Death by Traveling.

Death by traveling? Yes that’s right. Believe it or not, you can die from riding a plane or a car (& I’m NOT talking about crashes). What I’m talking about occurs on the inside of your body. The picture above represents what’s called a Pulmonary Embolism.

Traveling far distances means sitting for hours at a time, whether by plane, car, bus, train, boat, whatever. What you may not know is that sitting for hours is deadly. When you remain immobile for long periods of time (even in bed), the blood in your veins begin to clot, creating what’s called a thrombus. If the thrombus form in your legs (usually in the femoral vein or saphenous vein), it’s called a Deep Vein Thrombosis. It can form in your arms & pelvis as well. It just sits there until you begin to move again.

Then once you stand up or begin moving…the thrombus breaks off & begins flowing in the blood, creating a mobile clot called an embolus. It eventually reaches your heart…into the right atrium, through the tricuspid valve, down the right ventricle…then BAM! The clot blocks your pulmonary artery, preventing blood from reaching your lungs, & you deprive your body of oxygen. You eventually have difficulty breathing, become cyanotic (blue) from the oxygen deprivation, & eventually can die from respiratory arrest.

Even if the clot is so small that it still bypasses the lungs, it can still enter the left atrium, go through the mitral valve, down the left ventricule, up the aorta…& BAM! It can cut off supply to your brain or heart, causing a Cerebrovascular Accident (stroke) or Myocardial Infarction (heart attack).

Either way, it’s a terrible situation.

So my advice to you is this: If you’re a frequent traveler & go long distances by car, train, plane, whatever…don’t allow yourself to stay immobile for long periods of time. Move around as much as you can, stretch your legs, anything to keep that blood flowing & preventing these things from occurring.

‘Til next time.

Deuces.

WTF?! So apparently more than just animals are becoming popular plushies.

I mean because things like HIV plushies, Syphilis plushies, Herpes plushies, Malaria plushies, & Sperm cell plushies are normal to give kids these days >_>

Wow. Talk about eccentric & unique. Don’t buy these for kids. Maybe for microbiology professors ;)

‘Til next time.

Deuces.

Smoker's Lungs.

“Smoker’s Lungs” by soulpadd1.

My grandfather has been a chain smoker since he was 12 years old. I’ve never smoked a thing in my life.

For alot of people, smoking may be cool or helps them cope with situations. I can’t speak on their behalf since I’ve never smoked.

But you look at this picture & tell me…is it really worth it?

Those miraculous organs within our mediastinum bordering the heart.

Your lungs give you the ability to breath…to take in that oxygen & to feed our tissues with that precious element…that amazing yet complex physiological exhange of oxygen & carbon dioxide within our alveoli via red blood cells involving chloride & bicarbonate. All of that taking place in a millisecond.

To lower that ability & take it away is something I would never understand.

Think about it.

‘Til next time.

Deuces.

Know Your Roots...Mabuhay Ang Kulturang Pilipino.

Weekends like these are what I thrive for. Spending time with your family & remembering where you came from.

For me, being at the hospital constantly & going out with friends has been the focus for a long time. But finally having a family party brought me back to a level that I’ve missed…a level where you can sit back, look around you, & be so damn thankful of the family you have & the culture you come from.

I’ve missed Filipino food for the longest time. After losing 70 pounds & dieting like a nutcase, having some pancit, adobo, lumpia, bistek, & so much more comfort foods made me happy beyond words. I missed it so much.

On top of that, being surrounded by extended family that I haven’t seen in a while made it 10 times better. My family is my life & it’s because of them that I love my culture, know my roots, & am able to live my life in such a way that understanding where I came from allows me to be the person I am & has helped establish my role in the medical field.

I missed speaking only tagalog, & those long conversations with cousins, & those titas that spoil you to death, & playing hours & hours of mah jong until early hours of the morning.

Weekends like these are the best.

Always love your culture. Know your roots & love your family. Those are what shape you into the person you become & creates a legacy in you that will live forever.

Mabuhay ang mga pilipino. Mahalin mo ang sarili mong kapwa, kultura, at kasaysayan.

‘Til next time.

Deuces.

Mini-Ode to Microbiology.

I have many pet peeves. But one in particular stands out: When guys leave the bathroom WITHOUT WASHING THEIR HANDS.

I don’t give a shit who you are or how much of a rush you’re in…WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS! It’s idiotic not to.

Do some people not realize how many germs there are everywhere, let alone a public restroom?

I don’t talk much about microbiology in this blog, but it’s just as important medically as anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, & many more are. It’s fascinating. These organisms are so microscopic yet contain the capacity to wipeout countries…& they have. It’s mind-boggling.

I think for me, working in the OR & in a hospital let alone has made me 10x more conscious & OCD of hand washing & making sure that I minimize transmission as much as possible. I find myself washing vigorously with loads of soap on my hands every 30 minutes or so. Hey…better to be safe (& sterile) than sorry.

Yes, yes…call me dramatic. But shit people. Don’t underestimate the power of bacteria & viruses. Take that extra 15-30 seconds & wash your hands…or even cover your mouth when you sneeze/cough.

I’m not an extreme germophobe or anything…but c’mon. No need to spread the germs. These microscopic creatures should NOT be taken for granted.

‘Til next time.

Deuces.

Wound Man + Southpaw FTW.

Here are 2 pictures that I came across.

For any student taking up medicine & thinking of entering into surgery & the operating room, the first picture known as Wound Man is a common sight in the medical books. Wound Man first appeared in surgical textbooks of the Medieval Times. It shows the many possible wounds a soldier could have during battle. It challenged the doctors at the time & gave them the thought: How would I fix this?

The second picture is a complete change of pace. It’s random. I personally think it’s funny because I myself am left handed. Being left handed was once thought to be a bad thing. That idea soon died for the most part. I’m proud to be left handed & I’ve met many surgeons who have an extremely steady left hand in the operating room. No worries. Southpaws for the win.

OR-philia.

After some thought & experience, I’ve come to realize that the OR is the shit. No joke. Literally, there are times when I feel like I live at the hospital & that a majority of my time & energy is spent there…& I love every second of it.

Yes, it can get very frustrating at times. Overwhelming as well. Especially in my department. There are days when it’s so slow you literally become conscious of every breath you take due to boredom…& there are those extremely busy days that makes an 8 hour shift feel like 8 minutes. It’s a bipolar environment that’s for damn sure.

But for me personally, the OR is a place full of adrenaline. Ok, maybe not AS MUCH adrenaline as the ER, but it’s a good balance. I love that rush. The rush you get when you observe & witness a surgeon perform his procedure. That satisfaction you feel when you care for the patient & they become so grateful. The joy of learning more & more as each day goes by. It’s an infinite amount of knowledge the medical field is.

I’ve had my fill of the other departments, & to be honest, nothing has given me the satisfaction & thrill that the operating room has. To be able to take a fellow human being, put him/her to sleep, take a scalpel, & fix the problem is nothing short of miraculous to me.

I’m grateful to be in this department. I salute all the surgeons, anesthesiologists, RNs, & the entire OR crew. We may be overwhelmed, we may be frustrated at times, we may get on each others’ nerves…

…but at the end of the day, we are the ones that give people hope & help save lives in a kick ass department.

OR rocks.

Now off to my family party.

‘Til next time.

Deuces.