Sunday, August 26, 2007
He is gone....Dustin passed away on Saturday morning. This was just days after celebrating our 28th birthday. Please see Beth and Nana's blog for more news. I'm in Atlanta right now and am set to take my test tomorrow. Then to Florida right after for a memorial service on Wednesday. This is too much.I will post more at some point when the reality of it all starts to set in.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
No More Surgery For Me
Here are pictures from my birthday celebration. It conveniently coincided with the end of my surgery rotation, as well as the end of my third year of medical school. All the fun has ended though and I am deep into studying for my Step II. This includes both a practical and a written exam. On Monday, I have the practical part where I have 12 patients to do history and physicals. I get to go down to Atlanta for it! I wish I could have taken it closer but that wasn't possible. At least I get to go down south and be reminded of how nice people really are. (They aren't that pleasant here in NY.) I am still taking my Kaplan class for another week and a half and then I am on my own for studying for the second part of the Step II. It is so hard to sit still and study. I feel like I might have ADD. I joined the YMCA on Monday and figure I must get some exercise in since I will be sitting studying till mid September. I take my test Sept 20th (unless I feel ready sooner, highly unlikely). It has been really nice to be able to sleep in finally. I still wake up way earlier than I think is normal but it is sure better than going to the hospital at 5:30 in the morning. The weather here has been pretty sucky and cold. It makes me dread the thought of winter coming. Ok, thats all for now. Must go study!
Here are pictures from my birthday celebration. It conveniently coincided with the end of my surgery rotation, as well as the end of my third year of medical school. All the fun has ended though and I am deep into studying for my Step II. This includes both a practical and a written exam. On Monday, I have the practical part where I have 12 patients to do history and physicals. I get to go down to Atlanta for it! I wish I could have taken it closer but that wasn't possible. At least I get to go down south and be reminded of how nice people really are. (They aren't that pleasant here in NY.) I am still taking my Kaplan class for another week and a half and then I am on my own for studying for the second part of the Step II. It is so hard to sit still and study. I feel like I might have ADD. I joined the YMCA on Monday and figure I must get some exercise in since I will be sitting studying till mid September. I take my test Sept 20th (unless I feel ready sooner, highly unlikely). It has been really nice to be able to sleep in finally. I still wake up way earlier than I think is normal but it is sure better than going to the hospital at 5:30 in the morning. The weather here has been pretty sucky and cold. It makes me dread the thought of winter coming. Ok, thats all for now. Must go study!
Here are pictures from my birthday celebration. It conveniently coincided with the end of my surgery rotation as well as the end of my third year of medical school. That was a lot to celebrate! I am now deep into studying for my Step II. This includes both a practical and a written exam. I have the practical part where I have 12 patients to do history and physicals on
Sunday, August 05, 2007
If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger
Well, I am not dead yet from this ridiculous schedule, but this weekend might have done it. My kaplan class started on Monday and it is now in full swing. I am trying to manage that at night and on weekends all while doing surgery. I would not advise anyone to try doing this. Thankfully, I am almost done with surgery. Only two more weeks!
Since I last wrote, not too much has happened. I did manage to get outta town for a weekend and go down to the Jersey Shore to Liz's beach house. It was really nice vacation. I got together with Maria before she moved outta NYC. It was sad for her to go, but at least we got to see each other and do some touristy stuff before she left. In mid June, Pete came for 6 weeks to do his psych rotation and we managed to go out quite a bit. I finally got to see Mandy a couple weekends ago for her birthday which was awesome since I hadn't seen her in over a year! The weather has been pretty awesome here lately. I have gone to Prospect Park. It feels like you left the city for a little bit. On one of my post call days I went and bought some plants/flowers to put on my fire escape. I have discovered it is a nice porch too. The flowers look great. I need to get a little chair for it now. As for the surgery stuff, I have loads of funny stories I could write about. Unfortunately though, I don't have the energy for it at the moment. I will try to get to that at some point. For now I will leave you with some pics of the last couple months.
