On the brief curricular side of things, we had yet another histology lab (only 2 more!). This time we were investigating the skin... and a monkey fingertip.
This afternoon I got to step back over to the patient side of medicine at my first appointment with my new oncologist. I was first seen by an oncology fellow* working under the main doctor. It was fun chatting with (and silently judging) someone who is, though already 10 years ahead of me, still completing his training. When my actual doctor came in, it was entertaining watching him simultaneously tend to me and teach his student.
After my appointment (everything looks good btw), I ran back to campus to play in our final flag football match of the season. We were crushed by a team of second-years, but they were such good sports that we still had a blast.
After the game, I quickly changed and headed back out to a neurosurgery interest group meeting. We met in the radiology conference room in the hospital and, unlike other interest group meetings I've attended, were greeted by not one, but easily half a dozen doctors, fellows and residents. The head of neurosurgery welcomed us and then a pediatric neurosurgeon presented on current interventional techniques for common maladies.
TIL: The skin contains three types of glands: two sweat glands and one that secretes an oily substance called sebum. This third secretion is released by a holocrine gland which emits its cargo by literally filling up until it bursts. Accordingly, your skin perspires sweat, oil and cellular debris.
A bone marrow biopsy is not indicated for a stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma patient (hopefully the fellow learned this too!).
When a cranial suture (the border between bones of dome of the head) fuses earlier than normal in a child, the head will elongate in the direction parallel to the suture. This is called craniosynostosis and doesn't usually cause and neurological deficits directly. But because children aren't generally as nice to a kid with a noticeably oblong head, if the defect was not corrected the child is almost certain to suffer socially and subsequently educationally.
Young children recover extremely well from cranial surgery thanks to their still-developing skeleton. A 6-month old could have the entire surface of the skull removed and grow it back within weeks.
Neurosurgery before good imaging techniques were invented used to be described thusly: For a hobby you can either do fishing, hunting or neurosurgery. Your prey never survives, but at least you can have some fun.
*For those unfamiliar with the ridiculously complicated nomenclature for students of medical education:
- 1st-2nd year of medical school → medical student
- 3rd-4th year of medical school → medical student/sub-intern
- 1st year of residency → intern and/or doctor
- 2nd-6th year of residency (usually 3-4 years) → resident and/or doctor
- 1st-4th year of fellowship (usually 2-4 years)→ fellow and/or doctor
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