delivery. One of the consequences is the loosening of the calcaneonavicular ligament in the foot, which is one reason for larger post-pardem shoe sizes!
2) The inner-most layer of the uterus (the endometrium) has Spiral arteries. Once a month when a women's estrogen levels decrease, these spiral arteries get constricted and become necrotic. This is one of the lovely reasons why women experience menstrual cramps.
3) Sperm best survive at 2-3 degree lower than the rest of the body's temperature. Whats really interesting is that for a few days before a women' ovulates, her basal body temperature actually drops a bit (to help sperm survival) ... Oh evolution!
Finally, I always talk to people in my histology lab about how I LOVEEE histology images. I just think they are so pretty... I really really really want to blow some up and frame them and have them as artwork in my house! Yes, I know that sounds strange, but if you have not seen what Im talking about, go google image search some pictures of histology slides and see for yourself! For now, I found these really awesome photos that I thought I would share:
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| Egg coated w/ Zona Pellucida! |
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| Sperm trying to fertilize an egg! |
Monday, February 6, 2012
Vinyasa Hot Yoga
I have recently discovered that amazingness of Vinyasa Hot Yoga. After several months of my friend, Ghazala, talking about how much she loves practicing yoga, I finally fought my fears of passing out or looking like an idiot, and I attended my first yoga class. Much to my surprise, not only did I not suck that bad, but I also really really loved it! The studio has this deal for new students where you pay $10 for your first time and you get 10 consecutive days unlimited. So, I was all about that! In those 10 days, I went 4 or 5 times! Thats a lot considering how you all know how crazy hectic my school schedule is! Once my 10 days were up, I decided this is something I definitely want to stick to. Hot yoga is such a great exercise because you sweat like CRAZY that you know you just had a really great workout, but you leave feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated. It is so easy to focus on your school work after you have just done yoga, so I really think its going to be a great thing that I get into!
I will definitely post more about any yoga accomplishments once they happen, but one huge accomplishment so far: I can do a headstand! After only 4 days of working at it, I was able to hold a head stand for a good 5-ish seconds! I've gotten better at it, can hold it longer now and hope to keep working to strengthen my core so I can hand out in a head stand for a while! I will post pictures once I am good enough to hold it for a good picture! :)
I will definitely post more about any yoga accomplishments once they happen, but one huge accomplishment so far: I can do a headstand! After only 4 days of working at it, I was able to hold a head stand for a good 5-ish seconds! I've gotten better at it, can hold it longer now and hope to keep working to strengthen my core so I can hand out in a head stand for a while! I will post pictures once I am good enough to hold it for a good picture! :)
Namaste!
4 Year Anniversary!
S and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary last Monday (January 30, 2012)! In one sense, I can't believe it has already been 4 years because it has just gone by so quickly, but in another way, its kind of crazy how much we have done and been through in our relationship in these years.
S and I started dating in January 2008. I had just found out that I would be studying abroad in the Netherlands for 6 months, so we had a slow beginning. I didn't want to get in anything "long-term" because I was just going to be leaving for Europe months later. Well, something I have learned is that you don't pick when/who you fall in love with...It just happens. As I left for Europe, S and I decided to see what happens. We were still in a new relationship, so if the long-distance got tough, it could end. However, the fact that being in Europe still made me want to skype him everyday, rather then going out to meet Dutch men, it became clear that there was something special between us. When I came back to the United States, we spent the next couple months together constantly... We were basically attached at the hip. Then, in early spring, S received his acceptance to Medical School to Michigan State University. While I was overjoyed that he was accepted to a medical school program and that he would be living out his dreams of becoming a physician, it wasn't soon after that I realized what this meant. We would be forced in that same spot again--either choosing to be long distance or choosing to end our relationship. Since we survived a few months of me being across the whole world, it would be easy for me to just be across the country right? The only difference now, was that instead of 6 months...the length of this distance was now just a question mark. So much was unknown. I was planning on applying to medical school too and...lets face it...there was little chance of me getting into the same medical school (especially at an out-of-state school, which is even harder to get in if you aren't a Michigan resident). The chances were slim to none, but we hoped that we could figure out a way to get through it together. Then, a year and a half after he left for Michigan, I got the phone call that changed everything, my admissions to MSU. Finally! The period to the question mark that was haunting our relationship. It was finally a solution! Now, I know we still have a lot of unknowns in our future. Applications to residency programs are right around the corner, and we may be right back to our original problem of being accross the country again, but I know that we have made it through this before and I finally am sure that we can do it again. I am so thankful for my relationship and how I have been able to live out my own goals and dreams without some of the hardships of our relationship making me sacrifice any of these goals.
