I go to the dentist tomorrow - it's just a cleaning but still scary. I hate the noises, i hate people or things in my mouth but luckily last time I was there (actually the last 2 times) I didn't throw up on anyone, which I am sure they all appreciated and I didn't even take my Ativan. Sad when you have to be practically sedated just to be able to sit and have your teeth cleaned. But like I said it's just a cleaning - and I even have a special lady who does my cleaning and literally someone else to hold my hand booked just for me, so it should be ok.
I found my motivation for my paper today... and it's almost enough to crank out a whole section tonight. I have to just get it done, no matter how ugly it is then it's rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite until it's perfect.
The Cubs hit the hole early today - 5 down in the 1st inning, just couldn't make the comeback I can tell you this isn't our year, but still look forward to our Chicago trip late August. I'm staring the tickets down now attached to our wall-o-tix.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
seriously?!
I usually love to write, I can crank out a great paper in no time. So why am I having such a damn hard time writing this one?grrr! It's not that I'm not motivated, I want to finish it and finish it early if I can - no retract that, I will finish it early. I have a CV to finish, send out (it sucks to have job offers in 3 states except the one you're living in) and I have a million and one other things that have to be done. So why am I having such a hard time starting it? Seriously just do it already.
In semi related news...
there's nothing like waking up to the smell of warm poo and better yet, smelling warm poo and turning to step out of bed to see where the fragrance is coming from and stepping into a wet pile of poo. Cubs had wicked watery diarrhea the last 3 days and usually he's really great about telling us somehow so we can get him outside or when he was a pup he would go into the bathroom but no such luck. poor thing. can we say puppy probiotics? Maybe he is just trying to give me a first hand account for my paper -sorry buddy human studies only. Wrigley also had a runny butt for a day, however she managed to sit on my face and was shaking uncontrollably - luckily this was her way of waking me up at 5:45am to tell me she was sick and got her out side just before the watery explosion. What the hell is wrong with out dogs? Was it the steak we fed them? The marshmallows? All things they've had in the past and love for a special treat. Maybe it's the soot and ash they've been licking off the patio. Hopefully he's feeling better soon, Wrigs is seriously missing her play mate, she's sulking under the table now as I type.
and in unrelated news -
I went to a pilates/ballet class on Friday which actually turned out to be all pilates and no ballet. A small class in a new yoga studio here in the 'couv. There was me, the instructor and 3 super-fit soccer/running moms that basically make me look fat and out of shape. Needless to say the class kicked my ass. I am sore in places I didn't even know existed and that's said after having a cadaver lab. suck. I am dragging Shawn to my $5 Friday fun next week - he has no idea what he's in store for.
And in real life - between Cubby's runny butt, our waffle maker breaking with a waffle on the griddle (home made whip cream and strawberries ready) and our reclining chair breaking (half of the back came unhinged and a large metal piece popped off) I think we've met out 3 quota for awhile.
Wrigs hates the ice cream truck - she barks and growls whenever she hears the truck near us... that a girl!
In semi related news...
there's nothing like waking up to the smell of warm poo and better yet, smelling warm poo and turning to step out of bed to see where the fragrance is coming from and stepping into a wet pile of poo. Cubs had wicked watery diarrhea the last 3 days and usually he's really great about telling us somehow so we can get him outside or when he was a pup he would go into the bathroom but no such luck. poor thing. can we say puppy probiotics? Maybe he is just trying to give me a first hand account for my paper -sorry buddy human studies only. Wrigley also had a runny butt for a day, however she managed to sit on my face and was shaking uncontrollably - luckily this was her way of waking me up at 5:45am to tell me she was sick and got her out side just before the watery explosion. What the hell is wrong with out dogs? Was it the steak we fed them? The marshmallows? All things they've had in the past and love for a special treat. Maybe it's the soot and ash they've been licking off the patio. Hopefully he's feeling better soon, Wrigs is seriously missing her play mate, she's sulking under the table now as I type.
and in unrelated news -
I went to a pilates/ballet class on Friday which actually turned out to be all pilates and no ballet. A small class in a new yoga studio here in the 'couv. There was me, the instructor and 3 super-fit soccer/running moms that basically make me look fat and out of shape. Needless to say the class kicked my ass. I am sore in places I didn't even know existed and that's said after having a cadaver lab. suck. I am dragging Shawn to my $5 Friday fun next week - he has no idea what he's in store for.
