Studying-induced delirium

It’s exactly 7 days until my first exam (and soon my birthday!) Since the week has begun I’ve been studying a steady 4-5 hours every day… 4-5 hours seems to be my limit, when chocolate danishes or french vanilla cappucinos from Timmy Ho’s cease to soothe me and my brain is screaming at me to stop.

It’s been a lot of fun taking over study rooms with a bunch of peeps from my class at the library everyday. There’s always the one who makes everyone else shut up, the one who googles every obscure word, the one who brings the best snacks (freshly popped popcorn!), the one who has all the answers, and then there’s me, who’s always asking “do you think this is going to be on the exam?” A keen observer made the suggestion that someone should tape me each and every time I ask this question and make a whole montage, much like they would on reality shows when they’re making fun of someone. Sounds like a genius idea to me! Then I will always be able to look back to these days and laugh… or feel sorry for myself… or wonder what I was thinking wearing those cords all the time… (my cords are my favourite study pants, which alas I cannot wear everyday for hygienic reasons).

Today when I was nearing my 5-hour mark, my brain’s unhappiness manifested itself verbally with cravings for sushi and complaining about all the material we had to cover. In efforts to make me stop driving everyone else nuts, a kind classmate suggested I take a break by reading up on psychiatry. I have to say I’ve been saving this subject for last, as it really hasn’t piqued my interest that much. However, like the obedient medical student I am (who happens to be in crunch mode), I peeled opened my psychiatry textbook and lo and behold my eyes fell on "Encopresis":

Definition. Encopresis is the involuntary passage of stool in inappropriate places. It must occur at least once a month for three months after a child has reached 4 years of age, and such passage may not be directly related to a medical etiology.

We all got a good laugh, but seriously, it’s not a laughing matter because children and families often feel hopeless and ashamed about the problem and often keep it a secret. In light of this, I think we all should lighten up about the matters “down there” and not be afraid to discuss them, so that people who have such problems can be helped.

In my medical opinion, the world's coolest medical exhibit: I hope to be able to see the Body Worlds exhibit with my sisters this holiday break, which is on at the Ontario Science Centre until February 26th. The creator is a really cool guy - "Gunther von Hagens’ life reads like an archetypal scientist's resume - distinguished by early precocity, scholarship, discovery, experimentation, and invention. It is also the profile of a man shaped by extraordinary events, and marked by defiance and daring." He's the inventor of plastination, which halts decomposition of the body after death and enables us to see the human body in a way never possible before!