Endoscopic Colonoscopy

Hi and welcome to my first action project in my S.T.E.A.M. course class Cure, we studied and researched a surgical procedure. I chose to research an endoscopic colonoscopy because I had access to a former patient to interview and colorectal cancer is common among many people in the United States. In this class via virtual learning, we learned about cells in the body and surgical prefixes for procedures. We got the opportunity to video call with Dr.  Neeraj Jain about his experiences in his career as an anesthesiologist. For this action project, we were required to describe a surgery in detail and a patient's experience from the surgery. This project was very interesting and exciting to me because I learned about all of my possible options in case I was facing nerve damage. It was very interesting to learn about how and why this specific procedure is very common and important in our world today. During this time of this global pandemic of Covid-19, I'd like to say thank you for taking the time out of your day to view my projects. I hope you enjoy this action project!

Here are some vocabulary words you might want to consider as reference points as you continue down this post. 

Electrocautery: A process where an electrode generates heat to destroy tissue inside of the body.

Colorectal polyps: A small clump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon. Over time, some colon polyps can develop into colon cancer.

Oscopy: The viewing of something with a scope.  

Rectum: The final section of the large intestine.

Biopsy: The examination of tissue removed from a living body to discover the presence and cause of a disease. 

Sedative: A drug taken for its calming and sleep-inducing effect.

Heres a video of a colonoscopy. 

In conclusion to this action project, I've enjoyed researching this surgery. The biggest lessons I got from this interview were to make sure to get yourself checked out periodically for the sake of your health, research the drugs prescribed by your doctor to be aware of what goes into your body and the effects of it, and discuss your health with your doctor and family.

Works Cited

Whelan, Corey. “How Safe Is a Colonoscopy?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 29 Oct. 2018, .www.healthline.com/health/colonoscopy-risks#risks. Accessed 16 May 2020

“Colonoscopy: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.” Medlineplus.Gov, 2016, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003886.htm. Accessed 17 May 2020.

‌“Colonoscopy - Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.Org,  , 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/colonoscopy/about/pac-20393569. Accessed 17 May 2020.

‌https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/understanding-hemorrhoids-basics#1

“Preparing For Your Colonoscopy | Kaiser Permanente Washington.” Kaiserpermanente.Org, 2020, wa.kaiserpermanente.org/html/public/specialties/gastroenterology/colon-prep. Accessed 18 May 2020.

Marks, Jay W. “Colon Polyps: Symptoms, Causes, Cancer Risk, Treatment, and Prevention.” MedicineNet, MedicineNet, 17 Dec. 2019, www.medicinenet.com/colon_polyps/article.htm. Accessed 18 May 2020.

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Bipolar Disorder I

Hi and welcome to my second action project for my STEAM class called Disease. In this class, we have been looking into different mental disorders. During this second unit, we read the book, The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. The novel is about a young boy who has autism. Throughout the book, the author answers questions people have about autism and the way he deals with his autism. In class, we also learned how to create piecewise functions by graphing the different brain waves people produce. We mainly studied the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of mental disorders fifth edition). The three mental disorders we researched closely are schizophrenia, OCD, and autism. With the DSM-V we looked at the overviews and diagnostic criteria of each disorder along with some related disorders.

For this action project, we had to choose a disorder to focus on and research. I chose to research bipolar disorder 1. I was assigned to lead a lesson for my class demonstrating how it feels to have bipolar disorder. I also had to record the brainwaves of our classmates during the whole session.


Bipolar Disorder I (Bipolar Disorder)
Bipolar Disorder is a mental disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, concentration, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. (NIMH) is also known as bipolar disease or manic depression. I define Bipolar Disorder as a mental disorder that mixes the emotions, energy, and activity levels negatively by increase or decrease.

According to the DSM-V., criteria for at least one manic episode (Criteria A-D under “Manic or Hypomanic Episode” above) has to be met in order to diagnose someone with Bipolar Disorder I.

I found an interview with Demi Lovato where she at down with “Extra’s” Renee Bargh and opened up about being one of the more than 12 million Americans living with bipolar disorder. She is outspoken about her struggles with drug addiction, bulimia, and mental illness.

Some takeaways from this interview were that people often throw the word “bipolar” around very often and in situations that don’t relate to bipolar disorder at all. Also, there’s a lot of negative stigmas when it comes to discussing mental illness in America. During the interview, Demi Lovato said, "The biggest misconception when it comes to bipolar disorder, in particular, is that you’re fine one minute then you’re not fine the next minute. In reality that’s not how that works."

Below you can find my slideshow further explaining the disorder, a lesson plan video, and template, piecewise function and graph, and poster. I hope you enjoy!

 



 

Works Cited

“Area of Brain Linked to Bipolar Disorder Pinpointed.” ScienceDaily, 2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170124144000.htm. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.

“Bipolar Disorder | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness” Holland, Kimberly. “Everything You Need to Know About Bipolar Disorder.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 18 Jan. 2018, www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020. ‌

“NIMH » Bipolar Disorder.” Nih.Gov, 12 Mar. 2020, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder/index.shtml. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020. ‌