Y3S2 Week 8: Final Junior Surgery, Feeding Tube Placement, and Starting the Business Course!

This week started with a quick whirl around the park with Churro followed by the second exam for the renal, endocrine, and reproduction block. We then had another discussion on dystocia for our comparative stream. The rest of the day involved some quality time on the field with Churro followed by some grocery shopping and meal prepping.

Tuesday began with a quick whirl around the park followed by an awesome hot yoga session.  We then transitioned into the last section of this sub-block which was centered around reproduction. We began with a lecture on the clinical aspects of female reproduction followed by a lecture on disorders of female reproduction. The last lecture of the morning was on dystocia (difficulty birthing) and how to address delivery complications medically and surgically.

That afternoon we had the chance to dive into Chapter 9 of Relaxed. This chapter was centered around friendship with the bottom line that we were not meant to do life alone. In this chapter, Megan walks through the idea of friendship and what that means in our lives as believers. She also highlights how friendships serve different purposes and within each relationship, there are different dynamics. This chapter gave me a chance to reflect on the different relationships in my life and how my life and perspective have been impacted by these people. Here were some of the main takeaways from the session:

1. Friendships are hard, you oftentimes need to be the friend you want to have. We all want the ideal friend which is an unfair expectation because we are not perfect, nor the “ideal friend” at all points in time. If you wish someone would invite you out to coffee, invite them first. If you wish someone would check in on you periodically, check in on them first. We are all the main characters in our lives and when we put our egos aside, we are closer to becoming the friend we want to have. Yes, Jesus is the perfect friend, but we still need community and human friends are important. 

2. Assume people are doing the best they can. The only thing we can control is our perspective. If we give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that what they are currently doing is their best for that day/moment/season of life, it makes things a lot easier for us. In all honestly, they may not be doing their best but that is not for us to judge and just creates unnecessary weight for us to carry. 

3. Remember the rule of 6. This is my personal favorite and something we practiced a lot at a leadership training a few years back. It is based on the principle that for every assumption or story we make up about someone, there are at least 6 other plausible explanations. Instead of just sticking to the initial narrative that popped into your head, broaden your perspective and realize that you are not the center of their world (kindly) and whatever they did was likely not personal. For example, if someone is not responding or returning a call, text, email, etc. it is probably not because they hate you or think you are annoying, which may be the first lie that comes to mind. Maybe they are dealing with a sick child, parent, or spouse. Maybe they left their phone in the car while running errands. Maybe they are dealing with some personal matters and do not have the capacity to entertain a conversation right now. Maybe they dropped their phone in the toilet, and it is now in a bag of rice. Maybe they are in a hot yoga class. The point is we never know what is going on with someone so be kind and for your own sake don't take it personally.

   
   

The rest of Tuesday was blocked off so we had some time to prep for the upcoming labs. I also had a chance to spend some time on the field with Churro and get a few things done around the house.

Morning Prayer Group!

Wednesday was our final group surgery day, so it began nice and early with a quick run around the block with Churro followed by the morning pre-surgical check. We were assigned the sweetest little Doberman mix named Zora. After all the morning per-surgical activities were completed, I joined the CVF team for their morning prayer session. It is always a great way to start the day and stay centered when things get busy. The rest of the morning included a lecture on managing anesthesia in pregnant animals, a lecture on surgical management of dystocia, and a lecture on surgical procedures for the male reproductive tract.

We then transitioned into our pre-surgical “rounds” discussion and had the privilege of being led by Dr. Jane Sykes, who emphasized the importance of understanding the zoonotic potential of working with these dogs. Once our discussion was over, we transitioned into surgery.  My role for the day was assistant, so I had the opportunity to work with Ari during the surgery while Gaby monitored anesthesia. The surgery went well and Zora recovered smoothly! It is mind blowing that we are officially done with our third-year junior surgeries. It feels like we were just picking our teams and now we have done 9 surgeries together. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a more supportive team and am so grateful to have been able to work and learn alongside these ladies. I think we have all grown a lot in different ways throughout the year, and I couldn’t have done it without them.

Final Junior Surgery with the BEST team! ♡

Thursday began with a quick whirl around the park with Churro followed by the final post-surgery check. Zora was doing great and was able to return to the shelter for adoption! I then had the chance to get in a quick swim before the morning lecture series. We had a lecture on vaginal cytology, neonatal resuscitation, and male reproductive disorders. The rest of the afternoon included a lab on urinary catheter placement in male and female dogs along with male cats. This was a great way to practice a procedure that is commonly done in general and emergency practice! We also had the opportunity to practice placing esophageal feeding tubes, which is also a common procedure that veterinarians should be comfortable performing in practice. The rest of the afternoon included a nice walk with Churro.

Friday morning began with a 3 miler with Churro followed by a hot yoga session and quick swim. We then had a two-hour discussion on urolithiasis for the comparative species stream. The first hour was centered around companion animals (dogs and cats) and the second hour was focused on exotic species such as rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, tortoises, and ferrets. This was a wonderful way to tie together the material from the large animal discussion we had earlier in the week as well as build off the material from our renal sub-block.

During lunch I had the chance to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk around the arboretum. We then transitioned into a two-hour discussion on disaster medicine followed by a two-hour discussion on the business side of veterinary medicine. It is pretty neat that we get to learn about business while in veterinary school. This side of the profession is often something that people have to figure out the hard way and having this insight is a privilege!

Sunrise Run!

Saturday started off with a nice 7 miler with Churro followed by a hot yoga session and quick swim! I was then able to do a little grocery shopping before heading home to study for the upcoming renal, endocrine, and reproduction final. Sunday followed a similar schedule and started with a 9 miler with Churro followed by church. The rest of the day included some studying and getting prepped for the upcoming week.

Quote of the week: “It’s a nightmare disaster from hell.”

-Dr. Mayhew referring to accidental prostatectomies in cryptorchid surgeries

Professional Study Supervisor