The Countdown Is On

Another set of block exams are complete, and like one of my friends mentioned: The best part of blocks are when they are over!!  That couldn't be more true.  Whether the results were good, bad, or indifferent--they are over with and it's time to start fresh.  This isn't our first time at the rodeo but the anxiety that comes along with exams has not lessened very much for me over the past 3 semesters.  I've come to accept that it probably never will.  All we can do is prepare as much as possible, try to get regular rest to allow the mental consolidation process take place, and then go in and give it our best effort...and don't change your answers without 100% certainty that you are changing it to the correct choice.  Yeah, I'm still working on this one.  I can kick myself for a couple of these blunders but the lesson I learned is that those will be mistakes that I never plan to make again.

We covered sooooo much information in the past 4 weeks--Cardiac, Pulmonary, & Pediatric Pathology; Male and Female Reproduction including Pregnancy, Childbirth & Lactation; Endocrine Physiology; and discussed the characteristics of more microorganisms than I ever knew existed to cause bacterial and viral Meningitis, Exanthems (aka rashes), Soft Tissue & Skin infections, Conjunctivitis, Kerato-conjunctivitis, and Retino/Chorioretinitis. The one that still gives me the willies is a Loa loa which is a worm that lives and travels under your skin if infected but can migrate to your eye.  Ewww, your eye!  Of all the gross things we've seen so far (yes there are some infections/conditions that have been pretty disgusting), this is one that makes me want to turn away when I see pictures and think about it being in someone's eye--yikes!  It's not oozy, bloody, scabby, scaly, open, gangrenous, or filled with pus BUT the thought of that thing being in my eye gives me a shiver every time.  If you don't believe me, go to Dr. Google and do an image search for Loa loa/eye worm...didn't it creep you out too???  Ok, I'm done skeeving you out for the day.

We have Block 4 exams in 4 weeks and final exams in 5 weeks from today.  The semester will be over in a flash.  There's still an endless amount of information to be digested in these next 5 weeks but we can do it!  The idea of almost 2 weeks of pure relaxation is enough motivation to keep pushing me forward.

With so much work to be done the last few weeks there wasn't much time to explore so unfortunately I don't have anything new or exciting to share about life on the island this time around.  Hope you got enough of a dose of school to hold you over =)

Until next time...