How have I lived (and taken photos) without a proper flash all this time?? I am shaking my head as I see the test shots I have taken all evening in my dark backyard after buying a flash for my camera today. Not only am I giddy about finally buying the flash but I got a super sweet deal on both the sb-600 flash and the 55-200 VR Nikon lens I've been wanting to buy. This guy on craigslist wanted to get rid of both so bad and he gave me an awesome deal...too good to resist. So for the past few hours, my poor family has had a camera in the face and flashing lights in their eyes. I'm pretty sure they won't miss me when I leave! Ha!
On a side note, it has been too much fun and giggles doing Neurology at UNSOM here in Vegas. My attendings are super cool and chill and I have been seeing the most interesting neurological cases thus far. I'm sure my parents think I'm going to become a neurologist. Not quite though...I still love the babies and especially the mothers I deliver them to:) So far, I've stuck to my guns and am still thinking OB. I leave in exactly one week to head down to the DEEP SOUTH...the motherland aka "Samoa". I am so excited to go home again! It's been only a couple years but it feels like forever ago! I'll be doing my month long international elective in Obstetrics. Luckily, LBJ Tropical Medical Center is a bonafide baby factory!! Holla to the island girl that will be delivering them:)
But for now, I have to learn how to safely pack my camera gear, pack enough scrubs and tank tops (hot and humid is waiting for me on the island), and hopefully learn enough about child neurology in my one day on the service tomorrow.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
This just caught my eye
A quote I just read:
To most physicians, my illness is a routine incident in their rounds, while for me it’s the crisis of my life. I would feel better if I had a doctor who at least perceived this incongruity.
This statement is sadly true for some (hopefully not too many) patients. Coming from the medical side, I have seen this in action unfortunately. It's sad but I cannot answer to why it happens because I really don't know why some physicians do not have insight into how they act around their patients.
To most physicians, my illness is a routine incident in their rounds, while for me it’s the crisis of my life. I would feel better if I had a doctor who at least perceived this incongruity.
This statement is sadly true for some (hopefully not too many) patients. Coming from the medical side, I have seen this in action unfortunately. It's sad but I cannot answer to why it happens because I really don't know why some physicians do not have insight into how they act around their patients.
wow it's been ages
Talk about writer's block. This has been a long dry spell in my writing on this blog. It totally defeats the purpose of me creating this blog in the first place as I planned to write my every step, road block, and hill climbed through the beast that is medical school. Ultimate fail! Well...it has been a really interesting year so far. I'm currently wrapping up the last week on psychiatry and then I'm off to Vegas for a month of Neurology at UMC. My schedule worked out fabulously as I will get to spend QT with my family for a month while doing a rotation and then I have a month in the motherland (Samoa...sigh) doing my international elective in obstetrics. Yippeee! I'm really excited about getting back into some baby catching action again! It's been way too long. My OB rotation was back in Jan/Feb which seemed like forever and a day ago. So this will be a nice refresher before I get into 2 months of primary care working in outpatient gynecology early spring next year. Exciting times ahead:)
I really should be studying for my psychiatry shelf and I only signed in to "follow" a friend's blog...but the NEW POST button was calling my name. Now, seeing my thoughts go straight to print is quite therapeutic...lesson learned. I really need to post more. A few friends have created blogs recently so that was another gentle reminder for me to start up this old engine again. Until the next post...which will hopefully be sooner than later...coocoocachoo:)
I really should be studying for my psychiatry shelf and I only signed in to "follow" a friend's blog...but the NEW POST button was calling my name. Now, seeing my thoughts go straight to print is quite therapeutic...lesson learned. I really need to post more. A few friends have created blogs recently so that was another gentle reminder for me to start up this old engine again. Until the next post...which will hopefully be sooner than later...coocoocachoo:)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Pregnancy wheel app
So I finally got around to downloading the pregnancy wheel application on my blackberry although my OB rotation is ending this week. I know...kinda late! I was using the good old school method although practically every intern and resident has an iphone with the wheel application. What prompted me to finally download the app was a very LONG 24 hour call of constantly trying to locate the wheel in my overly stuffed white coat. It once took me five minutes fumbling through all four pockets. Grrrr!
Anyways, so I'm reading the reviews on the blackberry app site and just had to chuckle a little bit with all the expectant mothers rating the app with 1 or 2 stars because the wheel only provided the estimated date of delivery and current gestational date based on the last menstrual period. One reviewer was disappointed because the wheel did not approximate the size of the baby/fetus. I think the only good rating came from a nurse who said the dates were really accurate for the wards. All I kept thinking while reading these reviews was how far we have come with technology that a phone application can cause unwarranted anxiety to patients. I'm actually surprised I haven't yet come across a patient on this rotation who hasn't busted out with their iphone/blackberry with their own app and telling us their approximate due dates! The joys of technology...at least now I don't have to fumble through my pockets for the wheel and looking like a hot mess third year med student. As it is, that already happens enough times!
