Early Experiences in the Dissection Room

Learning by dissecting real bodies is nothing short of an amazing opportunity.That’s what I have always thought so it’s no surprise that the idea of entering the DR has been for all the months previous to coming to St Andrews a fix thought in my mind.

Several thoughts came to my mind.
What if I don’t like it?
My friend told me it smells of formaldehyde and my nose is quite sensitive… What does formaldehyde smells like anyway???
What if I get too emotional looking at my cadaver? I have seen my fair share of dead people already but I didn’t have to spend time with them for months so I was quite unsure of how I would have felt.

The only word that comes to my mind when I think at the first time I entered the DR is “awesome”. So exciting... I can tell everyone who knows me that I dissect real human bodies now!
I did get a bit emotional looking at 686, that’s how we call him and it’s quite weird to think of him as a number after all, just a couple of years ago, he was as alive as I am.
One thing that I found peculiar was that his face was covered… why? Shouldn’t we look at this person who gave us this amazing gift? Maybe it was done for those sweet young souls that are just out of school, those who don’t have seen much of what happens when you die… those who have seen nothing about an older body.
I didn’t like this fact so, when people weren’t watching, I did lift up the cloth and had a good look at 686’s face. At least now I know who I’m dealing with.You may disagree but I find this quite more respectful than keeping his face covered. My opinion though…

The first session in the DR left an exhilarating feeling in me, how cool!
The second time we went in and all of the successive ones it was like second nature. Get in, get your gloves on, tick your name off the register and wait for the demonstrator to come around.Sometimes we just work on models and body parts, some other times 686 is there to teach us.I wonder where do they hide him when the models are present instead.
Somehow I identify the DR with him and though I’m grateful for everything (models and body parts included) when 686 is not on display I miss him, silly me!

Last week we learnt everything about the heart and the cardiovascular system. Dr Wood pointed us in the right direction and let us find out the fact by ourselves before coming and check that we got it right. I love it, I love that we’re not spoon fed every tiny bit of information but we are given the tools to find out on our own. The most bizarre thing however was that he put 686’s heart in my hands and left me with it.
Oh dear! That’s a new experience…

Holding someone’s heart in the palm of your hands… it definitely has a complete different meaning to the expression we use as living people!
But I did it and it felt good… and while I was looking at it, pushing my fingers through the blood vessels and reaching the inside of the heart I felt professional, I felt curious, I felt amazed and I felt a little bit intrusive but all in all the most important thing that I have learnt so far in the DR is that being intrusive and curious is one of the best attitudes that a doctor in training (or not…) should have.

So forgive me for loving it!

Medical update...

Almost three weeks in and going crazy!

It's all good fun, loving the lectures, enchanted by the practicals (though most time I'm told to shut up not to spoil it for those who don't have much knowledge of first aid!) and bored by hand washing but understanding it's quite essential...

Workload: HUGE!!! If one takes it seriously of course...
I suppose my commuting back and forth from Edinburgh doesn't help either...

Thank goodness for amazing friends who offer me a place where to stay when it's needed and for those who offer to cat-sit when I do have to take up the offer of a place to stay.

Anything changed from the beginning? Yes and no...

Yes, I have made so many more new friends. Some similar to me, some very different, all of them enriching my experience in med-school!
In the space of three weeks I think I have learnt so much new stuff I couldn't even fathom to fit in my head but, lo and behold, it fits!!!
I've become an expert in tissues, bones, joints and muscles though I know that in a few weeks I'll look back and what is considered "an expert" tonight will be a beginner then...
I love that my lecturers start to recognise me... A few know me by name, by the fact that I am the crazy one commuting from Edi and the one they have to hide from if they see me in a corridor as I'll occasionally surprise them with random questions!!! :-) But I know they love it, really!!!

No, the fact that I still feel like I have won the lottery by entering here is still very much the same. Just tonight I read an article stating that this year about 30,000 students have not made it into university for lack of places... But I'm here...
The will of working hard is still very much present and growing with every new exciting thing we learn. I do tend to get a bit lost in things I find interesting rather than focus on the task we are given but that's just me and I suppose becoming a doctor requires having an inquisitive mind so yeah, I'm exploring my new realm now... I'm tired, a lot, oh but it's worth it!

We have to do loads of reflecting writing, I do reflect so much for that and then I don't feel like reflecting for the blog anymore but one day I'll look back on what I'm writing now and I'll smile... Can't certainly put on my reflective pieces some of the stuff I write on here...
It's good though, it helps me to consider a lot of things under a different perspective!

So all in all everything still shines... let's hope I'll feel the same after seeing my mid-semester assessment results!!!

To number 686...

Dear number 686,

You don't know me yet and I still haven't had the pleasure to meet you though I'm looking forward to that happening in a couple of days.
Today I saw the place where we'll meet... It gets crowded and there will be many people in there so we won't really have a quiet time together but I'm sure we'll like each other... I already feel I like you!
And this is because you have given me an incredible gift that will help me become the doctor I aim to be and for this I'll be eternally grateful. Through your gift I'll gain knowledge, confidence and skills. I promise always to be respectful and try my best to do things right with you. I'll come prepared for our meetings and I'll be very careful to make the most of what I'll learn from you!

I'm glad we never met before, it would have made the next few months a bit awkward otherwise and I possibly wouldn't be able to enjoy your gift as much but this doesn't mean that I wouldn't have been curious to hear what you have done before coming to St Andrews... Who knows? Maybe one day I will find out...

I wish I could tell you a bit about myself, it seems a bit unfair that I'll be able to discover your innermost secrets and you don't even know my name.
I'm really looking forward to be with you and I am really appreciative and a bit emotional thinking that if it weren't for you and others like you I wouldn't have the amazing opportunity of discovering what makes our bodies so special!

So here is my thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to you my cadaver, one day I'll know your name but for the moment you're number 686 and I already feel like we have a connection!

Dona x

One week on...

Unbelievable...

After having wished for the moment I would start med school to come for what seemed to be an endless summer, a week has already passed and things will start to get serious from next Monday!

So how was my first week at St Andrews?

Well, I have to say:
"exciting" coming from the realisation that I am a proper doctor in training now,
"brilliant" thanks to all the new friends I have already made,
"inspiring" after all the talks from our lecturers and presentations of the university,
"a bit of a drag" after we have heard the same rules explained several times in a row though I supposed that, since it's quite important that us doctors behave professionally, it doesn't hurt to repeat them just a few extra times
"happy" because I am finally doing what I have wanted to do for just about a lifetime
"daunting" as of course pressure was put on us to perform to the best of our abilities
"fattening" thanks to the several social events that were organised to socialise with our classmates.

All considered, despite having to part with some blood to be tested for some diseases to make sure we're fit to practice, I am still living a dream and it's unlikely that this feeling will change anytime soon!

So bring on the real clinical stuff from next week, see the "baby-doctor" (as we have been defined by our lecturers) grow into someone that will be able to make the difference in people's lives...

I am ready, loving it and rearing to go!

Music to my ears

Though music it was not!

Saturday I headed towards Leuchars with a friend and his dad to see the airshow which takes place every year in September.

The weather was just perfect for such an event and even the 3 hours sitting in traffic we had to endure didn't curb the enthusiasm of assisting to such an amazing show.

The place was incredibly crowded and taking pictures was challenging to say the least but the day was fabulous and the flying displays were just incredible. Especially the one of the Red Arrows that painted the sky red white and blue in different shapes (including a heart!)

As I was standing there watching these flying machines sail effortlessly through the sky and hearing the blast of the engines I wondered how breathtaking it must be for a jet pilot to be able to do such things, to fly at that speed, to own the sky and to turn so many heads...

I had to take a picture close to one of these beautiful iron birds...

What an amazing day!

The new sister

She arrived just before I left to go on holiday in Italy... Gift (alas, to be returned) of a friend in need


A little bundle of fur, quite scared and aggressive; never I had heard a cat growl like a bear but she did give a very good demonstration of it.

The first few nights she slept close to me, in my bedroom with the door closed... after spending the first afternoon hiding under the bed she came out and started exploring.

Now she's unstoppable!

She eats any food that's left around, has put her two stepbrothers in line and she rules the house.
No place is off boundaries and she walks around like a queen in her castle...


This said, still at night she cuddles close to me with her head resting in the palm of my hand and she purrs looking at me with those beautiful, enticing, emerald eyes she was gifted with...

Welcome to your step-family India... you are the proof that any girl will always rule!



Love you loads already!!!

Back to school...

Well, I have been absent for a month or so...

Been on holiday, ate too much food, traveled around a bit, had fun with friends... even gave a bath to our dog!

But now the fun is over and it's time to get serious again (who me?!?)

In just over a week my adventure at St Andrew's will begin and though that will be so much fun in many ways it also needs to be taken seriously because that's my future... That's what will finish to make me the doctor I want to be and give me the tools to make the difference in people's lives.

I'm all sorted (have been for a while actually :-p)! Have my books, loads of stationery, coloured pens, pads to take notes, folders already set up on my laptop and yes, I even have all my folders colour co-ordinated with the subjects... In short, I need nothing else but my train tickets to get up there.

Wish me luck!!!