bootcamp

Out of desperation to get back into shape I signed up for fitness bootcamp for 13 weeks starting December 21. I did the same thing right before starting medical school for 6 weeks. It was painful, but I loved it and I was in the best shape of my life when I was finished.

Flash forward 2.5 years (wow times flies) and I am now in the absolute worst shape of my life. :( So, the adventure begins in 13 days. I may throw up, but it will be good for me. I may even post pictures to document my journey (and as motivation to never let this happen again).

just want to say

I love my life right now. It is super busy, but I absolutely love it!

4 more weeks

TO A 6 WEEK BREAK...call me if you want to play!

Crafty...in my own sort of way

A couple of months ago Joel and I were really bored and looking for something to do. Our remedy? Go downtown and take pictures of buildings. I must say it was pretty fun. Fast forward to yesterday. Joel's birthday is Tuesday so I decided to take the pictures we took and make a collage out of them. I make said collage on Costco's website (it is pretty awesome actually), picked it up 2 hours later and was feeling pretty good about my craftiness. Well, now I need a frame and the thing is 12x18 inches. GOOD LUCK finding a frame that size! I have been to at least 5 stores today. My solution? Go to Costco's website and make a new one 16x20 inches.

Maybe a few years ago I could have come up with a better solution, but no today. Oh well. It will look pretty darn amazing when I am done...anyone want a 12x18 copy? :)

Peds so far...

I started my pediatric rotation with a week in the clinic...BORING! I saw like 6 kids a day pretty much all of which had viruses that I examined and sent on their way. I had one kid with pneumonia that I saw 4 times in 1 week and changed his antibiotics twice. As a thank you he coughed in my face. The next day I wasn't feeling so great and I worried for days he gave me his DRUG RESISTANT pneumonia! Luckily, I think I just picked up one of the viruses running through the clinic.

This week I am in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). I really like it, but it is not as exciting as you would think. I spend most of the day ordering labs, changing doses of medications, and writing notes. The kids are great though and so much fun to talk to. One kid died on Wednesday which was NOT SO FUN, but I dealt with it better than I thought I would mostly because it was pretty much inevitable.

Next week I go to the Well Baby Nursery. I am pretty excited!

I honestly never thought I could be so tired. After 6 weeks of OB/GYN where I woke up at 3:50 am and went to bed around 10:30 or 11:00pm and now this week in the PICU, I sleep whenever I can find a minute. I got home Tuesday around 10:00 pm, sat on my couch, and fell asleep until midnight shoes and everything!!! I LOVE IT THOUGH!!!

I am not sure pediatrics is really for me though. I hate making kids cry and that happens way more than I would like. We will see!

I delivered my first baby!!!

Week 1 of OB is officially over and I LOVED IT!  I knew I would because I said I would hate it until I was blue in the face.  I don't even mind waking up in the 3:00 hour.  All week I got to observe deliveries, but today, I got to do it.  It was awesome.  I almost passed out after.  I was so hot and shaky, but I was successful.  It made my week....actually maybe my medical school experience thus far.  I think I will really enjoy 3rd year.  My only wish is that I had paid attention and really tried to learn spanish, because it sure would be nice to talk to my patients.

Just as a side note, I worked 64 hours this week...in 4 days!

It's a brand new day!

Thanks for the words of encouragement!  It's a new day and I am feeling much better.  I treated myself to a massage this morning (I love living around the corner from the massage school) and now I am ready to tackle the day! 

Counting down the days

3 more study days until I meet my fate.  Tuesday morning at 8:00 am I take the boards.  I don't feel prepared, but I am not such a feeling is even possible.  

The last few days have been rough.  I am totally burned out and I feel like I can't learn anymore.  I have a constant headache, I can't sleep, and today I have an upset stomach.  I hope this all goes away and I am good as new as soon as the test is over.  

Wish me luck!

Once the test is over, I have 5 days of freedom until school starts.  In this time, I pretty much have no free time.

Wednesday I am meeting with one of my friends who is a year ahead of me in school at 8 am so that she can teach me to suture.  Then, at 12:30 I have a hair appointment (Amber, I am going to tell you now, its not going to be pretty) and then at 7:00 pm I have a bridal shower for a friend.

Thursday: I am attending a birthday dinner in my honor

Friday: nothing...yet

Saturday my friend mentioned about is getting married

Sunday: orientation for school

All the while, my parents are out of town visiting Jason in Phili so I am driving to and from their house to feed and take care of my cat!  AWESOME!  

Cabin Fever!

