The blog is still not dead! To sum up what's been going on: the final few days of neuro got left by the wayside, I was studying to take some big tests, and then the past couple weeks have been some of the busiest of all my time in med school. But I'm on nights right now, and some of the important things I need to work on are too important to work on while sleep deprived. Thankfully, I have still been stockpiling things that I've learned every day I'm in the hospital, so I have plenty to share, if I ever get around to sharing it!
One of the more subtle skills I've learned (but by no means mastered) during med school is figuring out the meaning of the innumerable acronyms that are used in medicine in general and each sub-specialty in particular. Some, everyone knows (e.g. EKG, IV, PO). Others are only commonly used by a select subset of medical professionals and are gibberish to everyone else (e.g G4P2010 of AMA w/ PMH of ASCUS s/p D+C desiring TOLAC p/w PPROM)*
A Monday several months ago, I started my few days in the neuro rehab unit of the hospital. Right away I was presented with the acronym CO, which I had never seen in this context. Carbon monoxide? Colorado? Unfortunately I didn't ask what this meant until so late that it felt awkward (kind of like asking what someones name is again 10 minutes into a conversation with them). But I did ask... and then promptly forgot again. I still can't figure out what it means. But as I haven't been in the neuro rehab unit in months and may never be there again, it can probably fade away in my memory dump, like of all those OBGYN abbreviations.
~~~Now, we travel back in time to June and my final third-year clerkship, neurology. ~~~
One of the more subtle skills I've learned (but by no means mastered) during med school is figuring out the meaning of the innumerable acronyms that are used in medicine in general and each sub-specialty in particular. Some, everyone knows (e.g. EKG, IV, PO). Others are only commonly used by a select subset of medical professionals and are gibberish to everyone else (e.g G4P2010 of AMA w/ PMH of ASCUS s/p D+C desiring TOLAC p/w PPROM)*
A Monday several months ago, I started my few days in the neuro rehab unit of the hospital. Right away I was presented with the acronym CO, which I had never seen in this context. Carbon monoxide? Colorado? Unfortunately I didn't ask what this meant until so late that it felt awkward (kind of like asking what someones name is again 10 minutes into a conversation with them). But I did ask... and then promptly forgot again. I still can't figure out what it means. But as I haven't been in the neuro rehab unit in months and may never be there again, it can probably fade away in my memory dump, like of all those OBGYN abbreviations.TuesdayIL: It's important to distinguish between crossed and uncrossed diplopia (double vision). When you ask someone if they are seeing double, odds are they don't know if their eyes are crossed or pointing away from each other; it would look pretty similar from their perspective. But to figure out what the problem is, you have to know which eye is moving normally and which isn't. That can be sorted out by looking at directed eye movements but knowing if the eyes are crossing is a good first step.
WednesdayIL: Occupational therapy was created in World War I to help wounded soldiers "occupy" their time. It has since evolved into a therapeutic discipline to help rehabilitate people to do the activities they need to live and work in society.
*Translates to: A woman of advanced maternal age who has been pregnant 4 times resulting in 2 births, an abortion and the current pregnancy, who has a past medical history of atypical cells of undetermined significance and a dilatation and curettage procedure and desires a trial of labor after having previously had a cesarean section presents with preterm premature rupture of membranes.
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