Y2S1 Week 18: SLO, the Holiday Half-Marathon, and a Semester Recap!
Just like that the fall semester is done and we are officially 3/8th of the way towards our DVM degree!
This week started out with a hot yoga session followed by two lectures on surgical oncology. It was interesting to learn about different surgical techniques and how they can be used to help improve the patient’s quality of life. One thing that stuck out to me from this lecture was that some of the surgical procedures are not done with the direct intent of extending a patient’s life. They are done to improve patient comfort. An example of this is a limb amputation for a dog with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer. Cancer can do whatever the heck it wants but when osteosarcoma shows up on an animal’s limb, it typically appears in the proximal humerus, distal radius, distal femur and proximal tibia (away from the elbow and towards the knee). This is highly metastatic and by the time it has been diagnosed, there is an extremely high chance that it has metastasized to the lungs. Removing the affected limb may seem pointless since the cancer has already spread but it can provide an immense amount of relief and help improve the animal’s quality of life. We then had two lectures on chemotherapy followed by a histopathology lab. This lab helped solidify some of the concepts from last week and it was fun to practice tumor identification.
That evening, I had a Symposium planning meeting with our AVMA advisors. We are officially 100 days away from the event, so it was great to touch base with everyone and make sure that everything is headed in the right direction! I then took Churro for a Christmas light walk around the neighborhood.
Tuesday morning started out with a nice run with Churro followed by some lectures on molecular/targeted therapies, paraneoplastic syndromes, and radiobiology. The afternoon consisted of two more lectures, one on the principles of radiotherapy and the second was on tumor immunology/immunotherapy. I then finished off the night with some hot yoga and a study session for the Cal Poly undergrads who were preparing for their systemic anatomy and physiology final.
Wednesday morning started with a hot yoga session followed by a lecture on tumor resistance and how to stage a patient. That afternoon we had an interesting radiology discussion that focused on identifying neoplasia. We ended the day with a journal club session. This week’s article was focused on using phosphorylated KIT as a predictor of outcome in canine mast cell tumors treated with toceranib phosphate vs vinblastine. It was interesting to see how an increase in KIT phosphorylation was associated with a poorer prognostic outcome. The article also discussed how an increased mitotic count appeared to be correlated with increased phosphorylation of KIT. These journal club activities were a great way to learn how to read and analyze scientific papers, something that is not commonly taught.
That afternoon I had another Symposium meeting, but this one was focused on the exhibit hall which is my primary focus! Things are coming together nicely and we have almost reached our maximum booth number for the event!
Thursday started out with a hot yoga session followed by a quick run with Churro. I then had a few hours to get things packed and cleaned before heading to campus for a lunch talk. This talk was given by Dr. Peter Weinstein and focused on the “exam room performance”. Dr. Weinstein covered the basics regarding exam room etiquette and emphasized the importance of first impressions and professionalism.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of two case discussions. These built off of the osteosarcoma and lymphoma cases from last week. We were given additional information on the general treatment plan and then discussed patient outcome, client communication, and additional treatment options. This was a great way to end the oncology block and tie together the past two weeks of information. I then ran home to pick up Churro and hit the road. Our oncology final was an online exam (scheduled for Friday morning) that could be done from anywhere so I decided to break up the drive to San Diego and spend a night in San Luis Obispo. I got into SLO around 9:00 and spent the night with Jenn and her pups.
Friday morning started out with a nice walk with Jenn, her dogs, and Churro. Churro absolutely loved seeing Remi and Daisy and was able to get a lot of energy out before the second half of our drive. After our morning walk, Churro and I headed up to Gretchen’s house for a quick catchup session and more puppy playtime. Gretchen’s dog, Booker, and Churro are like two peas in a pod and every time they see each other they go bonkers. I also had the privilege of meeting Gretchen’s Bible study group which was a full circle moment since Gretchen was my discipler through undergrad. After the pups ran their brains out, I headed back to Jenn’s house to take my oncology final. It was so awesome to see some of my favorite people in SLO and I am so fortunate to have a place to stay whenever I’m in town! Once the exam was done, I hit the road and made my way down to San Diego.
Churro and I got home at a decent time and could not wait to see my parents. He is spoiled every time he comes home so as soon as we pulled into the driveway, he knew he was in for a treat!
Saturday morning started out with the San Diego Holiday half-marathon. This is a race that my dad and I have done for the past three years, and it is such a fun way to kick off the holiday season. I had not specifically been training for this race so I didn’t have a set goal time, I was just happy to be out running. I surprised myself and ended up going ten minutes faster than my time last year and achieved my half-marathon personal best time of 1:49.30! Regardless of the results, having the ability to go and run with like-minded people is such a blessing and it is always fun to realize just how capable our bodies are. It is also extra special to be able to do this with my dad and share our joy for running! The rest of Saturday was spent getting some things done for the Symposium and spending time with the family.
Sunday, we celebrated my grandpa’s 81st birthday by going to breakfast with the family. It was great to see everyone and celebrate my grandpa who is still crazy athletic and as sharp as a whip. He does not act like your typical 81-year-old and I aspire to be as active and involved as him when I am his age! The rest of Sunday was spent taking Churro for a walk and catching up on some acupuncture lectures that I neglected during the semester!
The fact that another semester has already passed is mind boggling. Time is moving at lightning speed, and it is fun to look back and see how much things change from semester to semester. I have met such amazing people and this past semester I have been able to develop and deepen many friendships. There is truly something unique about being on this journey with a close group of people and I am so proud of everyone, it’s not easy by any means but being surrounded by great people makes it so worthwhile! Another highlight of this semester has been diving deeper into integrative medicine and working through my acupuncture certification. I have had the privilege of learning from Madeline, and it has been so fun to watch our friendship grow. She is a brilliant fireball of energy and spending time with her is a joy! She has broadened my view of veterinary medicine while also helping me understand how I want to practice in the future. This semester I have also learned the importance of doing things outside of the classroom, conferences, weekend trainings, and time with friends are crucial for personal and professional development. While spending less time studying may seem contrary, the academic success comes as a byproduct of this balance. It's a crazy little life but I couldn't be happier to be on this wild ride!
Quote of the week: “All tumors are removable, it’s whether or not you can put the patient back together” -Dr. Steffey
*Weekly will start back up in January once the semester begins! Have a fabulous holiday season!
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