Monday, October 19, 2009

Thyroid

Here is a reason why I love ICM. Before I give the reason, let me explain that ICM stands for Introduction to Clinical Medicine, a 6-month-long course in which each of us is paired with a physician preceptor/mentor. Throughout the next 6 months, we will spend almost every Monday afternoon with our preceptors, learning how to interview patients by actually interviewing them. I've been fortunate enough to be paired with Dr. Katz, an internal medicine physician in a small practice in Englewood, NJ. (Yes, I drive to New Jersey every Monday.) He, along with the other physicians in the office, is friendly, energetic, and interested in making Monday afternoons a great learning experience for me. Plus, he is a graduate of Einstein, so he's always eager to chat about classes, instructors, housing, the Bronx...

So here is why I love ICM. This afternoon, between the first and second patient appointments, Dr. Katz and I were in the central common area, where he was jotting down a few notes from the previous patient as well as explaining to me what the patient's different medicines were for. One of the other doctors waltzed over, looked down at me and asked, "You wanna feel a really big thyroid?" I raised my eyebrows, shrugged, smiled and said, "Sure!" Less than a minute later, I was walking into the exam room, where sure enough, there was a woman suffering from hyperthyroidism; she will soon have surgery to remove it. She had no objections to me using her as a learning experience (although I have a sneaky suspicion that most patients don't realize I'm only 2 months into medical school -- the white coat is tricky like that), so I was able to gently press on her throat, feeling around the edges of the butterfly-shaped organ.

After I thanked her, I left, and the rest of the afternoon was "normal": I interviewed a patient with a painkiller addiction, helped dress a diabetic patient's leg sores, listened to a heart murmur, and studied chest X-rays. I'm learning so much every Monday, not the least of which is the fact that I picked the right career. All the studying and reading and classwork may often be tedious, but the Monday experiences are a good reminder of what I'm really here to do. I love science, and I'll learn what I need to learn to practice great medicine. But in the end, medicine is about people, and that's that.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

May I Just Say...

...that the Fordham church is beautiful? As is the rest of the campus. Fordham University's Rose Hill campus is only 2 miles down the road from Einstein, so I spent the last two weekends at their library for studying. The campus reminds me so much of St. Olaf -- stately buildings, majestic trees, and the "college" feel which I've found helps me be more productive in my studying. Plus, the library is huge and relatively new, so it actually feels fun to go study (shocking). Also, it's a Catholic university, so I was able to go to Mass when I went there to study.

The center painting indoors depicts all of the patron saints of the subjects that Fordham offers for study. What a great idea!

I'm looking forward to seeing the campus over the next few weeks as the trees begin to turn!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Chewables

I think my vitamins are out to get me, for two reasons:

1) Every single day for the past week, out of pure random chance, I have gotten a purple one. As far as vitamin flavors go, purple is my least favorite. That's all fine, I know I have to take all the purple ones eventually, but seven straight days??

They may look cute and harmless, but they may have mischievous intentions...

2) I've only been taking these vitamins for two weeks, but look at me now. I'm sick with a sore throat. I thought these were supposed to make me resist disease and stay healthy. Way to do your job, vitamins.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

The Art of Being an Outsider

What a game. After being targeted (but amused) by my many Yankee-fan classmates, I was able to connect with two other classmates who were interested in going to the Friday night Twins vs. Yankees game here in the Bronx. The price was steep, but it was worth it. As Eman (fellow Minnesotan and Twins fan), David (Yankees fan from Manhattan), and I climbed onto the bus to begin our trip to the stadium, the banter had already started. We were stared down as we moved from the bus to the subway. Once aboard the subway, we were surrounded by an intimidating sea of navy blue and white; as the train filled up, a Yankees fan started telling us that Joe Mauer would be wearing pinstripes in two years. I've heard that talk before from classmates, and Eman and I always say that there's no way he'd desert his beloved Minnesota, but this fan was insistent. The funniest part was that this young Yankees fan could have been no older than 10 years old.

