Friday, April 30, 2010

Yosemite Highlights

Had a great trip to Yosemite recently. Here are some photos I just uploaded.

Monday, April 26, 2010

This is why I run

To decompress after my Lung Block Exam, I went on a great run in Arastradero Preserve this evening. About a mile into my run, I took a break to look around, and realized I was a step away from landing on a small 12 inch snake, it was slender with reddish-brown and yellow stripes. Continuing along, after a big climb, my efforts were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the surrounding landscape, extending all the way to the Bay.

The best part about a big ascent is the winding downhill run that follows, I was practically sprinting for almost a mile, all the while keeping my eyes peeled for other cool animal sightings. About a 100m before finishing, I slam on the breaks. There is a HUGE rattle snake in the middle of the trail!  I'm talking 4 feet long, big rattler, smack in the middle of the trail, with a dead mouse in its dust. So, fortunately I stop. Spend about 10 minutes in awe of this creature as it meanders off the trail into some gofer hole. Then I sprint to my car, slightly terrified of every sound along the trail, but joyous of my chance encounter with two beautiful snakes just minding their business on a sunny Monday evening.  This is why I run.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Quote of the Day

"...Instead of being the currency of a social justice or conscience-driven movement, "human rights" has increasingly become the specialized language of a select professional cadre with its own rites of passage and methods of certification. Far from being a badge of honor, human rights activism is, in some places I have observed it, increasingly a certificate of privilege."

-A quotation from Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, in the opening of Pathologies of Power, a book by Paul Farmer

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Insurer targeted breast cancer patients to cancel

This is exactly why for-profit companies should not be in the business of providing health insurance. Sickening.  http://bit.ly/9WLvzF


Now that's what I call spring

Go Stanford!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Such is life

1. ME
2. Understanding the information in school so I can help my future patients
3. Everything else

There are so many cool things to do during medical school, health policy, free clinic volunteering, advocacy, student groups, clubs, cool talks. Then there are so many cool fun things to do in life, like hiking, camping, traveling, hanging out with family, friends, reading, watching tv, reading blogs, blogging. But then there is me. Just me. 24 hours in a day. I've decided that the only way I can become a good doctor is by first being healthy myself. So last weekend I went to Yosemite, it was incredible. Since then I've vowed to exercise everyday, because I love it. I've done 2 trail runs, a fun run to a vista of Menlo Park, and a quick tough work out at the gym. I've had decent meals every day. I've even made my bed. It's sad when I am proud of myself for making my bed, but small things like that matter. I'm also getting better at saying no...sort of. It's a work in progress really. Med school is exhausting, is summer here yet?

Friday, April 16, 2010

Yosemite

Made it to Yosemite! On the way learned all about antibacterial drugs,
had a great dinner at InNOut, and saw two deer and a gorgeous sunset.
Great start to the weekend I'd say!

Sent from my iPhone
-Julia

Monday, April 12, 2010

Lost my sensibiility

V-Q, CO2, PA02, A-aO2, Hbg, DLCO, FEV1, TLC, VD/VT, FI02, RV, IRV, ERV, VC, FRV, FEV, CO, N2O, pH, SaO2, HCO3

Welcome to my new language! It's called: Respiratory Physiology (oooooh, ahhhhh). Who knew that everything you learned in general chemistry the first semester of college 7 years ago would be so valuable? Partial Pressures, Dalton's Law, Fick's Law of Diffusion, it's all important to understanding the lung! If only they had told me that at the time....

Now that we're in the organ blocks, we are really getting down to business...We have 3 lectures a day, 4 days a week, just on the lung, meaning that we cover 12 hours of intense material each week. In two weeks we're already passed the 20 lectures point...talk about fast-pace. But of course, life also continues to happen, so I've been grappling with my summer options, extracurricullar activities and writing a research proposal. I'm getting the hang of it though, key words: SLOW DOWN and enjoy the flowers. No seriously, the wildflowers are in bloom all over campus. It's beautiful.

The lung is really neat, but not so neat if you have asthma, or COPD, or brochiectasis, or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung disease, bacterial pneumonia, pulmonary edema, respiratory distress syndrome, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, or anything similar. Like my new vocabulary? Don't forget crackles, rhonchi, wheezes, spirometry, arterial blood gases, or body boxes, beta agonists, muscarinic antagonists and steroids.

 I try to immerse myself in the new language, so I read the recent NEJM article on the impact of 9/11 debris on pulmonary function of firefighters and emergency rescue workers. Hopefully that study will help secure funding for additional health coverage for those workers.

And, I've considerably lost my vision from studying too much. If only there was a spare moment to see an ophthalmologist, then the lecture slides could be clear again!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Thursday, April 8, 2010

My first exhibit

Malcolm Gladwell at Medicine at the Muse

Need to Expand Number of Hours in the Day

Apparently my blog has become a photo blog...I apologize for that.

Latest news in a nutshell...
I'm becoming environmentally friendly! Proven by the fact that I biked to and from school today.
My photographs will be on exhibit tomorrow evening! At the Medicine and the Muse Event.
I'm learning about the all-powerful amazing and sometimes asthmatic lung! Lungs are COOL. Don't mess up your V/Q ratio though. That's BAD news.
I can distinguish the lung sounds of wheezes, crackles, and rhonchi by auscultation.
An owl visited me the other day on my way home, it was outstandingly amazing and surreal.
As usual I drink too much diet coke.

I have way more thoughts, comments, and experiences than that, but I really have to write this proposal. It will get me $12k of funding and we all know that's a lot of money for a med student.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Quote of the Day

"Thought is the strongest thing we have. Work done by true and profound thought -that is the real force" -Albert Schweitzer

Sunday, April 4, 2010