Endings and Beginnings

On Friday, I finished my summer internship. I can't believe the 10 weeks are over! I swear it feels like just yesterday that I was posting about being excited to finish up the semester, go home, relax, and start my summer job! Where has the time gone?!

I am very grateful for all of the time I spent at my internship this summer. I learned a lot and got to really work on my clinical skills. Because it was a general practice hospital, I didn't really get to see any exciting medicine cases, but I did get the chance to learn a lot about vaccines and general health care. I got to play with a lot of puppies and kittens, and to see what it is like to work in a hospital that practices practically, rather than like we learn in academia (i.e. the very top of the line, most expensive medicine available). The staff I worked with was excellent - they all enjoyed their jobs very much, were good friends outside of work, and just worked well together in general. Very different from what I'm used to. It's not that the other staffs weren't friends, didn't work well together, or didn't enjoy their jobs, it was just a different feeling. Perhaps it was because shifts were shorter, breaks always happened, and praise was top priority of management's. What ever it was, it was fun to work with this summer.

Next up on my list? A one week externship at a smaller specialty hospital (where I worked overnight last summer). I expect nothing less than 4-5 long days of tons of learning and fun! As much as I enjoyed the very slow and laid back pace of general practice (it's hard to argue with the awesome hours of 9-4, 8-3, or 12-7!), I miss medicine! I miss emergency work, I miss puzzles, and I miss working on very sick patients. Should be a great week!

After that, it's off to visit family for a week. I'll be home for a couple of days in between trips, but mostly I will be hanging out and catching up with grandparents. Maybe get a little bit of shopping and beach time in too! Not that US beaches have ANYTHING on Grenadian beaches!

Finally, packing and making the long journey back to the island for another 4 months is in order. I can't believe the time has almost come to return. Summer sure did go quickly!

Cookies!

As I think I've mentioned before, the title of this summer could be "My Adventures with Pinterest." I have been pretty busy cooking and baking since I've been home. I swear that one of these days I will get around to making picture posts of my creations, but for the time being, enjoy my latest delicious treat!

ECG cookies! I found the idea here a while back and have just been waiting for an occasion to make them. Since it's my last week of work, I figured I'd go all out. I didn't realize it was going to take hours and over night to make these when I started out, but the end results were so worth it!

 Featured above are a normal beat, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular premature complexes.

More Fun in Surgery

I got assist with a guinea pig castration today! One of our clients brought in a sweet boy who was terrified out of his mind, but I think he came around a little bit after cuddling with me for several hours today. I have such a soft spot for piggies :). The guinea pig neuter was very similar to the cat neuter, although the pre- and intra-operative protocols are a bit different. No blood work for this guy, different pre-sedation meds, no intubation and "fancy" monitoring equipment. He did well under anesthesia, although he certainly didn't like the smell of the gas at first! I remember when Penny was spayed that she hated the smell of the gas too.

This is going to sound absurd, but guinea pigs have gigantic testicles! I swear this boy's were larger than the adult cat I neutered last week, and this guy was a little over 2 lbs compared to around 10 lbs! The macroscopic anatomy was really neat to see - the epididymus looked brain-like and you could easily visualize the inguinal ring! It was a surgery I won't soon forget!

Castration

I performed my first castration at work the other day! It was very exciting and nerve wracking! My mentor doctor oversaw me the whole time as I very carefully performed the cat neuter. Not a very exciting procedure for anyone who has ever done surgery before, but super complex if you've never been in charge before! I spent about 5 hours studying the night before haha. I borrowed a surgery text to read up on the step by step procedure, watched some videos on youtube, and paged through my anatomy textbook. Everything went really well, it jsut took me forever! It never ceases to amaze me how sturdy tissue is. I remember being surprised in anatomy lab, and it was certainly unbelievable to realize that the tissues aren't nearly as fragile as they appear (they are fragile of course, but it's not like glass!). The cat was a very handsome adult male :).

Piggies

We euthanized a very sick guinea pig today at work. I am glad the owner left her in our care rather than being present (for once) because I cried so much! She was a very ill little girl and was definitely suffering and having a hard time breathing, so euthanasia was a very kind gift for her. However, all I could think about was my beautiful girl, and how I absolutely dread the day I have to face something like that with her. I keep telling her she has to live forever! She is on the best food, supplements, and treats around haha. I am leaving her for another 4 months in less than 30 days, and while I am looking forward to getting back to school, I dread having to leave her behind. I just feel absolutely terrible. She doesn't understand what's going on. She only knows that I'm not around for a very long time and she misses me. We have a special bond that just can't be replaced by the rest of my family. They take very good care of her, but there is no denying that she prefers me to cuddle and pet her, and that she loves all the time I spend around her in my room. I am hoping she can get moved to a more central location in the house this fall now that my brother with allergies will be in college. Maybe in the kitchen or family room where she'll get more attention and action. I sure do love that little piggie so much!