Welcome to my Apt!

Cleveland Apt

I bought a new pink orchid named "Pinky". Pinky sits next to my ghetto antenna TV setup. I get about 3 channels on good days. I'll think about getting cable TV

When I get enough paychecks to cover my bills.

If you guys ever want to visit Cleveland....

Watch this video first

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

Its a Cleveland Tourism video...Hilarious.

Well its Saturday and I must start working this Wednesday July 1. The last couple days has just been going out with the interns Thursday night, Friday night,

and they wanted to go out tonight again. I had to pass this Sat night movie they wanted to go to. I completely need a personal day.

Its fun going out, but my introverted personality requires that I give myself quiet time to rejuvinate before going out again. I got sick last week during the first day of

orientation. I think I gave my cold to my fellow interns a couple of them are now sick . I think its b/c I touched those ACLS mannaquins and now everyone is coming down with sneezing and coughing. OOps

Ahhh 6days until July 1

So recapping this week:

This week had to be the longest week I could ever remember. We started off Monday with Ethics & Drug abus lectures and talks with the chief residents. We also started ACLS Day #1. So for the most part ACLS was taught by my Anesthesia Assistant Program Director who has a German last name and demeanor. He has Brownish blonde hair and has a face &body that looks like Jack Nicholson. He's pretty tough on us harping us "those contractions are inadequate" "I can't hear the clicking" . Many times was my compressions "not adequate" Imean the dummies were on tables and as you guys know I'm vertically challenged so that I had to stand on my tip toes to compress. So we finished off with practice cases, showed us some intubation models and harped that we must know ACLS b/c it is essential in the OR especially when your patient codes on the table. So we practiced on tables.

Day 2 ACLS:

It was the megacode. Everyone was stressed b/c German attending was going to grade us. I frantically studied and re-studied the algorithms. We divided into 2 groups and we each rotated as team leader. My attending at times gives you 2minutes if you fault or do a grave mistake you have to remediate the megacode. Luckily I didn't have to repeat and he gave me and easy pass.

Wednesday and Thursday

PALS on both days. I would say it was the worst, it was confusing and the people are crazy nit picky about how you do compressions with babies models. I had to remediate 1 person BLS for an infant b/c i was 2 seconds off of respirations. Luckily the rest of the testing stations I got easy graders who also gave us prompts and our group had no problems the rest of the day. I would say PALS was the most stressful out of this week. I have so sleep deprived just trying to read these manuals and do the study cases and memorize alogorithms. The sad part is that I haven't started working yet.

Tomorrow Friday- I more computer training and then at night I'm off to Chicken wing and Wine get together with the interns. So most of the same interns go out, and I feel like I still don't know a couple of the interns who don't go out with us or talk to me. The plan is to pick up some wine and dessert from Whole Foods and head over to the interns house for get-together.

July 1st I'm starting CORS - colorectal surgery floor medicine. I'm basically assigned to a resident and fellow and we work as a team. I mostly handle the floor calls while they are in the OR and take care of post-op colorectal surgery patients. its 6am-6pm with rounding starting at 5:30am. I hope this all goes well and I do screw it up completely.

2 days of orientation done!

Thank goodness its Friday. The first day started at 7am. I have fortunately met 2 other Anes interns in my building and we carpool to orientation together. On our first day, several booths were setup over 5 floors in one building. I had to walk from floor to floor to complete tasks such as turning in paperwork, going to payroll, getting a photo ID taken, parking, security ect. After that I started to recognize some people in my own dept and some people from TEXAS!. UT Texas- I remember from pre-med classes (she's not in my dept).

For a summer day in Cleveland, is was bone chillingly cold. It must have been like 60's outside and raining. Geez, if this is summer, I have no idea what is called "Winter". Seeing that most people from my program are originally from the Midwest-Chicago, Iowa, OH, Michigan I have been asking what they think are ridiculous questions. Like how to drive in snow and what to do in the winter.

The Move to CLE

Moving from Houston to Cleveland (CLE) was extremely stressful for several reasons:

1. My movers are the biggest scammers I have encountered in life. I booked them through BBB under "Budget Van Lines" but Budget subcontracted my move to a Houston Moving Co. "American Knights". The pick up (11 days earlier than when I was expected to move) was fine. The very next day I wanted to check where my belongings were located ie was it on the road or was it sitting in Houston. The person I spoke too imformed my stuff wasn't going to leave Houston until 4 days before I leave Houston. I know it will never arrive the same time I will in CLE. I was rudely told it was "my fault" that I didn't call the Co. earlier to ask them to ship out earlier. Dude I said its your job to arrange the shipments not the customer.

After making a huge fuss and arguing with the owner, even threating to pick up my stuff myself and move it myself. He agreed that it will arrive on June 11.

