Free Fallin

Bucket List

So, I promised you a little more excitement in this week's post, and I will deliver.  However, I want to tell you about this week's other happenings first.  So, here goes.

Monday, our intramural co-ed flag football team had its first game.  It was so much fun.  I never really had the chance to play intramurals at BYU, so this is kind of a new experience for me.  Let me tell you, the outcome of this game was so much better than it ever was during intramural basketball this summer.  We won 29-0!  They had to invoke the mercy rule.  Here we are after the game.

Naughty Bears

On Tuesday, we had our first Pharmacology exam.  It covered pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and Antibacterial drugs.  I wasn't too sure how I would do one, but it turned out just fine.  I got a 91%.
We also started our Hematology/Oncology section in Clinical Medicine.  This is proving to be the most difficult section yet.  There's about a hundred different kinds of anemia.  Then there's the whole coagulation cascade, which is a fairly complex biochemical chain reaction whose end goal is to clot off your blood so you don't bleed to death when you get a cut.
On Thursday, we had our ENT exam and, unfortunately, this was my lowest grade yet.  Barring any favorable point adjustments, I scored somewhere in the high 80s.  (Official scores should be posted tomorrow).
Then on Friday, we had to endure the WORST lecture since school began.  I think it was a combination of factors that made it so terrible.

1. It was the last lecture of a very long week. 
2. It was a 2 hour lecture  
3. The lecturer was incredibly boring AND talked way over our heads
4. The material was complicated...or at least he made it complicated

I mean, if anybody can decipher this diagram, let me know.

OK, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the awesome stuff.  I was able to check two things off my bucket list this weekend!  The first one is kinda nerdy, but I don't care.  I have wanted to learn how to fence for a long time now.  It's just a really elegant sport that requires calculation and quick reflexes.  Shane, a member of my ward has been fencing for about 5 years and is now the co-owner of a fencing club here in Gainesville.  So, he brought a bunch of equipment to the church on Friday night for an Elders Quorum activity.  He taught us about the history of the sport and how that influences the three different styles (foil, epee, and sabre).  Then he showed us some simple footwork and how to lunge.  Since there wasn't enough gear to go around, half of us suited up and the other half learned how to poke us with swords.  After being a pincushion for a few minutes, we switched sides and I got to do the stabbing.  Then, he would officiate while two people dueled (or whatever they call it).  It was a ton of fun and a great work out for your legs and butt.

Me acting the pincushion.

My turn to do the stabbing.

Look at that form.

My first point...right in the throat.

This is me scoring a point.  The first shot got him in the shoulder, which doesn't count.  But, the next shot is picture perfect.  I won 5 to 3.  Shane actually asked me if I had fenced before.  Not too bad for my first time, huh?

Then, on Saturday, I was able to do something that I have wanted to do even longer than I have wanted to learn to fence.  This wish began when I was really little.  I would have these fairly regular dreams that I could fly.  Not like a bird, but like Peter Pan.  But, my dreams were as close as I ever got to flying.  Then yesterday, I actually got to fly in real life...well, kinda.  I went SKYDIVING!

My friend from class, Laura Beth, is a member of the UF Adventure Club and they were going skydiving this month.  She invited anybody that wanted to to come along.  Well, I had been putting it off for years for various reasons.  The time wasn't necessarily "right," but I didn't see it ever being perfect, so I took her up on her offer.  I was not disappointed.

We left Gainesville at about 20 to noon to make the 50 minute drive out to Palatka.

Sorry, these first couple are out of order. We took these on our way out.

We got there just in time for our 1:00 appointment.  Turns out that whole "appointment" thing is a load-a-poo.  We had to wait 5 HOURS before we got to jump.  I guess they had just sold their big plane a few weeks ago, so they were using these 2 little tiny planes that could only hold 4 people max.  Well, when you do a tandem jump and have a photographer, that means that only one paying customer can go up at a time every 20 mins.  There was another group ahead of us plus a bunch of regulars that, for some reason, got to go in front of us.  It was a bit frustrating but totally worth the wait.

Laura Beth and me

Next up!

Getting strapped in.

Jairo trying to proposition me.

Yeah, it's my middle name.

Kinda surprised this tiny, rickety, old thing made it to 10,500.

Both feet back on the ground.

