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la_belle_laideRandom:
The "side" effect rant!
Oh my god, how I hate the term "side effects" and the sheer amount of nerve the medical industry has in calling them that.
First let me say that in some ways I love and hold in awe medicine as much as I hate it. It's brilliant, and no mistake. But it is also insane.
There's no such thing as a "side" effect. There is cause and effect. Then there is cause and effect and effect and different effect. By saying "side effect" they are marginalizing all the awful things that can and sometimes do come along with these drugs, and they're doing it on purpose. As if those incredibly bad things could be marginalized!
"Take this diet pill! You'll lose so damn much weight! Side effects include crapping your pants in public but at least you'll be really skinny when you do!
Take this pill! It will get rid of your zits. A side effect is that it will also destroy your liver, but who needs a liver when you've got clear skin?"
I can't believe some of the other effects that some of these causes put into motion. Heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, leukemia, death.
Now of course, a lot of people rely on those drugs, especially if they've suffered and a pill offers them a chance at relieving that suffering. For them, the risks are worth it because what they want is some quality time, some relief; even if the cost is long-term health. I get that.
It's the medical industry that earns my ire because they dare to marginalize these huge effects and try to make it seem like they are indirectly caused by the drugs. "They are 'side' effects. They happen somewhere over there to the side, through a series of events so far removed from our drug that, haha, you don't even have to think about them!"
Grrr, indeed.
And this in turn reminds me of why I'm not in Western medical school, for as much as I love it, I also hold the entire industry in dread.
Anyways, so today in A&P we got or mid-trimester reports and so far I'm pulling a 99.3 average, which rocks for me but kinda ruins the curve for some of the folks who are struggling--and I don't say that to be a bitch, but because it's true. I have someone ruining the curve for me in C&P (that is if, indeed, there is a curve in that class,) so I know it sucks. Still, A&P is by far my favorite class.
I had some time between classes today so I went upstairs on the extremely off chance that there would be some clinic student with a cancellation desperate to log some hours. Surprise of surprises, there was and I ended up getting a really good massage from Luis effing Sera, practically. Dude was very very pretty with one of those romance language accents and I hadn't exactly expected to be up there going for a free massage today or any massage at all for that matter and I felt exceedingly self conscious as I realized that A) I had not shaved my legs in about three days and B) I was wearing my ridiculous Joe Boxer underwear which are black with pink skull and crossbones and C) I was not a quarter as attractive as this dude, but hey. What can you do, after all. He kept saying things like, "AHh, now we come to the problem!" and I would think "Holy crap, he's found some awful life-threatening disease manifesting on my back!" or something but then he'd sort of semi explain what he meant, which was often something along the lines of, "your back is really overworked" or "you hold a lot of tension here." He was nice enough to do my hands because, as he said, "all the notes we have to take!" but Luis effing Sera, being left-handed himself I noticed, seemed to think I was left-handed too. Somehow that added to the cuteness. He also, halfway through, asked me very politely "If you don't mind telling me: how old are you?" Thirty six, I told him, and then waited for the silence followed by the, "...Oh. Oh!" and he didn't disappoint. However I partly dislike that reaction from attractive boys because it also means, "Gosh, I didn't know you were that old." He told me he thought I was twenty six. I thanked him. Afterwards he said to me, "You look really nice now" in that well spoken broken English and followed it with, "I'm here every Saturday" to which I absolutely refrained from answering, "Funny, ME TOO!"
So cute. Free massage from Luis effing Sera.
I'm so thirsty and it's after midnight and I'm mad tired because I got up at 7 this morning to the random screaming of my crow, just 'cause he felt like it I guess, and last night I just lay there in bed not even really thinking of anything, just utterly unable to sleep. In TCM they say that means that the Yin isn't able to cover up your Shen. My Shen was hopped on on chocolate before my Yin even hit the damn pillow, I guess.
I know I had some more dreams of full on madwhackery but damned if I can remember them.
I need to get a drink of water and try to cover up my Shen again, which is something you really don't hear every day, huh?
I get rambly when I'm tired.
ETA I told Luis I was really struggling in C&P and he said, "heheh, I failed it the first time. Many people do." I felt less bad.
Less bad? WTF. I need to go to bed.
