Thursday, May 31, 2012

Waiting for Boaz

Got this from a friend, no idea from where, but it's darn awesome:

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Me And My Cello -Happy Together

Even though I don't really play an instrument, this is just so creative and hilarious! (what would you do with your favorite person...i mean instrument?) http://m.youtube.com/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDKC-lRhvdNY%26feature%3Drelmfu&feature=relmfu&v=DKC-lRhvdNY&gl=US

Motorcyclist

Funny conversation between my friend and I:
Me: oh good, that biker has a helmet
Mw: but she doesn't have any other protective gear on.
Me: she?!!
Mw: look at those short shorts!
Me: ooh, right.
(biker zooms in front if us and shirt flares up behind her)
Both of us: wooooo...that shirt went up really high!
(we drive in front of biker)
Me: um...shirt wide open, definitely no boob.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Floating Mountains

Coolest artwork ever by Yasuaki Onishi at Rice University Galleries (can you guess what it's made of?):
Negative Space
Here's a video about it: Reverse of Volume.  It's the perfect combination of beautiful and creative!
Thanks MNZ!


Sunday, May 20, 2012

Washington State Hikes

Ah...so much time wasted not hiking/camping/backpacking! I figured I should make a list of hikes in WA that seem interesting (not a complete list for sure):

Close-ish to Seattle:
East:
  • Enchantment Lakes near Leavenworth - 18mi, need pass
  • I-90
    • Snow Lake - 6mi, continues to another lake
    • Mason Lake - connects to Bendara Mtn
    • Bendara Mountain - 6.6mi; last 0.5mi=1000ft elevation gain
    • Rachel Lake - 7mi, Rampart Lakes (11mi) even further up
    • Green Mountain - 10mi, "last promontory," rough trail, scramble
  • past I-90: (if raining in seattle)

North
  • Mount Baker
  • Mount Dickerman - 8.6mi roundtrip, 5.6k' elevation
  • Coleman Pinnacle
  • Ceder Falls up to Abernathy Ridge
  • Pearrygin Lake (past north cascade, 4hr drive) - parents say really beautiful w/snow in May
  • Oyster Dome - 6.5mi, view of san juan islands and Olympic mtns, oyster restaurant on bottom
  • Route 2:
    • Serene Lake - 8.2mi, water fall on the side
    • Barcley Lake -
South
West:
  • Olympic National Park
  • Deception Pass Headlands
  • Dungeness Spit near Sequim - 5mi hike to lighthouse and back
  • Westport WA
South:
  • Cape Disappointment State Park

The Asian Woman

Haha, this comic is pretty funny: http://abstrusegoose.com/462
Thanks SL

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Best Time To Buy Plane Tickets

Article with tips on buying the Cheapest Plane Tickets

And some medical fun: Abbreviations Kill

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

My Sacrificial Claim

Scrubs, my new past-time that I've started in 3rd year to make me not feel too guilty (b/c I'm "learning" at the same time), actually has some pretty profound messages.  Like this past episode I watched: season 1, episode 21 "My Sacrificial Claim":
Everyone has to make sacrifices and make priorities:
  • You might have to give up something you want now for something you've wanted all your life.  In Elliot's case, it was giving up a relationship with a seemingly "perfect" guy for her.  I'm assuming she's giving it up to be the best doctor she can be.  That seems like a perfect definition of a work-a-holic in her case.  Anyhow, I feel bad for Elliot...and even worse for her boyfriend.
  • You might have to give up a bit of safety.  In DJ's case, it was being willing to be around sick people.  I'm surprised he made it through 4 years of medical school and intern year before realizing this fact.  But it's true.  I suppose especially true in pediatrics, when it seems like every fall/winter/spring, the pediatricians get sick.  
  • You give up time for yourself to spend more time with the people you love.  I think this was probably the most important lesson to remember. Going to medical school, I've found that it's so easy to think about myself so much- my education, my exams, my studying, my grades, my rotations, my patients, my career...that I've sometimes lapsed in caring about the people who love me.  

