And When I Get That Feeling....

This week in GI, I am doing consults. It is a nice change of pace from the non-stop onslaught of colonoscopies and esophagogastroduodenoscopies. Basically, whenever one of the managing medical teams decides that their patient has a problem that may benefit from the GI service they request a consult. It is the medical world's equivalent to "Hey take a look at this and tell me what you think". There is a fair amount of consults that come into the GI service everyday so they are only too happy to let the medical students "help them out". Anyway, during a lull in the consult action I was asked to head back to the endoscopy suite to lend a hand. I was soon joined by another medical student and after taking some H&Ps we were observing a fairly routine colonoscopy.

The endoscopy suite resembles a small operating room. There is a large video monitor on the wall, a stretcher in the middle of the room, the endoscopy machine is stacked neatly on the counter, and a full array of tools, wires, hoses, and scopes are hanging neatly on the wall. The thing that makes the endoscopy room a bit different is once the procedure begins the lights are all turned down really low. I made a joke my first day there that at least they provided a little mood lighting before impaling you with large medical instruments.

Having music playing in the operating room is a fairly common thing. Many surgeons have their "pet music" that they need playing in the background while they snip and hack through tissue practice their healing arts. The endo suite is no different. Most of the doctors there are content to leave the radio on; tuned to some "office-appropriate" adult contemporary station.

The low lights, the music playing in the background, and my somewhat twisted sense of humor came together in a perfect storm today that almost had me laughing out loud.

In the middle of a procedure that involves passing anywhere between 4 and 6 feet of unfriendly colonoscope into your "Holyiest of Holyies", I happen to catch the song that was playing on the radio. I tried to stifle a giggle as I looked over at the other student and told her to listen. As luck would have it, Marvin Gaye was crooning on about his need for Sexual Healing.

And then came this lyric:

"You're my medicine. Open up and let me in.
Darling you're so great, I can't wait for you to operate.
I can't wait for you to operate. Baby, I can't wait for you to operate."


I guess you had to be there.....

The Word of the Day

You hear about in throughout medical school: The medical student closet hypochondriac who, upon learning about a disease, is JUST CONVINCED that he has said affliction. I have witnessed this phenomenon to a mild degree with a couple of my classmates. You know what they say, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

But after spending the last week watching enough colonoscopies to last several lifetimes, I got really concerned. Seeing countless diverticula, polyps, hemorrhoids, and abnormal mucosa, well, it was enough to scare the sh...well you get the idea ;-)

Anyway, the word of the day is :



Do you and your colon a favor and jam your face full of oat bran, vegetables, fruits, beans, tree bark- whatever. Just be sure to shoot for 30-40 grams per day.

This Public Service Announcement brought to you by concerned colons everywhere.


Picture Credit

The Weight of the World

I woke up this morning and something was different. I actually got a decent night's rest, something I sorely missed.

After what seems like an eternity of endless studying, I finally have come to the day where I no longer have to worry about the USMLE step 2 exam*. What a relief!

The exam yesterday went pretty much according to plan- after over a thousand practice questions, the test seemed to go by pretty quick. There was however, a series of about 5 questions near the beginning of my first block that felt like a stiff boot to the pills. They asked some off-the-wall curve-ball questions that were more of the Step 1 variety. Aside from that I felt pretty comfortable with the material and I didn't think it was too horrible.

I suppose I will know for sure in about 3 weeks when I get my results.

My son John picked me up after the exam and we met up with Jersey Pete to did a little post-exam celebrating over a few beers and the Yankee game at Brother Jimmy's.

Up next, I am reunited with my friends in GI starting Monday.


* assuming I passed