No matter how much I do, it seems like a tiny drop in the bucket. There are never ending tasks, some of them important, some of them urgent, all of them necessary. It wouldn't be as mind-numbing if the urgent ones and the important ones were the same, but it's like they want to make ABSOLUTELY sure that we do a clinical journal that no-one will ever read, but if we get around to writing up a patient note, whatever. Huh!?
I am so underqualified for my life.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Whew.
Things are a little less completely insane now. I have taken the exam, although because it's a national shelf I'm not sure if I passed it yet -- that will take a few weeks. The cat's other end seems to be functional, and she didn't even need an enema. Just a phone consult. We had a clinical skills video evaluation, which I think went well. Unfortunately, of course when things go well they're pass/fail. And then I was on cardiology for four days. My patient was a lady who came in to rule out a heart attack, which she didn't have. Then it was thought maybe she had heart failure (yup) but not due to a common cause (hmmm). So now she has been discharged and is going to see her doctor for many unusual tests which will hopefully solve the riddle of how she is walking around asymptomatic when her heart can only pump 30% of its final volume to her body. Good for her, at 80!
One of my OB patients, whom I had been working with pretty closely, was finally delivered of her girlchild. By me!! I did the entire delivery all by myself, which was the first time ever that I have run a delivery. It was amazing. And because it was the first night of my cardiology call, which was right after the OB shelf, I basically haven't slept well in over a week.
Today we were teaching the MS1s about heart failure. It turns out you do learn something in two years, after all. But they were better at heart medications, having just studied them. Oops. I guess I need to review all of the latest options myself, since on the wards I'm not the one deciding which meds are the best. I also learned today that soon they will come out with a better clot preventer than warfarin (Coumadin), and that whoever wins that particular pharmaceutical race is going to be very rich.
I got my first psychiatry patient today. He's awesome and has depression. Hopefully we can get the poor guy being more awesome and less depressed and back to his old self again. I have had other patients in psychiatry clinic, but this is the first one whose care I'm supposed to be in charge of. Fantastic. I feel behind in psych and need to study it more.
I got all fours (good) on a recent surgery evaluation. I think they evaluated the wrong person. I'm not going to tell them when I have surgery tomorrow.
Finally, I am excited because I think I might get enough sleep tonight. I'm really, really excited. I'm looking forward to it. I've been dreaming about my nice soft cottony plump firm pillow all week long....ahhhh....
One of my OB patients, whom I had been working with pretty closely, was finally delivered of her girlchild. By me!! I did the entire delivery all by myself, which was the first time ever that I have run a delivery. It was amazing. And because it was the first night of my cardiology call, which was right after the OB shelf, I basically haven't slept well in over a week.
Today we were teaching the MS1s about heart failure. It turns out you do learn something in two years, after all. But they were better at heart medications, having just studied them. Oops. I guess I need to review all of the latest options myself, since on the wards I'm not the one deciding which meds are the best. I also learned today that soon they will come out with a better clot preventer than warfarin (Coumadin), and that whoever wins that particular pharmaceutical race is going to be very rich.
I got my first psychiatry patient today. He's awesome and has depression. Hopefully we can get the poor guy being more awesome and less depressed and back to his old self again. I have had other patients in psychiatry clinic, but this is the first one whose care I'm supposed to be in charge of. Fantastic. I feel behind in psych and need to study it more.
I got all fours (good) on a recent surgery evaluation. I think they evaluated the wrong person. I'm not going to tell them when I have surgery tomorrow.
Finally, I am excited because I think I might get enough sleep tonight. I'm really, really excited. I'm looking forward to it. I've been dreaming about my nice soft cottony plump firm pillow all week long....ahhhh....
Thursday, December 2, 2010
A Charming Topic...
So my cat hasn't had a poo, as far as I can tell, since Tuesday night. Now it's Thursday morning. She is otherwise acting well and eating and peeing, so I am now left with this interesting dilemma. Given that our OB/GYN shelf exam is tomorrow morning, at which point do I need to take her to the vet? Pre-exam, or post-exam? Poor little old lady cat. I will let you know how she does (she thinks she's fine). I'm pretty sure there will be an enema in here somewhere before this is resolved.
Sigh. What purrfect timing.
Sigh. What purrfect timing.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
More Examinating
The next one is OB/GYN. And for anyone out there who thinks that it's all 'natural' and 'simple' and 'what can possibly go wrong with the female reproductive tract and kid production?' The answer is: Way. Too. Much. Please, if you or females you know have symptoms, get over your embarrassment and get your a** to a clinic where they know what they are doing ASAP. Your nether regions are very important.
Ok, back to studying. Guess who has cardiology call right after the OB/GYN exam?! Four days and nights of taking care of people whose hearts are acting up. Both very cool and incredibly scary. Just like med school.
