My Pathology Report

I first realized pathology would be an interesting and worthwhile career for me when I attended my first autopsy conference at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was during the summer of my first year at Drexel University College of Medicine and I was already curious. I was impressed with the overwhelming curiosity and interest of the attendants. They gathered around the dissected organs asking detailed questions, making observations, and discussing theories and ideas about the former patient. I found the entire event quite stimulating and I participated in several other pathology conferences and sign-outs during that summer and the following year. I feel the most interesting part of pathology is the data gathering, the technology and techniques

When I turned 11-years-old my whole childhood began to change my life went from being perfect to everything but perfect. One day I came home to hear the news my father, my best friend; my hero was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. Not knowing the struggle my family was about to take on I just began to cry. I had a million things running through my head what’s going to happen? Will everything be okay? Why him? What is going to happen? With all these things rushing through my head all I could do was cry not knowing this was least worse to come.

Life is a beautiful struggle are words that I live by. Almost five years ago my life became one big rollercoaster. I had just lost my father and had given birth to my son when my mother had become ill. She had been having these debilitating headaches that were affecting her normal day to day activities. The doctor diagnosed it as a sinus infection. After the 3rd prescription for antibiotics I told my mother she needed to have an MRI done. All along I knew in the back of my mind what the diagnosis would be but I didn’t want to believe it was happening to my mother. That following Sunday she had a seizure further more confirming my suspicions of a brain tumor. Later that

Based on the results of those tests, I was scheduled for surgery in early September. I was extremely frightened, of course, because I didn’t know whether the tumors were cancerous — nor did I know what to expect.

After much careful deliberation and having been exposed to numerous other specialties, since my years in medical school and throughout my clinical rotations, my passion and interests have always focused on pathology as my clinical specialty. There are several reasons for pursuing this area of medicine, and I suppose it is due to the extreme importance of accurately diagnosing disease, which also facilitates appropriate treatment protocols for clinicians. There’s a time that I asked myself, why cancer survival rate in China is lower than the global norm, though China has a serious quantity of cancer population, experienced physicians, and even advanced technologies. Gradually I realize that pathology is not well-developed in China. Pathology

Despite having an abnormal lump in my medulla oblongata, cancer felt unreal to me. For my entire life, my parents and oncologist had danced around the word “cancerous”.

Welcome to Week 1! This we we will explore introductory concepts associated with pathology. Let's take a look at some of the basics. Disease can be defined as any change from normal or it can be defined as a change in structure or function that is considered to be abnormal within the body. Ordinarily, symptoms occur and a pathological state is present. In other words, there is an alteration in homeostasis (the state of normalcy the body strives to maintain). The study of human diseases is important to understanding a diversity of other topics within the healthcare field. Diseases that affect the human body can span from mild to severe, and may be short term or long term. Some diseases affect only one part of the body or a particular body system, while others affect several parts of the body or

My unexpected transition from childhood to adulthood occurred in 2011 when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. For the next few months, my family and I would constantly travel for about one hundred miles to the treatment center. My mom had to have several surgeries. I watched as the energetic, vibrant woman I had known all my life slowly became more ill and exhausted by each month’s end. Eventually, the inevitable came, the big decision. My mother was given the choice to either undergo radiation and chemotherapy or have a double mastectomy. It took a great deal of discussion and prayer before it was decided that my mother would have a double mastectomy as well as reconstructive surgery.

The diagnosis of cancer is never welcome, but may be even more difficult and unexpected when the disease affects children and adolescents. Every year, approximately 1 in 285 children in the US will be diagnosed with some type of cancer before the age 20 (American Cancer Society, 2014). Children and adolescents diagnosed with the disease face many stressors related to their diagnosis, including adverse side effects associated with medical treatments, social difficulties, frequent absences from school, uncertainty about the disease and its treatment, and fears about death (Rodriguez et al., 2012; Sorgen & Manne, 2002;). These sources of stress are frequently associated with clinically relevant

