A New Old

Medical school makes you feel old. I'm 35 and old for medical school but young for the world. It's spring semester of year two. Hanging around people 10 years younger than me for almost two years has confused me. They're my equals mentally, but emotionally and physically, I'm different. But I only started out different. Hanging around these 20-somethings has put us closer to equal playing fields.

Example: Before medical school, I'm pretty sure I addressed problems straight on. Now I find myself complaining about teachers and school work. Aren't I past this yet.

Example 2: Before medical school, I read the news, went to fancy wine parties, and cared about politics. Now, I watch top chef for study breaks and occassional peer into what the other medical students did last weekend via facebook.

On this last point, though, I gotta defend myself. Medical school takes all of your mental power. 100%. When I'm done studying, I don't want to engage in anything requiring an IQ over 100. Luckily in this world with all the unchallenging and self-absorbed nuissance out there, I can easily plug in to dumbness.

Speaking of self-absorbed, I'm studying the GI system. I was in the anatomy lab today reviewing the GI organs, vessels, nerves, and fascia. Indirect and direct hernias are difficult to understand. The entire inguinal canal baffles me. It's made from the aponeurosis of three muscle layers (external, internal, and transversalis muscles) and their communication with the rectus femoral muscle. A quandrangle is made in this small space that penetrates lateral to the inguinal region. It's difficult to digest because the tube is made from multiple muscle layers joining together, creating pockets and weak points in the area. Hernias evolve here, and are names just as confusingly: indirect hernia means through the deep ring (shouldn't that be direct)? whereas direct hernias are formed outside the ring.

Something to ponder later. Now, I'm off to suitcase clinic in Berkeley. In the meantime, I'll continue wondering when I'll ever have time to study for boards and carry on a life with my friends and husband for the next few years.