I dream of Jeanne

It is raining sideways again.

No, for those of you who asked, I am not under water. I do have power. We have classes today. Life continues unabated, if soggy.

But what really gripes my butt is not the rain. _I generally score below the class average on things_. That really curdles my cheese!*

Back to work,

GD

*I do not care if the rest of my class has background that I do not, or has taken classes that I have not, or if they are athletic trainers. I... am.... not.... average! Grrr!

I have learned much, grasshopper!

My practical was today.

It took me 10 minutes to diagnose ankylosing spondylolitis and under 30 minutes to confirm my diagnosis, take measurements of range of motion and muscle strength, explain what I would generally prescribe, and demonstrate a specific intervention technique. The practical allowed an hour.

(ankylosing spondylolitis is an inherited connective tissue disease that causes the connective tissue to fibrose... that is, lose its elasticity. It's painful and progressive. It is also very rare. You know you are seeing it when the person reports back pain, SI joint pain, pain in the achilles tendons, morning stiffness that lasts well into the day, and the person is young, with no accident or trauma to cause the pain they are having.)

The following surprised me: My lab partner-- who was assigned to me-- is one of the more accomplished students in the class. She makes excellent grades, and she makes no secret of that. (It can be petty intimidating to take a practical with someone like that.) I passed with 10/10 points and a "very good exam" from the instructor. She did not pass-- she had a complicated disk bulge with nerve root pain and she sputtered to a halt mentally before she ever got to the diagnosis.

hmm. Self re-evaluation coming. I busted my tail and it paid off. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

Okay, now on to the final, which is thursday, and on to writing the introduction to a research paper, which is due tomorrow. Charrrrge!