Inside and Out

Yesterday I ticked off a med student first: I learned how to do a pelvic exam. I think many of us head into this with some apprehension - fear of causing pain, fear of making a mistake, and the pressure to do it right right off the bat. Fortunately, we have a great program here - GTAs (gynecologic teaching associates). GTAs are trained patients who, in pairs, teach us (also in pairs) how to do this exam. These women are incredibly knowledgeable about their bodies, and provide us with an idespensible first-time experience. What better way to learn than on a real person, in a relaxed enviromnent, where you can take your time, ask questions, and receive live feedback?

In the past, (and present for some schools), students were required to learn the pelvic exam on rubber models or anesthetised patients. Or, they may be required to perform an exam for the first time on a random patient in clinic who is just about as scared as they are. The GTA program was developed in the 1970's by the Boston Women's Health Collective. This group worked to bring women's reproductive health issues out into the open, and made it a misson to educate women about their bodies so that they could be advocates for their own health care. The GTA program teaches us how to do "educational pelvics", which I had only read about in the Boston Women's Health Collective's seminal book, Our Bodies Ourselves. I've never seen anyone do an educational pelvic in practice. With an educational pelvic, the examination table head is raised so that the woman can make eye contact with the examiner, and observe the exam with a mirror, hopefully building a sense of participation and empowerment with respect to the exam and her health.

The whole session was wonderful, and got me ruminating over the idea of an educational pelvic. Arguably, most of us never get to see our cervix. Perhaps if women have the chance to see a vital part of their anatomy that remains perpetually hidden and mysterious, they would be more motivated to seek health care on an annual basis (pap smears, STI testing, well-woman exams). Would this be an extra 5 minutes well spent on the part of the physician?
If you've never seen a cervix and are curious, I'll direct you to The Beautiful Cervix Project, bravely made by a midwivery student who did a daily photo documentary of her cervix over an entire menstrual cycle.

To end on a lighter note, I've started the Gathered Pullover by Hana Jason. The yarn is Berocco Ultra Alpaca Light, in Peat Mix. So far, so good!

Yoke Pullover

It's the end of what's been a quiet and moderately productive day (I actually went to the library-it's been a while!). After exams were done, I cleared out my project box and finished up a few things. However, I thought I'd share something I finished earlier this semester, that was just in its beginning stages when I started this blog. Remember the Vogue Yoke Pullover? Here it is, 3 years later. It didn't take me that long to knit it, but I procrastinated weaving in the many ends for, oh, a year.

Yoke Pullover by Krisien Cowan, knit in Cascade Eco Wool

The yarn is Cascade Eco Wool, and it only took 2.5 skeins making this a very economical knit. I love the yarn, and don't want to block the sweater because it still smells natural! The only problem with this sweater is that it turned out to be very, very warm (this coming from someone who is ALWAYS cold), making it difficult to wear anywhere. Stay tuned for more!

Exam Socks

Today was the perfect rainy day. I spent the morning helping a friend with some school stuff, but then came home to find out that frisbee practice was cancelled. With my research project stalled and nowhere to go until evening, it was just dreary and cold enough to justify curling up with a blanket, tea, some reading, a movie and a sock-in-progress.

I'm prone to knitting socks during times of stress, such as exams. In fact, I probably think more about knitting during the weeks leading up to exams than at any other time... Exams can be a pretty isolating period for many, as there is a certain (large) number of hours you need to spend on your own studying. That, combined with the stress of knowing you can't learn everything makes sock knitting an essential pacifier.

Exam socks: Handmaiden Casbah (1 skein), 2.25mm needles

While I was home over March break, mom gave me a ball of Handmaiden Casbah, perhaps the most scrumptious yarn (both in feel and in color) I've ever used for socks. So, I present the exam socks of 2009- started right at the beginning of the descent into study madness, and finished a day or two after exams. These are my new favorites - thanks mom! Now on to some of those other projects I was dreaming about....