Stephen says...

Joyce: good for you for being so professional. I would have called them on it for sure (or at least told the faculty what was happening afterwards). I've heard some pretty bad stories from other classmates, but have been lucky to avoid any horrible patients of my own.

I love stem cells, but I don't like people who think they can not take care of themselves because science will save them. I was talking to my stepbrother about one of his hair-brained schemes (I forget what it was) and somehow it was in his plan to stop exercising and eat poorly. I told him he'd have diabetes and a heart attack for sure, and he said that by time it happened, science would be advanced enough to cure him and that it was my job to make the research happen. I told him that it's exactly that type of person who doesn't live long enough for science to save. Actually, I said something more along the lines of "no, you people always die first."

So, I guess what I'm really saying is: SAVE ME KAREN!

Unknown says...

He's here for some pep rally for the biking thingy he's doing. I don't know how personal it is, but I'm still bringing my canucks flag for him to sign. Oh and my camera muoahaha

Oh and when do i get my avatar Joyce?

Karen says...

really?????? why??? is he speaking? or just touring labs? hmmmm, my boss IS away thursday... =P you might see me come by... =P

Unknown says...

Trevor Linden is coming to BCCRC at Thursday noon!

Karen says...

i remember reading that for the stem cell transplantation experiments that go wrong, they often get cancers a la cancer stem cells... which we all know are the keys to the world's "fight against cancer" =) =) [hehe, shameless plug for my own project] regardless, i heart regenerative stem cell research... i'm all for a stem cell religion!! =) all the profit that we're getting, we're going to donate that back to the church of research, right right??? ;)

Unknown says...

im so glad the only thing i have to deal with are dead cells and lost pellets... even though lost pellets are painful if i spent a few days already on the experiment...

Joyce says...

Btw, it finally happened.
A Cantonese patient was taking out her misery on me yet nice to anyone else that came to examine her, and I BLEW UP.
I was the only chinese speaking student that day when she had the extraction done by someone else, so I translated her case. 3 days later, she came back with a traumatic ulcer from the tissue tear and suture, which was somewhat normal. Post-op chief complaint was pain on palate. HOWEVER, when she talked to me, it's the whole palate, but when faculty asks, it's just around the ulcer. And when I try to palpate on other parts of the palate, she JUMPED on me as soon as i touched her, yet she was fine with the faculty poking around with a cotton tip.
She wined and complained to me again and again how her life sucks because of it. She said it never happened when she had extractions before, as if it was my fault. I didn't even frigging do her extractions. All I did was speaking the language that she understands. And with all the people looking at her, she was cooperative to everyone else but me.
When I was asking her questions, she gave me the attitude, closing her eyes, pretending to be not listening. Only until I repeated the questions for god knows how many times and tapped her on the shoulder, she slowly opened her eyes, gave me a dirty look, and resumed her complaints, NOT answering any of my questions.

I excused myself for 5 min, threw the gloves and masks into the garbage can, walked out of the clinic, and saw my friends outside. Grabbing my head/hair, I blew up, dropped a few f bombs telling my friends about it. At the end, I finally said it, "f*ck. I hate my own people."

At the end, I went back and stayed professional and yet never felt such apathy to a patient in pain.

Joyce says...

Can we throw in something like the Popemobile for our religion, like, for transporting organs. Man that Mercedes is way cool. And you can't really imagine anyone else in it other than an ex-Hitler Youth white haired guy with a title that makes you want to go brunch on Saturday.

Here's a random question inspired by Scrubs:
If you can be 1/2 dolphin, which 1/2 would you want it to be (top or bottom).


Ben: pick a sufficiently small picture, and i'll add that as your avatar.

Stephen says...

I am SOOOO in on that religion. I'll be charging a little extra to implant the hearts, of course.

I think the whole papal system is a little weird anyways. If you asked the same people how they felt about the "Dictator for Life" title (cough, Mussolini, cough) they'd tell you that they have learned to rise above it, yet they pray to one every day. Madness.

Unknown says...

religion or no religion, we're getting close to what you're describing: researchers grow beating human heart tissue from embryonic stem cell in vitro - transplanting into mouse with heart disease improves outcome.

Joanne says...

Psh. He's just the Pope! j/k...well, sorta, he IS just the Pope.

Hell, I'm sure I lose more cells whenever I exfoliate, or comb out a stubborn tangle in my hair. If someone used the nuclei of those cells to grow someone a heart to save their lives, I'm cool with that. I'd be even more cool with it if they used to save my life.

I propose that someone (or it could be us) start a stem cell religion. I think we can slowly convert these fanatical Catholics to our cause. The moment one of them (or a dear family member/friend) has an organ failure and can't find a match, I bet you they will eschew loyalty to some old guy at the Vatican for a chance at life. And then WE can start charging people 10% of their income to subscribe our religion! Come on! 10% of your income for an unlimited supply of organs? Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.

Unknown says...

ooooo ooooo I read the message at the very bottom of the page! What kind of reward do I get? Oh and giraffes ARE cool.

B

Unknown says...

they used to say Crosby is gonna be the savior of the NHL. Well they better make room for Ovechkin. Did you see AO's game winning goal today? IT WAS SICK! Pure insanity! Owned the entire defensive lineup, then owns the goalie, and then owns the sellout crowd.

Man, watching this guy play gives me the goosebumps... Hope he stays healthy for years and years to come

Ben

Unknown says...

Big effing advancement:

Human/Cow hybrid

in a nutshell, cow/human hybrid made by taking cow egg, ejecting its nucleus and injecting human genome. Reportedly this "embryo" lived 3 days before it was terminated. Of course, the Catholic Church was pissed.

Researchers argue this could be used to make stem cell for research and would get around the moral ambiguities of using aborted human embryo to make stem cells. But it seems like they've opened a whole new can of worms?