And in real life - between Cubby's runny butt, our waffle maker breaking with a waffle on the griddle (home made whip cream and strawberries ready) and our reclining chair breaking (half of the back came unhinged and a large metal piece popped off) I think we've met out 3 quota for awhile.
Wrigs hates the ice cream truck - she barks and growls whenever she hears the truck near us... that a girl!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Death by Diarrhea
I've been home exactly 24hrs from our amazing little vacay in SD. It's sad that thru this last year I almost forgot what it was like to hang out with my husband without studying for school or logging patients in typhon. What a breath of fresh air. But now that I have been spoiled by the wonderfullness of vacation:watching the Cubs lose (that wasn't great but the rest of the game was), Reed hit the 2 run homer and be 7 rows back and having Reed acknowledge my husbands shouts of "alright Reed!" with a nod and a wave, my sunburned arms, walking 6hrs at the zoo and loving every second of it and eating strange Mexican concoctions in old town and spending every wonderful second of it with Shawn. We even made a significant revelation to each other while waiting for to see the Giant Pandas - more to come of this way down the road. Shawn even bought me a stuffed Hippo (my favorite) his name is Otis. He will keep me company when Shawn is away at work and one day be a special memento for someone else. But now I am back at home, with tired puppies and a tired husband who of course had a wickedly busy night last night all while I am drowning in diarrhea - research. Who knew there were so many accepted definitions of the stuff and all the while I am wondering what's the point of my paper. Haven't answered that one yet. bummer. I even managed to find 4 more articles to add to my review - should I be excited about that? It's a double edged sword really - more work but more umph behind my point - which is still yet to be discovered. I think my favorite definition thus far is: diarrhea -stool which the consistency takes the shape of the container it is in. Trust me I've got a great image in my head for that. So back to the grind or porcelain shrine as I sift thru more shit.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Vacay
We're going on vacation and I am like a giddy school girl!! I can't wait! There's nothing better than slipping away with the love of your life and best friend. I planned this trip about a month ago, it was intended to happen in June but when I picked my destination (which started at Bandon Beach OR) I said to hell with a chilly beach (all my memories as a kid are chilly at Bandon - although it was usually in mid March) so I said, what's close enough to fly to quick and do something fun - why San Diego of course aka whale's *who-ha* - Anchorman...never mind.. so off to SD we were going, but just as I was about to book tickets I thought hey, the Padres are in the NL, I wonder if they are playing the Cubbies anytime soon... and wouldn't you know memorial weekend -perfect it's Shawn's weekend off! I couldn't keep my little surprise trip a secret - had to spill the beans to Shawn especially since I bought the tickets to the game - in supposedly good seats, we shall see. With all the planning revolving around the Cubs and the San Diego Zoo and a warmer beach... I didn't even realize until this week, after Brit mentioned something, that it's the National PA convention - no wonder all the hotels downtown were booked. Damn. It's also supposed to be a little chillier than here in the 'Couve...hmmm so much for the beach idea. But regardless of all this... we are going on vacation, the dogs are going to Ridgfield and I am so very excited!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Capstone Project question:
The Project is neither a cap nor stone - discuss.
If it were a cap, I envision it would be like a baseball cap and I would wear it and make it all schnazzy looking to match nearly every outfit which is where the challenge would lie.
If it were a stone - I would throw it if it were light enough - but knowing it would probably be too heavy to lift I would roll it atop a mountain or cliff and wait patiently to push it over the edge perhaps onto the unsuspecting people below (although I would suspect certain people be at the bottom of this particular cliff). Cruel huh?