I am officially 2 weeks into board study!  Three weeks from Tuesday is the big day!  I am scared and excited at the same time.  I am shocked (and pleasantly surprised) at how much I actually remember!!!  Anyway, my days consist of studying 10-12 hours a day.  Awesome huh?  I study at home all by myself and I am getting to the point the sight of my kitchen table gives me PTSD.  Next week I am going to try for a change of scenery...perhaps the city library or somewhere in the school of medicine.  I have tried my parent's house, but it wasn't much better.  

I must say though, the gloomy weather has made it a little better.  I am sorry to all of those who are wishing the sun would come out and stay, but at least when its cloudy I don't feel like I am missing out so much!

This morning while checking my facebook page (I am living vicariously through others) I got a slap in the face courtesy of my brother Sean.  His update said, "Sean Mackintosh is going to Buenos Aires for the weekend."  WHAT???  Must be nice huh?  You wake up in the morning and think, "Maybe I will jet down to South America for the weekend."  I AM GOING INTO THE WRONG PROFESSION!!!  :)  I guess that is one of the perks of doing your internship with an airline.  

This post is totally random I know....

Tuesday night my friend Megan and I decided we needed to let off a little steam so we went for a LONG walk through memory grove and city creek canyon.  We started around 6:30 and at about 7:45 we were on 11th avenue walking along when it started to sprinkle.  I said, "uh oh it looks like it might rain."  The sprinkling continued until we were on F street and 11th ave (I live on F street between 1st and 2nd ave) and pretty much as soon as we turned the corner it started to POUR!!!  We both looked at each other.  It was inevitable, we were going to be soaked by the time we got home.  10 blocks (sprinting) later we were in my house.  Our shoes were full of water and I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower.  I LOVED IT!  I was in such a good mood when we got home.  I am not really sure why.  Maybe because I actually got to interact with someone and be outside...who knows, but it was probably the highlight of my week!  

Enough ramblings for today...UPDATE YOUR BLOGS!!!  I like to know what you are doing while I am reading about disorders, drugs, and diarrhea :)  

Where NOT to be....

My rotation schedule is complete and now you will know where to stay away from and when...

OB: University of Utah

Peds: Primary Childrens Glasgow team (students run the team without inters/residents)

Surgery: 3 weeks Primary Childrens, 3 weeks VA

Internal Medicine: University of Utah Pulmonary team

Break

Psych: University of Utah (5th floor...I hope none of you EVER end up there :) )

Family Medicine: Somewhere in the Salt Lake Valley

Surgery Subspecialty: Cardiac 

Internal Medicine: VA (hopefully ICU)

And there you have it, my life from July 6-May 2010!

SICK SICK

Last week I started feeling like I was getting a cold, and yesterday it hit me hard.  My throat hurts, my nose is runny, and my ears are plugged. :(  Too bad I have a test coming up because all I want to do is sleep!  

On a better note...4 weeks of class left!  Yeah!

I have started getting my assignments for my rotations next year:

OB: TBD

PEDS: TBD

Surgery: Primary Childrens and the VA (3 weeks each)

Internal Medicine: Pulmonary

Psych: TBD

Family Medicine: TBD

Surgery Specialty: TBD

Internal Medicine: VA 

I am so excited to get in the hospital!!!

...BREAK...

After my GI test on Thursday I get almost 2 weeks off!!!  I will be busy, busy but it will be SO NICE to not be in class.  My friend Kelly gets here Thursday and we have a fun filled weekend planned.  She leaves on Monday and then I leave Friday to San Diego for the weekend.  I am presenting my research...scary!!!  It should be a fun weekend though.  I am forcing myself to take some pictures (if you haven't noticed I never do)!  Stay tuned!  

Why would you ever want to be a dermatologist?

We started derm today.  It's gross and I don't know why anyone would want to do that as a career.  I guess the money is good and you really never have to work but lifestyle will only get you so far.  I guess I can take it off my list!

LIFE AS I KNOW IT...

My life has progressively been getting busier and busier over the last month or so.  My grandma is not doing very well so I have been trying to spend more time with her and school is getting crazy plus I take the boards on June 30 which I have yet to really start studying for.  3rd year rotations start on July 6 and I just got my schedule...I CAN KISS MY SOCIAL LIKE GOODBYE!!!  At least until mid december 2009.  Each rotation is 6 weeks and I have:

OB/GYN (start at 5:00 am, leave...who know when), 

pediatrics (Long hours but not as bad), 

surgery (shoot me now!), 

Internal Medicine (long hours).  

Then I have christmas break for 2 weeks and my one and only scheduled break for 6 more. Then, its smooth sailing.  

Psychiatry (half days!), 

Family medicine (clinic days),

Internal medicine (long hours but should be interesting if I get an ICU rotation). 

So I guess I will see you all next christmas!  :)