Week 3: Advancing with Data

Hi everyone,

My data collection is progressing much faster! I learned a few tricks which save me some time. So there are a few different formats the histories are stored in: ones which are photo scanned versions of handwritten documents, and ones which are typed right into the computer. Although there are also various versions of these, the ones which are photo scanned usually have little to no detail about alcohol and tobacco usage. They just have boxes which the physician just checks; however, it doesn't provide information such as how long the patient has been using, and whether or not the patient quit. Sometimes, these boxes are even left blank. And when they are filled out, they sometimes vary from the other histories. On the other hand, the histories which are typed have more information. For example, it would say if the patient quit smoking 20 years ago, instead of just writing "yes." Additionally, it also says if the patient has been using any other street drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroine, etc. I actually created a separate column in my data chart to record if the patient has used any of these other drugs. So, I decided to avoid scrolling through the photo scanned copies unless there is no other option.

While I looked through these histories I noticed things that a lot of the patients had in common. Here is a list of those common illnesses:

Sleeping problems, such as sleep apnea

Breathing problems, such as asthma and dyspnea

Acid reflux/ Gerd

Decreased sensation (Makes sense since neuropathy affects nerve endings.)

Difficulty with concentration

Kidney disease/failure (I guess this is even more evidence that kidney stones and diabetes are linked.)

Congestive heart failure/ cardiovascular disease

Cerebrovascular disease/stroke

Peripheral vascular disease

Hypertension

Blindness/ Vision problems

Skin infections/ Skin breakdown

Dental disease (gingivitis, periodontitis)

Gangrene

Osteomyelitis/ Osteoarthritis

Depressive symptoms

I just thought it might be interesting to connect diabetes to other illnesses!

So the ‘surprising news’ is that I will be shadowing an endocrinologist, Dr. Jyothinagaram, who specializes in diabetes and commonly treats patients with diabetic neuropathy. Starting Monday, I'll be able to see patients with him and see first hand the consequences of diabetic neuropathy. It will also be really interesting to see how the history/physical, the main source of my data, is done.

Furthermore, I will be able to observe a surgery! Although it probably won't be as big as an open-heart surgery, it will still be a significant one so I can actually see inside the human body. There's a good chance it will be an open-abdominal surgery, where I can witness many organs. I don't know when this will be, but I'm very excited!