update on lab

Three days ago, I was finally able to see the results of one of my surgeries. It was a huge relieve to finally know that surgery worked. The goal of the surgery is to inject a thin needle into a small part of the brain called the striatum (the greater goal is to create a mouse model of Parkinson's disease by injecting a toxin that causes the the death of a specific type of neurons). The only way to check whether or not the injection occurred at the right place is to extract the brain, fix it, and cut it into thin slices. For the past few days, I have been performing the two steps—surgery and brain extraction—over and over again. There were accidents, mistakes, catastrophes (I lost (or accidentally killed :( ) two mice after I switched to a new anesthetics and broke a really expensive syringe that holds minute volume of solution). Watching a mouse's heart rate gradually slowing down and eventually stops was one of the most horrific lab experiences that I have ever had and breaking the syringe definitely caused me a lot of anxiety. But it was truly fortunate in everyone in the lab was supportive and understanding. When I ran back to the lab with the broken syringe, one of the graduate students told me that it had happened before, normal for people who have used it before (I know have a new, working syringe).
Another lesson I learned from this is the importance of details. When I watched the surgery, I thought I took enough notes that I could repeat it without any problem. But there were so many little things ranging from variability in the mouse's brain to the ways to prevent clogging in the syringes that added unexpected complexities and difficulties to the surgery. I can now better appreciate the saying that practice makes perfect.
Sorry, enough about the surgery, I have to mention another aspect—this aspect will have even greater influence on me than learning the knowledge and skills—that is the people I met in lab. They are truly the most wonderful labmates one can ever hope to have. While they never hesitate to point out my mistakes, they also voluntarily share with me the tricks they use to carry out different procedures. During lunch time, we could talk about anything, ranging from our families to to our likes and dislikes.
For this coming week, my goal is to perform a surgery in a much shorter time.