2. Roadtripping with your parents.

I can't remember when the last time I took a road trip with my parents. It's been a really long time. The fartherest we have ever driven together on a vacation was probably to San Antonio. Driving with my parents now is so much different that driving as a kid. This trip was my dad's first time seeing a GPS in use. He was in awe of such amazing technology: it talked, it gave directions, it showed pictures and most of all it never got us Lost. We drove from Houston through Texarkana stopped in Little Rock, Louisville KY and finally Independence OH (suburb of CLE). We drove through pouring rain, where the only thing you could see was blurrs of red tail lights in front of you. It was also along a rocky, hilly sharp turning cliffs. My parents I learned: drive super fast and like to pound the brake petal to stop. It was really rough on the stomach for me.

3. My movers arrive in CLE and they claim the move from the docking station of my highrise to the 12th floor is way to far than they expected there was this long underground hallway then to another elevator to the 12th floor, and wanted an extra $200 on top of the$1400 I paid them to move from Houston. My parents argued with them and they agreed to return $100 to us and they will leave my stuff at the freight elevator. Thank God a couple of good samritans helped us move the stuff from the dock up to my apt on the 12th floor.

I got my stuff, but it was all beat up: my fairly new mattress set had torn the lining on my box spring. My floor lamp was missing a screw.

With all that done my apt is starting to shape up like home. I also have 2 Anes interns living with me at my new apt. So its starting to brighten up.

NEW BLOG ENTRIES STARTING JUNE 8

ER and THE Last Rotation of Med School

I spent the last two weeks in Emergency Medicine at Dallas Methodist. Boy it was career confirming rotation. Although I enjoy the fast pace of the general day, the variety, and acuity of the diseases. I however didn't like seeing benign problems like alcoholics who black out after heavily drinking and thinking they had a seizure needing a full workup. I also didn't like c/c headaches that turned out to be a partially completed root canal that turned into abscess. Neither did I like the c/c headache - a older lady who had the "worst headache of her life" but didn't take tylenol or any other NSAID. She felt better after some Vicodin.

I did get to brush up on my ob/gyn skills and did a lot pelvic exams on pregnant ladies who came in with c/c vag bleeding w/ x weeks pregnancy. I will probably never use that skill again. Throughout the two weeks I saw alot of abcesses that that needed to be I/D. The worst one was a 40 yo HM with a facial abscess that started when he scratched a folliculitis in his nose. It spread from right inner nostril to down half his upper lip. We tried draining it the first day but there was not abscess. So we treated as facial cellulities and gave him doxycyline to cover for MRSA. The second day it got even worse, the abscess spread and now he needed a head CT and Surgery to drain ...yikes! There trauma all the time mostly MVC's nothing was really exciting to me anymore. I actually enjoyed looking at the radiology from the trauma more. Mostly the MVCs were caused by drunk drivers or people weaving in an out of traffic. After working a shift I was generally exhausted both my legs and my head, so I decompressed by watching a lot of TV.

This is the official end of blogging med school rotations. When I go back and read my first entry & starting Ob/Gyn in Odessa I was alot more excited and facinated with everything. I was a lot more paranoid too. This med school chapter is over and now on to starting my real love ...Anesthesiology. I'm looking forward to the 4wk break before graduation. In the meantime I'm going to Cleveland to look for an apt, and setup a bank, and do a pre-employment physical.

Zzz...Last Day Radiology. Where do you go to school?

I came back to Hermann after my 1week of mini vacation to radiology. My attending came back from Hawaii where he attended a conference. We started are usual routine loading up the films on his 5 panel HD monitors and began reading. He knew it was after the match and asked where I had matched. I told him and he was surprised and said "you did really well". He continued to ask where the rest of my class matched. I assumed he would probably be mostly interested in where our classmates matched for radiology. As I listed places out, he continued to be in some shock and awe. He said your school did very well for the match seeing that you come from the non-tiered medical school. I agreed our class did well knowing we come from an unknown medical school to even most Texans.

Before I go into work in the morning I come to the hospital to eat breakfast. The morning of my last day in the cafeteria I ran into a former TCOM student who is 1 year ahead of me and recognized my jacket and stopped me. I learned he matched to Gen Surgery at UT Houston (Ben Harvey) he wanted to know where everyone in my class matched too. He seemed to like UT Houston and that was our quick run in.

Back to reading films...

As we trudged through films, my attending still jet lagged was noticeably getting more and more tired and started to slow his voice. His eyelids became heavy and he started to SLEEP! I was sleepy too but wow...I have never seen an attending fall asleep at work ...Haha. He could not stand it we got a coffee break...ie we head down to the attending's lounge and grab sodas, juice, bagels, and coffee.

On my very last day a we saw a abdomen film where there was an abnormal instrument count. We were called to interpret a film of that pt. The story is the pt had some surgery the night before by the Ob/Gyns. The ob/gyn left the room after his part was done, and a plastic surgeon followed to close. Apparently plastics left some sort of plastic forceps in the patient's belly. It looked like it was just underneath the skin ...YIkes!

Hello my name is ...

The day of match, I recieved 2 emails from CCF. One from an intern sending congrats and sending out his email, phone number and stuff to all the new incoming interns (me). From this list everyone has emailing each other a group of 20 of us brief introductions of themselves.

