Jun 2008
In the car after graduation
06/28/08 04:28 Filed in: Family &
Friends | Medical
This was just a few minutes after we piled into the
car after graduation. Kind of how I'll feel
post-call. Actually, it's how I feel right now
pre-call.
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Now that's more like it
06/27/08 05:33 Filed in: Family &
Friends | Medical
Choosing my medical specialty (continued)
06/27/08 00:17 Filed in: Medical
I decided to join his lab and worked part-time in his
lab over the next year and a half or so (while I was
a full time preclinical student) on a project that
involved microarrays and immunohistochemistry.
Read
more
I bet you'll at least crack a smile
06/24/08 00:49
Okay, now for some procrastination fun - watch the
Dancing 2008 video of this
guy who has traveled around the world and I bet
you'll feel happy afterwards. It's really cute
and well done.
It's official
06/24/08 00:03 Filed in: Family &
Friends | Medical
We finally got around to downloading photos off the
camera and here's one from graduation a little while
ago. It was a long day for everyone, especially the
kids. But it's official now. My preschooler called me
Dr. Mommy the other day. I don't think I'll ever get
used to being called Dr. anything.
Intern year has actually started (orientation at least) and I am on call my very first day and whole first weekend. This is a q4 month, which kind of stinks, so we'll see if I can keep these posts up.
Intern year has actually started (orientation at least) and I am on call my very first day and whole first weekend. This is a q4 month, which kind of stinks, so we'll see if I can keep these posts up.
My Obstetrics & Gynecology rotation
06/22/08 12:47 Filed in: Medical
The obstetrics and gynecology rotation has
historically not been very popular at my school, and
based on what I have heard from students at other
schools, it’s not very popular in general. Read
more
Pretending to be cannibals...um...ha ha
06/18/08 05:34 Filed in: Family &
Friends
I don't know if anyone else does this (or if we are a
totally bizarre family), but sometimes we pretend to
eat the children and vice versa.
In contrast to yesterday's peaceful family photo, here is a sequence of us goofing around.
In contrast to yesterday's peaceful family photo, here is a sequence of us goofing around.
PASS
06/18/08 05:30 Filed in: Medical
Four lovely letters that I read this morning in
regards to my USMLE Step 2
CS score. I know it sounds ridiculous to
many people when I say I was truly worried about
that score - I can think of so many things that
I thought I could have done better during that
exam. I can now say with a fair amount of
confidence that it really must be an easy test
to pass, given how I felt about my performance.
Free iPod with computer purchase
06/15/08 02:13 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains
Random Medical Fact #42: HELLP Syndrome
06/13/08 04:39 Filed in: Medical
This is a serious life-threatening obstetric
complication that is believe to be related to
pre-eclampsia. It is important to note that this
syndrome can sometimes not present until after
delivery. The pathophysiology is not well understood
but a serious complication is consumption of
coagulation factors, which can lead to disseminated
intravascular coagulation (DIC). As in pre-eclampsia,
the only effective treatment is delivery of the baby.
Hemolytic anemia, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets
Hemolytic anemia, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low Platelets
Save up to 50% on toys at Amazon
06/12/08 17:22 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains
Now, through June 18th, save 25-50% on select
Transformers, Spider-man and summer outdoor toys, and
more at Amazon.com.
Choosing my medical speciality (continued)
06/12/08 01:52 Filed in: Medical
I emailed the Chair of the Department of Surgery. In
my email, I wrote about how I was trying to decide
what field to go into and that I might be interested
in surgery or a surgical field. Fortunately, he was
very enthusiastic about medical students who were
interested in surgery and agreed to meet with me to
discuss options. Read
more
Weekend sales and promotions
06/11/08 10:27 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains
Review: Constructive Eating utensils
06/11/08 05:03 Filed in: Shopping &
Bargains | Product
Reviews
What is there to say about this set, except get
it (especially if you have a picky toddler).