Well, I am not dead yet from this ridiculous schedule, but this weekend might have done it. My kaplan class started on Monday and it is now in full swing. I am trying to manage that at night and on weekends all while doing surgery. I would not advise anyone to try doing this. Thankfully, I am almost done with surgery. Only two more weeks!
Since I last wrote, not too much has happened. I did manage to get outta town for a weekend and go down to the Jersey Shore to Liz's beach house. It was really nice vacation. I got together with Maria before she moved outta NYC. It was sad for her to go, but at least we got to see each other and do some touristy stuff before she left. In mid June, Pete came for 6 weeks to do his psych rotation and we managed to go out quite a bit. I finally got to see Mandy a couple weekends ago for her birthday which was awesome since I hadn't seen her in over a year! The weather has been pretty awesome here lately. I have gone to Prospect Park. It feels like you left the city for a little bit. On one of my post call days I went and bought some plants/flowers to put on my fire escape. I have discovered it is a nice porch too. The flowers look great. I need to get a little chair for it now. As for the surgery stuff, I have loads of funny stories I could write about. Unfortunately though, I don't have the energy for it at the moment. I will try to get to that at some point. For now I will leave you with some pics of the last couple months.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Time Warp
I just looked up and here it is almost June. The end of my third year of med school is fast approaching. On Friday, I completed my internal medicine rotation. It was a very long three months. I learned more than I thought possible and despite having a lot of "psych" cases it ended up going pretty well. I really lucked out. But no worries, I am not going to pursue a career in internal med. I'm still gonna stick with peds. I even am in the process of writing how much I want to do peds. The dreaded personal statement. I must sell myself to a residency program and try to tell them why they should offer me a job. I thought the patient write-ups were bad. This is worse. A much harder task. I cranked out a rough draft and have sent it out to the parents for some feedback. I am hoping some of you also might be able to give some insight too. I am blessed with a family full of writers. Too bad that gene didnt' rub off on me.
My roommate and I will be moving into a new place in less than two weeks! We are moving into a three bedroom with another girl from school. I can't wait. This place is in prime park slope, has central heat and air, is right next to the subway stop and has tons of restaurants nearby. We are ending our lease a month and a half early but are lucky to have (keep your fingers crossed) found someone to sign a new lease. We will find out tomorrow if it all comes through. My mom is going to be coming up to do a majority of the moving for me. I am very very lucky. It is unlikely I will have time to do it since I begin surgery tomorrow and therefore will have no free time. I am dreading it but this is the last rotation of my third year and it will be nice to have it over with. Hopefully the almost passing out (like what happened in ob/gyn) won't happen again. My desensitization hopefully has held up over the last couple months. I will find out soon.
Over the last couple weeks the weather has finally warmed up. It wasn't gradual either. One day winter, the next day summer. Kinda bizarre but a welcomed change. I have made it to the park (not central park but prospect park) a half dozen times to sit in the sun and do some reading. It isn't quite the beach but it will have to do for now. Its very peaceful. Almost everyday I have been checking the scene at the beach and wish I was there.
I never managed to post about Angie's visit. She came to visit me in April. It was awesome to see her. I only wish she lived closer. We had a fantastic time when she was here. We were tourists to the max. Perhaps she will come visit me again :)
We had a beautiful sunset here tonight that i watched from the rooftop. Sadly, the pictures do not do it justice. The sun was a bright orange ball in the sky, so perfectly round setting behind the Statue of Liberty.
So thats about all from here. I will apologize in advance for not posting much as this surgery thing might be sucking the life out of me. I will try to make an effort though.
I just looked up and here it is almost June. The end of my third year of med school is fast approaching. On Friday, I completed my internal medicine rotation. It was a very long three months. I learned more than I thought possible and despite having a lot of "psych" cases it ended up going pretty well. I really lucked out. But no worries, I am not going to pursue a career in internal med. I'm still gonna stick with peds. I even am in the process of writing how much I want to do peds. The dreaded personal statement. I must sell myself to a residency program and try to tell them why they should offer me a job. I thought the patient write-ups were bad. This is worse. A much harder task. I cranked out a rough draft and have sent it out to the parents for some feedback. I am hoping some of you also might be able to give some insight too. I am blessed with a family full of writers. Too bad that gene didnt' rub off on me.