So, instead of just celebrating 4 years together, I am celebrating the journey that S and I have had to take over the last 4 years to get to this point. We have had to work a lot harder than a lot of couples to keep what we have going, but it has made everything so worth it! I truly value every second we spend together and feel so lucky every day for where I am now with my life and with my relationship! :)
Here are a few of my favorite pictures of S and I over the last 4 years:
S and I started dating in January 2008. I had just found out that I would be studying abroad in the Netherlands for 6 months, so we had a slow beginning. I didn't want to get in anything "long-term" because I was just going to be leaving for Europe months later. Well, something I have learned is that you don't pick when/who you fall in love with...It just happens. As I left for Europe, S and I decided to see what happens. We were still in a new relationship, so if the long-distance got tough, it could end. However, the fact that being in Europe still made me want to skype him everyday, rather then going out to meet Dutch men, it became clear that there was something special between us. When I came back to the United States, we spent the next couple months together constantly... We were basically attached at the hip. Then, in early spring, S received his acceptance to Medical School to Michigan State University. While I was overjoyed that he was accepted to a medical school program and that he would be living out his dreams of becoming a physician, it wasn't soon after that I realized what this meant. We would be forced in that same spot again--either choosing to be long distance or choosing to end our relationship. Since we survived a few months of me being across the whole world, it would be easy for me to just be across the country right? The only difference now, was that instead of 6 months...the length of this distance was now just a question mark. So much was unknown. I was planning on applying to medical school too and...lets face it...there was little chance of me getting into the same medical school (especially at an out-of-state school, which is even harder to get in if you aren't a Michigan resident). The chances were slim to none, but we hoped that we could figure out a way to get through it together. Then, a year and a half after he left for Michigan, I got the phone call that changed everything, my admissions to MSU. Finally! The period to the question mark that was haunting our relationship. It was finally a solution! Now, I know we still have a lot of unknowns in our future. Applications to residency programs are right around the corner, and we may be right back to our original problem of being accross the country again, but I know that we have made it through this before and I finally am sure that we can do it again. I am so thankful for my relationship and how I have been able to live out my own goals and dreams without some of the hardships of our relationship making me sacrifice any of these goals.
So, instead of just celebrating 4 years together, I am celebrating the journey that S and I have had to take over the last 4 years to get to this point. We have had to work a lot harder than a lot of couples to keep what we have going, but it has made everything so worth it! I truly value every second we spend together and feel so lucky every day for where I am now with my life and with my relationship! :)
Here are a few of my favorite pictures of S and I over the last 4 years:
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| One of our first "nice" pictures together...GPhiB Formal 2008 |
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| One of my first nights back in the US after I was abroad (Jan 2009) |
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| 20th birthday in Disneyland! (2009) |
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| One of our million skype "dates" |
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| Thanksgiving in Michigan (2010) |
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| The moment I realized my parents accept S into the family...they named our baby duck after him! :) |
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| Disneyworld (December 2011) |
Endocrinology Shadowing
I havent blogged in a few weeks because of my crazy crazy exam schedule. I knew this semester had a lot more exams than last, but its kind of amazing how much material we have already learned and been tested on this far. In fact, I have my first final of the semester, in immunology, this Friday!