Read
more
Making pizza - Part III
06/07/08 04:06 Filed in: Family &
Friends
I should have known better
06/07/08 04:06 Filed in: Medical
I thought this month would be rather leisurely. I
could take it easy, read some fiction, lounge around
reading and listening to my Spanish
language CDs. And, of course, finish my
research projects. I can't recall the last time
I was ever able to just sit back and relax
without worrying about the million things we had
to do. Hawaii was nice
in that we couldn't do any work while we were
there, but it was definitely hard work to
vacation with the kids.
Is it at all what I thought it would be? Nope. It's going to be a mad dash to the finish line. My husband, who is finishing his fellowship, has been burning the midnight oil every night for the last 5 weeks, and has got three more to go. My orientation for residency starts really soon, and we got a lot of paperwork, busywork, and reading to do beforehand, which I think is kind of a bummer. I mean, can't they just wait until we start? And I'm still trying to work out the whole kindergarten and school district stuff.
It'll be really nice to just start residency, since we could really use the financial support. My brother lamented to me the other day about how he and his wife have to live on one income while she's in business school. I pointed out to him that not only does he make twice as much as my husband does as a fellow, but they don't have children yet and don't live in one of the most expensive cities in the country. We've been living with this modest salary for several years. She'll be done in two. He gets some sympathy, but not much.
In any case, I hope I'll still be able to post and update. I've got more about what field I've picked, as well as some thoughts about my ob/gyn rotation (which I really enjoyed). Hopefully, this chaos will all settle down soon and we can go right back to a nice comfy routine. While I am a resident. Riiiight.
Is it at all what I thought it would be? Nope. It's going to be a mad dash to the finish line. My husband, who is finishing his fellowship, has been burning the midnight oil every night for the last 5 weeks, and has got three more to go. My orientation for residency starts really soon, and we got a lot of paperwork, busywork, and reading to do beforehand, which I think is kind of a bummer. I mean, can't they just wait until we start? And I'm still trying to work out the whole kindergarten and school district stuff.
It'll be really nice to just start residency, since we could really use the financial support. My brother lamented to me the other day about how he and his wife have to live on one income while she's in business school. I pointed out to him that not only does he make twice as much as my husband does as a fellow, but they don't have children yet and don't live in one of the most expensive cities in the country. We've been living with this modest salary for several years. She'll be done in two. He gets some sympathy, but not much.
In any case, I hope I'll still be able to post and update. I've got more about what field I've picked, as well as some thoughts about my ob/gyn rotation (which I really enjoyed). Hopefully, this chaos will all settle down soon and we can go right back to a nice comfy routine. While I am a resident. Riiiight.
"It's like I'm dying"
06/04/08 00:17 Filed in: Medical
Not long ago, I was chatting with a good friend of
mine (who is going to be a co-resident with me -
hooray!) and we were discussing how these last few
weeks are very weird. I commented that I felt like I
was going off to war or into hiding or something, and
she agreed, saying it was like she was dying. I mean,
I am basically trying to squeeze into the next few
weeks everything I think I can do before starting
residency. Everything I have put off during medical
school and when the kids were born - going to the
dentist, drycleaning, getting the kitchen knives
sharpened (that was a task I've been wanting to do
for years), stocking up on food and
supplies, and much more. My friend agreed, saying
she's been makings lists for others to remember to do
when she's not around.
I really hope that we'll be able to retain some semblance of a normal life, since I am pretty much depending on it. There certainly will be our fair share of hospital cafeteria family dinners (or if I can prepare beforehand, picnic dinners on the grass just outside the hospital), but I definitely do want to see my family more than what is anecdotally believed to be the available time for a personal life. I certainly hope it's not worse than my busier rotations in medical school - those were hard to endure for even two months at a time, and I was fortunately able to squeeze in lighter months or even breaks in between.
Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty nervous.
I really hope that we'll be able to retain some semblance of a normal life, since I am pretty much depending on it. There certainly will be our fair share of hospital cafeteria family dinners (or if I can prepare beforehand, picnic dinners on the grass just outside the hospital), but I definitely do want to see my family more than what is anecdotally believed to be the available time for a personal life. I certainly hope it's not worse than my busier rotations in medical school - those were hard to endure for even two months at a time, and I was fortunately able to squeeze in lighter months or even breaks in between.
Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty nervous.
