Tired, I worked on a brain all day

Derek Shepard is one of the few surgeons in the world that could save Izzie Steven's life. She has stage four melanoma that had spread to her liver and brain. Shepard, a neurosurgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital, saves her.

Okay, so maybe Grey's Anatomy is not the most facutal representation of what being a surgeon is all about. However, maybe there is some merit to the show and gives the viewers a glimpse of what life through the eyes of a brain surgeon is all about.

Neurosurgeons are all different-they all have different ideas about ways to save patients and they all have different thought patterns that lead them to believe a certain course is the best way to go. 

Best Technique

There is no such thing as a best technique. Every surgeon is going to approach things differently, according to an academic journal by Christopher R.P. Lind. Whether it is inserting a shunt into someone's brain or it's a matter of taking out a tumor, all surgeons are going to decide what is the best technique in the moment.

Different Methods 

Just like there is no technique that is preferred, there is also no method that is explicitly right. It is not a matter of being right, however, it is a matter of getting the job done. Lind gives a sheet for neurosurgeons to fill out, asking questions about how they approach certain aspects. Based off of that, he comes up with results that are the supposed best way to go about being a brain surgeon.

Making A Difference

After a thorough survey, Lind comes to the conclusion that the prefered methods are:

• frontal approach: "drilling a burr hole near the coronal suture in the mid-pupillary line and inserting a catheter into the frontal horn."
• parietal approach: "approached from a posterior burr hole in the parieto-occipital region...he avoidance of a second scalp incision for tunnelling."
• occipital approach: "place the catheter in the atrium of the lateral ventricle from a parietal burr hole...the atrium is often the most dilated part of the lateral ventricle and is potentially the last part of the chamber to collapse with subsequent cerebrospinal fluid drainage." 

Saving Lives Makes It Worth It

At the end of the day, does it really matter if one doctor decided to laser out a tumor or cut it out? Or does it matter when that patient opens their eyes and sees their family standing there, waiting for them to be okay? Neurosurgeons have a tough job-they are given unusual circumstances and are asked to basically stop people from dying. There is no right or wrong technique to that. Neurosurgeons just have to approach it the best they know how-they are the ones with the medical degree after all.  





 

Women and Men and College and Dating

" There are very few times when I find myself sitting around thinking I wish I was married.”-Lorelai 
Gilmore “The Incredible Sinking Lorelais”

            Lorelai Gilmore knew a thing or two about being on her own. The kick butt mom from the television show "Gilmore Girls" was okay raising a daughter on her own and having a great life. However, there are times when settling down would cross her mind.

            In college people find “the friends who turn into family” and are supposedly looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right the whole time. However, that’s not always what the case may be, especially when women dominating the college campus.

            According to an article in USATODAY, women currently make up 57 percent of all college students; nationally the ratio of males to females is 43/57. “Just as they might consider race or geographical diversity in building freshman classes, they similarly look for gender parity.” 

            At Winthrop, there are 1172 men and 2768 women for full-time enrollment. Looking at that, it looks as though the pickings might be slim. However, since Winthrop prides itself on diversity, maybe some have more luck than others. I’ve been trying for three years, but what can you do?

            Finding that right guy or girl can be difficult based on values and experiences and what you want out of life. Wanting to be with someone compatiable in most areas (while also having differences because really who wants to be with someone exactly like them) is normal, but can be difficult when college is all about finding you.  How do you find yourself and fall in love with someone all in one fell swoop?

            There are qualities that everyone looks for in a partner, such as love and friendship and compatibility. With there being more women on campus, and not just that but women who have a strong desire to have a career and establish themselves before settling down, it can be harder to put yourself out there and see if people have those qualities.