 It was seriously one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had.  You spend 20 mins cramped up in this tiny little plane.  Then they open the door at 10,000 feet.  There's this blast of cool air (but I barely registered the temperature...my mind was elsewhere) when they open the door.  The camera man climbs out, then you and your tandem instructor scoot toward the door.  That's when your brain starts screaming at you that jumping out of an airplane will lead to your certain doom.  But, you're strapped on to somebody else, and once you step out on that step, there's no turning back.  After rocking forwards, then backwards, we launched ourselves out into nothingness.  Back on the ground, I had asked Jairo if we could do some extra flips on the way out, and he didn't disappoint.  We got a good 3 or 4 in before flattening out.  I cannot describe to you how loud it is.  It was like nothing I had ever experienced before.  I was kicking myself for forgetting my earplugs.  The free fall only lasts about 50 seconds, but it seems more like 5.  It's all over so quick, then you're under canopy.  But floating down under your chute is almost better than the free fall.  Once he pulls the cord, everything goes silent and you can see for miles around.  Jairo was cool enough to point out landmarks as we were coming down.  He then gave me the toggles for the chute and totally let me control the turns.  I was a little tentative at first, but he reassured me that I wouldn't break it and told me to really give it a tug.  I sent us into some great turns...at least they felt pretty awesome to me.  Then after a couple minutes, we were back on planet earth and it was all over.  I wanted to get right back on the airplane and do it again.  It was such an amazing experience.  I got video taken, so when the DVD arrives, I'll be sure and post it.  Someday, when I've got the cash, I'll definitely do it again.

So there you have it.  All-in-all, it was a pretty amazing week.

Fall Semester: Week 4

So, it's the weekend.  This is typically when I have a moment to get online and let y'all know what I've been doing all week.  I don't necessarily have a moment right now, but I'm always down for a distraction.  Distraction from what, you ask.  Well, a distraction from studying for the Pharmacology test I have this Tuesday.  I was in the library already today from 9:30 - 6:00 and still wasn't able to get through all the material I needed to.  So, I'll be back at it again tonight.

This week has gone really well.  Last weekend and the first part of this week, I set up residence in the library to prep for our two tests, one in ophthalmology and one for physiology.  The long hours paid off though.  I got a 97.5% and a 94% respectively!  But, I'm not getting a big head about it.  This upcoming pharm exam is going to be a doozy, and our next medicine test is going to be a bit more in depth than the ones that we've had to date.

Other than this week's exams, it's been business as usual.  In pharmacology, we've started diving into drug classes, starting with Antibacterials (i.e. penicillins, macrolides, sulfonamides, etc).

In physiology we've been tackling the endocrine system.  Endocrinology has fascinated me since my anatomy course at BYU.  It's absolutely amazing how the body uses all these glands producing all these chemicals in order to keep your body systems in balance.  I think it would be an interesting field to work in if I had a better grasp of chemistry/biochemistry.

We also began the Otolaryngology section of Clinical Medicine.  Our lecturer on Friday is actually the 1st counselor in my ward's bishopric.   He's in the last year of his 5 year residency and will be moving up to Kalispell, MT next year to begin his career.

In other news, I got our class officer webpage posted to the UF PA website this week.  Check it out here.

Next weekend, I should have something much more exciting to post besides the typical boring rundown of what I did in class.  I can't wait for y'all to find out what it is!

Week 3 of Fall

Holy cow.  Where does all the time go?  I guess this was a short week, so that accounts for some of it.  But in general, the weeks are just flying by.  It's crazy.

Early  this week, I found out that I only missed 3 questions on my Dermatology exam.  That's a 94.5%!  I studied a ton for that test but still didn't expect to do that well.  So, it was a pleasant surprise.

This week, we've been studying OpHthalmology (one MD made sure that to point out there are 2 Hs) and Dental in our Clinical Medicine course.  The eye is a pretty amazing organ.  Here are a few things I learned:

1. NEVER use topical steroids if you suspect Herpes Simplex Keratitis.  Refer to ophthalmologist.
2. Eyes are not only the window to the soul, but also the window to diseases like diabetes and hypertension.  If you find any hypertensive or diabetic retinopathy, refer to ophthalmologist.
3. The vast majority of pink eye is viral and therefore does not require antibiotics.  However, according to one of our readings, antibiotics are typically prescribed because "in many cases...the patient will not accept a recommendation that no therapy be administered."  No wonder we have drug resistant strains of bacteria!  Shoulda referred to ophthalmologist.
4. If you are an elderly, inactive, obese, African American with a personal history of hypertension and a family history of glaucoma and did a Valsalva maneuver while lying in bed on a cold winter morning, your head is likely to explode...starting with your eyes.
5. Lastly, unless somebody is coming to me because they have an eyelash in their eye, I should just refer the patient to an ophthalmologist.  Heck, I better just refer them to an ophthalmologist for that too.

 This week in Physical Diagnosis, we've been learning the Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Throat, and Neck examination.  So, we got to use the otoscope to look in each others' ears and noses.  I'll post a picture here later next week when I can get one off a lab partner's phone.  Pictures = posted.

Things can get awkward kinda fast when you're practicing this stuff.  But, it keeps it entertaining.  There are so many things/techniques we have to remember before our first exam in this class.  Kinda nervous.











We've also been taking Physiology (most of it has been review from undergrad) and Pharmacology.  Pharm is looking like it's going to get difficult here in the next week.  Gotta stay on top of things.

Anywho, that's what's been going on in my world.  Thanks for stopping by.

My First Gator Game

The Florida Gators started their football season yesterday.  Most of my class got season tickets and a seating block together, so I was looking forward to some tailgating with friends and some SEC football.

