And so it begins ....

Tutor demonstrating right way to introduce canula.

Well the graduate diploma course in dental sedation has officially started. It was a very interesting two weeks. The first week consisted of theory stuff like physiology and pharmacology, revising first aid on dummies. The best part of this week was that we got to practice various levels of nitrous oxide (happy gas) sedation on each other. At the level we like to achieve, it can produce a light buzzy happy feeling, like you've had a couple of drinks sort of feeling. At higher levels, it can even induce some analgesia. We were poking each other with probes and pinching each other at that level and the subject could feel we were doing something but didn't care as it didn't hurt. Interesting...

The second week, we had anatomy of veins in anticubital fossa (area other side of the elbow) and back of the hand and practiced on a dummy as well as each other! Well I got out of it but since for all of us it was the first time, there were a few blood baths! Well not that bad but a friend forgot to take the torniquet off after inserting the catheter and a little river of blood started flowing down even when she applied pressure to the site. She couldn't figure out why until she noticed that the tourniquet was still on. Many others wore bruises the next day. Let it not be said that students don't sacrifice for the sake of medicine! We also learnt to use a semi-automatic defibrillator. It was pretty interesting as I had never used one before.
My 60s room at the hospital accomodation complex.

Other highlights of the fornight include:
-going to a free music under the stars night with B and J, had the sydney symmphony orchestra playing mozart. Quite soothing especially when a picnic was thrown in.
-my first blogmeet with flatfeet which was really enjoyable actually so enjoyable we met up 2 more times in the 2 weeks :) Posts on food and stuff we had to come later.
-staying with Clare before the course started. My first taste of paella when we went to a spanish restaurant in Newtown
-Richard visiting with the doggies
My gorgeous boy Magic (Anshaygav Ashlea)
My beautiful girl Raven (Ecebe Raven Beauty)

I apologise for the picture quality and it wasn't because of some romantic soft filter I used on my camera. It was due to my phone having a VGA camera which isn't as sharp.