Saturday, August 6, 2011

Oh Hi

Oh hello... Did you think I'd forgotten about my little blog?

I haven't. Things have just been as crazy as I'd predicted they would be. I just finished my month of OB Receiving (aka pregnant lady ER) and I am so glad it's over. To give you an idea of how busy it was - I ate food 2x last month while at work and subsequently lost 8lbs in 31 days. I don't recommend this diet but at least I can fit into my clothes a little better on the 1 day off a week that I get to wear them!

Speaking of that one day off... Today is that day. You think I would be overjoyed, excited, thrilled but instead I am anxious and a little sad. Because I know it all starts over tomorrow and the clock is ticking. K is at work so I'm all alone. I have a million articles and book chapters I need to read, anatomy I need to review, etc... And of course a dirty house and fridge that need to be cleaned. I'm having a hard time shaking the "day off blues." So far I've found that certain bible verses as well as getting outside in the sunshine help so that's what I plan to do today. Clean a little, cook a little, go out for a walk or to work in the yard, and do a bit of reading. I've never been so inspired to read medical literature in my life. Mostly because the fear from being called out by an attending either in front of 30 people (this happened to me this week) or being kicked out of the OR or compromising patient care. Now journal articles about which antibiotic prophylaxis is best prior to surgery are absolutely thrilling to me. Because it helps me understand why we do what we do and alleviate any fear of not knowing about it when asked.

Earlier this week at board sign outs (where the night team tells you whats going on with each laboring patient on the board) there was an HIV+ patient. The attending then turns to me and asks when we usually induce these patients, what maneuvers we avoid, what dosage of medicine and for how long they need it prior to delivery, the vertical transmission rates, etc... I did not know. It was painful for everyone. I was encouraged to read the article. Which of course I went home and did as I was falling asleep. The next day I got asked what the transmission rates are without treatment and BAM! I spit it right back out at her. 25% thankyouverymuch :) So that was a good day.

But the thing is there's always another complicated patient, another article to read, another muscle to know the exact innervation and blood supply to, and that is why I have the day off jitters. Instead of enjoying today I'm worried about what I will be asked tomorrow.

Now that that pitiful rant is over, here's highlights from last month:
1. Seeing several women come in between 30-35 weeks desperately hoping to be in labor. I gave them each a serious talk on how their baby could be impaired if it was born this early. I don't think most of them cared.

2. Checking a cervix on an above-mentioned patient (around 34 weeks pregnant) and noticing something pink and rubbery and prophylactic in my hand when I withdrew it. Of note, the attending was in the room with me which made it even more hilarious and awkward.

3. Getting to show several women in their first trimesters who were worried they were miscarrying their cute little healthy babies with heartbeats right where they should be.

4. Getting frustrated with patients who keep going back to abusive households.

5. Having a baby born in OB Receiving my 2nd week. (I had checked her an hour before and told the nurses to get her up to Labor and Delivery, just so you know...)

6. Having a G11P10 (gravida 11 para 10 - she's on her 11th pregnancy with 10 living children) labor silently and almost have a baby in OB Receiving

7. Doing several circumcisions on cute little baby boys. I really enjoy these!

Highlights from this Week:

1. Delivering several babies!!! (4 or 5?)

2. Scrubbing c-sections and getting to sew fascia and skin :)

3. Scrubbing into 1 placental abruption section and 1 uterine rupture section. The rates of uterine rupture are less than 1% and I got to see it in my first week on Labor and Delivery

I suppose I'm off to clean, read, get outside, and try to cheer up. Hope the rest of you are having a marvelous Saturday!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

This Time Next Week...

I will be a doctor and I will be in Mexico. And hopefully I will be very relaxed and happy! That's all :)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Oh Dear

It's starting to hit me that I will in fact be a real life doctor person very, very soon. Technically I will be a doctor May 27th once I am handed my diploma but I will not see any patients until July. So in my mind it doesn't really "count" until then.

