Cushing's

I just had to share this because I think this is the best picture I've found of Cushings (hypercortisolism). Moon facies, abdominal striae, buffalo hump, central obesity, relatively thin extremities. This lady was 25 years old! Can be caused by a pituitary tumor, adrenal gland adenoma or.....(most often) the doctor prescribing too much steroids for chronic pain, inflammatory disorders (autoimmune disorders included), or to suppress the immune system.

The Final Stretch

Even though, I skip ...hmm...a little more than half of my classes now (maybe more...), it makes me a little sad that we only have a week and a half of med school classes left, forever. I can't believe it. My life is going to be so different....

Lent and Fasting

I really love Ash Wednesday. I love seeing the ash on the foreheads of the Catholics at the library, at the hospital and at the gym. One of the beauties of Lent is that all of us are called to be aware that it truly is a different time of the year--a season where we are called to come back to our foundation and get in touch with the Creator. Obviously, this is the goal year-round but Lent is a time to really focus on that goal and take extra efforts to work on our relationship with Christ.

I recently argued with some friends about the necessity of fasting (they were Coptic--which just made me more frustrated!). I think that if the Church has a fast going on, all of us fast. It shouldn't even be something that we have to think twice about. My friends argued that it depends on where you are "in your spiritual journey". To me, that part sounds really "I'm gonna go find myself in Tibet or learn from a yogi in India" or just simply a reflection of the ultra-individualistic mindset we have in the West. (I love the West, don't get me wrong). But that's also my personality--I like to follow rules and order and protocol, especially when I know that the writers of those rules know what they are talking about. Lent is about distancing ourselves from the world and getting closer to God. That requires different things of different people. I know that for me, my biggest challenge this Lent will to stay attuned to the season and not be overly consumed with boards. That seems like an almost impossible thing for me to fathom and at times I've caught myself thinking, I'd rather do well on boards then miss this Lent...I'll always have next year. But the reality is that EVERY year, I am just as busy as the next (maybe a little more busier than usual this year). And maybe the message here then is that Lent is a time to stop making excuses for ourselves. As Father Robert said on Sunday, its a time to uncloth the hypocrisy and face the ugliness of our sin.

Public Urination

LOL. Today, around 4 o clock, I was tired of sitting straight for seven hours straight at the library so I decided it was time to pack up early and head to the gym so I can avoid getting a DVT. I was talking to my mom on the phone while walking and took the "back" way to get to the Corner. As I turned to go up the stairs behind the Center for Global Health building, there was a homeless guy peeing on top of the stairs. He was standing right in the middle, on top of the stairs, so that his urine stream would make a parabola going down. I saw him, (I'm still on the phone with my mom) and I didn't know what to say. So I just said, "Excuse me." It took him about 40 seconds to realize that I just interrupted his public urination. However, I don't think he was aware that he was publically urinating (don't most people that do that pee on walls?). So when he realized what the scenario was, he started shrieking, "O man O man O man!!!" and then continued on to calling me some less appropriate phrases. I kept walking, pretending nothing unusual had happened and didn't look back at him as I walked in my usual fast pace.

So...moral of the story. The homeless drunks on the Corner rule the Corner and will cuss you out if you invade their "privacy". It was hilarious. But above all, I am thankful for my poor far-sighted vision....I didn't see anything...that's probably unfortunate for him. Seeing his state, he probably has a history of STIs or at the least...scabies.