My roommate and I will be moving into a new place in less than two weeks! We are moving into a three bedroom with another girl from school. I can't wait. This place is in prime park slope, has central heat and air, is right next to the subway stop and has tons of restaurants nearby. We are ending our lease a month and a half early but are lucky to have (keep your fingers crossed) found someone to sign a new lease. We will find out tomorrow if it all comes through. My mom is going to be coming up to do a majority of the moving for me. I am very very lucky. It is unlikely I will have time to do it since I begin surgery tomorrow and therefore will have no free time. I am dreading it but this is the last rotation of my third year and it will be nice to have it over with. Hopefully the almost passing out (like what happened in ob/gyn) won't happen again. My desensitization hopefully has held up over the last couple months. I will find out soon.
Over the last couple weeks the weather has finally warmed up. It wasn't gradual either. One day winter, the next day summer. Kinda bizarre but a welcomed change. I have made it to the park (not central park but prospect park) a half dozen times to sit in the sun and do some reading. It isn't quite the beach but it will have to do for now. Its very peaceful. Almost everyday I have been checking the scene at the beach and wish I was there.
I never managed to post about Angie's visit. She came to visit me in April. It was awesome to see her. I only wish she lived closer. We had a fantastic time when she was here. We were tourists to the max. Perhaps she will come visit me again :)
We had a beautiful sunset here tonight that i watched from the rooftop. Sadly, the pictures do not do it justice. The sun was a bright orange ball in the sky, so perfectly round setting behind the Statue of Liberty.
So thats about all from here. I will apologize in advance for not posting much as this surgery thing might be sucking the life out of me. I will try to make an effort though.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Not sure where all the time goes....
I have been a serious slacker with the posts. Don't worry though, I have been slacking at all my writing duties. As I type this, I should be working on one of the 7 papers I have left to do. For those of you who know me well, you know my distaste for writing and my track record with the procrastination.
Anyhow, I will try to post at some point about whats been going on the last couple months. Here is a little sample of the happenings to hold you over. On Saturday, I went with Liz to see the Yankees play the Red Sox. It was a true American experience. I hope to go to some more games this year. Ok, thats all for now. More soon, I promise!
I have been a serious slacker with the posts. Don't worry though, I have been slacking at all my writing duties. As I type this, I should be working on one of the 7 papers I have left to do. For those of you who know me well, you know my distaste for writing and my track record with the procrastination.
Anyhow, I will try to post at some point about whats been going on the last couple months. Here is a little sample of the happenings to hold you over. On Saturday, I went with Liz to see the Yankees play the Red Sox. It was a true American experience. I hope to go to some more games this year. Ok, thats all for now. More soon, I promise!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Outta Town
I decided on Thursday while trying to study for my test that it would be nice to get outta town. I found out that Beth, Nana and Felix were gonna be in DC for the weekend and of course my mom was free to drive up to meet me there. Pete, Barbara, Sylvie and Annabeth were as always glad to have me visit. So I flew down and had a wonderful time. Lucy brought her girls over on Saturday. It was nice to sit back and do nothing all weekend and even nicer to be in a real house, drive and see that there is life outside of this city. Here are some pics of the kids.
Felix
Felix and Maxie
Sylvie
Annabeth and Maxie (sitting in her chair in the driveway depite the freezing weather!)
I decided on Thursday while trying to study for my test that it would be nice to get outta town. I found out that Beth, Nana and Felix were gonna be in DC for the weekend and of course my mom was free to drive up to meet me there. Pete, Barbara, Sylvie and Annabeth were as always glad to have me visit. So I flew down and had a wonderful time. Lucy brought her girls over on Saturday. It was nice to sit back and do nothing all weekend and even nicer to be in a real house, drive and see that there is life outside of this city. Here are some pics of the kids.
