Week 12 is finished, which means we’ll be having a few sporadic finals over the next two weeks, with a torrent of them on Week 15. In GI/GU we’ve moved into functional analysis of the GI tract, with an emphasis on stool analysis as it relates to diseases and conditions such as IBD, IBS, food sensitivities, and dysbiosis. The role that bacteria play in the gut, and indeed the influence they exert over the entire body via their function in immune modulation, intestinal permeability, and as a result, even neurological function and the pathogenesis of diseases as distant from the ‘gut’ as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Thankfully, I still have two weeks to digest the mounds of information before that final takes place.

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This coming week, I have the practical exam for E&M Extremities in which I will be required to display my proficiency in palpation, mobilization, and manipulation of the ankle, knee, hip, wrist, elbow, and shoulder, as well as a slew of orthopedic tests for each area as well. Thankfully, the NDs have boards on Tuesday so the DCs earned a day off in the classes we share. The time off will be an excellent time to get ahead on studying. Next week, the two exams that I’ll have are in Soft Tissue Management and E&M Extremities written portion. Finally, the following week, I’ll have every other exam (8 in total, I believe). So, its time to hunker down for a couple weeks and power through exams to enjoy a very enticing break.

I got my last hurrah in this past weekend with a trip to the famously infamous Mohr Lakehouse near Danville, Illinois, with a few friends from school. It was a much-needed weekend of fun in the sun before I disappear from the face of the earth for the next couple weeks. The trip had the added benefit of getting me out of town during Lollapalooza, which has a very predictable effect of turning the city into a madhouse. Not to mention, as my diet always disintegrates while I’m there, I should be able to experience a little dysbiosis of my own to help me gain perspective and understanding for GI/GU. Thanks to the weekend on the lake, exams now seem a bit more manageable and my batteries finally have a charge, as small as it may be, to carry me through finals.