Little did I know that the weather forecast yesterday for central Florida was exactly the same as what was predicted for the surface of the Sun.  I have literally never been so hot in my entire life.  It was hot, but bearable, during the tailgate since there was at least a little shade.  But once we got to the stadium, holy cripes was it hot.  It didn't help that this week our block was about 10 rows from the top of the stadium on the sun side.  I was just sitting there pouring sweat.  Like, it was soaking through my shorts and running down my arms, face, and legs.  I don't even sweat that much during an hour of playing basketball.  Needless to say, most of us didn't make it to half-time before bailing.

But, it was still cool to get out, be with friends, and see the spectacle that surrounds Florida football.  I'm sure it will be so much nicer in a few weeks when things have started cooling down a little bit.

Members of my PA class that came to the tailgate.

 Apparently, somebody thinks it's a great idea to funnel tens of thousands of students into one entrance.  It was hot as Hades and everybody was dripping with sweat.  I felt like I was a cow in really stinky a stockyard.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium aka The Swamp.  Seating capacity: 88,548.

OK, so, I went to a few football games at BYU.  BYU is not a small school.  It has almost 33,000 students, which makes for a lot of BYU fans/alumni.  They are proud of their team and Provo sees a good influx of people on gameday.  But it is nothing in comparison to what I saw this weekend in Gainesville.  Gator football is a lifestyle here.  I mean, just look at that stadium!  Look at all those people.  And this was just for the home opener against Bowling Green.  Wait til the LSU game.  Craziness.

Gator chomp!

Fall Semester: Weeks 1/2

Ah, a much needed 3 day weekend.  Things have been quite busy around here.  So busy, it took me a week to write my last post and another week to get around to writing this one.

Fall semester began last Wednesday, and they didn't waste any time getting down to business.  We've already had 32 hrs 15 mins of lectures, 2 hrs 40 mins of lab, a 4 hour AHEC Tobacco Training and Cessation-Initial Training (ATTAC-IT) seminar, 2 quizzes, and a Dermatology exam.  It makes me tired just writing about it.

This semester has been pretty cool though.  Here's a run down of the classes I'm taking and what we've been up to these past couple weeks.

Medicine 1
This semester is comprised of Dermatology, Ophthalmology/Dental, ENT, Hematology/Oncology, Endocrinology, Pulmonology, Cardiology,  Urology/Nephrology, and Gastroenterology.

So far, we have completed the entire Dermatology section...in 1.5 weeks.  One girl in the class had printed out all the lecture powerpoints (two slides to a page) and it took up an entire 3 inch binder.  It was because of this class that I was in library until about 8 or 9 PM most of last week.  I think I have learned that I do not want to go into dermatology.  They make great money and work great hours, but it was kind of boring.  Besides, those lectures had some of the grossest pictures we'll look at all year.  But, we had our exam on Friday and I think it went really well.  They haven't posted test grades yet, but I feel good about it.

Physical Diagnosis
PDx is the class where we learn how to do a physical exam, using all the tools you see in a clinic setting.  We have one lecture and one lab a week.  Last week, we talked about a general assessment and vital signs.  This week, we learned how to examine the eye using the ophthalmoscope.  Those things are really hard to get the hang of.  I really couldn't see much through it.  They have newer ones called panoptic scopes (these are the ones that are gun-shaped).  They are soooo much better.  You can see a lot more clearly the structures inside the eye.

Pharmacology
So far, we've just gotten into learning the basic conceptual stuff behind pharmacodynamics (how the drug interacts with the body) and pharmacokinetics (how the body interacts with the drug i.e. - absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion).  In the next week or so we'll start getting into specific drugs

Physiology
Membrane transport, action potentials, muscle physiology.  Stuff we've all already seen in undergrad, but a necessary reminder.

Behavioral and Community Medicine
I think this is kind of a misnomer.  Really, it's just a general topics class where they couch all the lectures that don't belong anywhere else.  For instance, we'll have lectures on end of life care, preventative medicine, disparities in healthcare, ethics in medicine, etc.  This week, we just had an intro to the "biopsychosocial" model of medicine.  Basically, that it's more than the disease itself that contributes to a person's health.

And that's how my semester will shape up.  There is a ton to learn and a ton to do.  But, I'm excited about learning it all...or at least as much as my puny brain can soak up.

Oh, and I mentioned that ATTAC-IT seminar above.  Sometime this semester we will be going out to middle schools with other health science students to teach kids about the evils of tobacco use.  So, this Thursday, we had an "Afternoon of Learning" to become familiar with the program.  Well, this picture of me was taken during that seminar.

I look totally bald in this picture.

Yes, I slept through much of the large group portion.  I was tired and it was kinda boring, plus my brain was fried from all the studying.  So, no, I don't feel bad about it :) 

It's great to be back in school learning what I've looked forward to learning for so long.  I really do love PA school.

 I'll post again sometime tomorrow about my very first Gator football game.  Have a good night.