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Peds Surgery Encounters

It's good to be in the Children's Hospital! Interesting cases:

  • VATS (a look inside the chest cavity) for unusual lung mass in child with possible ROHHAD - pretty much a syndrome where you get fat really quickly (and hypoventilation, hypothalamic issues)
  • Gnathodiaphyseal dysplasia syndrome: Baby who came in with cartilaginous tumors of the jaw that made him look like he had 4 giant plums in his mouth.  He was born with normal jaw, but in 6 months, developed these tumors.  Other than being born with a femur fracture (bone fragility), nothing else really wrong.  Apparently nobody really knows much about this syndrome, and once-in-a-life-time-case!  Crazy stuff!  Kind of looks like this, but even bigger!
    •  After taking out the tumors, baby looked a lot more normal, but sadly, it's likely to recur.  
  • Bilious emesis (vomiting green stuff): volvulus
  • Biliary atresia s/p (status post, aka after) liver transplant and failed Kasai procedure where they connect bile ducts with small intestine.
  • Pyloric stenosis: I got to feel the "olive"! - nonbilious vomiting, hungry, s/p open pyloromyotomy
  • Medulloblastoma, needed a portacath and gastrostomy for chemo
  • MEN2A: Baby with constipation, go biopsy for Hirschprung's disease to look for aganglionic colon, but turns out there were hypertrophic ganglions. Pathologist recalled that being part of MEN2A syndrome, so endocrine surgeon did a thyroidectomy (supposed to be prophylactic against medullary carcinoma because rate of getting medullary cancer in MEN2A was 100%), and the baby already had cancer in their thyroid.  
  • VATS for a kid with lung nodules s/p chemoradiation for metastatic nasopharyngeal rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle cancer). Yikes!
  • Enormous Wilm's tumor (10cm) + nephrectomy (taking out the kidney)
  • Enormous bilateral ovarian serous cystadenoma
  • Kid with heterotaxy polyspenia!  (Article about it for those with access.)  It's some insane congenital condition where there's malformation asymmetric organs: malrotation of the bowel, heart malformations, multiple small spleens, bilobed lungs, transverse liver, azygous continuation of the IVC...etc.  
  • Cleft palate fistula
  • Gastroschisis (baby's bowel is coming out of a hole on the side of the umbilicus) + silo (to house the bowel to wait more room in belly to push bowel back in) + TPN 1mo
  • LaForte I and III from ATV crash (wear helmets everyone!).  Surgery to plate the fractures was insane!  It was the first time I've seen someone get degloved (aka, scalped)!  It was pretty much like you peel off everything from the skull.  Picture examples for the non-queezy: degloving the face; degloving scalp.
  • Nissen fundoplication (wrap part of stomach around esophagus to prevent reflux)
  • Right lower lobectomy (via thoracotomy) for CCAM (congenital cystic adenomatoid mass)
  • Handle bar injury: jejunal perforation
  • Pectus Excavatum + Ravitch procedure (break cartilage, add metal bar) - Haller index 6.8
  • I missed the duodenal atresia!!! So disappointed!!  b/c of oral exam...darn. Apparently also had malro!
  • Interesting conditions: Diamond Blackfan anemia 
  • Fontan (extracardiac) procedure for left hypoplastic heart syndrome (no left heart): IVC connected to pulmonary artery.  Kid also had previous Norwood (RA to neo-aorta) and Glenn (SVC to PA).




Monday, May 7, 2012

Teratomas

Hahaha! Friend of mine said studying ovarian teratoms (often find hair, teeth, strange tissue in them), reminded her of this clip:
Now You Are Family - Oh, how I love "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
Thanks MNZ!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Worship Signals

" Whether you want to or not - you're probably going to laugh at this..." (UK Gospel.com)
Sighs, I'm a rookie.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Pediatrics Ortho

Fun cases:

  • DDH (developmental dysplasia of hip) : bilateral Pembertons (iliac osteotomy and bone graft wedge)
  • SCFE (slipped capital femoral epiphysis): femur osteotomy and derotation 
  • Club foot anterior tibial tendon transfer onto cuneiform (no heel cord lengthening)
  • Myelomeningocele kid: Right femur and left tibia derotation
  • Neurofibromatosis 1 + flat foot: midfoot osteotomy, CC joint fusion, calcaneal neck lengthening (no peroneal tendon lengthening)
  • Unicameral bone cyst: iliac crest bone marrow aspiration + injection with ETEX (demineralized bone matrix) into cyst
  • Cavovarus reconstruction: midfoot osteotomy (m/l cuneiform, cuboid osteotomy), plantar fascia/scar tissue dissection
  • Open both bone fracture of forearm. Rx: OR washout, ORIF + Nancy nails. Got to help reduce and hammer one in!
  • Septic elbow - I&D
  • Of course, a lot of spika casts for babies with DDH, supracondylar humerus (elbow) fractures that require reduction via flexion and pinning + casting and ankle fractures (SH-4, bimaleolar) requiring reduction and screws.  Yay for getting to reduce an elbow fracture!