Peer Pressure

You remember in school how people used to try and “pressure” you in to doing things.  Sometimes they were as innocent as licking the flag pole when it was cold out (name that movie) and other times… well it was much worse.

I guess I really didn’t face much peer pressure though…  Maybe a double dog dare every once in a while, but not even much of that.

Well Wednesday night in A&P I almost thought I was going to have to have that peer pressure.

Classes started on January 16th.  We have lecture & lab both Monday & Wednesday nights.  So in lab, we’re dissecting cats.  Why a cat… well I’m not sure.  It is said that the pig is closest to humans, you know other than primates (monkeys, etc).

Anyway kind of new to the school though, is a cadaver lab.  We currently have 2 cadavers, a male & a female.  The woman, 69, died of breast cancer that metastasized into her bones.  The man (dunno the age but older gentleman) died of COPD.

The first night of class the professor took us into the lab just to show us.  But then the next week on Wednesday (25th) we actually went into the lab.  The professor said to grab gloves if you wanted to feel the muscles etc, since that’s what we’re currently working on is muscles.  Might I add, wow, the human body is fascinating!  Anyway….

I didn’t grab gloves.  There are 8 work stations that hold up to 4 people.  Every station has at least 3 if not 4, so we have a bunch of students in our class.  So I “stepped back” to let others feel.  In the end only about 2 students actually had time to do that.

One girl felt the breast tumor.  We asked her what it felt like.  She said “if you’re a girl, you know what the tissue around it feels like, but I’m not sure how to even describe the tumor itself.”

So I sat for a week, wondering what on earth could that tumor feel like.  Call me weird, call me crazy, whatever, I couldn’t help but wonder.  And I know there are MANY types of tumors out there, but here was a chance to feel one.  Now it shouldn’t have bothered me that much because, well, we’ll have them all semester, BUT!

So Wednesday night of this week (Feb 1), we went back to the cadaver lab.  I grabbed gloves this time but was still a little hesitant so I placed them in the pocket of my hoodie.  Then the professor asked us, “Who wants to hold a brain.”

OMG what?!?!  I finally bit the bullet and put my gloves on, walked over by the person holding the brain and stood there like a the shy kid who was too afraid to ask, but more I was having to syke (sp?  you know talk myself into it) myself up!  Finally the lady said yes you do and just put the brain in my hand.

Ok plastic models, they do a pretty decent job of making brains, the only difference, the human brain weighs between 5-8 lbs.

So then the professor went over muscles on both of the cadavers and then for a few last minutes let us all try to identify muscles.  Ok so I finally talked myself into it and went and felt that tumor.  I couldn’t resist.  Although again I had to talk myself in to it.  Not just something I’m overly eager to do…..

The best description I can give to you about how it felt….

You know when you’re chewing gum and you chew it way past the point of being “good” and it starts getting rubbery then you pull it out and it dries up a bit.  Well that’s one of the best descriptions I can give you.  You know gum still has some rubbery feel to it as long as it’s not completely dried up.  My other description is, well….. when you’re castrating sheep it kind of feels like a lamb nut…do you know what that feels like… LOL.  Although it wasn’t quite as hard.

And on that note, I should leave you with the thought that I’m sane! I promise!!