MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Mexico Medical Student' source. Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:50:53 +0100 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/11/796 In the October 2008 issue of the American College of Emergency Physicians’ (ACEP) Journal, an op-ed was posted entitled “Medical Blogs: Communication Vehicle or Social Contract?” (if the link takes you to a sign-up page, close the window and click it again–there’s a strange cookie that’s set that will bypass the registration screen) As I read it, the first thing that struck me was the comically dated language and information. The death knell of this article’s significance was already ringing in the first paragraph: According to the Internet phenomenon Wikipedia, blogs (short for Web-logs) are Web sites, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentaries, descriptions of events, or other materials such as graphics and video. T... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947193 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:02:49 +0100 1947193 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/wp-content/uploads/palinhouseofchina.flv Is it about Obama being a turban-headed Muslim terrorist?  Is it about Palin’s $150,000 wardrobe that ostensibly will go to charity afterwards?  Is it about McCain’s gorilla-rape joke? No, no, it’s none of these silly, misguided attack ads. This “my friends” is about a Palin impersonator shilling for a CHINESE BUFFET RESTAURANT: What is not evident in the video above is the fact that, like many buffets of this caliber, it’s mostly full of grease-laden crap bearing no resemblance to fresh, bright Chinese food of any kind.  It’s so catering to the fried-chicken crowd that it even sports a drive-through. I kid you not. With the commercial and the food, clever gimmicks and bad substitutes go hand-in-hand. And there is no lack of people willing to ... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933226 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:30:15 +0100 1933226 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/11/794 Grand Rounds, the Election Edition is up at Nurse Ratched’s Place. Go check out the best of the medical blogosphere.  Although these posts have already been vetted and voted upon, YOU can still vote in the BIG election if you haven’t already.  Exercise your right or don’t complain later! (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933227 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:03:50 +0100 1933227 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/11/793 I, like many others participating in early voting, welcomed the opportunity to avoid the pandemonium of Nov. 4th.  On Halloween oddly enough, I went to my local voting center to proudly cast my vote for Barack Hussein Obama/Joe Biden, etc. phone video camera in hand in case any tricky-tricky vote-flipping nonsense were to occur that I had read about. (You KNOW I would have posted it here and notified everyone I could–if it can even happen to Oprah you can’t be too sure!) Imagine my surprise when I gave my driver’s license and after a long wait involving some phone calls I was told that I was not a registered voter.  “That’s impossible!” I said. “Do you have your registration card?” the lady asked. “No,” I replied. “Everyon... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1933228 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:22:25 +0100 1933228 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/10/791 After careful consideration of some advice I read online and my own personal feelings, it’s with a sense of ultimate inevitability that I am shutting the blog down. After all, “text-based websites aren’t where the buzz is anymore.” I mean, social media sites like Facebook and Flickr are all the rage. “Blogging is so 2004.” If you are wondering why the quotes above, it’s because they are lifted from a fine example of Silicon Valley douchebaggery in a turd of a piece written by Paul Bou …. tin of Valleywag. I’m not linking anything, and I certainly don’t want Google bots picking up more attention to the likes of that hack. So to be clear (which I haven’t been on purpose): I am not shutting down the blog. It might be presumptu... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901512 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:44:51 +0100 1901512 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/10/790 This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1888131 Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:05:18 +0100 1888131 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/10/789 Hello all! Yes, I know it’s been too long since I posted anything of personal substance, and yes, I know I said it wouldn’t happen again anytime soon, but you love me anyway, right? I actually have a really good reason (two, really) which I’ll get into just after this post, but this travesty I’m writing about now would be reason enough for scandal. I’ve been robbed–ROBBED–I say! Celeste, a long time commenter and reader of this blog, pointed out to me that National Public Radio (NPR) has taken one of my old posts and stolen it, without reference, without a “hat tip,” without anything, in their feature entitled “Playing Five Beats To The Measure.”  My post entitled “5/4″ obviously is the victim of an NPR five-f... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1886385 Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:05:04 +0100 1886385 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/10/788 Anybody who’s anybody in the medical blogosphere knows that Dr. Ramona Bates, besides being a plastic surgeon, is a master quilter of the first order. It’s also no secret that she’s a great person and supports so many bloggers with kind words and commentary.  However, her kindness totally went to the next level when she offered to make my daughter a “crazy quilt” from leftover fabric that had fun animals, bright colors, etc. that would be great for kids to relate.   Here is the gallery where the quilt pictures are (plus some more from the same few days). I got an account on SmugMug a couple of months back because that’s where I really felt my “good” photos should live because I’d have control over the design, layout, etc. unlike Flic... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1852563 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:56:22 +0100 1852563 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/10/788 I’ll be back w/some new posts (yes PLURAL) w/in 24h.  Just getting a quick shout-out before the weekend officially starts.  I have to get a few things done before 5pm/close of business today before the weekend myself, but a lot of stuff’s coming….I have not forgotten. ;)  This message will self-destruct… (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1851010 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:51:20 +0100 1851010 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/09/786 I am not kidding. Elmo. For the last 6 months or so I’ve seen more Elmo than anything other single type of programming–period. It’s the side effect of the strange psychological mind-meld that furry creature can achieve with the 2-year-old age group. However, a few moments of Sesame Street are actually cool and clearly have some “inside jokes” aimed at the older kids/grown-ups watching it with the little ones.** This one is perfect for the theme of today, featuring the sexy, sassy, singular Tina Fey as the Skipper of this bunch o’ scalawags! It’s about 13 minutes and has some “annoying” Elmo moments of course, but it’s all worth it for Tina and the smart-alecky muppet shipmates. I’m hosting here instead of YouTube in case of ... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1811308 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 00:09:31 +0100 1811308 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/09/785 Nurse Ratched’s Place is the home of this week’s Grand Rounds, the best collection of recent posts from the medical blogosphere.  I loved the use of retro (I mean retro) photos showing how far medicine has come and how quackery still hasn’t changed much.  (my magentic bracelet hasn’t come in now that I think about it… heh) Go check it out! Oh and happy ‘Diez y seis de septiembre‘, Mexican indepdendence day.  Unlike cinco de mayo which is all but ignored unless you live in Puebla, this holiday is the most important for the nation–their 4th of July, if you will. But it’s hard to make a beer/liquor campaign here in the US with such a long name.  Still, some people try like this group in Austin try to do it anyway and keep the true trad... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1798150 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:57:56 +0100 1798150 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/09/784 Welcome to my first video blog posting!  I thought this would be appropriate to welcome myself back to my own blog (nobody else was gonna throw me a party) by giving you, my readers–now worthy of a medal of loyalty at this point–a little somethin’ somethin’ extra for your patience.  Here it is, or rather, here I am in moving pictures: That was fun! I was honest when I said I did it in one take, believe it or not. I’m a pretty nim quick-witted person, and I actually thought of the whole “effect”/”transition” thing as I was talking up to that point. I filmed the “extra” scene separately, of course, but the rest of it was one take. The “goodies” were added in post, of course, and if it didn’t work I simply ... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791624 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:07:03 +0100 1791624 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/07/783 Post coming later tonight or tomorrow morning with full story and link to pictures (and hopefully video, too) if I can not have Aperture fight me tooth and nail with every adjustment.  My computer is showing its age (read: ancient) and Apple is making things harder on us G5-owning folk with each passing upgrade. I know fighting with a photo management program shouldn’t be a good excuse to delay an otherwise-completed blog post, but I’m a perfectionist that way.  I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that things are fine, both in person and overall with house, etc.  It struck me that although I said “check the twitter status on the right,” 1) not everyone will, 2) ppl read this through feeds and don’t have “a right” sidebar with my updates, an... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1655466 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 02:53:16 +0100 1655466 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/07/780 Well, I figure I should get a post about Hurricane Dolly out there before we lose power for a while–an inevitability around here as of late even with non-newsworthy thunderstorms. Over the last few days, I’ve been tracking the various computer models of where the storm was going, and there has been striking concordance with the various predictions: As of this writing, the storm is just about to make official landfall. The radar, with my position tagged, looks like this: Anyway, just a quick note to have something here for posterity. Power and/or internet will surely go out, but as long as I have both, I’m checking various radar sources regularly. I also have my Blackberry and probably will Twitter things from time to time, so check the sidebar. I had ideas of doing a Qi... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1649026 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:43:14 +0100 1649026 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/07/779 Who better than Gruntdoc, one of the medblogosphere’s oldest (and I mean that as in “stately” and “learned” hehe) and most respected bloggers, to host the 200th anniversary edition of Grand Rounds! Is it flashy? Is it full of Web 2.0, AJAX-y, or Flash animation goodness?  Hell no, cuz that’s just not the way Gruntdoc rolls. Short, sweet and to the point–we need editions like these just as much as the envelope-pushing ones, and if I do say so myself, completely apropos for the nostalgia of the first ever 6-peat host. Congrats from a fellow proud Texan! (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1645957 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:37:02 +0100 1645957 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/07/778 The other day, registrars began opening up domain registrations to .me TLDs.  I became aware of this because Beth at PixelRN had a quandary about a domain she was trying to register and the TLD .me obviously caught my eye.  From what I can gather, tons of .me domains are being snagged by the hour at premium prices.  GoDaddy and other registrars are reportedly screwing the pooch either because of higher-than-expected demand or because there has been too much bullshit with front-running where searches basically ‘tip off’ a registrar (and, in my conspiracy-theory-addled brain, an elite group of insider clients who will snag it in the precious waiting period while one decides if they want it or not). I probably won’t get one, but in complete boredom I wondered what kind of... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1637779 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:21:46 +0100 1637779 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/07/776 I know I haven’ t been good about posting GR updates, but there’s no time like the present with The Blog That Ate Manhattan (TBTAM)’s Seinfeld edition of this week’s best of the medical blogosphere. Check it out! (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1596416 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:24:08 +0100 1596416 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/07/775 Happy Birthday America! I wish I could get you a present you’d like, but all I could afford was this stupid card. Besides, what do you get such a refined, stately woman past 230 who pretty much has everything? (rumor has it you are far, far older, but I don’t think you look a day over 150) Many lament what’s become of you in recent years, abused by caretakers with little conscience. While I, too find your recent treatment deplorable, I trust the situation will get much better soon. Besides, you’ve been through far worse before, and you’re still here. And God pray, you always will be. Happy Birthday. (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1577308 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:39:22 +0100 1577308 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/wp-content/uploads/canada-on-strike.flv Today is Canada Day!  And in honor of a blog friend (to whom I won’t link so there’s no inappropriate association, but s/he knows who s/he is) I post this funny (language NSFW) to celebrate along with: Obviously, this is from South Park, but this time Canada strikes back!  You hear that, buddy?  Oh, I’m not your buddy, friend?  Well, OK buddy. Believe it or not, YouTube was full of bum links for this, and obviously the copyright bots are out in full force for something like South Park, so this is my own copy and is being hosted locally.  I’ll keep this post up for a day or so then consider taking it down before the lawyers start sending C&D letters.  Happy Canada Day! (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1560847 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:32:34 +0100 1560847 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/773 Dr. Val Jones at Revolution Health yesterday wrote a scathing review of freeMD.com, a site that offers to triage a person (for free!) and determine if they need to see a doctor. Our conversation actually started on Twitter where I read that last part to mean, “alerts you to seek medical attention.” I had reviewed a site like freeMD.com about 6 months ago and thought I’d already seen it (I can’t find the URL for the site I thought it was, but it was vastly different, focusing more on disease education than decision-making). I played devil’s advocate for Dr. Val’s test case, a female with abdominal pain (read her post for details), by saying that using a tool like freeMD could very well be a good thing, causing someone to seek medical attention for a condi... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1556335 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:18:12 +0100 1556335 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/772 Went out to a park the other day to shoot some wildlife. Uploaded a pic to Flickr, and now I’m seeing how it embeds in the blog. Heeeeere goes: I could delete this if it works, but I should probably leave it up just ’cause. There aren’t any other pics in my photostream yet, but that will change soon. Ok, onto the next post… (Update: Ugh…how do I get the text NOT to float on the right? Small potatoes for now…how do I get the pic to specifically link to the “Large” version on Flickr? Perhaps that’s a blogging software limitation. I’ll try it by hand. And why am I typing “out loud” for testing purposes? Probably to show that even though I may not post every week day, I still think about it. ) (Source: Mexico Medical Stud... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1552977 Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:01:26 +0100 1552977 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/769 Sid Schwab posted an entry the other day about EM blogs (I’m including nurses in what I write here) and their penchant for not only being right-of-center politically, but “vitriolic.” I want to say off the bat that I’m not here to defend his remarks point-by-point, but what he said about his post not being directed at any one blogger in particular and specifically that it was written months ago is absolutely true. In fact, he shared the draft with me in November of last year. The draft then is very close to the post of the other day, down to the same witty ending. In that sense, what is written really is representative of how he feels, not some knee-jerk rant. But why did he share the draft in the first place? Because I said that I was going to post about that very ... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1546682 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:51:24 +0100 1546682 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/768 Blog Updates: I’m happy to report all is well. The blog software is updated, making room for all the “current” plug-ins, themes, etc. and most importantly, the security fixes applied so that I don’t get h4×0r5 hijacking the site to something hideous and embarrassing like an online yarn shop. I’d never live that one down. Regarding the slick black theme: yes, it’s understated, and surprisingly, yes, it’s pretty much done. I downloaded it of course, because I can’t create much of anything, but I can always edit and tweak. (which I need to do because I want my links underlined and my blogroll subcategorized) However, I really like the minimal, clean look. Maybe in a month or two I’ll think to add a graphic here and there, but the day ... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1543222 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:18:26 +0100 1543222 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/766 Tonight I plan to upgrade this site to Wordpress 2.5.x. I’ll also be applying a new theme, though I’m not 100% sure which one it will be. I can say, however, that it will NOT be a completed task anytime soon. I’m not a web designer and I don’t want to waste time making things purty. I care more about functionality and such and will be adding a few new plugins as well. So, if there are a few glitches y’all notice over the next 24-48h or so, please PLEASE let me know. Letting me know what you think of the new semi-temporary look and feel as well would make me verrry happy. I may yet continue as a Mexican medical student at another school, so I haven’t given up the domain yet, but it’s time for some serious housecleaning around here. If your blog is n... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1535743 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:01:14 +0100 1535743 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/765 I just saw what is perhaps the stupidest thing I’ve read in a long time. Apparently, many people from SoCal are driving to Tijuana to fill up their vehicles because of the cheaper, Mexican-government-subsidized Pemex (Petróleos Mexicanos) gasoline. Since the government controls the gasoline, Mexicans do not feel the week-to-week spikes driven by speculators and doomsayers (that also conveniently coincide with things like Memorial Day weekend) and enjoy a more stable price that’s based on longer-term, “reality-based” data. The problem is that although it’s cheaper, Pemex gas sucks. It’s dirty and is, in my experience, at least a third less efficient than American gasoline (measured by mileage on what a fillup gets me on either side). It deposits more gun... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1531263 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:34:46 +0100 1531263 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/764 One of the things I love to do in my free time is photography and video. I don’t claim to have any special talent for either, but given enough time and footage, I can make something pretty cool video-wise. For our IRS “stimulus check,” (which, thanks to my working last year for those months I earned one) we did our patriotic duty to help piss in the ocean invigorate the economy and bought a high-def camcorder. Given our financial situation, this was a rather extravagant purchase (and I bought it for way cheap as a refurb, so I think I did pretty well) but our 5-year-old camcorder was ailing so badly, I’d rarely break it out; consequently, I missed filming many moments of our little one. Here’s the funny part: there is no HDTV in any of our family members to be... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1522108 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:00:52 +0100 1522108 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/763 So at long last, this series continues. We left off with a negative EGD and an extremely low Hgb/HCT that was dropping even within these 48 hours. Well, what’s an eager GI doc to do if an EGD is negative? Of course: the colonoscopy. Aside from the unpleasant idea of having a metal snake going against traffic, I was pretty calm, knowing enough from recent experiences that I wouldn’t know any better. Even though I’ve never had one, I know a few who have, and I knew that a “bowel prep” was involved. This is a nice term that means being forced to take some substance(s) that make you go to the bathroom so much that nothing is left. Literally. As long as you haven’t eaten recently, the upper GI is empty after a few hours unless you have a problem (eg, strictu... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1512174 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:30:58 +0100 1512174 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/06/762 Just a ping (“One ping please, Vasili?”) to let everyone know that I’m clawing my way back into the blogosphere. I just fired up my newsreader and counted the thousands of posts since I last ran it over a month ago. SHOCKING! Most friends had 20-30 posts, and not a small few had quite a few more than that. I am so ashamed. So, given the above, I’m sorry to admit to my peeps that even though I’d like to, I almost certainly won’t get to read all of your posts. If your magnum opus was much before last week or so, chances are I won’t see it unless you tell me. As for me, well, I’m doing better in some ways and worse in others, all to be shared soon. I know, you’ve heard that before, but this time, I’m motivated by something coming up... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1499932 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:15:03 +0100 1499932 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/05/761 Sorry for the late posting, but my friend Ramona Bates at Suture for a Living is hosting this week’s Grand Rounds, and in true “better late than never”-fashion, I ask that you go check it out for the best of the medical blogosphere this week. Dr. Bates is a plastic surgeon from Arkansas, and this week’s edition features some really nice local and state pictures. Check it out! (and I’m doing better but was offline for too long–the nerve of various places and family members not to have WiFi!! Can you imagine?! Updates soon once I get re-situated) Related posts SurgeXperiences No. 20 (1) Grand Rounds 4:31 (0) And now, back to our regularly scheduled program (6) Hiatus (7) And the winner is... (1) (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1429036 Wed, 07 May 2008 22:58:06 +0100 1429036 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/05/760 So the reason I haven’t blogged much of any substance lately is because healthwise, I seem to be regressing from late post-op complications. At first, I was taking good strides forward and hit a setback here and there, which is to be expected. Now, 5 weeks post-op, I’m facing some issues that I thought were well over weeks ago, so much so that I’m seeking medical attention in a few hours. It sucks not being able to continue/finish a wonderful story that I so energetically started, of all things because the story hasn’t even ended! Maybe that’s a pre-requisite to starting a damn personal story in the first place… Anyway, just wanted to drop a quick note…I’ll see what the doctors say, and hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later. Until t... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1416254 Fri, 02 May 2008 09:19:24 +0100 1416254 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/04/759 In honor of Dr. Sid Schwab’s masterful edition of the surgery blog carnival, SurgeXperiences, I offer this humble introduction: Dr. Schwab shows a natural attraction To verse in utmost compaction.  He’s written a book  So go take a look At our Limerick Laureate in action! This is the first time I participate, so I’m especially honored to be included in such a creative edition! Related posts Grand Rounds 4:31 (0) And now, back to our regularly scheduled program (6) Hiatus (7) And the winner is... (1) Gameday and the Medblog Awards Radio Show (0) (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1402973 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:33:51 +0100 1402973 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/04/758 50 years ago this month, a lanky 23-year-old young man from the small town of Kilgore, Texas went on Soviet soil and conquered an entire nation–truly winning their hearts and minds–at the height of the Cold War, a mere six months after the Soviets launched Sputnik 1, starting the space race–not with military might, but with music. I am, of course, speaking of Van Cliburn, one of the most famous pianists this century. Story short, the Soviets decided they were to host a grand competition for the world’s finest pianists, violinists and cellists, all in honor of the famous Russian composer Tchaikovsky. Premier Khrushchev was certain that the Soviets would illuminate the musical world as Soviet musicians would compete and emerge victorious on an open stage for the worl... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1402021 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 07:50:13 +0100 1402021 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/04/757 Blog buddy Dr. Val is hosting this week at her blog, Dr. Val and the Voice of Reason. Go check out the best of the medical blogosphere from this last week. I will be back shortly. Related posts And now, back to our regularly scheduled program (6) Hiatus (7) And the winner is... (1) Gameday and the Medblog Awards Radio Show (0) Me, on the radio! (5) (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1392518 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:06:02 +0100 1392518 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/04/756 So, as promised, here is how all my medical melodrama began. I warn in advance this will be long and in several parts, but I do think it makes for interesting reading. I’ve tried to really highlight the whole “medical-person-as-patient” experience because while I’ve had this or that done or tested since starting medical school, this was definitely the first “real” full-on patient experience I’ve had, and I was surprised how different (at times surreal) the whole thing could be sometimes. Anyway, here’s how it went down… I was sitting on the floor in a bedroom at my father-in-law’s, organizing items from a whirlwind of internal spring-cleaning and moving, fresh from having orchestrated our stuff here from Mexico. It had been decide... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1377983 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 05:59:09 +0100 1377983 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/04/755 Or more completely, the Natural Orifice Consortium for Assessment and Research, a group dedicated to investigating and exploring ways to perform surgery through natural orifices, such as the vagina, anus/rectum, and about any other opening nature provides: Using patients’ natural openings (the mouth, vagina or rectum) as entry points to the body is perhaps the intuitive next step to laparoscopic surgery… The group’s official acronym is NOSCAR–yes, that there is a gratuitous “S” to make the clever “no scar.” When I read the word “Consortium,” I can’t help but think of some underground, covert organization–guys in dark suits, meeting in secret places, speaking in the language of riddles and subterfuge. About orifices, ... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1362434 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:42:59 +0100 1362434 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/04/754 I’m back!! I missed blogging tremendously with so many times thinking in my head, “Oh, I gotta write/share that!” but I made a commitment to let things settle down to a dull roar before I started posting again, not wanting to have this start/stop bad mojo on the blog. Thankfully, I think I’m finally at the point where I can say things are calm enough and look like they’ll remain so, at least as much as I can expect. So much to tell, so much I’m glad is in the past, so much to look forward to–all in good time. For now, here’s a small list of some general comments to catch you up, in no special order (some of which will be expanded on later): I got some email wondering if my “Hiatus” post indicated I was going to seek psychiatric c... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1360591 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:24:50 +0100 1360591 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/03/753 Hello…thanks for still checking in! It seems odd to have a post entitled “Hiatus” when I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks, but I felt at least y’all deserved to know that it will still be a bit before anything really moves on here. Things have not been settling easily, though. Every significant step forward seems to have at least an equal or greater step backwards. For example, our stuff got through the border–and we saved over $2500 compared to the cheapest quotes we were getting in GDL, all things being said and done. Except things at my parents’ house weren’t working out, so we moved to my father-in-laws. Like I needed any more moving. At least we’re talking the original stuff we had in the cars only–the big stuff went strai... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1280751 Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:15:09 +0100 1280751 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/02/752 The title pretty much sums up what’s going on right now. Things have been so crazy, by the time I’d even compose my thoughts about what to write, I’d already be just staring at the wall, comatose, or simply not coherent enough mentally to actually make it happen. I’m not going to go into any real details at this point, just use this small entry as a catch-up for what’s current right now. To help me be brief, here’s a simple list: I have left Mexico permanently. I am not a student this semester at UAG nor am I affiliated with the university in any way, officially or unofficially. The “privilege” of leaving Mexico involved hundreds of dollars to pay off immigration to have the proper “exit papers” which was needed as part of the un... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1251119 Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:46:41 +0100 1251119 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/02/751 OK, I think the NFL (and I’m referring to “NFL Inc.” specifically, not the sport of football) has officially gone to the Dark Sidetm. The whole NFL Network vs. the rest of all other broadcast media debacle where the NFL says, “We OWN this sport; be lucky we let you show anything” should be reason enough to question the motives and sanity of the corporate brass. (proof? two words: Bryant Gumbel) But if all the oligopolies of cable networks as a whole wasn’t a fish big enough to fry, the NFL in true Belichick-like fashion is now kicking the cane from old ladies crossing the street; namely, they are going after churches showing the game on television screens larger than 55 inches. Because, of course, a 54 inch TV is OK but a 60 inch plasma is ungodly. No, t... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1198694 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:17:01 +0100 1198694 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/02/750 The title says it all in a nutshell. The details are fodder for a movie if some screenwriter/filmmaker could work some of that Hollywood “suspension of belief” magic. So after blogging about things in December here before, as well as going on the radio about my problems with school, with the Christmas holiday break looming, the heat went up in the kitchen–way up. Every day was some setback, some new depth of laziness and ineptitude by school officials uncovered, each of which could have been a blog entry in itself. However, as anybody can see, the site has been near-dormant for the last 6 weeks or so with the exception of occaisional “fluff” posts and status updates. I had been trying to do the right thing and not publish something I’d regret later, as w... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1197993 Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:03:19 +0100 1197993 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/01/749 Go see the 2007 Medblog Awards at Medgadget! Congrats to the winners, the nominees, and to everyone who participated. Related posts Gameday and the Medblog Awards Radio Show (0) Me, on the radio! (5) Pediatric Grand Rounds 2:12 (0) Grand Rounds 4:10 (1) Grand Rounds 4:09 (27) (Source: Mexico Medical Student) Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1173174 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:24:08 +0100 1173174 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/01/748 This is going on in the city where I currently live, Zapopan, adjacent to Guadalajara (they’re seamlessly interconnected, it’s not a stark border, even on a map): A cousin of suspected killer Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean told CNN Tuesday that he saw the wanted man near Guadalajara a week ago. Juan Antonio Ramos Ramirez said he did not know at the time the Marine visited him at his liquor store in Zapopan that Laurean was being sought by authorities for murder…. Mexico has had a long-standing record of refusing to extradite suspected murderers to the United States if they face a possible death penalty after conviction. Mexico is opposed to capital punishment. The FBI plans to circulate in Mexico either matchbooks or business cards with Laurean’s photo. The Marine&#82... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1169700 Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:58:12 +0100 1169700 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/01/746 You know, throughout the Chargers/NE game, I always felt the Chargers were going to lose even while they were up by 3 then never trailed by more than 7-10 points. Why? Because you could see the inconsistency in their playing, the fly-by-your-pants style that won them big plays, but couldn’t deliver when it counted (like 4 trips to the red zone that resulted in 4 FGs only). That’s NOT what I expected to see from Green Bay. As I saw Plaxico Burress saw through GB’s secondary like a hot knife through butter, the GB cornerbacks suckered on the simplest jukes, I had to wonder what all the fuss was about how awesome our cornerbacks Al Harris and Woodson were. When the secondary adjusted to get more “physical,” all that came of it was pass interference calls. Burress... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1165322 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 06:02:49 +0100 1165322 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/01/745 It’s gameday once again for my Green Bay Packers, this time for the NFC Championship and a trip to the Super Bowl. The New York Giants, proving themselves a team to take seriously in Dallas’ defeat last week, I’m afraid to say is too beat up and inconsistent to be a match for the green and gold. I’m not a superstitious person, so I have no “jinx” worries by typing this before kickoff. The big story on the game is the weather. The 3-day estimate for kickoff was 4 degrees. I just checked online about 45 minutes ago and found this: That’s for about 1pm local time; kickoff is at 5:42pm, so you can be sure it’ll probably be a bit colder, certainly dipping lower as the game progresses into the night. The temperature situation is serious enough t... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1163215 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:38:02 +0100 1163215 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/01/740 There is no part 2 after all, sorry. Apparently I’m not as enlightened as I thought I was, though I know I had more high-falootin’ idears a week and a half ago. Something about Mexico and butting heads with administration and school officials after a two week sanity break kinda had something to do with my regression back to mere survival mode. When one worries about shelter, security, etc. one doesn’t usually afford time for philosophical musings. I’d rather get to talking about other things, and just write about the school stuff in small morsels that doesn’t compromise ongoing efforts. This crap ain’t over yet, but it is progressing in my favor somewhat…I can say that much for now. Related posts No related posts. (Source: Mexico Medical St... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1153987 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:40:16 +0100 1153987 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2008/01/739 Happy New Year!! I missed you all! I’m writing this in a Best Western in Monterrey, Mexico–a small overnight stopover on our way back to Guadalajara. I know in my last post that I said I’d write with a big update of school and all, but honestly, I never could get it together to post. All the stress of being away from home with the little one, worsening family tensions (outside us), and a much more somber tone from everyone it seemed, and we were ready to come home at our leisure shortly after Christmas, pending errands and things of that nature to do. Then I came down with a rather virulent Man Cold. No sooner than I had started working that bell, Claudia got it as well. Then A got it–her first little cold ever. Knowing I was “Patient Zero” made me feel... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1140944 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:53:51 +0100 1140944 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2007/12/738 Sorry to all about working things up to a frenzy and not posting an update. It’s not because I was too busy or certainly that nothing was happening day-to-day. I thought it best not to exacerbate a potentially volatile situation with my school by lying low and reporting what happened after-the-fact. We have a plane to catch in about 8 hours, so I need to make this short: the school, in its infinite depths of new and creative ways to frustrate, has seen fit to not do anything. That’s right folks–seven days of “tomorrow, and maybe Tuesday; wait, no, maybe Thursday, well, if I don’t email you before Friday 5:00, then it’ll have to wait until January.” Did the “secret” committee meet? Who knows. My “contact” only has another &#... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1112662 Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:27:09 +0100 1112662 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2007/12/737 Thanks to all who showed up last night for the live broadcast! Dr.A. would have to confirm this for sure, but I think that the chatroom peaked to its highest number so far for the show…that’s awesome! For those that didn’t get to tune in, the archive is #18 and is available at Dr.A.’s BTR site (until the next show, this episode starts playing automatically from a widget on the right, but you can always download the .mp3 file to listen offline as well). I listened to most of the show already, and I’m slightly embarrassed of the times that it seems that I’m ignoring Dr.A’s quick questions. As was brought up in the chat room after the show, Dr.A was using a new headset, and apparently the mic volume wasn’t turned up enough. (This can be heard in... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1096166 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:59:49 +0100 1096166 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2007/12/733 Tomorrow, Thursday Dec 13th at 9PM EST (8PM CST/6PM PST, 2AM Dec 14th GMT) I’ll be a guest on Dr. Anonymous’ Holiday show, broadcast (streaming) live on BlogTalkRadio! Dr. A., myself and other panelists will be discussing (viciously debating…heh) various holiday songs, movies, favorites, and other festive topics. There is a call in number that will be available for you, the listener to call in and get a chance to participate. Being a follower of the show and having been on the ‘air’ before as a caller, I can definitely say that participating in the chat room, available only just before the time of the broadcast (and lasting until sometime after) is just as fun as listening, like a running commentary while the show is going on. I highly encourage people not o... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1090463 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 19:42:55 +0100 1090463 http://www.mexicomedstudent.com/2007/12/732 This post is way late in coming, but I can’t hold it in anymore. As many of you might remember, I took a voluntary leave from school this semester to focus on personal matters. I said that the worst of all possibilities was that I’d look back on this time, now drawing nearer to a close, and feel that I wasted 6 months of my life, having gotten no further in my personal goals. Well, UAG doesn’t disappoint, and they’ve trumped themselves in the sodomizing students department. While I do have some regrets about things I didn’t get to accomplish during my break (which, as I remind myself, is not over), the reality is UAG has given me the biggest stressor of all: creating an untenable situation which would force me to leave school altogether, the last two years of ... Mexico Medical Student blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1088718 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:28:39 +0100 1088718