My Surgery Block & My Most Pregnant Day Yet...

Yes, I'm reading this book again. I've forgotten so much!

Yes, today was by far my most pregnant day yet...

Yesterday, I started my sub-specialty rotation with ENT (which I am really enjoying so far), and our hours have been super light this week. This has allowed me to have a day like today spent looking at nursery designs (I can't decide on anything), rescheduling my ultrasound, going to Target to refill my prenatal vitamins, buying some more maternity clothes, brushing up on some non-medical school reading, and even doing half a prenatal yoga video.

 I am so happy to report that even though I still feel totally pregnant and sore, I am starting to get some energy back. And it couldn't come a moment too soon. Yesterday, the surgeons let me use the mallet in a sphenoplasty (fancy word for repairing a deviated septum) and cut teeny, tiny stitches. It was AH-MAZ-ING!

See the 1:12 minute mark if you are curious about what I did and not squeemish...

How to rebreak the nose during rhinoplasty | Seattle Rhinoplasty Surgery from Thomas Lamperti on Vimeo.

Today, I got to help retract the orbit while they did an orbital blow out repair. The surgeries are so quick, it gives me just enough time to spare in between cases to inhale eat a FiberOne bar so Baby J and I don't get hungry and we start feeling all icky. I did have one near-faint episode yesterday, but thankfully, it didn't last too long. I'm starting to think that surgery is what I have been missing all school year ;-)

Driving in this morning, I was thinking about the fact that Natey was in my belly when I was sitting in my senior neuroanatomy and sleep behavior classes. Natey loves hearing about how he "went to college with mommy".  And now this little one is in my belly while I assist on my first surgeries. Even though being pregnant and simultaneously going to school can be totally draining, it makes for some pretty awesome stories years from now.

Reflecting on My Clerkship Experience: Internal Medicine

From the AAMC Careers in Medicine Clinical Evaluation 

Photo Credit

1. Name and Location of Clinical Rotation: 

Inpatient Medicine at the Veterans' Hospital (1 Month) and at Wishard Hospital (1 month).

2. What did I like most about this specialty? 

I felt like on this rotation, more than ever before, my suggestions for taking care of my patients were taken into consideration. For example, if I mentioned a test, the team might order it. Or if I suggested a steroid/antibiotic regimen, my patient might really get it. This could be directly related to the fact that I knew more and felt more comfortable to suggest things, but it was cool none-the-less.

3. What did I like least about this specialty?

Sometimes I felt overwhelmed by all there was to do and know when you are practicing inpatient medicine. Our patients were all really sick, and although quite a few pulled through and went home, we couldn't actually cure them. Also, you didn't get to follow up with those patients to see how they would  do long term.

4. Did this clinical rotation give me a good sense of what practice in this specialty would be like? 

I think it gave me a good idea of inpatient medicine, but I did not get any insight into the outpatient experience.

5. Did my interests, values, skills and/or personality "fit" with this specialty? If yes, in what way did they "fit"? If no, why might they not be compatible? 

No, I don't think so. I think that I really want to be involved in the long term health maintenance of my patients. For example, if someone came in whose diabetes or hypertension was uncontrolled, we could get it controlled while they were on the wards, but when we send them back home, things could go south again quickly if the patient does not have good follow up. I think this is why I enjoy preventative medicine so much, I want to stop my patients from needing to go to the hospital.

6. What are the possible practice settings for specialists in this field? Which of these settings interest me and do I know enough about them? 

In the hospital (Hospitalist) or in a community office setting

7. What information do I still need to find out about this specialty? 

None. I think I spent more than enough time checking it out :-) 

8. Has my perception of this specialty changed based on my clinical rotation experience? 

I think that my time on this rotation was really helpful in seeing that although being a Hospitalist may sound appealing schedule-wise, I want more of a long term relationship with my patients.

9. Did my clinical rotation experience influence the likelihood of choosing a career in this specialty? If yes, how did it influence me? 

I think it helped me to see that medicine may not be a good fit for me.

10. Right now, on a scale of 1-10, how interested am I in this specialty as a career option? 3

11. Other comments or reflections about this rotation or specialty: 

A lot of my patients were older (65+) men. Although I feel more than comfortable and capable working with all patient populations, I think that this rotation helped me see that I would miss not seeing women and the kiddos too. 

My Baby Turns Four Today!!!

I have a four year old!!!!... I cannot believe it.

I am so blessed to have this guy because I truly believe he gave my life it's true purpose.

He's FOUR!

Happy Birthday Natey!!! You have brought sunshine to so many lives and we are so blessed to have you.  Mommy loves you so much!!!

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

I grew up learning that this was a day "on" and not "off". Sadly, I'm currently at the hospital (& and on call today), but last night I talked to the little one about Dr. MLK, Jr. and we watched the short video I found last year.

I have heard so many say that today, being President Obama's second inauguration, undoubtedly brings Dr. King's vision full circle. It is in times like these that I think about my grandparents who have been alive to see this whole thing unfold and I am so grateful to God for those who have come before me so that I, too, a young Black woman can pursue my dreams without hesitation. 

I hope you all are having a great day!

Status Check.

Almost done with my second (and final) month of my medicine rotation. WOOT! I know I was pretty straight on medicine last time I mentioned it, so in all fairness, my experience at Wishard has not been bad at all. In fact, some days I might go so far as to say that it is fun :-)

Fourth year is coming faster than ever. I had to pick an advisor last week - I decided on doctors in Family Medicine and OB/GYN :-DDDD It's almost surreal. I started this blog right before 1st year started and now I am inching closer and closer to the end. Next week we take our senior picture that will be hung in the hallway right before we graduate. So EXCITED.

Told the school that I am with child and the student affairs office was super supportive (that was a HUGE weight lifted), and they told me contact my remaining clerkship coordinators to give them a heads up. OB was super excited for me and said how perfect this was - being pregnant on my OB rotation and all (LOL)...see I know I'm going to love it already! Surgery rotation has yet to respond....eeek I hope no news is good news.

Things on the home front are stable...

Natey is doing well. He turns four at the end of the month and after much back and forth on my part, I decided that I didn't need to throw him a birthday party two years in a row. Last year I said I would do them every other year (and I have a BIG thing in the works for 5 already...), but every time a friend throws a birthday party at his new school he starts giving us a play-by-play of what his party would be like, so I guilted myself into thinking I needed to throw one. Well I am over that. We are still planning on doing something super special with him and maybe a friend or two that weekend. More coming soon... :-)

Last weekend testing out the Little Kid-Big Kid strollers :-) 

I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out how we are going to comfortably fit the new tiny human into our home and decided that we are going to turn our guest room into a nursery. I've been hanging on to our guest room when really its a storage/clean laundry depository/catch-all the majority of the year. We are in the market for a new couch so maybe a pull out, or we can just invest in a good air mattress...or both. I am super excited about this because I didn't get to decorate a nursery with little Nate, and I think this project will help me get my mind right for baby mode.

Baby bump maybe? 

My Medicine shelf is this Friday so my weekend will be filled with studying intermittently broken up with some Pinterest procrastination for decoration ideas.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

He said he looked like Justin Beiber (peep microphone in his pocket...LOL)