"The future is never the way we imagined it"

After a weekend crammed full of love, family, and melting memories into something new and beautiful, I figured I should share.

Friday I got to thinking about old memories and the good times we "used to have" as a college group. While rocking my beautiful nephew to sleep, I decided that those memories are nothing compared to the ones we're making now. To have these people in my life - to have literally grown up with them... I'm amazed to see how much we're all the same and how much we've changed over the past eight years (wow... that's a long time). To see that little boy smile makes every sad moment melt away. To know how much he's changed my life and to stand in awe of how much he's changed his mommy and daddy. We're all very blessed. It is so comfortable coming home to my "new normal".

Saturday we made family rounds - which was an interesting experience. For the first time in my medical "career", EVERY person I met had to tell me about their problems. I literally worked harder at the "you should see your doctor" and "I'm not sure, I'll have to look that up" than I actually work any day on the wards. I realized that this is what my life will become... our family used to have nice, normal people conversations.... now it's all "bombard the future doctor". Surely that will improve with time (one can hope).
If not, it's wonderful to know that my non-med school friends still see me as a little crazy and more friend/less doctor.

After all, I'd much rather discuss 4 month old coos, horror movies, good ice cream, bad dates, sleepovers and new tv series than medicine 24/7/365.

Speaking of new tv series... Once Upon a Time in 40 minutes. Yay!

Can you show me just how far the east is from the west?

Blog title is from one of my favorite songs these days, but also serves well for the new area of Psych. 7East is indeed an entirely different world than 7West, and I love it. Dr. N is great, our resident rocks, and the best part is the half-days. And the best friend factor. :)

Wednesday we took a field trip to the State Hospital. I must say, it was a lot less restrictive/more "welcoming" than I expected. I think it was an important part of the rotation, because I'd be a lot more apt to recommend it to a patient now than I was before. And the grounds are beautiful - no wonder back in "the day" the docs that worked there lived there as well. The geese tho, the geese were loud.

Pretty sure I've made this statement before, but if I haven't, I've officially decided psych isn't for me. It requires waaaay too much questioning of your own sanity and is heart-wrenching to me. Two more weeks and then....

PEDS! :) <3

"Code White - 7W"

The last week on 7W was very interesting. Tuesday we had our CPI training (Crisis Prevention and Intervention) and it was just in time. Wednesday was a scary, scary day. Starting pretty much before 8 AM, our first code white had been called. And this code white was very similar to a code blue at the VA - a complete cluster, and nothing like what we were taught in CPI (IE: Code white to CPI as Code Blue VA is to ACLS). Patient was eventually, with the help of a SWAT team, taken down and subdued... for a while. Then someone had the brilliant idea (read: least restrictive environment) that it was safe to return them to general functioning....

5:30 PM - Code White #2. Pretty much as awesome as the first, with complete return of SWAT team. I've decided FOR SURE that psych is never in my future after that experience. I've never been afraid for my life or those around me with a patient before, but I wasn't sure if we were all going to make it out alive on Wed.

And Thursday... we had to do it all over again (show up, that is). Patient was more subdued and we were able to "soft code" once and never needed SWAT... but everyone stayed on edge.

Good news - Psych Rotation 1 and Midterm are done. Three weeks to go and I'll be in my happy place. Got the schedule for my first PedsElective and I'm super pumped! I saw the words "NICU" listed for Wednesday afternoons and began to drool.....

Life on the psych ward.... week 2

Another week down. Another specialty checked off the list. It's not that I'm utterly miserable (when I'm working - everyone's miserable when they're sitting), it's just not my thing. Mental/Emotional change is a lot slower than physical critical/care style change. Occasionally we have a patient come in that makes a spectacular recovery in a few days - that's cool. But that's the unusual. In fact, most of our patients have been headed to MSH lately instead of home :(.
At least I'm learning all about the mental status exam and how to do it right - and quickly. And my team rocks.
One more week on this service. Tuesday is our CPI training if they don't cancel it again. CPI stands for Crisis Prevention and Intervention - pretty sure I could've used that before now.... but it's another certification to add to my CV I suppose.

Went to Sams yesterday and bought myself a centerpiece for the table for Christmas... then put it on the table. Yes, it's October. Yes, I'm crazy. That's what happens when you're locked in a double-locked down unit for 9 hours a day, sitting in a room staring at three other girls and wondering if/when your attending is going to round. But with Pinterest and my new word search book (also from Sams), I feel as though the last few long days on the unit may be a little less stir crazy. :)

Weekend mental health break

The week was... interesting. I can't say unexpected as everyone had told me exactly what to expect from this service, but it was fairly exhausting nonetheless. I had this overall dream world place in my head where psych=sleep... and that hasn't really been the case yet. Two more weeks on this part of the service.

This weekend I took a mental health break and headed south as soon as I got the OK from 7W to do so. Friday afternoon/evening traffic leaving Jackson is always a joy (and a main reason I usually get up early Saturday morning and drive down) but I wanted the extra sleep and extra time at home. I managed to be caught in the Pearl High School Football convoy alllll the way to the Laurel exit (SN: did Pearl win whoever they were playing? I feel like we bonded in that hour..)

I got to get LOTS of baby love which is all the mental health break I needed. Somehow the world just melts away when I'm holding that little boy and he's slobbering on me. Quote of the weekend was my dad looking at him and saying "You're really going to fix those for a living?". He always can make me laugh.

Today was his church dedication - I was grateful to get to be there, and it was very exciting for our little college family to come together for the occasion, minus a couple. It's amazing how much things have changed - and on the other hand - stayed the same over the last 8.5 years.

And the best part? Seems like Sam's doing a real good job of keeping us all together. I fall more in love with that little boy everyday... and I'm blessed beyond measure to be his aunt.