A "HEMANGIMOMA!"

Well, our 2nd anesthesia lab went great! I thought the IA shot was the hardest to do so far out of the ones we've learned. I feel bad i bumped into melissa's bone so i had to reposition. It's so wild to me that we can just swing that needle around while it's buried an inch into the tissue! Anyway, i think these mandibular injections burned more than the last ones. Melissa gave me my first "hemangimoma!" ha ha ha Actually, i think the real word for it is hematoma! No biggie though. I don't even think it felt different that what's normal. It was weird to see the blood pool up so fast! But, melissa did great....Steady hands!!

Mockboards+Dent Meds test= A LONG DAY!

So, I've been waiting all week for this day to be over. Mockboards were ok. I feel bad for my lack of enthusiasm but i'm to that point. I was way nervous this morning because my MB pt was coming in. Thanks to Meliss and Crystal i got all set up and was ready to go and felt ok about everything. I think all the paperwork and small details are the worst part of it all. I don't know why we have to have everything so precise...it drives me nuts. I am scared that i will fumble up some paperwork for the real boards and fail, but what i need to worry about first is finding that board pt. My MB pt was going to do it and i was way excited, but she told me today that she is moving back to Mexico in January. GRIPES!! So, i'm on the hunt (once again)!

Today was a good run-through of everything. My pt was great and i felt ok with my skills. Like i've said in my other posts, this semester for me has consisted of class 1B's and V's so i don't feel like i have been able to practice much. I've been really nervous thinking i'm not at the level i need to be. It was nice to have some calculus i could actually feel and remove, besides just on the lower anteriors! I actually busted out the ultrasonic! YAY, i love that thing! So, i'm looking forward to seeing some more pts like this. My fulcrum finger is back to that tingley feeling so i know i did something right!

So, the day got a little crappier after clinic because i had to finish up studying for my dental meds test and take it tonight. Yeah, i'm glad that's over with...pass or not. I struggle with Dr. Soderberg's tests for some reason. I guess i'm not the biggest fan of regurgitating 5 chapters of info off the bat! So, it's bedtime now and i am smiling! Sorry this post was not as entertaining as they sometimes tend to be. Hopefully next week will look up! Good night.

first VA pts

Well, i am only 2 days late posting on what happened on tuesday, but that's about the story of my week! I was nervous to see pts at the VA and to tell the truth i think i will always be nervous to walk into that building. I'm not quite sure why, but i guess it's cuz i've only seen pretty easy pts and i don't really know what to expect down there. It's a different environment than i'm used to so it throws me off....especially that waft of nasty air when you first enter the building. yuck! Not the best thing for a sissy with a weak stomach in the mornings. So, it went ok. My first pt was a class V...go figure. Pretty sure i have more than enough of those. I just hope they only get worse :) "John" told me all about his hunting dogs and how he was headed to the duck club after his appointment with me. He seemed like a active person...but was very ready to get out of my chair. We had to wait like 25 minutes for the doc to come for an exam. I felt like i was at work again! The hygienists always nagging Doc for an exam!!

Lunch had to have been the highlight of the day...for one, it's food time! And, we got to catch up on all the VA romance gossip! Melissa hooked lori up with Dr. Baughmans email address so it was fun to tease him about the whole situation. So, i also learned that unmarried dental school graduates move back in with their parents!! Well, at least the 3 unmarried VA dentists did! I got a kick out of that. I found it interesting, although, i guess it's not a bad way to start saving. I just would imagine myself getting an apartment or something with friends. ANywho....

So, my afternoon pt was a little different. I have never seen such a complex hhx. This guy has had it all. He said he brushes and flosses once a day. Well, he must be half-assin it cuz i've never seen so much plaque IN MY LIFE! (excuse the language). Cute marie, our CA, came in to help me chart probe depths and she probably thought i was so slow. I had to literally de-plaque this guy with my probe on the B and L of each tooth because i couldn't see through it. It took me FOREVER!! Also, because of his COPD he couldn't lay back all the way without a cough attack, so i probed 1/2 the mouth standing up. Then about every 5 minutes he would cough up a little treat for me so i would hand him a tissue to spit in and he'd hand it back so i could throw it away. I'm not quite sure how i stomached it for 3 hours! He didn't much like the probing and he would literally growl at me when it hurt him! I said "lawrence, you're growling at me!" He laughed and told me he was a reincarnated cheetah. Hmm, that's when i got nervous! ha ha

So, he's a good class III which i can't complain about because i need him. I only finished one quad with the time i had left. PBJ lined him up for next week with me, so i am glad for that. I didn't want to have spent all that time probing then have someone else get the easy ride and scale him. He is a nice guy and i feel bad for all his problems he has. It makes me really grateful for my good health and i'm glad i will be able to provide my knowledge and skills to these people who have served in my behalf and the rest of the country. I think this is a really cool experience that the Weber State students have that others don't! Until next week....ta ta

AM LABS ROCK!

