The Sacrifices I Make for Your Health...

Not even two months into med school and they're already subjecting us to self-torture.

First, we weren't allowed to eat anything for the last ten hours. That was rough enough.

And now we've got to stick a needle into our fingers six times over the next two hours. For the more unfortunate people such as my lab partner, who apparently is some sort of mutant demon reptile and doesn't have any of hat substance we humans call "blood" (a requirement necessary for this lab), she is forced to poke herself many more times (and with much more force).

At least we got something to drink for free. That cheered me up, until I read the label and realized that this supercharged Minute Maid is actually "Glucose Tolerance Beverage" and cointains 75 grams of glucose in just a little bottle. It's so sweet that they have explained to us that we must drink it within five minutes...not a simple task, considering that I now have a massive headrush and the entire room is spinning.

My lab partner got off to a slow start after poking herself several times, unsuccessfuly, and was caught by the instructor chugging the radioactive-looking beverage well after everyone else had downed theirs. "Get it down, already!" he said in his British accent. "You must be a cheap drunk." She did not take well to that comment. (Her friend at our lab bench swore he was right, though).

We've been told to 'bring some studying' or something because all we're really doing is sitting here, poking, and the like. Fortunately this is taken place in the computer lab, so I can at least blog.

Apparently after these two hours we'll have learned something about fasting glucose levels or something like that. All that I've learned is that I'll have a bit more empathy towards my future diabetic patients.