My Aching Back

Isabella by
The North Face

My 10+ lbs of books for this one class is killing my back and shoulders. Currently, the backpacks I own just aren't cutting it. One is much too large and the other is more "fashion" than utilitarian. So I did some research online and settled on The North Face's Isabella. Being petite, I don't want a bag that makes me resemble a turtle, but I still need something that will be roomy enough and make the weight manageable. It seemed to receive rave reviews and I liked it was designed to fit women. The bungee cord system on the front will be good for bulky things, like an extra sweater or jacket.

I visited a sports store in the city that I knew carried it, to test it out. Definitely a huge difference! It was so much more comfortable around the shoulders and plenty roomy. Also, the load seemed to weigh less than the bag I'd been using. Since Zappos' price was cheaper, I ordered from there. For some reason, the black color is $6 less than the other colors, but that's perfectly fine for me! I can't wait till it arrives!

I also bought the mandatory white lab coat for class at Barnes and Noble 18th Street. M. had shown me the 3rd floor where it's all medical and law books (mostly medical) and I remembered they had lab coats. They had run out of the XS unisex size at the school bookstore. B+N had both unisex and ladies sizes, so I took the ladies style since it fit better.

New Medical Book

I've picked up a new book to read: My Stroke of Insight. Actually, it's been around since 2007 and in softcover for a year. It's a fascinating account of a neuroscientist's own experience of a rare form of stroke. I admit when I first saw her on TED, I sort of thought she was a quack as she talks like she's on some hallucinogenic towards the end. It sort of begs the question of whether such drugs affect similar left areas of the brain. I couldn't really see the fuss over her, and therefore, didn't try. My experience with strokes was limited to a one-time situation where I accompanied a neighbor to the ER for back pain. He had had a mild stroke several weeks before, and I admit I wasn't very empathetic to his confusion. I had assumed he had fully "recovered" having returned from the hospital.

But since doing the volunteer work and seeing patients who are recovering post-stroke, as well as knowing some more people who have had a stroke, I was drawn back to read Dr. Jill Taylor's book. And I'm glad I did. I had hoped to finish it before class starts tomorrow, (it's a quick read) but haven't had the time. I will hopefully finish it in the next day or two.

I highly recommend everyone to read it. It's not too technical and really amazing to read about the actual stroke in progress and her recovery process. At the end, she offers a list of things a stroke victim should assess, as well as a list of 40 things stroke victims need while recovering. Very useful information for those in health care. I remember reading a passage before her brain surgery to remove the clot that had formed, and she tried to keep awake to experience it all. It reminded me of when I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled out during high school. They put me under, and I was determined to observe the whole experience of going under. The last thing I remember before waking up was saying to everyone, "I see two of all of you".

The way she describes her experience (in the book and video), also seems reminiscent of how people describe near-death experiences. I wonder if a similar event, originating in the brain, happens just before death to give the impression of being "one with the universe" as Dr. Taylor describes it. Food for thought.

Update: There's a pretty good 4-part video (or audio, if you prefer) interview of Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor by Oprah on iTunes. It's a little less "LSD-like" and a good summary of her book and insight. Scroll down to about listing #104-112.

Medical Books

Since last summer, I tore through a lot of books on medicine. I really enjoy reading the ones highlighting specific cases. Blame it on my PA friend, M. He started it by telling me of a book he was reading (How Doctors Think).

1. How Doctors Think
   
2. The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness
3. Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
4. Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
5. The Anatomist: A True Story of Gray's Anatomy
6. Doctors
7. How We Live
8. Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God, and Diversity on Steroids

My favorites were those by Atul Gawande (Better, Complications). Really interesting (and scary) stories. Also inspiring. I'm always looking for more of those type of books to read, but with little time, it's probably a good thing I haven't found more. Doctors was a favorite of M PA. It's fiction but is a good look at the med school experience; although some details are now a little dated, the experience is pretty accurate (so I hear).

I'm still slogging through How We Live (a bit old fashioned in writing, in my opinion) and Hospital. Hospital provides some insight into how a Brooklyn hospital runs (not far from my neighborhood, in fact!). The Anatomist was a fun read. It follows a journalist on two journeys: his experience in a couple Gross Anatomy classes and his quest to find more about Henry Gray, the British anatomist famous for his ground-breaking book. The first two listed, by Jerome Groopman, are equally fascinating for their look into how patients can make more out of a doctor visit and the different ways hope can factor into our healing process. All good reads.

Oh, and here's another one that I really enjoyed, but has nothing to do with medicine: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World