Last Week at Ruby Hospital Surgical Pathology Laboratory

This past week has been a bit busier than usual, but I've become inured to that by now. Ever since the start of this weekend however, I have had so much free time I didn't even know what to do. That's a good problem to have. So, this morning I decided to take a trip to downtown Pittsburgh and finally check out the Strip District. It might have a racy name, but what it is is an open market where people gather to sell their produce and crafts. There are all sorts of foods that you can buy and there are a lot of ethnic supermarkets over there as well. Also, I saw one of the most bustling fish markets of my life over there. It was an interesting break from the studying and presentation preparation that I had been caught up with.

My presentation on the pituitary gland went as smoothly as possible. I modeled the style after our pathology power point lectures, introducing each pathology one-by-one and explaining them in turn. I believe that I covered the major pathologies associated with it and am satisfied that I created it to my own flavor. Each professor has their own 'feel' to their lectures and I hope to follow that mold.

While in the gross lab I have become quite good at completing biopsy specimens at a rapid and efficient pace. It's just the larger specimens that are still a stumbling block for me. I'm grateful for every big specimen that I can get, but I still need more practice to increase my speed. There are a variety of factors that are inhibiting the rapid completion of the bigger specimens that I do. My biggest problem is trying to find the right wording in how to describe an object. (eg. The renal medulla is comprised of... no... The renal medulla displays multiple tan-brown, pyramidal... no, that's not good... ah, screw it. The renal medulla is unremarkable.) Thank goodness I had the residents and the PAs to help me improve my dictation. I just need more big specimens. The people at Ruby have my sincerest gratitude.

I also recently went to go get my cholesterol checked and surprisingly it went up. In the winter or fall of last year I was surprised at my continued high cholesterol so I made changes to my lifestyle that included cooking with extra-virgin olive oil, not using margarine, limiting my meat, avoiding cheese, avoiding salt and sugar, eating whole wheat products, eating more fruits and vegetables, jogging every other day and so forth. Looks like that hasn't worked, so now I'm really pissed. I also discovered for the first time that I'm in the 'pre-hypertension' range. Before it had always been below 120/80. I'm going to conquer this cholesterol and blood pressure thing once and for all. For the next six months I'm going to absolutely not use any oil, sugar, or salt in my cooking, nor eat a single piece of chicken, pork, beef, hamburger or hotdog. Not a single scoop of ice cream, a single slice of pizza, a single piece of pie or cake, not even a measly cookie is going to reach the bottom of my stomach. (No, I'll not become bulimic.) Instead of jogging every other day, I'll be jogging at least 20 minutes everyday. I've done too many autopsies where people who don't look unhealthy have ended up dying from MIs caused by atherosclerotic coronary arteries. I'm not going to go out like that if there's anything I can do about it.

As you can probably see, working in the field of pathology gets you thinking about health issues a lot.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be starting an autopsy rotation again, this time at  UPMC Presbyterian. I'm really looking forward to it! I don't have any particular disliking of autopsies, but when compared to my classmates you could say that I'm a little more enthusiastic to preform them. Nevertheless, it's always important to approach the autopsy from a forensic perspective rather than a human one. I don't want people to pass away just so that I can do autopsies. But, if they are coming my way anyways, I'll do my best to shed the light that will bring comfort to their family and friends.

The back-way to the strip district. A lot of the shops on this side were closed and abandoned, so it must have been quite a bustling place in the past.

So many homemade delicious pastries to choose from. I soon left for greener pastures.

If you can make it by hand, you can find it here. There was a plethora of great food available for tasting as well.

Next to the costume shop was a haunted house! It won't be open until Halloween, but it would be a good diversion from studying for a night.

This place seemed to be the hot spot for brunches. Every seat in the house was packed and all the people outside were waiting to get in.

The legendary fish market. Your source of omega-3's for studying.

Lots of outdoor shops. It doesn't look crowded from these pictures, but it was really bustling.

Walking down the strip. There were a multitude of ethnic supermarkets to choose from.

Farmers selling their fresh and organic produce.