Glorioso Es

Hey there!

So there's a song that is prominently featured in the movie "Meet the Mormons".  It's sung by David Archuleta, and is entitled "Glorious".  In Spanish, the title is "Glorioso Es".  As I've started travelling the pre-med road, I just have to say...I've had some pretty glorious experiences.  I'd like to share three.

Let me start by telling you about an experience I had a couple of weeks ago.  I was pretty stressed out -- it was the beginning of the semester, I'd just agreed to work 10 hours in a new lab, and really just wanted confirmation that I could do it all.  I asked my friend Derek for a blessing (In the LDS church we believe in priesthood blessings, where someone who holds the priesthood, aka the authority to act in God's name, can administer blessings of both comfort and healing).   In it, he mentioned that I would be able to succeed in all of my endeavors, including medical school.  Now, this may seem insignificant to some, but to me, it was exactly what I had been looking for.  I was fairly confident in my decision to pursue a career in medicine, given several amazing experiences in my classes, etc, but hadn't received a 100% confirmation.  The second Derek specifically mentioned medical school, I knew.  This is absolutely what I'm meant to do, and I wouldn't consider switching for a second. :)

Speaking of seconds...the second experience happened just last night.  I was on Facebook, when I came across something advertising the Atlantis project, a program which gives pre-med students the opportunity to shadow doctors in Europe. For those who may be unfamiliar with the extra-curricular pre-med requirements, students are often required to spent a certain amount of time shadowing doctors, gaining patient exposure, and more.  Because there's so much to do, I've been somewhat worried about how I'm going to be able to complete all of the requirements.  This program seemed to be an answer to prayer.  I will already be in Europe, as a volunteer with the International Language program, and the program dates align nearly perfectly. While I just barely submitted the application today, and won't find out if I've been accepted for about a month, I have faith that, God willing, I will be able to participate in this amazing opportunity.


And now...best for last. :P I was volunteering in the ER last night ( my first time since completing training), and at first felt a little lost.  Fortunately, one of the other volunteers came over before she left, and made me feel much more comfortable. I had the opportunity to interact with several patients, but one particularly stands out. She was a pregnant woman, who happened to speak Spanish as her native language. As I wheeled her first to CT, and then to ultrasound, I had the opportunity to interact with her, and learn a little more about her.  When we got to the ultrasound room, the tech asked me if I wanted to stay, and the patient and her sister were kind enough to allow it.  Oh my goodness.  I can't even describe the experience of watching that ultrasound.  It was the first one I've ever seen, and I was filled with wonder and amazement as I watched that tiny human appear on the monitor.  Wow.  The gift of life is truly amazing - -and glorious. :) Here's hoping that the rest of the pregnancy continues smoothly, and that little bundle of joy has an amazing, wonderful life.


There are many more amazing experiences that I could share, but I especially wanted to write about these because they represent many things that I hold dear.  I am eternally grateful for the priesthood.  I have received so many priesthood blessings where the person giving it said exactly what I needed to hear.  My faith in this sacred power has become unshakable.  In addition, I am certain that God answers prayers, and has a plan for us.  Even if I don't get accepted to the Atlantis project, I will continue searching for other unique ways to gain the necessary shadowing hours I need.  Lastly, I firmly believe in the sanctity of life.  I have no connection to that baby I saw on the ultrasound, other than the fact that we were both in the hospital last night.  However, I know that even though he/she hasn't been born yet, he/she is alive.  He/she is loved, and both his/her family and God want the best for him/her.

I'd like to end, simply by extending a challenge to all of you.  Look for ways that you've seen God's love in your life, whether it be today, this week, or this month.  Then find ways to let other's know that they are loved as well. Not everyone may be pursuing medicine, but everyone can find ways to help others and make their lives better. :)


P.S. Bonus points if you got the 'tiny human' reference. :D

What Matters Most

Hey there!

So the last few days have been....interesting.  I last posted Wednesday morning.  Oh wednesday....that was an interesting day.  I'm not sure if I was just freaking out because of what had happened Tuesday night, or if the reality of how much I've taken on this semester finally hit me, but I kinda had a freakout moment....for a few hours.  I ended up skipping my Infection and Immunity class (fortunately I work in the same lab as the TA, so I got caught up when I went into lab), ranted to a friend, and ended up just eating lunch and relaxing during that hour. 

I went to the physics help lab afterwards....I was there for about an hour and only got through about....2.5 problems. Then I was off again, this time to MMBIO 240.  I'm in the process of making friends with a guy there named John...fortunately we were able to talk for a few minutes before class started. I may or may not have gone off on a bit of a rant. :P 

My stress level didn't really start to decline until I got to lab...fortunately it was a really chill day -- I didn't really do much -- I think I just watched Deborah finish PCR, and then she explained the process, caught me up on the MMBIO 261 stuff, and explained one of the projects she's working on.  By that point it was time for me to leave, and I headed to the hospital for my volunteer shift.  