Anyways, so I'm reading the reviews on the blackberry app site and just had to chuckle a little bit with all the expectant mothers rating the app with 1 or 2 stars because the wheel only provided the estimated date of delivery and current gestational date based on the last menstrual period. One reviewer was disappointed because the wheel did not approximate the size of the baby/fetus. I think the only good rating came from a nurse who said the dates were really accurate for the wards. All I kept thinking while reading these reviews was how far we have come with technology that a phone application can cause unwarranted anxiety to patients. I'm actually surprised I haven't yet come across a patient on this rotation who hasn't busted out with their iphone/blackberry with their own app and telling us their approximate due dates! The joys of technology...at least now I don't have to fumble through my pockets for the wheel and looking like a hot mess third year med student. As it is, that already happens enough times!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Long weekend update
Gosh! It's been forever and a day since I last wrote. A million things have happened but I really can't update all of my activities since my last post so I will update on the past weekend/month. Right now I'm on my OB rotation. One word: AWESOME! I knew I would really like it and was about 90% sure that OB is what I want to go into before I started my rotation, but now I'm convinced this is what I really want to do. We have eight weeks of OB, so the first month (January) I spent doing inpatient. Looking back, I guess I worked really long hours but I didn't notice much (besides how much weight I lost!) because I loved being there everyday and didn't mind waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning to go to work. The weight loss probably came from not eating because I slept whenever I wasn't at the hospital, and that included most meals. What else...oh yeah! I delivered babies while I was on inpatient! The hospital I worked at was a serious baby catching factory so the opportunities to deliver are pretty much endless. By far, delivering a baby has been the coolest thing EVER! I totally forgot what the sex of the first baby (pretty sure it was a girl) was due to my initial shock and fear of dropping the poor thing that I forgot to look! I'm a mess.
On inpatient, I also got my first taste of "conversing" in Spanish because most of patients at this hospital (at least OB) are Spanish speakers only. I put it in quotation marks because it's really me butchering the language. I'm kicking myself for taking German in high school and then French in college instead of Spanish. I mean, really, when am I ever going to use either of the other two? So my plan is to buy the Rosetta stone language program for Spanish and ease my way into learning it.
So now I'm on outpatient mostly working at this large group practice. The pace is much slower, which is nice so I get more time to study for my shelf (end of rotation exam) in a couple weeks. Today is a holiday so we're all enjoying the long weekend that is coming off a long week off. DC just has the biggest snow storm in over a hundred years I guess. The President dubbed it "snowmaggedon" so now all my facebook and twitter friends have pictures of snow EVERYWHERE! I was in Dupont Circle last night for dinner and most of the cars were still buried in feet of snow. The cute little dump trucks that have been a permanent fixture all over the city for the past week and a half were still working late last night trying to get as much snow shipped out of the district before tonight and tomorrow's snowfall. Yes, we are getting more! I've come to realize that I'm not a fan of snow. Although DC doesn't really snow all that much (at least for the last two winters before this one), this snowpocalypse has given me enough reason to decide on going to the west coast for residency. I'm a fan of ocean, sand, heat, tanning lotion, and turtles. Concrete, snow, ice, and thick coats are the completely opposite.
On inpatient, I also got my first taste of "conversing" in Spanish because most of patients at this hospital (at least OB) are Spanish speakers only. I put it in quotation marks because it's really me butchering the language. I'm kicking myself for taking German in high school and then French in college instead of Spanish. I mean, really, when am I ever going to use either of the other two? So my plan is to buy the Rosetta stone language program for Spanish and ease my way into learning it.
So now I'm on outpatient mostly working at this large group practice. The pace is much slower, which is nice so I get more time to study for my shelf (end of rotation exam) in a couple weeks. Today is a holiday so we're all enjoying the long weekend that is coming off a long week off. DC just has the biggest snow storm in over a hundred years I guess. The President dubbed it "snowmaggedon" so now all my facebook and twitter friends have pictures of snow EVERYWHERE! I was in Dupont Circle last night for dinner and most of the cars were still buried in feet of snow. The cute little dump trucks that have been a permanent fixture all over the city for the past week and a half were still working late last night trying to get as much snow shipped out of the district before tonight and tomorrow's snowfall. Yes, we are getting more! I've come to realize that I'm not a fan of snow. Although DC doesn't really snow all that much (at least for the last two winters before this one), this snowpocalypse has given me enough reason to decide on going to the west coast for residency. I'm a fan of ocean, sand, heat, tanning lotion, and turtles. Concrete, snow, ice, and thick coats are the completely opposite.
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