My personal motto: Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
Ok, back to studying. Guess who has cardiology call right after the OB/GYN exam?! Four days and nights of taking care of people whose hearts are acting up. Both very cool and incredibly scary. Just like med school.
My personal motto: Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Still Alive and Kicking
Summer is definitely gone, as has Labor Day, Halloween, and Veteran's Day, and now we're gearing up for Thanksgiving. By 'we' I mean everyone else: my class has three exams next week, plus I have a presentation and two patient consults to do. Yikes. But interesting things have happened since my last post, which I'll briefly summarize before getting back to work:
-- Brother, dad, and I all moved home so all 4 of us are living under one roof. Definitely a full house, but fun!
-- B had an emergent appendectomy & pulmonary edema + ICU stay -- in Holland. I went out there for a bit until he was better.
-- Went to B's high school friend's wedding in NY for Halloween. Was brief but awesome.
-- The Giants (LET'S GO GIANTS!) won the World Series. For the first time in 54 years. All is happy chaos here.
-- I delivered lots of babies on my inpatient OB/GYN week. Again, awesome.
-- I won a free wedding photo album & design session for after we get hitched!
-- Got 2nd evaluation, nothing too scary. Yay.
-- Started freaking out about aforementioned exams
K, back to work. Bye for now!
P.S. If you have called or emailed and I haven't replied, thank you. I still care about you.
-- Brother, dad, and I all moved home so all 4 of us are living under one roof. Definitely a full house, but fun!
-- B had an emergent appendectomy & pulmonary edema + ICU stay -- in Holland. I went out there for a bit until he was better.
-- Went to B's high school friend's wedding in NY for Halloween. Was brief but awesome.
-- The Giants (LET'S GO GIANTS!) won the World Series. For the first time in 54 years. All is happy chaos here.
-- I delivered lots of babies on my inpatient OB/GYN week. Again, awesome.
-- I won a free wedding photo album & design session for after we get hitched!
-- Got 2nd evaluation, nothing too scary. Yay.
-- Started freaking out about aforementioned exams
K, back to work. Bye for now!
P.S. If you have called or emailed and I haven't replied, thank you. I still care about you.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Summer is Slipping Away...
Hello! Gosh, it's been two months since my last post. There has been a lot going on, so I'd better start at the beginning. Last time I checked in, I had just started my third year of medical school. Now, it's been three months, not three days!!
In May, I was just getting started, going to clinics, and meeting my preceptors. I had only a few patients. Now, I have done 2 weeks of inpatient surgery, during which I got to suture a huge abdominal wound closed using subcuticular stitches, I got to drive the camera during a laparoscopic surgery, I got to ablate (laser out) part of a liver, and I got to talk about poop a lot with some amazing and wonderful patients (it was a colorectal surgery service). There is something convenient and reassuring about being able to be frank about people's bodily functions without them running out the door. It's scary to talk about, but it's so important. I know it can be hard to trust a perfect stranger with information about your body, but it makes a huge, huge difference. And I did find that patients were, for the most part, totally blase about their symptoms.
Then there was my first delivery ever, in mid-July. As in, I helped catch. I was following Mom as one of my patients, and I got paged to the hospital. I stayed up all night while we induced labor due to a liver condition, but still no baby. She came in on Friday, and at the stroke of midnight on Sunday, I helped catch a beautiful baby girl. The mom was so brave and working so hard. And she did it! Normal vaginal delivery. Mom and baby had some trouble at first, but I am happy to report that they are now doing well. The baby is over a month old now! They named her after a Roman goddess. And I got to do her first newborn exam as well, and do mom's postnatal exam (with supervision, of course, don't be scared). Awesome. One of the most awesome experiences ever.
My patient list has grown from six to thirty over the past three months, and I hope to acquire about sixty by December. I am surprised that people do, in fact, contact me with questions. The silly medical center voicemail system is NOT user-friendly, however. Grrrr. I missed a call from a lady who had had a stroke the other day, and I was very displeased. So I have to fix that. But patients email me, too. Especially the pregnant ones! I am supposed to deliver 10 ladies of their babies by the end of the year. Here's hoping!
Speaking of strokes, I was allowed to do a neurology consultation to the ER alone. The ER doc said, "Are you from neuro?" and I realized the answer was yes. I diagnosed and admitted a lady with a stroke! It was somewhat harrowing. My supervising resident was very careful and thorough and checked everything I did, but I was able to do it and that was a huge high. It was a sad story, though -- the lady didn't trust the hospital, and so didn't come in until more than 24 hrs after her stroke. By which time it is too late to stop the symptoms from becoming permanent. It was a small stroke, though, and she will be fine with some care and therapy. She will have a permanent slur to her voice, and a facial droop. But she's alive. And she's such an amazing, brave person. She raised an entire family of children and grandchildren by herself. She is so inspiring.
I love, love, love my life. It is hard, it's stressful, it can make you want to cry. It's scary; it can be daunting every single day, but I wouldn't do anything else for the world.