Felix
Felix and Maxie
Sylvie
Annabeth and Maxie (sitting in her chair in the driveway depite the freezing weather!)
Sunday, February 25, 2007
When can I wear my flip flops again??
It is snowing like crazy up here in NYC. We are supposed to get 5 to 7 inches of snow by tomorrow night. It looks beautiful coming down right now. I am prepared for it. I bought some wellies this weekend so I can trudge through the snow without getting my feet wet. I had a great weekend. Pete and Sam came to visit from
The ob/gyn rotation has been draining the last three weeks. This weekend was my first day off (other than post call days) in three weeks. I really needed the time to recoup. I only have two and a half days to work then I finished with the rotation. Then I have my test (oral and written) on Friday. It was a little rough going when I started. I had three incidents where I almost passed out. I didn’t ever actually pass out but it was close. The sweats, lightheadedness, tunnel vision, hearing loss that takes over hit me two times when I was helping with vaginal deliveries and once in a c-section. BUT, I am proud to report I got over it. I finally got desensitized and can now handle anything (I think!). My next to last call was awesome. I got to help deliver three babies vaginally, two c-sections, a manual placental removal and a D&C. It was nonstop action and made the 26 hour call fly by. On another call, I did manage to do just what the title of my last blog had mentioned. I caught a baby by the foot. I was all scrubbed in with the resident and the baby had a cord around the neck. We cut that and with the next push the baby flew threw the residents hands and by some miracle my quick reflexes were working at 2:30 AM and I snagged the kid by its ankle and tossed it on the mother’s stomach. I know there must be cases of babies falling on the floor. Thankfully, this one did not. Last week, I was in the gyn part and this is mostly surgeries. Thursday there were four surgeries I went in on and it was fun. It makes me excited for my surgery rotation that I will start in May. As for ob/gyn I liked it and would consider it if the hours weren’t so horrendous and the malpractice weren’t so high. A week from tomorrow, I start internal medicine. I am dreading it. Twelve weeks of it with Q3 call (aka on call every third day). Gone are my weekends. During this time though I will have a visitor coming! Angie has booked her ticket and is coming in mid April. I can’t wait. I might have to call in sick when she arrives so I can see her. I will try to take some pictures of the snow accumulation and post them later this week.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Catching Babies
I am almost finished with my first week of my ob/gyn rotation. It is definetly keeping me busy. This week I was on clinic service. But last night, I got a new taste when I was on call for OB. It was my first overnight call since I started rotations in August. I spent 26 hours straight in the hospital (I went in on Wednesday at 9AM and didnt' leave till Thursday 11 AM.) Now, I am "post call" which means I had the rest of the day to sleep and dont' have to go in till Friday. It was a like a crash course in delievering babies. I got to take part in the delivery of one baby and was about 30 minutes short of a second when I had to go to morning lecture. The baby I did get to see born was my first delivery ever and I did almost start crying. It was a pretty moving experience. It was special to take part in bringing a new person into the world. I dont' think I could do ob as a career but I now see how rewarding it would be.
I am almost finished with my first week of my ob/gyn rotation. It is definetly keeping me busy. This week I was on clinic service. But last night, I got a new taste when I was on call for OB. It was my first overnight call since I started rotations in August. I spent 26 hours straight in the hospital (I went in on Wednesday at 9AM and didnt' leave till Thursday 11 AM.) Now, I am "post call" which means I had the rest of the day to sleep and dont' have to go in till Friday. It was a like a crash course in delievering babies. I got to take part in the delivery of one baby and was about 30 minutes short of a second when I had to go to morning lecture. The baby I did get to see born was my first delivery ever and I did almost start crying. It was a pretty moving experience. It was special to take part in bringing a new person into the world. I dont' think I could do ob as a career but I now see how rewarding it would be.
Monday, January 15, 2007
"Rage, rage against the dying of the light."- Dylan Thomas
Time to update everyone on the last few months. I don't really have any excuses for not blogging other than not wanting to sit down and write. Since the last post back in November, lots has taken place.
