One More Week...

I have one more week of studying, my last exam is next thursday. It has been a challenging 2 months and im ready for it take an end. I must admit that I have learned more in these months than I ever could have imagined.

Now im really starting to feel the long term affect of this. I am only able to sudy about 8-10 hours a day (with plentiful breaks of course), after that I am completely dead. This world cup has really been keeping me alive or something to break up the day. The deal is that I watch one game a day and its the sunshine of the day.

Speaking of sunshine, the weather here has been just lovely everyday, as I enjoyt the suns´s rays through the big glass window of the library. This heat reminds me of the good ole days when I lived in Florida.

One problem that started this week is that I can´t sleep. I can be lying in bed to tired to go to sleep. Now I find this phenomenon quite interesting. I hope this is not a sign for what is to come for the rest of the exam period. I do feel the stress of this last test comming up but not to the point I shouldn´t be able to sleep. All I can do is study everday until the test and see how far that gets me.

Now I have been reading more about the things im intersted in, mostly concerning the subject of pathology. While sinking myself into this endless subject its the oncology that interests me most. Cancer is truly an amazing progression of how perfectly healthy cells can turn against its master and end in death. Sure enough all kinds of questions have been popping up in my head about this cancerous formation. The worst seems to be that the situation is so complex I am not able to find the answers myself, have no one to ask or confer with, or the most striking NO one knows.

There is a lot left to answer in the progression of tumors and their treatment. Im really confident my boys back home in Iceland, Decode Genetics, will be able to provide some major pieces to the puzzle.

now if that I could just fall asleep....


sleepy,
r.mar

No more metal mouth !!!!

Yes, today was a big day. I finally got my braces off....

Yes, you read correctly, I got my braces off. Might seem a little bit funny since I will be turning 27 next october. Might say that I am a late bloomer :)

I didn´t quite get that million dollar smile I was hunting for but they look a hell of a lot better than they did before the treatment. Its not exactly finished but I am finished with the Hungarian dentist and orthodondists in this place, not that they are completely bad, but there is definetly some room for improvement. But none the less I might be smiling more in the future.

People always tell me that I never smile and I alwasy replay that I smile when there is something to smile about. But from now on Im going to smile for no reason or even just because this metal entrapment is off my face... jibbí...

still one more test to deal with, Im searching deep within to find the motivation and self discipline to hold it out. Im sure that Im going to make it...

smile
r.mar

One More

Now all I have to worry about these days is my final test in Pathology. This happens to be the biggest one this semester according to higher years. But Im not sure that I agree with that.

Fact is that it is largest amount of material, that is it takes couple of days to quickly review all the topics. But on the other hand you dont have to know the topics as well as in many of the other subjects, people are getting away with knowing just a little here and a little there. Which I think is just reasonable related to the amount of material and detail emphasized. Not that im going to going to go half ass.

That brings me to my problem, even though I have only one thing to focus on, its getting harder and harder to focus. Im arriving at the library later and later everyday. Now getting there at 11 o´clock is almost a great day. Realizing the situation I have just started to read at a comfortable speed and just looking up something I might not understand or am interested in. With this I hope to gain understanding which will not fade in the matter of seconds after the test. Because I realize that im not going to be able to go over this many times like other subjects. Understanding will be key and I cant imagine that a mere understanding for pathology will get me no less than a pass on the final exam.

So in the sunny weather today I went shopping for some shoes, always appropriate to reward yourself for a job well done, Picked up a pair of white Nike summer shoes. My old whites were overdue on time but served me well when needed in the past...

Dont you hate it when you have a great piece (pair of shoes, favorite shirt/jacket) and time starts to do its thing. It becomes used and builds character at first but then when it goes beyond that point, you can never find the same one again !!! why is that ???

r.mar

Apt in Reykjavík

Hey guys, im comming home in 3 weeks and I need to find an apartment for rent in Reykjavík. Im looking for something in the vicinity of LSH or are 101 ...


If you have any leads or info please comment below.

róbert mar

Started patho preparation

Test today I finally returned back to the library after a weekend off. I was just dead tired after finishing the clinical biochem. Unfortunately the weekend was not long enough to refuel completely as I got of to a slow start.