But since it is neither I will put fingers to keyboard and my mouse to the library databases and type and search and type and search over and over again...I'm not going to let this paper get the best of me...not now, not here at the end, I have worked way too hard this year to be defeated by - diarrhea.
If it were a cap, I envision it would be like a baseball cap and I would wear it and make it all schnazzy looking to match nearly every outfit which is where the challenge would lie.
If it were a stone - I would throw it if it were light enough - but knowing it would probably be too heavy to lift I would roll it atop a mountain or cliff and wait patiently to push it over the edge perhaps onto the unsuspecting people below (although I would suspect certain people be at the bottom of this particular cliff). Cruel huh?
But since it is neither I will put fingers to keyboard and my mouse to the library databases and type and search and type and search over and over again...I'm not going to let this paper get the best of me...not now, not here at the end, I have worked way too hard this year to be defeated by - diarrhea.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Ridgefield
I'm home. It feels good, this is where I am meant to be. It's also a little surreal. I have basically been away from home since beginning of November and now I am home, with Shawn, the dogs, in my own bed, shower and yet having a hard time not pulling clothes out of the suitcase I have lived out of for the past 6 months to wear. There's been a lot of catching up to do at home and a lot of relaxing. I still have no clue what my clinical masterpiece will be, and quite frankly not too worried about it - more important things are more pressing, like...
1. interviewing the puppies at Ridgefield. Their interview was Friday afternoon and they're in for next weekend when I sweep Shawn away to San Diego for a quick weekend getaway complete with Cubs vs Padres game, 8 rows behind the dugout and a trip to the zoo. The owner at Ridgefield is wonderful, she has 5acres and multiple places for the dogs to roam and play and will stay in an apartment-type area at night to sleep. There's no webcam, but she encourages puppy moms and dads to call to check in on their little ones. There is absolutely no kenneling. I am so excited for them - I hope they have just as much fun as they use to at Barkzone - it's just way too far to drive to Hillsboro for daycare and boarding. Also had to take Wrigs to the vet - she has some sea creature looking thing on her jowl apparently it's just a puppy virus not contagious and should resolve on it's own - how Wrigs got herpes or HPV is beyond me...no kisses wrigs.
2. hair cut - and bangs - not so sure about them, but I guess they'll grow on me...hahaha
3. park time with the dogs, grilling out with Shawnee and some good old couch time.
Life is good and it doesn't get better than this.
1. interviewing the puppies at Ridgefield. Their interview was Friday afternoon and they're in for next weekend when I sweep Shawn away to San Diego for a quick weekend getaway complete with Cubs vs Padres game, 8 rows behind the dugout and a trip to the zoo. The owner at Ridgefield is wonderful, she has 5acres and multiple places for the dogs to roam and play and will stay in an apartment-type area at night to sleep. There's no webcam, but she encourages puppy moms and dads to call to check in on their little ones. There is absolutely no kenneling. I am so excited for them - I hope they have just as much fun as they use to at Barkzone - it's just way too far to drive to Hillsboro for daycare and boarding. Also had to take Wrigs to the vet - she has some sea creature looking thing on her jowl apparently it's just a puppy virus not contagious and should resolve on it's own - how Wrigs got herpes or HPV is beyond me...no kisses wrigs.
2. hair cut - and bangs - not so sure about them, but I guess they'll grow on me...hahaha
3. park time with the dogs, grilling out with Shawnee and some good old couch time.
Life is good and it doesn't get better than this.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
ER... check!
So 8 down 2 to go!! I can't believe I'm done with another one. (in perfect rhythm) do-do do, do do another bites the dust. It was a nice steady day in the ER, which made it fly by, I even stuck around a few minutes after to see the results of a CT of a guy with excruciating R side pain, not RUQ, not RLQ, but just the side. His CT scan was funky looking and his labs were a little all over the place - U/S showed some gall stones but no secondary signs - the CT read was metastatic liver masses, a left non obstructing renal stone 11mm in diameter and gall stones. Worth the wait. Today I also had an 80 something old guy who fell off his tractor and then was run over by it - he was fine. 40 something double lung transplant 2 yrs ago with chest/shortness of breath, and 4 elevated troponin people, one A-flutter who was 262 in the Docs office, EMS adenocard-ed him twice and brought him down to 130s and 1 STEMI. and of course the run of the mill ER stuff. Now I just need to keep quilting and sewing to finish my projects, pack and be ready for a long ride home tomorrow.