I am on plastic surgery this month and just happened to be in the Women's and Infants' hospital yesterday for some oncoplastic breast reconstruction cases. Of course I ran into several of my soon to be fellow Ob/Gyn residents and attendings. PS - this is much more fun now that I know they like me - they really, really like me! *spoken in the voice of Sally Field winning the Oscar.* As I've said before - when you're working with these people and trying to make a good impression it's difficult to enjoy your time with them. At least that's the case for me anyway. I was always trying to appear eager but not annoying, helpful but not overbearing, funny but not inappropriate, etc... It's a tight-rope act and you never quite know what small move can make you lose your balance - and influence people's opinions about you.

Anyway, it was all happy times and "hey, what are you doing here?" type conversation and then one of the residents asked if I had my schedule yet. They were in the lounge.

THE SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT YEAR OF MY LIFE WAS IN THE LOUNGE!!!!!!!!! 10 FEET AWAY!!!!

So of course I run in and pick one up. Here is what our intern year will consist of:

2 months of Gynecology (clinic, hysterectomies, post-menopausal bleeding, fibroids, etc...)

2 months of Labor and Delivery (12ish hour shifts of delivering babies :))

2 months of Clinic (clinic M-F, different every day)

2 months of "Dober" (this means Days OB Receiving aka the "pregnant lady ER", also is shiftwork)

1 month of OB I (scheduled c-sections, high risk clinic, rounding on PPROMers and postpartums)

1 month of HO I (house officer I - you carry a pager that beeps ALL THE TIME. You also do circumcisions, round on postpartums, etc...)

1 month of ADU (this means antenatal diagnostic unit. It's where they do the high tech fancy ultrasounds and amniocentesis)

1 month of ER (this is the regular adult ER. All OB residents love this rotation because you get 2 weeks off this month.)

Now that you know what those months are like, I will tell you that I was most terrified of starting out on Days OB Receiving. It's a busy, busy place. Essentially any pregnant lady that comes into the hospital starts out there. Also, not pregnant ladies, but ladies that think they might be pregnant. And gyn patients. Pretty much any Ob/Gyn patient starts there. Then I have to see them and decide if they go up to the Labor and Delivery Suite to deliver, go back home, get set up in clinic, get worked up for an operation, etc... It gets very busy and it gets backed up. And people can see how many patients you have even in the lounge 2 floors up. It's on a computer monitor. And they say things like - "Wow, OB receiving is really filling up." Oh dear. So without further ado, here's my own personal schedule:

July - Days OB Receiving (cue the screaming lambs)
August - Labor and Delivery Days
September - OB I
October - Gyn A
November - Clinic
December - HO I
January - ER
February - Labor and Delivery Nights
March - Gyn A
April - ADU
May - Days OB Receiving
June - Clinic

So I thought that was bad. Then I looked down at my dear fellow intern who I'm closest to in our class and she starts out on Labor and Delivery!!! In the past they didn't let interns run the L&D unit until we'd been doctors for a full 6 months. They're throwing us into the fire this year though.

And because I got so scared once I saw this schedule I did something I thought I wouldn't do. I started studying last night. For intern year. Just the things I knew I would use - like the first line of treatment for UTIs in pregnancy, and exactly what tests to order when you suspect Gonorrhea or Chlamydia. And steps to ruling out preterm labor.

Overall I'm pretty thrilled with my schedule. The "easier" (ha ha) months are interspersed pretty well with the more challenging ones. Now I am just anxious to see the call schedule. And wondering if the hours will change for any of these blocks...

Friday, April 22, 2011

Easter and Whatnot

Hey peoples - just got back from a 4 mile run with my fabulous Cousin A (we walked and talked more than we ran though). We also went straight from the trail to a Mexican restaurant where margaritas were imbibed so you know - keep that in mind while you read this post.