But it was a start. So basically the plan is to get up early everyday for the next 3 weeks and get to work. All I can to is stick to the plan and I know everything is going to be ok.

I am starting get a little agitated over not finding an apartment in Reykjavík for the upcomming school year. I will be home in about 3 weeks and best would be to have something set up before I get there. Cause as soon as I get there im going to start my Ob & Gyn practice at the hospital. The first couple of weeks there are going to be the most difficult as I learn the basics and get adjusted. Worst comes to worst I will live at home with my family and have to drive to work, which is about 45 mins each way. Its not the best but I will do what I have to do...


r.mar

University of Iceland

Now for the biggest news ever to be published on this little blogg ...

I will be in Iceland for the next year, yes you read it here first. I have officially been accepted by the Erasmus program to travel back to my home country and continue my medical studies there. So for the 2006-2007 school year I will be at the University of Iceland.

It was made offical two weeks ago, I have not quite realized this since I have been studying hard for my final exams for one month now with 3 more weeks to go. I am really excited about returning to Iceland.

The University of Iceland was my first choice but after not scoring in the top 48, I ended up in Debrecen, Hungary. It has been a great 3 years here and im going to miss it for sure. But I believe that my clinical practice in Iceland is really going to pay off. On the other hand im thrilled about being able to experience the University life in Reykjavík. For those who dont know my story, I have lived in the USA for almost 9 years. So I felt it was time to get back to my roots and live the life in my nations capital. I have never lived in Reykjavík before and I believe its going to be great experience.

Another fact is that even if I decide to work in Iceland in the future its going to be while before that happens. I still have 3 more years of the general medicine program, of that one spent in Iceland. After that it will be time to specialize, which I have no idea what to specialize in or where to do it. As of now USA, England and Scandinavia are all good options. And knowing myself as good as I do I will propably end up chooseing a nice lengthy specialty.

So for friends here in Hungary, it has been a great time and experience and I will be back before you know it. For friends in Iceland be on the lookout for me to return and stay for a while. And for my new colleagues in Iceland that I look forward to meeting.... Im sure that I will make new friends in Iceland that will be able to share this nerdy medical humor that has been developing for the past 3 years.

please comment as you please about this vibrant confirmation


icelandic,
róbert mar

Clinical Biochem : Check

Yes, that is another test I dont have to worry about. Funny thing is that I didn´t even have the energy to worry about this last one.

But today I put the finishing touched on Clinical Biochem Final. It was actually a really nice test which included 3 parts. First was a lab diganosis from a patients results. Second part was a theoretical topic and the third a labratory topic. I did pull one of the theoretical ones i was hoping not to get. I ended with a three on the exam, which is satisfactory but I can blame myself for not securing the 4 or 5, just sometimes the basic stuff slips away and you cant recall it. Well it happened a little bit today.

Prof: "Well it was a little rocky so now you stand at a satisfactory, I can give you another question but that could go up or down."
Me: "Even though gambling is not quality of a medical doctor and precisely why you teach this course to evaluate precise values, I will have to take the extra question !"

Sure enough he pulls one of the few questions that im not sure of, but luckily in two parst so I was able to keep the satisfactory... ahhahah ahah

Now only 2 more exams to go and then Im done done and done !!!

World Cup starts in 3 hours !!!!!!!!!!!


r.mar

Something new...

In the totally boring life of a medical student in exam period comes some insignificant news for you. Finished another exam today, Rheumatology (part of internal medicine)...

It was no great display of my knowledge since it was rather slim. After the big Micro test it was hard to get going again. But I decided to spare one day for this one, its not a big exam but still 70 topics and an oral exam. This will be the toughest exam period of my medical school so I just try to knock some of these small ones out without spending too much time.

Then again for those that dont know Rheumatology is a dead end medical field. Basically patients come in without fatal symptoms, and they have a variation of 5 diseases which are all related. Then you diagnose both clinically and by biochemical studies. Then you have an array of 4 drugs 1) NSAIDS (painkillers) 2) steroids 3) immune suppressors and 4) antibodies

With all four you can just hope to relieve the symptoms and in an eventful case slow the progression of diseases. And you usually never know what the cause of disease...


yee haw Rheumatology
róbert mar