Today felt like first year again...Waking up early to come see eachother as pt's! It was really fun to take a little break and have a lab this morning. It started out with tears of laughter as Crystal entertained us with her "Carlton" dance from the old school Fresh Prince!! "Jump On It, Jump On It!!"

We did extraoral fulcrums with Evil-Eye Perry! HE showed us the fulcrum you would use to rip someones tooth out! It worked great on the typodonts...don't know if i would try it on a pt in real life though, unless i really disliked them! Prof. Gall made us spit in cups and that was pretty sick! Crystal was having so much fun with it i thought she would drink it up after her and kels said "cheers!" We had to practice jabbing eachother in the finger for blood-glucose testing. OUCH! I wonder if melissa's "gangly" finger will still hurt in 72 hrs!

We did wheelchair transfers with Kim. Pretty sure she thinks we're crazy! I had to be the wheelchair pt and well, melissa and kels struggled a little. I know i'm not a 95 lb Natalie Lloyd but i ate breakfast this morning so they had a hard time! Melissa picked me up and sat me right down...ON HER LAP! We took the wheelchair for a little stroll around the building. Do you know how many d.hygiene students can fit on a wheelchair at once?? AT LEAST 3...and one really muscley one to push us! Then to the alginates again. Melissa was a natural! I didn't gag AT ALL! The dotors out in the real world are gonna hire her for those skills alone. WHO said WSU students suck at alginates?!?! I am so slobbery when i get alginates taken though...i had like a quart of spit on my labcoat when she took it out of my mouth! SICKIE!! Nardy showed us the Sonic "titan" scaler and i really hope i never work in an office without the real deal. Props to the UltraSonic!!

This afternoon my pt didn't show. She was home when i called to find her so i guess the message i left for her lastnight didn't quite make it to her. Then she couldn't come up to the clinic today because she wouldn't have $$ till monday. I rescheduled her because i think she'll be at least a class II or if i'm lucky even a III. Kels' pt no-showed so we called someone on the resource list and she brought her 2 little girls in! I saw adorable Angelica. She was only 4 years old and was so good for me! She was just taking everything in and loved that i let her pick her own brand new toothbrush! I really like working on little kids. We tried to get a couple BWX but she was having a hard time so we will try next time! We had fun and i am way glad they were able to come in at the last minute because i got a requirement that i needed still! Until next week...Mockboards!

VA Orientation

Well today was my first VA rotation. Although it was only orientation and we were able to leave earlier than 4:30, i still felt like we had a long day! Me, Melissa, Crystal, Kels and Rachelle carpooled down. The good times started bright and early at 6: (freakin) 45!! Well, i shouldn't say bright because the sun sure wasn't shining at that time of day! The laughs started shortly after 6:45 as we piled in and made our way to SL. I don't think i could ever be a commuter full time. We hit traffic 1/4 mile after we started driving...there was already a car accident on the road. Probably because someone was still sleeping and trying to drive at the same time. Anywho, the drive was ok...i guess i can do it once a week. I'm in good company so that makes it bearable. We got to the VA and it smelled...like a hospital so that will take some getting used to. Prof. Bossenberger-James greeted us with a smile. I am excited to work with her and have her help us. I've always actually been intimidated by her because it was her signature on the regret letter saying "sorry you didn't get into hygiene" on my previous application. So, up until this point I've never really had a chance to get to know her so i think this will be a good opportunity. Today was fun (as it can be) and she seems really sweet!

Paperwork and fingerprints took up the first couple hours. Professor Bossenberger-James (from now on it's "PBJ" so i don't have to type that) knows that VA campus like the back of her hand! She was taking us everywhere and telling us stories about all the bulidings and pt's and underground tunnels. She is quite the popular lady down there. She was saying hi to all the workers and patients she knows! The funniest thing was getting our pics taken for our ID badges. It was so funny to watch melissa try not to look at the computer while her pic was being taken...and RETAKEN like 8 times! So, lunch was the highlight of the day for me (as food usually is)! i packed pbj for lunch...ha ha...not our professor! We walked through the underground tunnels to get to the cafeteria. We almost got ran over in that skinny hallway by a crazy old man driving this big motorized cart. He had us backed right into the corner. It brought back flashbacks from about 20 minutes earlier when this cute old man almost backed right over us off the elevator in his motorized wheelchair!! We thought that was just a trick to take some girls' legs out so they fall into his lap! ha ha!

