Chest Medicine...and countdown to the end of short white coats forever!

As I'm certain you read from Libby's post, a great time was had by all in Hampi last weekend. It is definitely one of the most unique places I have ever been. Despite the heat, its well worth the visit! The photo above is from quite possibly the most beautiful place I will ever eat- the Mango Tree! What a view. And, what a meal. Yum.

Today it's Tuesday, which means we're back in the medical student saddle. Sasha, Jill, and I are spending the week in the chest medicine (pulmonary) department. We've already seen quite a few things and heard some pretty nasty sounding lungs- and trying desperately to remember the differences between ronchi, rales, and crackles. Or at least I am. We're primarily working with Dr. George D'Souza, the head of the department. (who has been to good ol' HCMC!) This morning in clinic, for every patient, he would ask us to diagnose them just by looking at them or auscultating the patient's lungs. Not quite the same as a 30 minute patient chart review on an electronic medical record! Here are some interesting things we diagnosed just on observation:

-Scleroderma: hand findings! Sclerodactyly, and steroid side effects

-SVC Syndrome: engorged, non pulsatile neck veins, facial edema, a little proptosis of the eyes. Most commonly due to a tumor (of anything in the neck), and, historically, TB.

Some other interesting things we saw today:

-lots of TB

-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

-pleural effusions, many of which are malignant

-COPD- besides smoking, the most common cause here is from biomass; many patients use wood fires at home for cooking and the indoor pollution results in COPD.

Its hard adjusting to actually looking at X Ray and CT films, as opposed to the large-screened computers at home. We are all still somewhat terrified of beginning residency this June...eeek!

3 days and counting until our last official day as med students, and 4 days until we all depart for home, or further travels! Hard to believe how quickly time has passed.

Looking forward to being stateside in just a couple of weeks!

KJ