fahye | a general update

# My obstetrics & gynae & neonatology practical exam was this morning and wow, did I ever study the wrong things. I'm pretty sure I passed, but some of the stations were completely unexpected. The written exam is tomorrow, after which I will put aside my O&G notes in favour of frantic full-time study for Barrier.

# I have been given my living arrangements in Orange! (I am only in Sydney for 2.5 more weeks, yikes.) I'm in a 3-bedroom place with the two friends I was hoping to live with, so WOO for lack of unknown and/or undesirable housemates.

# I hate my fic I hate my fic I hate my fic (repeat ad infinitum); it will never be finished :(

# I am making surprising progress in my personal project to read all the Booker Prize winners. I finished The God of Small Things today, I'm hoping to finish Ilustrado in the next couple of days, and I have Life & Times of Michael K all lined up. Reading is keeping me sane while I try to cram information into my head.

# This genderflipped version of the Inception characters is SO AMAZING, I have been staring at it all day *_*

# I am going to College's Spring Cocktail for the first time ever, and am currently on a mission of cutting down my sugar intake and increasing my vegies so that my damn thigh-high stockings actually reach a decent way up my thighs and I don't have to spend extra money on suspenders. So far I am replacing my accustomed mid-afternoon sugary snack with COFFEE which is working nicely.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What size are you in the waist department? I own a size twelve garter belt (black, slightly scratchy polyester lacy thing with frills) with suspenders from Bras N Things which I have worn all of *twice* in my life and would happily loan to you, if it comes to suspenders! BNT are kind of small in make, but the garter belt sits snug across my hipbones on the smallest hook, and almost falls off me on the largest setting (I'm currently a size ten-ish).

... possibly offering to lend one's friends underwear is strange? Hmm.

Which is to say, I tried it on a the level of low-cut jeans; if I wore it on my waist it'd be too big even on the smallest hook. Thus I conclude it's a full size too big for me; and I'm a size ten(ish) in most pants at the moment, not just weird tiny brands.

Thanks, that would be great. I am a ten in the waist and twelve in the hips, so it sounds like it would work quite well!

Soooo I have a Question for Science!

I just read a statistic that said in Australia, they're administering the Gardasil vaccine for free. What are your feelings about this? Have you done it? Do you know any of the anecdotally horribly afflicted side-effect victims? And if so, do you think the benefits outweigh the risk or that it was all rushed to market to make money in America? We don't get any health care for free, no matter how revolutionary the initiative, so I'm really curious.

Yes: free for 12-13 year old girls in their first year of high school (ongoing program) and there was a lengthy period of time a couple of years ago when it was free to every woman under 26 who wanted it, and everyone was encouraged to get it at that time (which I did). I think it's a fantastic idea. It only protects against the major strains of HPV so it doesn't prevent cervical cancer entirely (and Pap smears should still happen in eligible women, as well as those over 26) but it's going to cause a HUGE decrease in the incidence of that cancer as the young women who had the vaccine grow older.

As far as I know, the side effects have mostly been the kind of side effects that people can get to any vaccine -- sore arms, dizziness, fainting. It was given on a HUGE scale so it's very hard to point at more severe events and say yes, that was definitely due to the Gardasil, because many women might have developed these problems anyway.

Honestly, I don't have all the information about adverse events at my fingertips. But every doctor that I know is VERY into evidence-based practice and none of them have a bad word to say about the introduction of the vaccine, nor have I encountered anyone who had a bad reaction. (Personally, all three doses made my arm hurt like a BITCH, but my caring about that in the light of my now-reduced risk of cervical cancer? Negligible.

This article (http://www.racgp.org.au/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/AustralianFamilyPhys/2009issues/afp200903/200903douglas.pdf) looks at the reported evidence in reasonable detail and comes to the conclusion that Gardasil is a safe vaccine.

You are my favorite wonk in the whole world. *beams*

It's being trashed as a huge money-loser here in the U.S. because, well, people aren't going for it, Because obviously if you need a vaccine against a(n extremely prevalent) STD, you are a slut who is having the sexx0rs!

I'm glad to see that while you are on the wrong side of the equator, common sense has been preserved there.

a general update

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject