Summer Break 2016: Or, the biggest misnomer of all time...

Sorry for being MIA for the last few weeks. I've been a busy girl. After finishing up block 4, I had to have a cholecystectomy, yay! So on July 4, I didn't get to see any fireworks, I got to have surgery. But it worked out to be timed perfectly for me to bounce back in time for block 5. Which started on July 18. No, I did not stutter. We got two weeks of summer. Yeah this salt ain't from the beach, fam. So there really ain't much to talk about as far as summer goes.

Some of you remember me talking about my HB being ill back in March with pancreatitis. He ended up having to have a splenectomy this last week because the pancreatic pseudocyst that was so very huge occluded his splenic vein, which basically murdered his spleen. So we've been plugging along for like four months hoping it would reduce, but it didn't. So he kicked it out. Hopefully all his other internal organs will get the message and behave themselves. He's got kind of a huge recovery ahead of him, what with the giant incision going down his tummy. I'm super proud of him, though. He's taken it all in stride and he's very positive about recovery. I didn't lose it, much.

So we are about to head back to class. The first week of class is off-campus, thankfully. We have a week of SDLs (student directed learning) that we can do anywhere. Then we have to be on-campus officially on the 25th. It doesn't really feel much different than the regular one-week block break we have had all year. Maybe next summer we'll have a little more time.

So I know this is pretty short, but honestly I think I was unconscious for a large part of my summer due to the surgery. Hopefully I'll have more to say as the block starts. Until then!

Block 4 Week 11: That'll do pig, that'll do.

It's probably a little bit presumptuous to start writing my final blog post for my first year of medical school two whole days before it is actually over. But I'm sitting here in lockdown before our anatomy practical, and I have no electronic devices to keep me entertained. So I thought I'd at least get started. We take practicals in sections because our lab can't hold that many students at once in a testing environment. So to keep anyone from sharing information, they quarantine us in the building with no devices until everyone has finished. It's a bit of a drag because although it's a great time to study, everyone is super noisy and it's impossible to concentrate. Also, all of my study materials are electronic, so I can either try to take a nap or write. So here I am, scribbling in a notebook instead of typing on my computer. Handwriting blogs would never take off, I assure you.

This week has been full of exams and studying and waiting on grades. I've gotten some good news in the grades department for the most part, but I'm still chewing my nails over a few hanging out there. I also got to participate in a group simulation with the manikin. Now, manikins are a little freaky. They can breathe, blink, sweat, vomit, etc. They can exhibit just about any kind of symptoms you can think of. We even have a pregnant one. I was a little nervous about the experience beforehand, but it really turned out to be quite fun. I had a great time working with the team, and learning a little more about running my own team when it was my turn. It's a little scary being in charge.

So here I am sitting at home in bed after the last final. It's so weird thinking about the first year of medical school being completed. If they all go this quickly, I will need to cut down on the blinking. I'm so happy to be getting a little break before we start back with second year. It's not a huge one, though. I can't imagine a period of time I'd think would be long enough at this point. So my plan is to get some sleep, hang out with the fam, and catch up on some Netflix. We'll see how that goes. I'm not sure if I'll post weekly during the break, but I guess if anything happens worth blogging about, you'll see a post or two. Looks like I passed everything (even made some A's!) except for that one class (cell bio) that I will have to remediate. I started out the block a little rough, but I managed to pull everything out except that one. Hopefully it won't be too painful. I'm sure I'll whine about it plenty. Anyway, you're looking at a brand new second year student! YAY! Until next time...