Exam One:

When I say that I had the worst headache of my life on the eve of my first exam I am not joking. It started around 4:30. I had spent the last 30 minutes of so making finishing touches on a birthday card I put together in photoshop, my eyes were a little tired and my neck hurt a wee-bit. My dad called and we chatted and I said, “I think I’m getting a headache.” He hung up and I decided to go lie down at the beach. But I forgot my sunglasses so after drifting in and out for an hour in the sand, half listening to the annoying high-school aged lifeguards boast, I gave up and returned to the office, where I promptly took an imitrex. This was at 6:30 – at 7 I was on the couch in agony – at 8 I was dry heaving in the women’s room – at 8:15 I took a second imitrex and tried to sleep again – by 9:15 I needed to go home and felt well enough to drive. I braced myself for the elevator ride down 6 floors but was not prepared enough. Thank goodness nobody stood in my way – I b-lined to the women’s room on the 2nd floor and proceeded to vomit for the next 10 minutes or so . With secretions that are supposed to be limited to the 2nd part of the duodenum (day nine) now up my nose, I was tearing and coughing, wishing desperately for a toothbrush. A couple rinse-and-spits later, I was staggering my way to the car where to my unbounded relief, I found dentine-ice gum that had been in my brother’s car no less than one year and devoured two pieces. I made it home in one piece, dove into bed, and woke up the next morning eager to take my exam. That is until my migraine started to return around lunchtime! I took another imitrex, ate a little food so as not to faint, and went to the lab. Two hours later I was done with the practical and felt sure I’d effed up more than handful of questions because of the cloudy state I was in. The lecture exam was good though and I walked away from that pretty pleased. I am happy to report that I missed only 4 on the lab – two because i wasn't specific enough, one i second guessed myself (curses), and one because i didn't know. i missed one dumb question on the written and two i honestly didn't know. So, all-in-all, I didn't f-up... I finished the Thoraco-Abdominal Module and i scored a 93.8% on that final – I’m hoping for over 95% on the next exam.