Sorry I have been neglecting my blogging latley but I have been really busy. This week we have our midterm and I have been spending a lot of time doing that. I also joined a yoga class and a gym to lift weights at so that has been taking up some of my time.
This is the end of my third week in Mexico. Friday was my last day at the Centro de Salud clinic. I felt I had a good experience there but I am ready to move on. Next week I am going to shadow a private practice peditrician which I am excited about. I felt I learned a lot at my time at the centro. The doctor taught me basic check up techniques such as how to check for a throat infection, how to check for bladder, stomach, appendix and kidney pain. He also taught me how to listen to breathing for signs of a pulmonary infection. I also learned how to check up on pregnant woman and feel around the stomach for signs of normal, healthy development of a baby. I learned how to listen to the heartbeat of the developing baby which is possible to hear after about 25 weeks of pregnacny. Since many of the patients were diabetic I learned some of the ways to examine a diabetic. We checked for the pupil dilation reflex which is sometimes impaired in diabetics and also for poor circulation and loss of feeling in the legs and feet.
One thing I found surprising about the clinic I worked at was the amount of time we spent listening to drug company representatives. Almost half of the time I was there we had to listen to presenations from drug reps who told us about their drugs and handed us samples that they wanted us to give to patients. However most of the patients cannot afford the drugs the drug reps talk about so I thought it was kind of a waste of time. Also the time spent listening to the drug companies could have been spent on patient care. I am curious if this type of drug advertising goes on in U.S. hospitals and clinics.
On a personal note, this week I finally got over a bad case of stomach pain and diarrea I had for about two weeks. I guess this is normal for travelers in Southern Mexico to experience. Many other people in our group had gastrointestinal problems as well.
Today I went for a nice run with my roommate Ricky. I live on a set of stairs that lead up to beautiful running path that reminded me a lot of Marin. The path had awesome views of Oaxaca and the surrounding valleys and pueblos. It was nice to get out of the busy city and into nature.
After this week we will be done with our midterm and I will have a lot more freetime. Some people in my group are planning a trip to Mexico City in two weeks which I think I will go on. Mexico City is about 6 hours away by bus. We are planning on staying in a hostel and watching a soccer game there.
Anyway I will write another post later this week. Hope everyone is well.
Max
1 comment:
What an interesting blogg, Max! We really enjoy reading your messages. I've had that bad intestinal/stomach problem more that once on trips to Mexico, and they really laid me flat for a while each time. Ugh! So I have an idea what you're talking about. Not funny. We're glad you're over it.
It sounds like you've really been on a fast pace, though, to cram in all the things you've done, including a chance to do yoga, weights, and running.
We are doing fine here. This is Sunday, and Grandpa has been watching football and baseball. I've been reading a book about "The secret of attracting the life you want". It's well written and fun to read, and as you know, I like that kind of stuff.
Loads of love,
G&G
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