Thursday, February 26, 2009

Nauvoo Trip



Since our Chicago Temple has been closed for quite some time due to damage sustained after a pipe broke, our ward decided to take a trip to the next closest temple, Nauvoo! I hadn't been to Nauvoo since I was in 8th grade, and back then there were only corner stones on the temple lot. This is me driving Whitney's suburban. We had 8 people packed in to share such a fun drive! I really do mean that, it was fun! Here is a picture of the crew and then a picture of Whitney who was our DJ/co-pilot. I don't have a picture of the temple but if you go to this link, Whitney took an awesome picture of it. She is an amazing fotographer if you're looking for pictures.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6985969


Thursday, February 19, 2009

Lub Dub....Lub Dub....Lub Dub..........................

Yep that's a heart, a pig's heart! This last Wednesday I participated in our contested "pig labs." I don't say hotly contested because since switching to pigs from dogs, the protesters outside the medical school have dwindled, but they still come. I will leave the ethical discussion of the use of animals for research, tests, and teaching for another day, sufficeth to say that this was a wonderful experience that I feel will help me be a better doctor to help better serve my future patients.
In the pig lab we did many things to a completely anesthetized, well monitored pig to see the physiological effect they have on the heart. Pig physiology closely mimics that of humans (not quite as closely as dogs) with a little variation. We inserted certain volumes to simulate senarios of blood or fluid transfusions, loss of fluid, diseased states of heart components and how they affect the rest of your circulation, etc. We administered drugs that the body uses to stimulate the heart and also blockers of this stimulation to see cause and effect. We used a ultrasound and doppler imaging to see the workings of the heart in 2D.
And then....
We performed a sternotomy (opened the chest to gain access to the heart) and saw the beautiful workings of our creator. The magesty of the heart! What an amazing, tough, resilient, vital, funtional, inspiring organ. There is much I could say about what it was like to feel in my hand the beating of a live heart, but those words would only diminish my experience. It was a exhilerating to hand pump a failing heart for the first time, and even more so when the heart regained its rythmicity and beat on its own after defibrillation. I feel much more prepared to someday be called upon to administer to the needs of a suffering patient because of this exposure and understanding. In the end, we euthanized our pig with an appropriate dose of potassium. What an amazing experience!



Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Camera

In my attempt to be a more regular blogger I thought I could post about me now having a camera! I got this little gem for Christmas. Its a 8.1 megapixel Sony Cyber Shot. I really like it and hope to capture and share those precious moments:)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Sean's Visit to Milwaukee

Here's two more pics of Sean's visit. We went to a Harley Davidson factory where they make the engines for these beauts! It was quite informative, especially for Sean and I who aren't huge biker enthusiasts. Signs of economic times though, the day after we toured it was announced that factory would be closed and absorbed into one of there others. My heart goes out to those who find themselves struggling.


Someday? who knows...

Sean and I aren't the most creative, but we thought we did ok with this one:)


Thanks again Sean. Anyone else want to come visit?

Sean's Visit to Milwaukee

So over Martin Luther King Day Sean, my brother came out to visit me in Milwaukee. We had a very kind friend let him use a buddy pass to fly here for the weekend. We had such a great time together! It was lots of fun having him out here to share what my life is like. Sean has always been there with me through everything. He is so caring, sensitive, loving, supportive, and just Sean! I can't express how much I appreciate having him as my older brother. Thank you Sean for coming and visiting! Here are some pictures from the activities we did.
We went sledding as a ward, but this is how I go to school. Yep ski goggles and all. My sisters and mom got me this hat for Christmas and I absolutely love it!
We went and visited the discovery museum. It sits right on the edge of the Lake that you can see in the background. The lake is so big it feels like the ocean. We felt like little kids running around trying the different things here!
Discovery Museum. Here they take a couple pictures and develop a 3D image of your face.

They had a real fligth simulator. Both sean and I crashed trying to land the plane. Good thing we didn't want to become pilots!
This was us at the tobogan run we went to with our ward. This is me, Whitney Heller, and Sean. Whitney is a good friend in the ward who has probably 6 callings, one of which is teaching fantastic lessons in Gospel Doctrine.
We had a awesome time! Thanks again Sean for coming out!