Me, myself, and I

After weeks of pipetting and culturing, my self-confidence had built. In my head, I was a master and could do it all. There is nothing like having to do something by yourself for the first time to break that confidence. 

March 17th was my first day in the lab by myself. The list of tasks that needed to be completed seemed gigantic compared to every other day. The list included passing PC3 to new flasks, passing 22Rv1 into a new flask and 6 tubes for the CLPA Assay, changing the medium in T-75 flasks for DU145, adding medium to the Jurkart flask, and making 6 tubes form the small DU145 T-25 flasks for the CLPA Assay. 

I went into the day ready, confident and came out doubting wether I was cut out for the lab. Lab work is extremely meticulous. It takes a huge amount of concentration and focus. There is no time for being tired or hungry, two characteristics that seemed to have become a part of my personality.

Everything that could have gone wrong that day, went wrong. First my working method seemed to deteriorate. Little mistakes, such as the order of how I did things and having to use more pipettes that necessary, that I would normally commit, I did. Also, as the more mistakes I made the worse I felt about. The put me in a fatal cycle. I began to second guess all I was doing. I suddenly became unsure of whether the procedures I was using were correct or not. 

Then as I got to the end of the days work, the last thing on the list, and then I could go home and be free of the terror of the lab the worst mistake of all. Granted this was not necessarily a mistake I made, but in my state of mind I could not help but add it on to the huge pile I had raked up that day. The last task was to make the 6 tubes for DU145 for the CLPA assay. I trypsinized the cells and went to count them. I had completed all the calculations and was ready to make the tubes. I showed Dr. Lacombe ready to get it down and he informed me that we did not have enough cells to complete the experiment. After looking at the numbers, I realized that there were not enough cells. The cells would have to be thrown and we would have to wait for another week for to conducted the experiment. This was my first time experiencing a problem, a stump, and obstacle in the lab and it was not a fun feeling. Certainly, not a way to end the day. 

The next day, March 18th, was better due to the fact that Dr. Lacombe was with me. Since I had never done the CLPA experiment before he was there to walk me through the steps and make sure I understood everything. Everything went smoothly that day.

All in all, I had a very action packed week. I got my second piece of data, got to work in the lab by myself, and learned how to do a new experiment. Even though there were some serious downs, my enthusiasm for working in the lab has bounced back.