Since the diagnosis, I’ve seen gardens everywhere I go.  Nothing is ever too hard for me, there is always hope, and days are no longer taken for granted.  My mom has taught me how to cook the best taco pie, how to clean despite hating it, how to appreciate the little things, and how to love.  When I say little things, I really do mean small.  I appreciate the lizard that sunbathes on our patio, the bird that pecks at my window at seven in the morning, the days where the wind blows just right, my mom’s cooking, and my sisters’ laughs.  Because for all I know, I might not see, feel, smell, or hear those things the next day.  I’ve learned to love what I love and do what I want.  Life is not a signed contract; there is no guarantee that I will wake up the next day.  With these realizations, I taught myself piano, which was something I’d wanted to do for years but never got around to.  I began pouring more of my time into reading, drawing, and writing.  I learned more songs so I could sing in the shower more often.  I do things that bring me out of my comfort zone.  I compliment strangers.  I learned the value of life at fifteen years old and practice it every day.  Life big and exceptional and it is vital to make it count.  Though my mom’s cancer impacted my life, it was the aftermath that has really made me who I’ve

A pathology laboratory uses analysis to detect diseases and their progression through examining bodily fluids; such as blood, urine and tissue. Pathologists look for abnormalities within samples, yet tests are usually done to guarantee that everything is okay within the body. The design of a pathology lab needs to be safe for researching many different samples, work surfaces need to be strong to deal with various strengths of chemicals. The services required include; power, portable distilled water, many sinks and drainage. Ventilation will be needed as chemicals may cause fumes and heat dissipation. These labs need to be flexible and adaptable, they need to accommodate different activities without needing to rearrange the layout, it also needs to be able to standardise mechanical and electrical systems. The equipment used within this lab type may include; a flow cytometer is used for automated counting of total blood count, the sahli haemoglobinometer is needed to effectively and quickly estimate haemoglobin levels. Tissue paraffin blocking techniques are used to make thin slices of tissues which are needed for microscopy. A trephine biopsy needle is used for taking a biopsy of hard material such as bone marrow; also a spirometer is needed to test lung

Lung cancer, those dreadful words embedded into my family's minds forever, as they just rolled off the tongue of the doctor within seconds. It was in February of 2010 when my Grandpa John officially got diagnosed with stage four Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, but by that time it was too late for him. The doctor took a step back, as if he was about to faint when he saw our faces. He stated that there was nothing he could do medically. I looked at the doctor with a state of confusion on my face and in my eyes. I thought nothing? They are just going to let my grandpa die? I was only 11 years old, and that infuriated me. I knew from that moment, I had found what I want to accomplish in my life; to help those in need. Whenever I get stressed or worried

After nearly a year of abuse I was in a deep depression- nobody knew- I kept my grades up even though he would punish me if I did my homework, I forced a smile, I pretended to be the same person I once was,  I covered any bruises  with makeup, and I pushed through it. Nobody had any idea- why would they? I was the girl that was in the top of her class, introverted, headstrong, confident, straightforward, blunt, and fiercely independent - there was no way I could have been a victim of abuse, right? I began to retreat into my shell, when he was busy I’d isolate myself, finding comfort in loneliness- when I was alone I could escape reality, I could be myself, I had control,  I could recharge. But,  back in reality I was longer myself, Instead I was a chameleon. The depression began to eat me away, I got sick, I dealt with migraines, nausea, vomiting, etc. It was a mystery to everyone par-my parents kept taking me to the doctors. Then the doctors found a tumor. This Tumor was exceptionally rare- affecting less than 0.0004% of the population. It wasn’t supposed to be there- this tumor was found in adult women that took birth control- I was only a teenager, and I’ve never took birth control. My doctor said cortisol; a stress hormone- could have triggered it. The doctor also said he was not sure if it was cancerous

It’s shocking to me how one moment everything can be fine, and suddenly, it isn’t. Two months after my nana passed, my childhood best friend, Francesca, passed away from leukemia at fifteen years old. That was hands down the hardest thing I have ever gone through. Francesca was diagnosed with stage three leukemia the year before and made it through all five rounds of chemotherapy with no problems. The doctors told her to that the medication would slow her down and make her sick, and that she should try not to stay in bed all day, if she felt alright to do so. She told me they were crazy.

Once my mom saw my face, she knew instantly. There was nothing that we could except let it heal on it’s own. I went through months of not being able to move the left half of my face. Eating, talking, and smiling became a real struggle. Not once did I let that stop me from smiling and being a happy child. January came around and my face finally healed. As I’ve grown and gotten older, I’ve realized how much of a hard time that was. It wasn’t a hard time for just me, but my mom and dad, too. I couldn’t imagine having a child go through that at six and seven. Ever since that time I was diagnosed, my life hasn’t been the same