Lately

It's been a whirlwind of activity around here lately - I forgot how much Medicine Wards sucked the life out of you. The hours are only slightly better than regular surgery... at least the work is more enjoyable. But I'm definitely counting down my last 8 days!

On the ERAS/Step/LOR front, we're getting there.  CK came back last week and I'm super happy with it. About half my LOR meetings have occurred, the rest are scheduled for August. ERAS is in progress.

ElliKate is growing like a weed - 6 lbs, 3 oz at our third shot appt. Final ones on the 31st. We've also lost four teeth in the last 24 hours. I practically had to make her mush for supper haha.

Step 2, part 2..

Made it safely to Houston, checked in, had fabulous food and about to call it a night. Test tomorrow then playtime and M4 for REAL!

One STEP closer...

It's been a world wind of a month. As of yesterday, step 2 ck is done. As of next Monday, I'll be able to say the same about CS.

Today our extern schedules/call schedules for July arrived. I'm really excited about starting 4th year, spending a month working with my best friend, and my final month in adult medicine - ever.

All that stuff is just fluff. The real crux of the last month was bringing home my precious four legged baby, Elli Kate. She's growing like a weed and winning momma over more everyday - even tho I think we have officially hot the terrible twos!

Pictures below ... The day she came home, and packing tonight for vacation with her grandparents while mommy goes to Houston for the dumb test. Hasn't she grown a ton?!

Loving the difficult patients...

It's been an awesome two days back in the world of pediatrics, on a rotation I've quietly dubbed "Learning to Love the Difficult Patients". I missed the kiddos oh so much!

In other news, today was pretty good all around. Scheduled my dean's letter meeting for June, in the midst of scheduling a meeting with Dr. C re: residency tips and such, and had the best phone call I've had in quite a while: Elli Kate went to the vet for her checkup today and was found to be "practically perfect in every way"! With that news, I get to pick her up this very weekend (almost a week earlier than I expected). Can't wait!

God has been awful good to us lately with lots of unspoken prayers answered. I am so, so blessed.

Oh yeah - and my senior resident called me a "senior medical student" today. That was REALLY weird... and REALLY awesome :D

"Doctors spend a lot of time focused on the future"

"Doctors spend a lot of time focused on the future, planning it, working toward it. But at some point you start to realize your life is happening now. Not after med school, not after residency, right now. This is it. It’s here. Blink and you’ll miss it." - Grey's, Season 5 Now or Never

Its been an insane crazy year, and it's not getting any easier anytime soon - this senior planning stuff is tough! As a senior in college, I didn't have any of these fears/trepidations/worries... I knew I was going to be at Carey another year getting my pre-reqs in. So this is seriously a throw back to high school.... only now, it's not my dream - it's my reality. The exciting part of the last week was senior schedules coming out!!

July - Medicine SubI, UMC
August - NICU
September - Peds Wards/Externship/Residency App Due
October - Peds ER

(...deep breath...)
November - Review of Pharm/Interviews
December - Interviews, Holidays with the Fam (who knows when that'll happen again!)
January - Senior Radiology (a bit unexpected, but I'll take it... easy month, good experience)
February - Peds Surg
March - Peds GI/Match
April/May - Off/Graduation/Relocation

...Wow. Seriously, sometimes I think all I did was blink and it's over. Before the "fun" year gets to start though I've got 8.5 weeks to finish third year, bring a newborn puppy home, and take Step II CK and CS. No big deal.

I've got one nerve left, but I'm still loving life. Thanks, God, for your immeasurable blessings!!

Specialty decision

Late this week we received an email asking us our top three residency choices (so that they can assign our dean for dean's letter).

I wrote back: Pediatrics.

To which the non-medical person responded: I need three choices.

I wrote back: I suppose you can put OBGyn and Family if you really have to have two more, but the thought of anything else makes me unhappy.

To which she wrote back: You've got to have options in case you can't get in.

To which I thought: This isn't neurosurgery, folks.

Later, I came to the realization that she meant maybe "I couldn't get in" with the dean who normally does the peds letters. But the thought of spending my life doing anything BUT taking care of children? No thank you.

I'm a bonafide, certified, undeniable pediatrician-in-training. Give me stickers, suckers, and make me work for my ear exams any day. Keep your hypertension. I'm glad it takes all types to make the world go 'round, and I'm glad there's somebody out there who wants to be my doctor - cause I sure wouldn't. :)

Losses and New Beginnings...

It was a wonderful week when I brought LilaGrace home. Unfortunately after about five days, she started acting funny - like something was just really wrong. She was born with a soft spot in her head that we didn't know if it would close or not, but the vets all said just to keep a close watch on it. Long story short,she ended up with hydrocephalus progressed rapidly and her intracranial pressure was so high she had something of a constant really bad headache.

It was the saddest day ever when I had to put her down. But the most humane thing that could be done.
Immediately I knew to heal I needed another baby. I called the breeder and after crying together for a bit she told me there was a brandnew litter and I was of course to have pick of it.


Today I went and made my pick:

Elli Kate, mommy loves you already! Can't wait to get you home in about 5 weeks!