February update

So yes, i realise i have been severely abandoning my blog as of lately so i think it is time for a bit of an update! The past couple of months have been particularly hectic. Uni work has been forever increasing as has a busy social calender - good work-life balance you see ;) We had our annual medic ball on the 28th of January at the MacDonald Resort Hotel in Aviemore, almost a 3 hour trek from Glasgow. I am still mourning it's passing as it was definitely one of the best events in the medics' social calender. We spent the full weekend in Aviemore, with a fancy dress party on the friday and our ball on the saturday night. The theme for the fancy dress night was "When we were young", in other words - 90s themed! So my friends and I racked our brains for simple yet unique costumes and myself and a friend only decided on our costume a few days before the party. We dressed up as "Men in Black" - brilliant! See below...

My friend Zoe (left) and me - don't mess!

The night basically consisted of lots of partying, dancing and laughing at how good and individual all the costumes were! (Errrghhhh, side not: currently watching One Born Every Minute while writing this blog and it's safe to say i will be delaying childbirth for a LONG time yet!). The ball itself on the saturday night was great too although the food was incredibly disappointing. This doesn't surprise me, as i have been to lots of balls and all the whole the food does not match the superior standard of the hotel itself. I guess not much more can be expected though, especially as food has to be prepared for approximately 200 people. Anyways, it was a bit of a come-down when we came back to Glasgow after the ball. Everyone was clearly missing the ball antics having been faced with the reality of medical school again!

Another important event  in the social calender was my best friend Clara's 21st birthday. We have been really close since around 5th year of secondary school and pretty much know each other inside out, so i wasn't missing this one for the world! It was a great night, starting off at Clara's very artistic flat with some cheese, champagne and homemade pizza - YUM! This was followed by a trip to our old favourite nightclub - The Garage. Although it is known for it's cheesy music and sleazy men, we always have an amazing time there- ha! Below is a picture of myself and Clara;

Note the pout!

So back to the reality of uni work, for those who are interested. We have recently started our Neurology block which i am absolutely loving as it's a real interest of mine. I have now changed placement from the Western Infirmary to Crosshouse hospital near Kilmarnock and wow, what a difference! Teaching at the Western was not consistent and relatively patchy. Crosshouse on the other hand is a dream of a hospital! It is classed as a "peripheral" hospital whereas the Western is "central". A well-known fact when you start at Glasgow Uni is that the peripheral hospitals have better teaching than the central ones, basically because the central hospitals have more patients, fewer staff and are generally busier.

Twice a week we are on the wards in the mornings following by PBL sessions in the afternoon. The clinical experience is great, and it's so refreshing to be meeting lots of patients and practising examination skills. All in all, i am still LOVING studying medicine and would not change anything for the world. I am in the process of organising my next elective (Summer 2012) where i plan to go to Australia! It requires early organisation - as you can see - as there are a lot of hurdles to get over before you actually get there (application fees, disclosures, CV etc).

Overall, life is pretty sweet at the moment! Great friends, great course and an ongoing obsession for Mulberry bags - does anyone want to treat me to one? :D

Ciao for now xxx

It's been a while

I know I haven't updated my blog in a while so I thought i'd start with just a little something i found on someone else's :) Feel free to fill it in too!


4 Things in my bag

- Purse

- iPhone

- Perfume

- Eyeliner

4 Thing in my purse

- Cash (touch wood)

- Cards

- Pictures

- Lottery ticket(s)!

4 Favourite things in my bedroom

- Clothes

- Shoes

- Makeup

- Laptop

4 Things i always wanted to do

- Go back to Florida and go crazy in the theme parks like when i was little :)

- Own a Range Rover

- Go to St. Lucia on a romantic gettaway

-Meet Michael Buble

4 Things i'm into

- Music

- Makeup

- X Factor

- geek alert...medicine

4 Things i bet you didn't know about me

- I love watching really heavy rain from my window

- I am absolutely terrified of anything that buzzes, BEES

- I always cleanse and moisturise before i go to sleep

- I hate full fringes

A relaxing end to a hectic week...

I didn't think i'd have much to say on this for a while seeing as term hasn't actually started yet, however I think the events of this week might be of interest!

On tuesday morning I got a call from my mum who had just arrived at her work. She said she was having palpations that had lasted for over 15 minutes and asked the first aider to record her pulse which was off the scale. Her left arm was weak, but she was experiencing no pain whatsoever, just a "heavy feeling" in her chest. As my grandad (her dad) died of an MI at the age of 48, she was clearly panicking that she may be going through the same thing.

Annoyingly, her fellow employees allowed her to drive home from work when she was feeling this way. We quickly went to casualty and mum was swiftly hooked up to an ECG monitor where her pulse was recorded at 198bpm! No wonder the first aider was unable to count it properly! As there was no sign of the pulse rate decreasing, the doctor administered the infamous intravenous adenosine. Nothing happened. He then gave her another dose and held her arm telling her "this might be unpleasant" and it certainly was, she tells me! A temporary heart block does not sound like your average treatment.

So anyway, having successfully reduced her heart rate mum was admitted to the receiving ward where she spent 2 nights being carefully monitored. It turns out she had an episode of Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). Although this is usually self limiting, it can persist and may need preventative treatment. In mum's case, she was given Verapamil.

Although relatively common, dad and I were extremely worried and I don't think we stopped rushing around for the rest of the week. Thankfully she is now ok and is even taking a bit of time off from work as her job is really stressful! The medical staff were extremely efficient and kept her informed at all times - something that usually goes unnoticed when the NHS is concerned!

Overall, i think a nice glass or 2 of wine is on the cards tonight :)

So here we are...

As this is my very first entry (!) i'll give a bit of background as to why i'm starting this blog...

So as you've probably already gathered, my name is Allana and I study medicine. I went to St. Andrews University for my first 3 years and got a BSc (First Class Hons) and now i'm beginning my clincial training at Glasgow University. Before I went to uni, I spent ages scouring the internet to find a decent medic blog to give me an idea of what life as a medic really involved. I came across a few, however none seemed to give me a true insight into the course and profession.

So I started St. Andrews in the September of 2007 not really knowing what to expect - the same as every fresher really. Fast forward 3 years when (much to my surprise) i'm graduating from there with a first class degree and ready to begin the next step. It makes it seem all too easy, however, summing up 3 years of hard work in 2 sentances. In my opinion, I think I would have significantly benefited from following a blog of a medic who, as well as discussing the excitement of their course, also vented their frustrations about the intensity of medicine.

Graduating from St. Andrews!

As geeky as it sounds, I absolutely love medicine and would  like to share my experiences (both good and bad!) with those who choose to follow. Although it will primarily medicine related, I will try and put in some light reading about other issues and generally what I get up to!