That start like this: "Hi Everyone, my name is [Schizophrenia] I am 25. I grew up in Houston. I graduated from the Univ of Texas at Austin, and attended UNT for med school in DFW. In my spare time I enjoy sunsets and long walks on the beach...to that extent. I don't know anything about living in the North, or how to deal with snow. I am excited to hear about you guys and to meet you in June."

Here is what I really wanted to say. "My name is [Schizophrenia] I am 25. I grew up in Houston. I graduated from the Univ of Texas at Austin, and attended UNT for med school in DFW. In my spare time I enjoy SLEEPING, EATING, SURFING THE INTERNET, WATCHING TV/MOVIES. I am actually now dreading to move up North because its so COLD and snowy, and fear getting seasonal affective disorder (ie Winter Depression) as much as I fear getting skin cancer in Texas. I will definitely miss wearing shorts in November and BBQing throughout the year. I hope all 20 of you guys are half as cool as my med school friends.
Peace out."

Anyways I am starting ER at Dallas Methodist next week. Anyone know anything about ER? Any books I should carry on me?

Matched too High?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=612245

After Match

So after Match day, everything slowly begins to sink in daily.
1. I have to move far I mean really far.
2. Although, everyone is "Excited to start", I am frankly just scared/anxious/worried of this new change ie new city, new home, new friends, new routine
3. I think I was my smartest self maybe end of 3rd year. I have about forgot a lot of medical knowledge.

I Matched!!!! Anesthesiology ...Location ...TBA

Congratulations to all my buddies. We all matched!!! The buildup to this day was one of the most nerve wrecking I could remember. It reminded me of 4 years ago when I had to check online where I had matched for Med school. Did I or Did I not get in? Sitting in front of the computer pressing the refresh button over and over.

It's all downhill NOW !!!

March 09 Radiology

I'm doing radiology this month in Houston at Hermann (level 1 trauma-private)which is in the Houston Med center. For those of you not familiar with Houston & its Med Center it means one thing "NO PARKING" unless you want to pay a frigging crazy sum of money for a precious parking spot. Well of course I would not fork over any money for such a luxury since my rotation is no call, no weekends. I park at Rice stadium daily (for FREE!) and walk to Hermann. It's a 1 mile walk from where I park to the hospital. The walk isn't so bad its just the crazy 80% humidity that makes my walk turn from pleasant stroll to hot, smelly, sweaty, hair all over the place -appearing crazy person.

So okay once I get past the walk, lets talk Radiology. Radiology is one awesome job. My attendings come in around 8:15am and work until about 4:30-5pm. Its such a nice relaxing, low stress atmosphere. We spend the AM looking at all the overnight CXR in all the ICU's then look at CTs after that. There are 2 attendings: one kinda looks like a young glamazon- nice clothes, perfecto makeup, designer handbag, & some expensive jewelery bespeckled over her wrists. The other is a superbly funny 60ish attending from NY. He's jewish and was a former staff at John Hopkins. Well overcourse during the rotation you kinda feel out who can hang around and who doesn't really want you hanging around them. Well I get the feeling the glamazon doesn't really want me around her when she's dictating. So I spend most my time with the later funny attending which is great for me. It's just that he's going to gone for an entire week on a meeting I dont know what to do. I tried hanging around a resident but since she's a first year its not helpful to sit and watch her. Any suggestions. On afternoons that the glamazon attending is the only person in the room, I take the afternoon off. I hope they chang attendings or something, what am I going to do for a whole week?
Did I mention: that the glamazon told me to excuse myself and go to the library while she and the resident have a talk in the "reading room". I mean literally i had to go to the library (around the hall) and I read from like 8:15 to 9am, until my funny attending came it and I felt it safe to go back.

Well besides reading Chest xrays all morning the attendings really make it fun, but sprinkling a lot of sarcasm and jokes to everyone in the room. The major thing the radioloigst has to do if they find something impt on film is notify either the nurse or dr. taking care of the pt. They do spend a lot of time dictating their findings. If there's a complicated case you can easily spend 30 mins just reviewing old images.

I'm learning alot from this rotation, its been super useful esp. learning what all the lines are on CXR and where they should be.

Reverse Time Line - Feb 2009

I spent February in Tyler. My first impression : its much cleaner and appealing to my eye than Odessa. After a short time there the patients are nice, the doctors are nice and everyone was pleasant. I was the only girl med student rotating among 4 total med students. It was nice of them to offer free housing. The best thing out of the entire cabin was cable internet. A typical day was spent mostly in clinic. I spent a lot of time following a sleep medicine specialist and learned all the ins and outs of sleep apnea. So much of what I heard was so alarming that I myself may have sleep apnea. Everyone may say, surely you don't: you are not overweight middle aged male. I do have daytime sleepiness and I have a FMH of sinus disease (risk factor for sleep apnea) , I would like a sleep study to be done on me, but its too expensive. Mostly I think it would be interesting to see the results. The other half of the time at Tyler I followed a 2nd DR who does a lot of just plain pulm med. It was alot of COPD exacerbation. This is the first time I actually dictated a H&P and it was hard trying not to sound like a retard. I kept wanting to start over because I forgot alot of information. Overall I learned a lot of pulm at Tyler. It was a nice short month.