As soon as we got to the stadium, it was mayhem. There was a constant stream of people arriving from all parts of the city, all wearing navy blue and white. We heard all about how the "Twins suck!" and that the "Yankees will sweep 'em!" One man had even brought a broom to demonstrate his point. Surprisingly, we found a group of Minnesota fans right outside of the stadium! After exchanging hi-fives, we were approached by a cameraman and were interviewed as a group since we stuck out so much. He asked where we had come from, and when I said that we (Eman and I) live in the Bronx, his eyes widened as he repeated in shock, "The BRONX?!" He had never heard such blasphemy before, a Bronxite rooting for the enemy.

Yes, we live in the Bronx! And yes, we're rooting for the Twins!

Our seats were great, as far as I'm concerned. We were in section 422, row 6, slightly to the left of home. The only part of the field we couldn't see was foul territory in the deep left -- which turned out to be a source of controversy late in the game. Luckily, the rain that had been predicted held off until after the game, and it was an absolutely beautiful night -- high 60s, little wind, and an electric atmosphere.

Getting ready for the big game, in a big, brand-new stadium

As for the game, we could not have asked for a better time. In sports movies, there's always a bit of comic relief provided by hecklers, and it seems those hecklers always have New York accents. Well, I felt as if I were in a movie. Coming from behind us were shouts like, "Who taught ya how ta pitch?" and other not-so-savory comments that made the game even more entertaining. Also, between innings, shots of the crowd were shown on the big screen: there were shots of "normal people" interspersed with celebrities who had shown up, like Donald Trump, Bill O'Reilly (both of whom were booed), Mike Bloomberg, and Reggie Jackson.

At this point, Mauer was up to bat, and the Twins were winning 3-1. Too bad they couldn't carry it to the end.

The game itself was incredibly tense and exciting. My voice is still not back to normal, two days later, from all the yelling I did. I couldn't believe it went to 11 innings; I definitely got my money's worth. As for the outcome, I still feel disappointed that the Twins couldn't pull through in the end, but the game itself was the best I could have hoped for, for sheer entertainment value. Also, the experience of being one out of eight Twins fans there (an exaggeration, but not by much...) was fun. Eman and I were amused by the hecklers and felt no shame (although possibly a bit threatened) in cheering loudly when things were going well for the Twins. This meant we couldn't get a clean picture, though:

Silly Yankees fans

All in all, it was an incredibly fun way to spend a Friday night. I'm looking forward to watching the Twins come back at the Metrodome tonight...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Better than Coincidence

Last Saturday, after my tiring but exciting day at ECHO (learning how to draw blood), I decided to go into Manhattan to do some shopping. Even the rain did not discourage me, and it soon stopped. I took it as a good sign. Before I left Einstein, I looked up churches near the area where I was going (Empire State Building area). There were two very close together, so I picked which one to go to based on the ease of finding Mass times online. I arrived around 5:00, perfect for the 5:15 Mass at St. Francis of Assisi. In I went.

Yet another church nestled between tall, shiny buildings. It's the kind of surprise that always makes me smile.

It's the best Mass I've been to so far in New York, I have to say. It felt like home. I'm not just saying that because it had the same name as my home church, or even because it happened to be the feast of St. Francis of Assisi (seemingly two coincidences which are at least interesting, if not more). It was also the feeling of community. The realness of the people. The thick New York accent of the lector. The soulful music shared by the whole congregation. The radiating warmth of genuineness. I felt at home there, even though it was only my first time there. I would like to go back.

The building itself was beautiful as well.

Later, I was also treated to my first nighttime view of the Empire State Building. I had not realized that they lit the tower in different colors each night until I read an article about a recent controversy: The tower had been lit in red one night to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the communist revolution in China. Obviously, not everyone was pleased about this, so there were protests and disgruntled New Yorkers. Anyway, the article also said that the tower is usually lit in white, but that different colors are used especially for holidays or other special celebrations. On Saturday night, don't ask me why, it was blue. I took a picture of the tower glowing in the nighttime mist...

...and then I went home.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Outcast...

Everyone knows the Twins are awesome. There can be no dispute about that. Maybe it sounds like I'm making assumptions, but at least I'm forward about them. Anyway, the Twins are awesome, as evidenced by their spectacular defeat of the Tigers last night. I was going out of my mind from the tension...all the extra innings...and then they pulled through. What a game!

