As this week wrapped up, a lot has happened not just in the clinic, but in Colombia as a whole. At FIRE (Colombian Foundation Center for Epilepsy and Neurological Disease), we have finally wrapped up our report of neurocysticercosis and will now spend the next week reviewing and polishing it up to submit for publication. This article includes epidemiology, physiopathology, manifestations, treatment, vaccine possibilities, diagnostic criteria, and data from patients with neurocysticercosis at the clinic. I am also excited to say that this article will be available in English and Spanish.
I never realized how effective this type of learning was. I was so accustomed to the typical classroom lectures and regurgitating that information for tests. By reviewing other literature published, it has forced me to not only build skills in properly reading and dissecting actual research articles, but it also has allowed me to deepen my understanding on a topic that otherwise would be extremely foreign to me. Additionally, next week I am presenting to other doctors and medical personnel our findings and information about this prominent parasitic infection. I have also had the opportunity to talk to people who handle the resonance images about how these machines specifically work and how these images develop. Additionally, sitting-in on meetings about candidates for epilepsy surgery has been invaluable because I have been able to learn how surgeons, neurologists, and other doctors discuss a patient’s history and different criteria they look for successful candidates.
As you may know, the World Cup is happening, and I never seen a community so united for a sporting tournament (okay, maybe Duke Basketball has them beat). Each game day, the streets are filled with yellow jerseys, flags, trumpets, and anything else that shows the Colombian flag. Yesterday, Colombia had a match against Senegal in the morning. During the game, people’s shouting could be heard all throughout the clinic, which made it convenient to know exactly when they scored. In a waiting room with a small TV, nurses, patients, doctors, and basically anyone at the clinic gathered intensely to support their team. Fortunately, Colombia won, and the happiness on people’s faces was unmistakable.