Neurology

This week I started my neurology rotation. It's been interesting, but also a lot of work. I don't really mind it. I'm not crazy about the hours, however. They aren't long, but they are late, so they might as well be long. I haven't been getting home until after eight most evenings. I'm accustomed to getting up and out early, and doing my errands in the evening. This means I have to reverse that pattern for a few weeks, which is kind of weird.

The doctor is nice, but sometimes the way he talks makes him come across as a bit of a jerk. For example, yesterday he was quizzing us about random neurological signs, and I hadn't the foggiest clue what the sign was. I asked him if he could spell "Lhermitte's" sign, and he just replied "No."...Thanks dude. I've never heard of that, or if I have it has long been forgotten.

I'll be the first to admit neuroanatomy was not my favorite or best subject. I think you have to be a witchdoctor to understand a lot of the pathways and crossings.

Yesterday we had neurology clinic, and we have several new patients. The first patient of the day, the doctor said "Okay luckyone, you're going to do the exam. Unless you would prefer me to do it, this might be a difficult case." Well, of course I'm not going to back down from that. Sink or swim I told him I would be fine to do the exam, even though I was indeed nervous. I started taking my history, and not too long after I started he suggested that I not ask quite so specific questions, which threw my rhythm off a bit as I was trying to ensure that I didn't get reprimanded for asking "too specific questions." Nerves, but oh well. I'll get there. So, I was trying to concentrate on asking broader questions, and it needed a bit of work. Some of the things he noted that I didn't ask or facts that I didn't obtain I recall indeed obtaining. Perhaps not the proper way or to his liking, but I did get that information.

My exam was fine, I think. A bit unorganized, but I have never done a complete neuro exam before and I didn't want to do it by the list because the order looked a bit weird to me. Maybe I'm slightly dyslexic, but I stay on track easier if I do things in groups. I only had to be corrected on one task, and that was just a brainfart.