Today, in celebration of their victory, and in anticipation of their upcoming games against the Yankees, I wore my Twins cap -- again. Yesterday I got a few comments; today I felt as though I was the center of attention! I heard all kinds of comments, from the friendly congratulations to the "friendly" banter of the die-hard Yankee-loving Bronxites.

Last night, I e-mailed the entire class of 2013 asking for anyone who would be willing to go to the game with me on Friday, with the stipulation that they would have to put up with sitting with the "enemy" (me), since most of my classmates are certainly not Twins fans. I got several responses from people interested in the game, as well as the following response:

Michelle,

I will disregard most of your blasphemous email (you live in the Bronx now, don't forget that) and serve you fair warning about Friday. I will be there and I....errr, drunken a**holes tend to throw things at opposing fans. Plus you don't wanna see a guy the Yankees wasted 60 million on (Pavano) get slaughtered by a hungry best lineup in baseball. Save your money for Anatomy books, and/or buy Chris Taglia a shot for his birthday.

Go Yanks!

Jon

This was also sent to the entire class, and since we received it during Histology lab, my lab partner Eman (who happens to be the only other Minnesotan in our class) and I swiftly responded:

Dear Jon,

As a fellow Minnesotan, I feel obligated to inform you of the fallacy of your beliefs. Contrary to commonly held viewpoints in NY, money does not buy loyalty, as evidenced by your inability to fill your brand new Yankee stadium. The Metrodome, on the other hand, is already employing a lottery system to fairly distribute the remaining tickets (which also only cost $12 as opposed to your ridiculous $93). Also, may I point out that the Metrodome holds more fans. Besides, Mauer will win over the Yankee ladies (and maybe some of the men) in a flash.

See you Friday night where we....errr, drunken Twins fans/converts will be throwing things back your way.
Cheers,
Ema

*this message is approved by Cat, Adam and Michelle

ps. GO TWINS:) woot.

We have since received another response from our friend:

It was pointed out to me that my first email was perhaps a bit too scathing, and for that Michelle I assure you I meant no harm. It was simply friendly trash-talking in standard a-hole Yankee fan style. Please do go the game and enjoy yourself.

Eman,

Your argument is beautifully stated, save for the fact that last night was the largest attendance ever at the Metrodome, sadly on the possible eve of its destruction, and that the Pohlad family (owner of the Twins) considered folding the team in 2001 cause they were losing 15 million a year. I guess you're right, money doesn't buy loyalty. When your ticket prices skyrocket to 32 dollars next year in your new stadium and they are back to filling 15,000 seats a game, we will see who is looking for revenue sharing.

I do love Mauer, and can't wait for his 2012 debut in pinstripes. Go Yanks!

Hank Steinbrenner

P.S. This was once again friendly banter, no personal offense should be taken, and I love all baseball fans whose home team doesn't end in "oston Red Sox".

Apparently some of my friends had lambasted Jon for his e-mail to me, telling him, "Michelle's so nice! I can't believe you sent that to her!" They don't know how tough I am -- and they don't realize that this friendly banter is my favorite kind of humor. I don't take crap from anyone -- not even Yankees fans. Not even an entire room full of them (as happened today at our ICM workshop), or even when I'm called out in front of the whole class by the Immunology professor. Yes, he used the fact that I was wearing a Twins cap to explain the concept of antigen recognition by T-cells being enhanced by adhesion molecule interactions. Awesome. And now the game is about to start...so I must cheer on my Twins!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Needles

Today I had my first experience at ECHO, the Einstein Community Health Outreach free clinic. It was a long "morning" -- 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for me -- but an incredible experience that I hope to repeat many more times this year. Today, I was the labs assistant. It might not sound all that glamorous, but I actually had one of the most interesting jobs available to first-years, in my opinion. I was responsible for obtaining the samples needed for patients' tests, which meant that I had to learn how to draw blood.

It was absolutely crazy. Before this morning, I had never drawn blood in my life. One of the third-years gave me a quick tutorial and let me try drawing from him once. Since it went well, apparently I was then qualified to draw from patients. Luckily, there was one nurse there who supervised me (in addition to administering vaccinations), but by the end of the morning I had drawn blood from seven patients! Amazing. It's incredible the amount of respect the white coat gains for the wearer. No one even questioned my place; they all seemed to assume I knew what I was doing. By the end I did. I'm liking this whole medicine thing...