Update... and 50 days til christmas!

Lacey is doing wonderfully. Continue your prayers that her pain would lessen so that her therapy can proceed quickly and she will only strengthen from here on out. Glory to God!

I got my H1N1 shot this morning. Yay, shots. Ha. I just don't have time for the swine flu in the midst of first-year craziness.

In mention of M1 craziness, we have two tests tomorrow (Biochem, Histo) and three on Monday (Gross Practical & Written, Developmental Anat) followed by Physio next friday. Continue to pray for our class as we are just so absolutely exhausted at this point. FIFTY DAYS TO GO!!!! This is gonna be the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby danced with Danny effin Kay!

Next friday afternoon I start shadowing in the NICU. So very excited :)

A special prayer request..

This post has nothing to do with med school, but I have a good friend that has traveled to University of MN Medical Center for a pancreatectomy, splenectomy, and appendectomy with auto islet cell transplant tomorrow morning, and we would appreciate any prayers you have sent her way!

She has been suffering with chronic pancreatitis for 12.5 years. Dr. Sutherland at University of MN does this procedure, which is among the only in the country proven to provide relief for patients like her. The surgery is scheduled to begin at 7:40 am and will last between 9 and 16 hours. Please remember Lacey & her family (including her husband, Jeremy, and their 10 month old daughter Elyse) in your prayers.

Her testimony can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv8MIz5oJ8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwFJlEzFkgA&feature=related

It's an amazing story, and she's an amazing person. May the Lord be with them tomorrow, and promise her many, many pain-free days to fulfill His purposes!

The sun is shining....

... and Blacktober, Round 1 is OVER!!!
The histology team is wonderful. Frequent rest stops, lots of candy... That was one of the least painful tests since we started med school. About time, too. We're all exhausted, dazed, and confused. Walking around like zombies.
Unfortunately that "awesome" histology team has scheduled a lecture and lab for this afternoon, so no sleep for the weary yet. But oh - it is coming. And it is going to be SO sweet.

Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 116:7-9)

I see the light...

I've almost made it through. Monday marks the final 2 of the test block. I never thought it would come. I've pulled decent grades out, wasn't as happy with this biochem as I could've been, but after the exhaustive state under which I took the test, I felt pretty good with the outcome.

In other news, we had a very emotionally intense lab today, in which we trisected our cadaver. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Personally, I thought she was fine in one piece. Definitely the most disturbing lab ever... just in time for halloween, the 7th floor is full of legs... ahh.

I'm trying my best not to get overly ill, but the exhaustion has settled into my lungs as an asthma flareup. I wore an awesome mickey-mouse mask (thanks, peds clinic!) during lab today to keep the bone fragments out and my cough in - even though I'm pretty sure I'm not contagious at all, with all the flu stuff, people are wary. For me, it's a combination: lots of germs around (never sat in a classroom with 120+ people during cold/flu season), not enough sleep, and change of weather... which, although it has made me ill, is absolutely AMAZING. I LOVE the cold.

Time to finish the white chicken chili I've got cooking and start preparing for Monday's massacre by histo...

Two asides: It's been exactly a year since I got accepted. How much has changed in a year... Congratulations to the first members of the UMC Class of 2014!!! Enjoy this time!!

Second: VOTE FOR BATSON if you haven't done so yet. Voting ends in an hour!! xbox.childrensmiraclenetwork.org

I love Peds people..

It's been a good week, all things considering. The tests: 8 in 10 days - start tomorrow. NOT excited.

However, we had Peds Career Development today. I talked with Dr. P after and told her I wanted to come spend some time with them. She got me in touch with the NICU docs (already, jeez she works fast!) and I have several days in Oct- November that I'm going to go "play".

In addition, she recommended me for the summer research program and said there was a great chance I could do that in the NICU too.

Maybe this day in, day out struggle really is worth it....
I can't wait to be the babydoc.

(On that note, go vote xbox.childrensmiraclenetwork.org for our kids a new playroom!)

Plugging along...

Things are status quo here in M1 year. We've entered the "point of no return", the October slump. We've got test behind test, two and three a week, for the next thirty days. Lord, pull me through. Help me lean on you!

PIG today - I made cupcakes with Winnie the Pooh (and PIGlet too) cupcake holders. I love PIG.
Bible study is still amazing. Dr. H is wonderful.

Besides that, I guess life as an M1 is pretty boring to the general public, but I'll keep y'all posted :)