I can hardly believe about 1 yr ago Me (and Shawn) and my fellow classmates started our clinical rotation life and now we only have 3 months and 2 rotations to go. Wow, we've almost made it and I am pretty sure I could have made it without Typhon by my side the whole way. Congrats to all of us!
I can hardly believe about 1 yr ago Me (and Shawn) and my fellow classmates started our clinical rotation life and now we only have 3 months and 2 rotations to go. Wow, we've almost made it and I am pretty sure I could have made it without Typhon by my side the whole way. Congrats to all of us!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Behind
I feel so behind on everything. Behind on my resume, on looking for a job, for knowing what I need to know to work as a PA, and sometimes just life in general. But it's my own fault, I put things off. I seem to be moving at Jenni pace which is sorta like Wrigley our dog - in fact aside from the protruding jaw four legs and fur, we are a lot alike:
She loves to lay around but will jump up at the drop of a hat when you mention food. She can be quick when she needs to be but really just goes at her own sauntering pace and style, sometimes life happens around her. She's lonely when alone and she can be heard crying when she feels alone and she would rather snuggle and be loved than anything else. She's sometimes slow to catch on to things and a little naive to how the world works but in a fearless sense - she goes without looking before she leaps, and even when she leaps into a deep pool of water and nearly drowns, she quickly forgets and goes on with her life as if she's invincible. She can't be forced to do things on "our" time. If it's not time to potty for her then damnit it's not time, she jumps out of the bathtub before being dried off soaking the bathroom rug. She'll show you in her own way what she wants and needs but it's up to you to figure out all those wacky signs, but she's consistent, so once you figure those signs out - you're golden. She's stubborn but lovable. I guess these are all reasons we are Shawn's girls.
She loves to lay around but will jump up at the drop of a hat when you mention food. She can be quick when she needs to be but really just goes at her own sauntering pace and style, sometimes life happens around her. She's lonely when alone and she can be heard crying when she feels alone and she would rather snuggle and be loved than anything else. She's sometimes slow to catch on to things and a little naive to how the world works but in a fearless sense - she goes without looking before she leaps, and even when she leaps into a deep pool of water and nearly drowns, she quickly forgets and goes on with her life as if she's invincible. She can't be forced to do things on "our" time. If it's not time to potty for her then damnit it's not time, she jumps out of the bathtub before being dried off soaking the bathroom rug. She'll show you in her own way what she wants and needs but it's up to you to figure out all those wacky signs, but she's consistent, so once you figure those signs out - you're golden. She's stubborn but lovable. I guess these are all reasons we are Shawn's girls.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
home away from home
so, I have taken a hiatus from blogging - not that I haven't had any interesting patients - just not in to mood to write about it. And since I am nowhere close to home I can't write about family life - although shawn is a squad leader now with his own car. I am so super duper proud of him - bummer he has to work nights but hopefully he can upgrade to a better shift later.
I am loving OH! The rotation is ok, there are definitely preceptors here I like better than others, but the family I am staying with are probably the most wonderful random people I have ever met. They've taken me in, fed me, checked on me, been like a family away from family of sorts, not to mention Mary helping me on a quilt I am bound and determined to finish before I leave. Today they randomly got a 6wk puppy mut -she's so adorable and sitting in my lap as I type. She has no name but is already right at home with these loving folks. Even Molly doesn't totally dislike her and it kept Molly distracted enough today i don't think she growled at me once. I am really going to miss these people when I leave, they're like another set of parents or family to me.
