Spinal Tap

Yesterday, when I was working at the hospital, my doctor sent me up to the HIV clinic, where another doctor (who I share a last name with) showed me around and invited me to view a lumbar puncture and then to aid him in drawing blood from the femoral vein. I felt bad for the person getting the lumbar puncture, but it was really neat to learn about. You have to go in between the L3 and L4 vertebrae, and if you don't go into the direct center, you will keep on striking bone, which was what my doctor did until another one of the assistants helped to scrunch up the patient more so that he could hit the spinal cord and drain out some fluid for tests. It was really weird to see people who were all infected with HIV because some of them didn't look very sick at all. I helped in both procedures by opening cleansers, sterilizing the area, and handing over various medical equipment--even preparing a shot of lidocane. I can't wait until I become an intern. Only seven more years...