Mish-mash of updates

Oops, I haven't updated in a couple weeks.

My new PBL group is nice. Its scary when I'm the one of the most extroverted people in the group, since I'm sure you know, I'm not. Its a very quiet group, but I like quiet.

Last week we had a case with a congenital problem of a puppy leaking urine, and it looks like this week is another congenital case with a shar-pei and some kidney issues. Last block we had a big clump of leg cases, then a big clump of stomach/rumen/GI cases, so I'm guessing that we'll be stuck in the urinary system for awhile.

I've been reading a thread on the student doctor network forums, where the class of 2014 from all over the country updates how they're doing, and how they're handing it. And I hate to sound like too much of a cheerleader for WesternU, but damn, I'm lucky I'm not at one of the other schools. A common complaint I've been reading is that people feel like they're forced to just memorize tons of random information without understanding the underlying processes, and that they're just learning stuff for a test each week, then purging it while they study for the next week's test in another area. Here, there's no way to cram for tests and come out on the other side, and the way everything's set up, you're behind the curve if you don't actually understand the processes behind each system.

With our urinary system the past two weeks, we've had to learn the basics like the anatomy, physiology and histology of the kidneys, bladder and ureters, but also what's going on at the cellular level, what clinical aspects you can expect to see in similar cases, which genes affect the function, any behavioral issues that tie in, what you can expect to see on radiographs and ultrasound, and how each issue affects other organ systems, or is affected by other organ systems. I can't imagine swallowing all of that information without putting it in context.

I got a nice surprise today when I got home from class. I checked the mail, and I had one of those "your pet is due for their vaccines" postcards from my old work in Colorado, and all of my co-workers had written little messages all over the back of it. It totally brought a smile to my face. I really loved working there, and miss everybody, so it was really nice to hear from them.

And in other news, Tyler (finally) got a job! I've been stressing out like crazy trying to figure out the whole bill situation - my student loans aren't enough to pay for everything, and I was pretty much tapped. Just in the nick of time, he got a call back, and starts working next week. I can stop hyperventilating now and this huge cloud of stress that's been hanging over me is gone.

My kittens are doing really well. The older litter is over their upper respiratory stuff, and they're hyper little balls of trouble. They'll probably be big enough to get adopted out in a week or two. And I need to get them out of the house soon, 'cause Tyler's falling for the 7-toed freak, and we really don't need to gain a kitten permenently. Plus, if we end up keeping a cat, I want to keep Stegosaurous - the mamma kitty. Her litter's a month old now, and its amazing how quickly they went from just barely being able to walk to exploring, climbing, and playing.

Enough procrastinating - I need to get back to learning everything I can shove into my brain about the kidneys.