In other news, B was here all summer. That was very cool, even though we were both working the whole time. We stayed at E's place for two months, which was fun. It was a shame that we couldn't hang out with E & R more, but it was a somewhat family-focused time (my dad is moving back to the US from Japan at long, long last). Now B has gone to The Hague. He will be helping to prosecute international criminals! How incredible. Wedding plans are starting to take shape, and I'm getting excited. We are hoping for next spring. It will be a small wedding (very, very small by Indian standards), but it will be our loved ones watching us start our lives together, and therefore excellent. We are going to have a multicultural ceremony, which I hope will not offend anyone belonging to the respective cultures involved! Hopefully we can have a reception for our friends later on. I have to say that I am very lucky to have such amazing parents, such an amazing brother, and such amazing in-laws-to-be. And then there's B. Who makes me happier than I can write on such a blog.
My school program had a light schedule this past week, so I have been getting chores done. I cut my hair, cleaned my room, played with my cat, and talked with B on the phone a lot. I also did do a little schoolwork, because, as always, there are things to catch up on. Speaking of which, I have to e-mail a patient.
TTYS!
Love,
Niya
In May, I was just getting started, going to clinics, and meeting my preceptors. I had only a few patients. Now, I have done 2 weeks of inpatient surgery, during which I got to suture a huge abdominal wound closed using subcuticular stitches, I got to drive the camera during a laparoscopic surgery, I got to ablate (laser out) part of a liver, and I got to talk about poop a lot with some amazing and wonderful patients (it was a colorectal surgery service). There is something convenient and reassuring about being able to be frank about people's bodily functions without them running out the door. It's scary to talk about, but it's so important. I know it can be hard to trust a perfect stranger with information about your body, but it makes a huge, huge difference. And I did find that patients were, for the most part, totally blase about their symptoms.
Then there was my first delivery ever, in mid-July. As in, I helped catch. I was following Mom as one of my patients, and I got paged to the hospital. I stayed up all night while we induced labor due to a liver condition, but still no baby. She came in on Friday, and at the stroke of midnight on Sunday, I helped catch a beautiful baby girl. The mom was so brave and working so hard. And she did it! Normal vaginal delivery. Mom and baby had some trouble at first, but I am happy to report that they are now doing well. The baby is over a month old now! They named her after a Roman goddess. And I got to do her first newborn exam as well, and do mom's postnatal exam (with supervision, of course, don't be scared). Awesome. One of the most awesome experiences ever.
My patient list has grown from six to thirty over the past three months, and I hope to acquire about sixty by December. I am surprised that people do, in fact, contact me with questions. The silly medical center voicemail system is NOT user-friendly, however. Grrrr. I missed a call from a lady who had had a stroke the other day, and I was very displeased. So I have to fix that. But patients email me, too. Especially the pregnant ones! I am supposed to deliver 10 ladies of their babies by the end of the year. Here's hoping!
Speaking of strokes, I was allowed to do a neurology consultation to the ER alone. The ER doc said, "Are you from neuro?" and I realized the answer was yes. I diagnosed and admitted a lady with a stroke! It was somewhat harrowing. My supervising resident was very careful and thorough and checked everything I did, but I was able to do it and that was a huge high. It was a sad story, though -- the lady didn't trust the hospital, and so didn't come in until more than 24 hrs after her stroke. By which time it is too late to stop the symptoms from becoming permanent. It was a small stroke, though, and she will be fine with some care and therapy. She will have a permanent slur to her voice, and a facial droop. But she's alive. And she's such an amazing, brave person. She raised an entire family of children and grandchildren by herself. She is so inspiring.
I love, love, love my life. It is hard, it's stressful, it can make you want to cry. It's scary; it can be daunting every single day, but I wouldn't do anything else for the world.
In other news, B was here all summer. That was very cool, even though we were both working the whole time. We stayed at E's place for two months, which was fun. It was a shame that we couldn't hang out with E & R more, but it was a somewhat family-focused time (my dad is moving back to the US from Japan at long, long last). Now B has gone to The Hague. He will be helping to prosecute international criminals! How incredible. Wedding plans are starting to take shape, and I'm getting excited. We are hoping for next spring. It will be a small wedding (very, very small by Indian standards), but it will be our loved ones watching us start our lives together, and therefore excellent. We are going to have a multicultural ceremony, which I hope will not offend anyone belonging to the respective cultures involved! Hopefully we can have a reception for our friends later on. I have to say that I am very lucky to have such amazing parents, such an amazing brother, and such amazing in-laws-to-be. And then there's B. Who makes me happier than I can write on such a blog.
My school program had a light schedule this past week, so I have been getting chores done. I cut my hair, cleaned my room, played with my cat, and talked with B on the phone a lot. I also did do a little schoolwork, because, as always, there are things to catch up on. Speaking of which, I have to e-mail a patient.
TTYS!
Love,
Niya
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