In the ER front - lots of interesting things - mostly run of the mill, but I have finally gotten some good heart failure people and people with actual pathology to work up. I feel more comfortable though with the chest pains and the abdominal pains than I do with some of the more run of the mill stuff. Had lots of heroin ODs, almost one daily - but of course none of them have a drug problem and most of them do it for fun. Today was a super fun case that came in about 3hrs before the end of my shift. 70 something guy is in a deep sleep in the recliner - wife calls him "Harry get you're ass to bed" so he pops out of the recliner and heads to bed but somewhere in the middle from recliner to bedroom he falls in the kitchen. Wife hears thud - goes running to him he's out cold. This was Sunday morning. Now most people I think, if your spouse is out cold, for 5min as was this gentleman, you would call 911 or perhaps bring him to the ER when he came to - not the case. So today is Tues pm/Wed am and he comes in for rib pain and maybe some left sided neck pain. I suggest to the RN a collar (reverting back to my old paramedic days) and she reluctantly does it. He's neurologically in tact and although his neck is a little sore - probably from hitting the kitchen cabinet on the way down, his ribs and back are really killing him. Xrays come back - 4 right sided rib fractures. The ER was steady and busy tonight and hadn't really check on this guy's head and neck CT when the radiologist calls: unstable C2 fracture with intrusion into the neuro foramina - then the radiologist asks is this guy paralyzed or have any neuro deficits?" Holy cow batman - so after doing a quick syncope workup he was sent by squad to the trauma center - he is so very lucky to 1. be alive and 2. be alive and not paralyzed. (I won't delve into the mess of the paramedics coming to whisk him away what a total cluster - how the freak did they even become medics - but like I said not getting into it).
So there's my ineventful stories. I should be studying for boards - but not, should be applying for jobs but not, should be at home with my husband soon - will be.
I am loving OH! The rotation is ok, there are definitely preceptors here I like better than others, but the family I am staying with are probably the most wonderful random people I have ever met. They've taken me in, fed me, checked on me, been like a family away from family of sorts, not to mention Mary helping me on a quilt I am bound and determined to finish before I leave. Today they randomly got a 6wk puppy mut -she's so adorable and sitting in my lap as I type. She has no name but is already right at home with these loving folks. Even Molly doesn't totally dislike her and it kept Molly distracted enough today i don't think she growled at me once. I am really going to miss these people when I leave, they're like another set of parents or family to me.
In the ER front - lots of interesting things - mostly run of the mill, but I have finally gotten some good heart failure people and people with actual pathology to work up. I feel more comfortable though with the chest pains and the abdominal pains than I do with some of the more run of the mill stuff. Had lots of heroin ODs, almost one daily - but of course none of them have a drug problem and most of them do it for fun. Today was a super fun case that came in about 3hrs before the end of my shift. 70 something guy is in a deep sleep in the recliner - wife calls him "Harry get you're ass to bed" so he pops out of the recliner and heads to bed but somewhere in the middle from recliner to bedroom he falls in the kitchen. Wife hears thud - goes running to him he's out cold. This was Sunday morning. Now most people I think, if your spouse is out cold, for 5min as was this gentleman, you would call 911 or perhaps bring him to the ER when he came to - not the case. So today is Tues pm/Wed am and he comes in for rib pain and maybe some left sided neck pain. I suggest to the RN a collar (reverting back to my old paramedic days) and she reluctantly does it. He's neurologically in tact and although his neck is a little sore - probably from hitting the kitchen cabinet on the way down, his ribs and back are really killing him. Xrays come back - 4 right sided rib fractures. The ER was steady and busy tonight and hadn't really check on this guy's head and neck CT when the radiologist calls: unstable C2 fracture with intrusion into the neuro foramina - then the radiologist asks is this guy paralyzed or have any neuro deficits?" Holy cow batman - so after doing a quick syncope workup he was sent by squad to the trauma center - he is so very lucky to 1. be alive and 2. be alive and not paralyzed. (I won't delve into the mess of the paramedics coming to whisk him away what a total cluster - how the freak did they even become medics - but like I said not getting into it).
So there's my ineventful stories. I should be studying for boards - but not, should be applying for jobs but not, should be at home with my husband soon - will be.
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