I am about to get started on a little cooking for the Easter weekend. Am planning on making some cheddar biscuits that I've made a few times before and some chocolate chip cookie dough truffles that I've never made before but are sweet and therefore can't be screwed up too badly - by me anyway - sugar loves me. The biscuits have chunks of cheddar cheese in them and use heavy cream instead of butter or Crisco aka lard, so what's not to love? So much easier to stir and they come out all light and fluffy once they're baked. Here's the recipe for truffles and a link to the blog:

our little beehive: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles: "When I worked in my company's main office I used to bring baked goods to work all the time. When I announced that I was moving and (very tha..."

And here's a link to the recipe for the biscuits:
http://www.cooklikeachampionblog.com/2011/01/cheddar-cheese-biscuits.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cooklikeachampion+%28Cook+Like+a+Champion%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
(copy and paste that one - not sure why it's not working)

And here's a few pictures from Easters past:

That's from Easter 2006 and is me, my sister, mom and grandmother. We inadvertently color-coordinated pretty well.


And those are the Easter eggs we made and subsequently hid.


One of my favorite pictures of me and my sister and mama. We are such "in the moment" type people that we usually forget to take pictures so I am glad for the few we have together.



One of the whole family.


And me and my sister aka "Seeser!" with our Peter's pottery bunnies. Also - holy shiny T-zone. I swear I own powder and will not let this happen again.

That's all. Happy Easter everybody!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Lazy Days

You think with all this time I've had off I would be posting every single day, but I've found much more fun ways to fill my time.

For those who read and don't know already, Match Day was great! I got my first choice (although I wasn't tacky enough to say that while up at the microphone). It was such a great day. I couldn't be happier with our intern class. There will be 6 of us - 5 girls and 1 guy. 4 of us trained here during med school and are staying for residency. 1 girl is from Arkansas and another from Florida. Arkansas girl and her husband are really nice. They stayed at our house one weekend while they apartment-hunted. I haven't met Florida girl yet, but I hear she's expecting a big surprise. Due the first week of July. Oy. Wondering how much that's going to suck not only for her, but those of us who will have to be there to pick up the slack.

I was on a high for about a week after Match Day. Later that week was the annual Hal & Mal's St. Patrick's Day Parade and I had nothing else in particular to do so I went to the parade for the first time ever. Here's a picture for proof: (Yes, I'm wearing a red shirt - but my shorts were GREEN! And this is the only sleeveless shirt I own since I'm now in the 25-34 age group and I didn't want tan lines. Phew. Is that enough explanation of a very straight forward picture for you? Now enjoy the picture:)



The parade was pretty much what I thought it would be, but I'm not sure if I'll be going back any time soon. Crowds aren't really my thing... It was nice to hang out and enjoy some nice weather with friends though. Felt like I was on the "med school street" seeing as how I kept seeing residents and med students all along our sidewalk. Too funny.

Speaking of school, I'm in the process of applying for my medical license. I've already sent in all the paperwork once, along with a check for $50 (natch), but have received a request for even more documents. Yay. At least this marriage license is getting to see the light of day for once. Ha ha. I went to UMC a few weeks ago and signed my contract, got drug tested, poked, prodded, and had an incredibly unfortunate i.d. picture taken. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll redo it during Orientation. One can only hope.

Our Ob/Gyn Interest Group has a lunch meeting tomorrow for the M1s and M2s about how to do well on the rotation and I'm going and might have to speak. I'll also get a chance to see my program director for the first time since matching. Wonder if I'll still be nervous around her? Before Match Day I was always careful to mind my Ps and Qs around all the staff, but now they're stuck with me :)

Anyway, this is probably the most boring blog post ever, but just felt like I needed to update. I start my Plastic Surgery rotation in 2 weeks so I should have some good stories for y'all then :)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Good Food, Good Meat, Good Lord Let's Eat

The title of this post was my daddy's trademark "blessing" before family meals when he was asked to pray. Short and sweet!
Since I've had this month and basically last month off I've had a good amount of time to cook. I sort of found, sort of created a crockpot stew recipe that I've already made twice since February and I can happily report that it tasted just as good the 2nd time around. Don't tell my mother-in-law but my husband said it was just as good as hers. That means a lot coming from him. Without further ado, here 'tis:

BEST STEW EVER

1 small package stew meat
1/3 cup flour
1 small can V8
1 can English peas
1 can corn
2 potatoes
1 small onion
Tony's, salt, pepper

Put crock pot on low. Grab a pan and put it over med-high heat on the stove. Dump a little flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss the stew meat in it to coat. Melt a little butter or fat of your choice in the pan. My mother would say to use Smart Balance or whatever because it's GOOD for you. Not good within reason for a fat, but actually the butter is GOOD for you. I prefer Brummel & Brown's butter-like product but that's because it says it has yogurt in it and yogurt is GOOD for you. Anyway, then saute your meat until it's all brown and mostly done, or all the way done, whichever you prefer. While the meat is browning chop your onions. I chop them real big because Kris doesn't like them and that way I can easily fish them out of his bowl. Throw them on the bottom of the crockpot. Then chop your potatoes and throw them on top. Now dump the corn and English peas on top, juice and all. Sprinkle all those veggies with a little bit of Tony's. Then throw the cooked meat on top, then the V8 on top of that. Leave it on low for 6 hours. It's so, so good. If you don't keep V8 in stock pretty sure you could use a can of tomato sauce and a little water. It's not an exact science.

This makes a dense, hearty stew. If you like yours more soup-y I suggest you put some broth or something in it but I can't guarantee it'll taste as good.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Just a Few Things

1. I had a very scary dream last night. It was Match Day. I was somehow in my old college dorm, but it was in Pennsylvania. I saw several members of my class walking around in the snow saying how relieved they were that they had matched in Pennsylvania where they wanted to. Cue some confusion since I didn't even interview there and a mad search for where they keep the envelopes containing where we did match. I found my envelope, ripped it open, and it said.... The absolute last place that I ranked on my list. Oh dear...

2. Serena Williams had a pulmonary embolism. This does not make much sense to me medically. That's all.

3. Goals for today include recycling some super old electronics I cleaned out from my Mom's house, wrapping wedding presents for a dear friend of mine, cleaning out my car, and mounds of laundry. It's nice to be a stay-at-home-mom with no kids sometimes :)

Monday, February 28, 2011

Time Flies...

I was just shocked and amazed to realize I haven't posted in 2 months. Since Christmas Eve y'all. That's a long time. Here's what's been going on:

January - finished up interviews with different residency programs. Ended up doing 12 total. Probably should have just gone on 9 or 10 but hindsight is 20/20. Also did Ob/Gyn clinics this month. Got to spend a little more time with the residents and faculty and learn about digiChart - the new digital charting system they're using.

This month (February) I am technically taking review of pharmacology. Here is why the 4th year of medical school is wonderful: On Feb 1 the teacher sent me an e-mail basically saying he didn't want to see my face this month. Just wants a submission by Feb 28th of the drugs I'll be using most during residency, dosages, mechanisms of action, etc... Since Ob/Gyns don't use too terribly many drugs this shouldn't be too difficult. Of course I haven't started on this yet. Planning on hunkering down at Cups and banging it out over the next day.

Other fun things I've done this month: gotten fitted for my real life official white coat, turned in my words of wisdom and picture for the yearbook, attended a fun engagement party for my best med school friend, attended financial aid counseling - okay, not so fun. Found out how much $$$ I owe for all these loans. (Hint: <$100,000 but >$50,000) On the upside, found out you can defer loans until after residency. We might be doing that. Not sure yet.

I've also started running again after a 2-3 month hiatus from about October-December. This is partly due to the fact that I missed it and partly because interview season was not kind to my mid-section. Must've been all that pasta and king cake they fed us.

So for now life consists of finishing up various projects around the house that I haven't had time to tend to over the last 3.5 years and waiting for Match Day. Match Day is March 17th and the day that me and all of my fellow classmates find out where we'll be for residency during the next 3+ years. But truly March 14th is the day that really matters. This is the day that you find out whether or not you "matched" at all. If you didn't then you can either "scramble" to find a job for the next year or just decide to try again the next year. Needless to say we're all hoping to match and not scramble.