Gross!

Warning: You may see the word "Gross" far too many times than necessary throughout this post.

Why is Formaldehyde the first thing I smell in the morning when I walk into the medical school to get to my classes in the Dental School? Gross! Why do I have to smell Formaldehyde every time I walk into the locker room? Gross! Why after I complete the lab the smell of formaldehyde is still in my nostrils that even an hour after the lab I still smell it? Gross! and what's the point of washing my hair anymore? It's like an exercise in futility because the minute I do the minute it's smelling  like Formaldehyde again, Gross! But then again if I don't wash it and it starts to make my pillow and sheets smell, wouldn't that be even more gross? Yeah, grossss!

In other gross news, it's week 6 of school and Anatomy is taking me on the ride of my life! So.much. stuff. to remember. We started out with back muscles which were not bad at all but then came upper limbs - arm, forearm, wrist and hand, the axilla, embryolgy, neuroembryolgy, thoracic wall, lungs, heart, mediastinum, autonomics, the head, neck, face etc etc. -  innervations, blood  supply, insertions, origins, actions, palsies, intricate details and a world of clinical application. It's hard to fathom that this is only the beginning. I'm already suffering from sleep deprivation and my over consumption of coffee (i think) has recently started giving me tachycardia (no joke).

Gross labs are fun but can be frustrating because it sometimes take hours to find and separate the nerves and blood vessels you want. However, I'm grateful that I am able to learn the subject matter both ways - by reading and seeing pictures and illustrations and by seeing and dissecting a real human body. It brings the subject together beautifully and really helps in knowing and remembering the different structures. I'm also really grateful to the person who donated her body for the advancement of my education. I named her Ashley by the way. So Ashley let me say this, I have great respect for you. Sometimes if you feel a pinch of some sort it's because I sometimes can't find what I'm looking for and I get frustrated. So, if you find me a little rough around the edges some days, don't worry, but rest assured I have nothing but the utmost respect  for you, ok? Now help me out and make the zygomatic branch of your facial nerve appear because I swear it's not where it's supposed to be. Just smile and make my day.

PS Wash your hair, your scrubs and lab coats people! It's just too gross if you don't.