Even though it was an extremely stressful day, I'm glad it happened.  I was overwhelmed with how much I was dealing with -- physics, ochem (that first quiz though...*shudder*), lab, hospital shifts, etc, and finally just had to say -- okay.  I can't do this; something has to go.  So as soon as I got to the hospital, I asked if I could get rid of my same-day surgery shift, and just keep my ER shift, because my life is so crazy.  Fortunately they were super understanding, and immediately took my name off the list.  I finished my shift that night, went home, finished physics homework, went to work, and at last, after 15 hours of going non-stop, I finally got to sleep.  

Moral of the story: As I've begun this journey towards med school, I've learned that there are so many things to do as preparation.  Volunteer/patient exposure, pre-reqs, shadowing, research, service, MCAT,  maintain a high GPA.  It's tempting to try and do it all at once, but it's just not possible.  You can try, but there comes a time when you have to sit down and figure out what matters most.  My grades and my sanity are most important to me -- so I had to get rid of a volunteer shift, and change my research schedule so I could go to my ochem recitation and not fail the next quiz.  My schedule is still going to be crazy, but now I feel more confident that I can do everything that I need to.  :)

Light Speed

I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine back in the summer of 2014. I had originally entered BYU as a genetics and biotechnology major, but took a slight detour away from the hard sciences.  However, after watching Drs Grey and McDreamy for several hours, and reevaluating my life goals, I realized that I wasn't going in the right direction.  I didn't make any changes for about a year -- choosing instead to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints. I spent about 10 months in Mexico, before being sent home for various reasons.  While in Mexico, I had several experiences that made me even more interested in pursuing medicine, and specifically neurosurgery.

That first year after deciding to change the course of my life seemed to move at a snail's pace.  I knew what I wanted to do, but couldn't really do anything other than make plans and goals.  Now that I'm back in the States though, I feel as though life is moving at light-speed, and I barely get a chance to catch my breath before I'm moving on to the next thing.

For example -- let me tell you about my day yesterday.  Yesterday, I woke up at about 7:00, and hit the snooze button until I had about five minutes to get up, get dressed, and head to my first class of the day.  First class on Tuesday's is Physics 106.  Right now we're learning about circuits, and so we went over Kirchoff's rules.  Five minute break, and then I was heading to work in the research lab.  From the moment I walked through the door, I was busy -- pour gel, pipette practice, refill TAE buffer, get gel ready to run, leave.  I was there for an hour, but it felt like 5 minutes.

Next - -work.  I work at BYU broadcasting in Master Control.  I clocked in, started the recordings, prep, other recording, prep, one more, leave at 3.  Go home, grab my dissection kit, head back to campus, eat, get clarification on MMBIO 240 homework, study for dissection test, take the test ( I passed, 96%), dissect for an hour, head home.  Go over to friends apartment, do MMBIO reading, start physics homework, finally relax.  Or...not.

We watched an episode of Chuck, then found out that a mutual friend, who'd been down in Provo for the day, had attempted suicide.  We took her to the hospital, and were there for about an hour and a half. He stayed with her, I left and tried to get enough sleep before waking up at seven again.

Now...today.  I haven't even really had time to process what happened last night.  I got up, and have been busy every minute, and won't get a break til midnight.  How am I supposed to process that someone I know wanted to die last night??? I've had friends who's friends have attempted suicide, but I've never actually been in the thick of things.  I have to accept that it happened, I did what I could, and she's in better hands now, with people who can help her.  I hope she comes to realize that life is absolutely worth living, and doesn't attempt this again.

So yes --  my life is moving at light speed.  The days pass by, and I feel like one week has scarcely begun before it's time for the next one.  Still -- I wouldn't change a thing.  The more I learn, the more I see, the more I know that this is absolutely what I want to do.

Now -- does anyone know where I can get a spare hyperdrive in case this one doesn't survive?

Intro

Hey there!

Thanks for joining me as I embark upon the long road to practicing medicine. :p  So -- I guess I should start by telling you a little bit about me.  I go to BYU, where I am studying neuroscience.  I hope to one day be a neurosurgeon, and I just have to tell you... I'm pretty obsessed with brains. I first saw one in high school biology, when we were dissecting a fetal pig.  I remember feeling a sense of wonder as I removed the skull, and looked at that brain, with all it's gyri and sulci.  Now, nearly 6 years later, I have held both a human brain and spinal cord in my hand, learned the names of many structures, and have decided to dedicate my life to studying this intricate and beautiful organ.

So -- now, about the blog. Whenever I have an awesome experience, I want to share it.  However, I'm pretty sure the majority of my friends on Facebook don't want to hear about how I got help skin a cadaver last night, or that while I was defatting I got up close and personal with the artery and vein that go to pectoralis major. So, with this blog, I hope to be able to share the exciting things I learn, while giving people the opportunity to choose whether or not to be grossed out. :P

I plan to write about anything interesting that I experience that relates to medicine - -whether it be in the research lab, my classes, at the hospital where I volunteer, etc.  :)

Thanks, for reading, and I invite you to join me on my road to medicine. :)