All Access: A Sneak Peek into My Life as a Lab Rat Technician Trainee

If you all didn't know yet, I'm currently in Histopathology and Cytopathology department and will be here until the 17th (Tuesday). For those who do not know what those mean.. respectively, they are studies of the human tissues (cysts, tumors, organs, etc.) and studies of cells (Does PAP smear rings a bell? Or maybe vaginal/cervical smear?). Yeah. Basically in this department, what we do is to prepare slides of samples for the pathologist to examine. Samples go through process of fixing, embedding, slicing, staining with tons of reagents (not kidding) and mounting.

Today was rather interesting. Most of the specimens that came into the lab were specimens for biopsies. Think that was all? Think again.

I saw, with my own eyes, the pathologist sliced up a uterus from a woman in her forties or fifties. Never in my entire life had I thought I would come face to face with a REAL uterus. And a real BIG one too, about the size of a slightly-above-average-sized papaya. A normal uterus would only be about the size of a fist. This uterus had abnormality attributed to tumor and fibroids in the wall. And this poor uterus was cut up into 4 pieces. Really.. I can't imagine MY uterus being cut up into pieces. Even more, I can't even imagine losing MY own uterus. Touch wood. Nobody.. and I mean NOBODY is touching MY uterus.

Besides that, I also witnessed a twisted intestine being sliced up as well. How badly twisted? Twisted bad enough that the physician had no choice but to take it out of the patient. Twisted so bad that it blocked oxygen from flowing into the intestines, ultimately causing autolysis (cell death). The intestinal walls of certain sections were so thin like paper (and I mean it.. no exaggeration). Briefly, your intestines contain bacteria that do not affect you while in the intestines but becomes otherwise when outside the intestines. So, imagine paper-thin walled intestine.. if it ruptures. Ouch.

Then there were the breast lumps (very common specimen). The surface of the lumps is usually dyed black so that the pathologist can identify the lump borders. These lumps are commonly examined to see whether it is cancerous OR if it is cancerous, how much have the cancerous cells develop inside the lump. Lets say that under microscopic examination, cancerous cells were detected at the edge of the lumps, i.e. near the borders, then it is most likely the cancer has spread beyond the lumps and are affecting organs.. interesting? Hahaa. Those pieces of sliced breast lumps were dark-blackish on the edges and normal meat colour on the interior.. looks like char-siew. Not kidding. Think char-siew. ;)

Lucky I had my lunch an hour before. If I hadn't eaten, I would probably felt woozy. But they weren't all that disgusting or stinky as I had thought they would be. Kinda intriguing in a way. Just had to give extra brownie points to my supervisor, you know. Not everybody can sit through the whole thing and watch the organs being cincanged hacked cut into pieces while being pregnant, like she did.

Right now I can only think of one person who wouldn't mind working in this lab for life! Hahaa. Do you know who?

That's been my day so far. Haven't seen nothing much right? :P