The most significant is the passing of my beloved uncle Hall. He passed away on New Years Day. Thankfully, I was able to go down to FWB to spend some time with him back in September and over Christmas to say my goodbyes. It is never easy to see someone in such pain but he remained full of vigor and was determined to fight till the end. The time I spent with him over the break was short but i was able to convey how important he was/is in my life and thank him for so many things. He will be missed but he left so much behind. I have some of his artwork in my room here. There was a memorial service held at sunset on the point of the yacht club. I didn't go but I can imagine how beautful it must have been. The marine guards shooting their guns in honor of their fallen soldier.
As for work, the last two months I have been doing my neurology rotation. The first half was ok and the second has been much better. It is a very interesting field and I am glad I have gotten exposure to it. I can't imagine going through medical school without having had some neuro experience. I am due to start my ob/gyn rotation a week from today. Most of the people I know who have done this rotation at my hospital are not happy during the rotation. I am hoping this will not be the case for me. The hours will be some of the worst I hear. We shall see how it goes.
I have been doing a bit more touristy stuff lately too. I went to see the HUGE Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. The place was packed with tourist but worth it. The smell was amazing! Up until a week ago the weather was "mild" here. (Well, mild for NY but still not my ideal.) I was so excited the last weekend when it reached 72! This is apparently unheard of here. I spent the day in SoHo with Liz and then we went to Central Park. Then the next day we went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to see the cherry blossoms. I will post a picture of them. The trees must be confused with all the spring time weather we had in December! The gardens although mostly barren were still a sight to see and I look forward to going back in the Spring when the rest of it comes to life.
Yesterday, I registered for the USMLE Step 2. I can't believe that in less than 8 months I am going to be studying for that horrid test again. I am not looking forward to it. Also, I am trying to arrange the electives I will do during my fourth year and make sure that I can graduate on time.
Thats all I can think of for now. For those of you out there reading this blog, I am going to try to post more frequently and if I don't please do feel free to pester me to post!
Time to update everyone on the last few months. I don't really have any excuses for not blogging other than not wanting to sit down and write. Since the last post back in November, lots has taken place.
The most significant is the passing of my beloved uncle Hall. He passed away on New Years Day. Thankfully, I was able to go down to FWB to spend some time with him back in September and over Christmas to say my goodbyes. It is never easy to see someone in such pain but he remained full of vigor and was determined to fight till the end. The time I spent with him over the break was short but i was able to convey how important he was/is in my life and thank him for so many things. He will be missed but he left so much behind. I have some of his artwork in my room here. There was a memorial service held at sunset on the point of the yacht club. I didn't go but I can imagine how beautful it must have been. The marine guards shooting their guns in honor of their fallen soldier.
As for work, the last two months I have been doing my neurology rotation. The first half was ok and the second has been much better. It is a very interesting field and I am glad I have gotten exposure to it. I can't imagine going through medical school without having had some neuro experience. I am due to start my ob/gyn rotation a week from today. Most of the people I know who have done this rotation at my hospital are not happy during the rotation. I am hoping this will not be the case for me. The hours will be some of the worst I hear. We shall see how it goes.
I have been doing a bit more touristy stuff lately too. I went to see the HUGE Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. The place was packed with tourist but worth it. The smell was amazing! Up until a week ago the weather was "mild" here. (Well, mild for NY but still not my ideal.) I was so excited the last weekend when it reached 72! This is apparently unheard of here. I spent the day in SoHo with Liz and then we went to Central Park. Then the next day we went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to see the cherry blossoms. I will post a picture of them. The trees must be confused with all the spring time weather we had in December! The gardens although mostly barren were still a sight to see and I look forward to going back in the Spring when the rest of it comes to life.
Yesterday, I registered for the USMLE Step 2. I can't believe that in less than 8 months I am going to be studying for that horrid test again. I am not looking forward to it. Also, I am trying to arrange the electives I will do during my fourth year and make sure that I can graduate on time.
Thats all I can think of for now. For those of you out there reading this blog, I am going to try to post more frequently and if I don't please do feel free to pester me to post!
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