Sunday, August 24, 2008

Meducation

It's been a week of medical education for me. On Tuesday, I watched Dr. Alice Roberts explain how a normal lymph node was no bigger than a baked bean. She had some bean-sized pig nodes to demonstrate, as well as a pig thymus gland (where T-cells come from). I still don't really know what a thymus gland does, but it was an interesting programme on the immune system.

I also received my copy of Dog Anatomy, by Peter Goody, that I'd ordered from Amazon, and can now be quite sure that Herbie's bulging bottom rib on his left side is due to his spleen. The ultrasound (way back in the mists of time) picked up that he had an enlarged spleen - and he still has. (For anyone squeamish, who doesn't want to see pictures of an enlarged spleen, don't look here.)

Herbie could show veterinary students where the lymph nodes are - every major node is lumpy. I wish he wasn't quite so educational.

2 comments:

Emily and the Labradors said...

Poor Herbie... I hope the enlarged spleen doesn't cause him to much trouble. Maggie actually DID give all the vet students at CSU a lesson on lymph node palpation the night we landed at the ER. Even though we were in a desperate situation it actually made me feel a little better when the vet student returned with Maggie and apologized that it took a little longer in back (getting sub-q fluids) because all the vet students were taking turns feeling her nodes. She was a very patient patient with every node enlarged... making her a good study I guess.

Fiona said...

But he is still here and doing well, he is a miracle dog Handh. I can't believe how well he has done. Credit to both of you!