Like I mentioned in Fall v. Spring, one of the neat things about the Spring semester is that we get way more clinical experiences. One of these required clinical experiences is shadowing our faculty mentors in either their clinic or in a hospital. My faculty mentor, an endocrinologist, is actually gone for a few months to do research in Florida, so I shadowed one of this partners in his endocrinology clinic. Although I shadowed physicians as an undergrad (as everyone hoping to enter medical school does), I was nervous to see if the expectations and experience would be different now that I'm no longer "pre"-med, but instead a real med student. Well, I definitely was right to fear there would be different expectations....
After first meeting my physician that I was shadowing, I was immediately handed a CBC. Although we "practiced" reading CBCs in biochemistry, when you are handed your first one and asked "whats wrong with this patient", it is much much different. Luckily, my normal guess of "anemia" proved to be correct (point 1 for Kailyne)! After talking about our first patient, we went in the room to see our first patient. After talking with her and examining her, the physician told me to listen to her heart and lung sounds and to tell him 2 things that I find that are abnormal. Well, considering the fact that I am just now learning heart and lung sounds (2 weeks after I shadowed), I had no clue of what to do. My patient was very nice and told me that I should be looking for a murmur, but of course, I still don't really know what that sounds like (negative one point for Kailyne). After this, the next four hours seemed to go up and down like this. I would correctly guess that a patients medicine was causing hyperprolectemia, and then fail at describing Graves Disease (something else I learned just 2 days after this shadowing experience). So, I know that I am not expected to know everything, but every time I would get excited that I knew something, seconds later I would be reminded that I really don't know much...Oh well, I guess I am going to have to get used to it because of the nature of my future career!
In the end, I am really happy that I got this shadowing experience to begin to prepare myself for what I will expect in 3rd year rotations. I realize I will no longer be able to hide in a classroom answering multiple choice questions when I am one-on-one with a physician/resident and in patient rooms. I know I still have more than a year before I will have to face this reality, but I definetely want to get more shadowing experiences under my belt before I have to go in as as a third year, who is really supposed to know what the heck they are doing! *Gulp*
Like I mentioned in Fall v. Spring, one of the neat things about the Spring semester is that we get way more clinical experiences. One of these required clinical experiences is shadowing our faculty mentors in either their clinic or in a hospital. My faculty mentor, an endocrinologist, is actually gone for a few months to do research in Florida, so I shadowed one of this partners in his endocrinology clinic. Although I shadowed physicians as an undergrad (as everyone hoping to enter medical school does), I was nervous to see if the expectations and experience would be different now that I'm no longer "pre"-med, but instead a real med student. Well, I definitely was right to fear there would be different expectations....
After first meeting my physician that I was shadowing, I was immediately handed a CBC. Although we "practiced" reading CBCs in biochemistry, when you are handed your first one and asked "whats wrong with this patient", it is much much different. Luckily, my normal guess of "anemia" proved to be correct (point 1 for Kailyne)! After talking about our first patient, we went in the room to see our first patient. After talking with her and examining her, the physician told me to listen to her heart and lung sounds and to tell him 2 things that I find that are abnormal. Well, considering the fact that I am just now learning heart and lung sounds (2 weeks after I shadowed), I had no clue of what to do. My patient was very nice and told me that I should be looking for a murmur, but of course, I still don't really know what that sounds like (negative one point for Kailyne). After this, the next four hours seemed to go up and down like this. I would correctly guess that a patients medicine was causing hyperprolectemia, and then fail at describing Graves Disease (something else I learned just 2 days after this shadowing experience). So, I know that I am not expected to know everything, but every time I would get excited that I knew something, seconds later I would be reminded that I really don't know much...Oh well, I guess I am going to have to get used to it because of the nature of my future career!
In the end, I am really happy that I got this shadowing experience to begin to prepare myself for what I will expect in 3rd year rotations. I realize I will no longer be able to hide in a classroom answering multiple choice questions when I am one-on-one with a physician/resident and in patient rooms. I know I still have more than a year before I will have to face this reality, but I definetely want to get more shadowing experiences under my belt before I have to go in as as a third year, who is really supposed to know what the heck they are doing! *Gulp*
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