The "side" effect rant!
Oh my god, how I hate the term "side effects" and the sheer amount of nerve the medical industry has in calling them that.
First let me say that in some ways I love and hold in awe medicine as much as I hate it. It's brilliant, and no mistake. But it is also insane.
There's no such thing as a "side" effect. There is cause and effect. Then there is cause and effect and effect and different effect. By saying "side effect" they are marginalizing all the awful things that can and sometimes do come along with these drugs, and they're doing it on purpose. As if those incredibly bad things could be marginalized!
"Take this diet pill! You'll lose so damn much weight! Side effects include crapping your pants in public but at least you'll be really skinny when you do!
Take this pill! It will get rid of your zits. A side effect is that it will also destroy your liver, but who needs a liver when you've got clear skin?"
I can't believe some of the other effects that some of these causes put into motion. Heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, leukemia, death.
Now of course, a lot of people rely on those drugs, especially if they've suffered and a pill offers them a chance at relieving that suffering. For them, the risks are worth it because what they want is some quality time, some relief; even if the cost is long-term health. I get that.
It's the medical industry that earns my ire because they dare to marginalize these huge effects and try to make it seem like they are indirectly caused by the drugs. "They are 'side' effects. They happen somewhere over there to the side, through a series of events so far removed from our drug that, haha, you don't even have to think about them!"
Grrr, indeed.
And this in turn reminds me of why I'm not in Western medical school, for as much as I love it, I also hold the entire industry in dread.
Anyways, so today in A&P we got or mid-trimester reports and so far I'm pulling a 99.3 average, which rocks for me but kinda ruins the curve for some of the folks who are struggling--and I don't say that to be a bitch, but because it's true. I have someone ruining the curve for me in C&P (that is if, indeed, there is a curve in that class,) so I know it sucks. Still, A&P is by far my favorite class.
I had some time between classes today so I went upstairs on the extremely off chance that there would be some clinic student with a cancellation desperate to log some hours. Surprise of surprises, there was and I ended up getting a really good massage from Luis effing Sera, practically. Dude was very very pretty with one of those romance language accents and I hadn't exactly expected to be up there going for a free massage today or any massage at all for that matter and I felt exceedingly self conscious as I realized that A) I had not shaved my legs in about three days and B) I was wearing my ridiculous Joe Boxer underwear which are black with pink skull and crossbones and C) I was not a quarter as attractive as this dude, but hey. What can you do, after all. He kept saying things like, "AHh, now we come to the problem!" and I would think "Holy crap, he's found some awful life-threatening disease manifesting on my back!" or something but then he'd sort of semi explain what he meant, which was often something along the lines of, "your back is really overworked" or "you hold a lot of tension here." He was nice enough to do my hands because, as he said, "all the notes we have to take!" but Luis effing Sera, being left-handed himself I noticed, seemed to think I was left-handed too. Somehow that added to the cuteness. He also, halfway through, asked me very politely "If you don't mind telling me: how old are you?" Thirty six, I told him, and then waited for the silence followed by the, "...Oh. Oh!" and he didn't disappoint. However I partly dislike that reaction from attractive boys because it also means, "Gosh, I didn't know you were that old." He told me he thought I was twenty six. I thanked him. Afterwards he said to me, "You look really nice now" in that well spoken broken English and followed it with, "I'm here every Saturday" to which I absolutely refrained from answering, "Funny, ME TOO!"
So cute. Free massage from Luis effing Sera.
I'm so thirsty and it's after midnight and I'm mad tired because I got up at 7 this morning to the random screaming of my crow, just 'cause he felt like it I guess, and last night I just lay there in bed not even really thinking of anything, just utterly unable to sleep. In TCM they say that means that the Yin isn't able to cover up your Shen. My Shen was hopped on on chocolate before my Yin even hit the damn pillow, I guess.
I know I had some more dreams of full on madwhackery but damned if I can remember them.
I need to get a drink of water and try to cover up my Shen again, which is something you really don't hear every day, huh?
I get rambly when I'm tired.
ETA I told Luis I was really struggling in C&P and he said, "heheh, I failed it the first time. Many people do." I felt less bad.
Less bad? WTF. I need to go to bed.