After lunch we learned the computers and got all our top-security codes. They were doing free flu shots today at the VA so we went to get those. I am a total chicken when it comes to stuff like that. Anyway, melissa talked me into it and i got shot up by this cutest old lady nurse. She did a good job--on me! It didn't hurt too bad, but maybe cuz the sucker and bandaid took the pain away! So, of course we had to take a picture of our flu-shot bandaided arms! Aren't we cute?! So, i'm a little nervous to really start seeing pts there next week. I don't know if i'm ready....but hey, ready or not---here we come!!

You're gonna put that WHERE?!?!?!?

So, Friday was our first anesthesia lab and i had been anxiously anticipating it since we first started school---last year! I had never had a shot in the mouth before. Last year my peer pal asked me to be her board pt for anesthesia. I was a little hesitant to say yes because i didn't want the shots, but i'm glad i did just to know what to expect for boards. Too bad we can't do that for clinic boards as well!
Anywho, yesterday wasn't as bad as i thought it would be. It's one thing to get a shot from a licensed professional, but to have another student pointing that needle in your mouth for their very first time was a little nerving! HA HA HA...Melissa, you did GREAT! It wasn't bad at ALL! I think it's nice to practice and only have to get like 2 drops of anesthesia injected...less painful and shorter duration! I couldn't stand the feeling of being numb! And on the other side of it--giving an injection for my very first time was not bad at all (maybe melissa has more to say on that)! I was a little nervous at first, but Prof. McCaunaghey was helping me and she made it seem so easy! I was grateful for her help and i felt pretty calm! I actually really liked giving the injections. Hopefully it will just get easier with more practice! Meliss, thanks for being so brave for me!

A day that turned out rather exciting...

AM:
Well to say the least i was extremely grateful to see my patient. Peggy was one of the first patients i saw last year. She's an older lady, very sweet. I actually called her last night at about 8 o'clock because my morning pt cancelled. She was my last hope and she pulled through! It's nice that old people don't have anything better planned for their day than to spend a few hours looking into a bright light at Weber State! She was my class V exam, so that was good to get behind me. She was so sweet and kept giving me compliments and saying nice things about me in front of my instructor so that's always good! Anyway...AM was good!

PM:
I was a little nervous that my pt wouldn't show. I called a couple times during the day to confirm and nobody answered. When i called about 8:30 last night she was already sleeping! Yikes, who goes to bed at 8:30? (I wish i did!!) Anyway, she came! She was a lady who moved here from Mexico about 6 yrs ago. She's never had a cleaning! Midtown referred her to me. I was nervous she wouldn't speak great English but she actually did very well understanding and speaking! She was so cute and had the cutest outfit on...and i was jealous of her lime green shoes! After doing her OD and FMX i pulled out the calculus charting sheet. Hmmmm, very significant. I kinda had an idea that she may work for mockboards. After instructor pocock took a peek...then shane...and then some WREB requirements from Prof. Gall I think I've found myself a BOARD PATIENT! I explained how important it would be to me if she could participate as my patient for mockboards and boards. She agreed to do it! I felt this HUGE weight fall off my shoulders. It's weird because I hadn't been stressing over it much since boards aren't till may...but it was obviously in the back of my mind somewhere because i felt relief when Pocock said she would use her (if she were me)!! So, my day ended up being pretty good! I really want like 5 opinions though just to make sure she qualifies and i don't get the shaft the day of boards! Anywho...my podmaties are the best for cleaning me up today! It always works out for each of us, eh?! Until next week....when VA rotations start AAgghhh!!

Shocking!!

The best part of clinic today was when shane begged me to sign my name with his pen. Okay, that's weird...but i'm dumb and i fall for pranks. I grab his pen and say, "this is heavy!" Then like a dummy i push the end in and totally get shocked by 980 volts of electricity (does that sound like a lot--cuz it was!). It was enough to make me pee! HA HA just kidding :) So, that spiced up my afternoon and i needed it! My pt this morning was great! She's my age. i liked that because i felt like it was easy to talk to her and relate with her. She was another 1B. I have those comin out the yingyang!!
This afternoon was a little tougher. My first class II since last spring. YIKES! I felt like i had forgotten everything. The funny thing is when we were on our lunch break today, i told melissa i felt like i was starting to get in the groove of everything again...then what'dya know i got my class II and i felt a little thrown off the path i was starting to walk comfortably. Well, it's just too bad not everyone brushes and flosses like a dental hygiene student, eh? :) It was hard, but a good learning experience for me. And i really need to sharpen up on my skills. Thanks girls for cleaning up my unit this morning. you're the best!! That's all i have for now...UNTIL NEXT WEEK! (oh, and crystal, thanks for the little chair scooting entertainment today! You're a spazzzz!)