Giving Thanks

Me and our niece (God-daughter) Ashlee.

I could list a million and one things I am thankful for, but it wouldn't be a complete list, just the first million plus one. I could hardly sleep Tuesday night after the great delivery. I was anxiously anticipating seeing my other half the next day. Up and at 'em early I was and we made our 6 hr journey to Council Bluffs IA to see my hubby and his family. Our first order of business (at least that would be appropriate to mention) is to get our new rings. When we got married we bought our wedding bands and work rings -solid white gold rings engraved with our special saying inside. We didn't want to ruin our pretty wedding bands and my cute little diamond ring working as paramedics when we wed. Well, Shawn has misplaced his white gold work ring and instead wears his Tungston steel ring I gave him we we got engaged (it's indestructible) and my ring is worn so often that no matter how often I get it re-dipped it's yellow by the end of the month. So we decided for our 2nd anniversary we would get new Tungston work rings. We pick them up in December - can't wait!! That night we met up with his folks, his sister's family and kids for dinner, relatively uneventful except that I was completely embarrassed multiple times by comments about things I wouldn't have talked about at a table with a 4yr old and 8yr old. Thanksgiving the next day was pretty neat. Shawn's parents, me and my mom, his sister and husband with their two kids (one of which is our God-daughter) and a family friend of theirs with their two boys. Lots of food, wine and good times. I played a wii for the first time and although I was beaten badly by a 3 yr old in mario kart it was still fun. Our evening was topped off watching Kung Fu Panda with our niece and nephew although we were to only ones awake at then end of it. My mom and I went shopping in the black Friday mess after taking Shawn to the airport. 36 hrs with him just isn't enough but it's better than nothing. I was glad he went home when he did and picked up the little ones - Wrigley was super sick when he picked them up which resulted in an emergency vet visit last night four medications and ear cultures and an E-collar (which she won't wear). I need to be home with my little ones and my big one. It's too hard on everyone for me to be gone like this and it's only been 3 weeks. Shawn has been doing such a great job doing everything at home and has even managed to swing by the house during work hours to check on the little ones.

I said my mom and I went shopping on black Friday but we didn't spend thousands on Christmas gifts like my mother in law and we didn't hit the stores at 4am either. We just went to a couple places looking for just a couple things and then we hit the fabric store to buy yards and yards and yards of fabric marked 50% off. I have some how been coerced into making my first quilt (to add to the 4 generations of quilts I will inherit one day), so I had to pick out 15 different fabrics, my mom is making a quilt with me so there is 15 more fabrics and we decided while we are just whipping out these quilts we should make one for grandma too - another 15 fabrics. I'll be happy just to finish cutting all the pieces of mine. All the way back to grandma's we stopped at different places to look for more fabric trying to find the perfect fabric patterns and colors to complete the collection for our new masterpieces. Wish me luck.

36hrs may not have been enough but I am thankful for that small amount of time to spend with the person I love more than anything in the entire world and I am grateful he made it home to save our Wrigs. 4 more weeks and I am back home for 4 days. I hope they go super fast and then I will give thanks for that too.

pictures of the pups on Halloween. Long over due but I miss them lots.

moving up in the world

Full day of clinic topped off with a delivery just after the last patient. Great timing if I do say so myself. It was baby #3 for the lady who did it without an epidural woohoo! what a stud. Beautiful baby girl. Had I known I would have been a more active participant in this delivery than the last I would have 1. worn a mask - asked where they were. 2. asked for some shoes covers and 3 dried my hands a little better after scrubbing. But it wasn't until my preceptor said "put your hands there" that I realized it was too late for the above mentioned items. So I can't complain that when I was drawing cord blood and I withdrew the needle I was spurted on my pink socks - I'm just glad they weren't my argyle ones. No one seemed to notice and when I changed I took off my socks and stuffed them in my pockets. I didn't deliver the babe myself, caught the butt and tugged and delivered the placenta. yay. I think I am moving up in the world.

I reaffirmed some of my feelings about parenting and life in general I guess with someone of my patients today. 1. a hyperactive 15 month old child (and overweight by about 30lbs) should not be fed candy to try and calm him down, really it doesn't help the matter - no wonder he doesn't like to eat veggies, and no smarties do not count as a food group (seriously who feeds a 15month candy?). 2. just because your friend's sister is a RN and has fibromyalgia doesn't mean that you, a 55 year old male has it too especially since you have no trigger points and the numbness and tingling in your toes and legs are more likely attributed to your uncontrolled DM (believe me fasting sugars between 160-220 are NOT controlled). and 3. Medication for depression only solves part of the problem as do medications for hypertension and hyperlipids - you actually have to make some effort to help yourself. pt "no I don't have to eat well or exercise they have medicines for that" hmmm. I bit my tongue to not say anything too off color or chastise them and 4. you know you smoke too much when the papers you bring in to show the doc smell so badly of cigarette smoke it makes the hallway and room smell too.

I didn't get to see the dogs play today, I'm bummed, but I do get to see Shawn tomorrow!!
www.barkzone.com

Dirty Dancing

So I've been doing this Zumba class for about 2 week now. My Monday night class is actually somewhat a workout but my Thursday class is fluff and ass-shaking more or less. If I wanted fluff I would dance around in my grandma's living room. There is something to be said about group classes, there can be a lot of people in one room who are suppose to be doing the same actions but in tonight's class there was some heavy recruiting from the main gym to get people to try the class - great idea except there were a lot of people in one room, not doing the same actions looking completely confused and to top it off, the lady next to me was dancing in my dance space! If you've ever seen the movie Dirty Dancing you would know the when people are dancing, it is essential to stay in your own dance space. I don't mind dancing close to other people, in fact it's reminiscent of my dance team days in college but the people I was dancing close to then knew what they were doing and didn't dance in my space and sure didn't whack me occasionally when going to wrong direction swinging the arms the wrong way. The least I can say was my Zumba class was more dirty disaster than dirty dancing. If I didn't get out of work between 5 and 5:30 I could attend some of the other classes that sound interesting and more, um advanced and less booty shaking. After Thanksgiving I suppose.

Shawn has caught up on his sleep I think finally. He spent the afternoon with our niece and nephew. Wish I could be up there hanging out with them but all in good time...Wednesday is only a little over 24hrs away! YAY!

Clinic flew by today. Some interesting patient histories to accompany the patients: a 5 yr old who at age three was diagnosed with malignant pancreatic cancer - now in remission and in for a sinus infection - um wow. A 40+yr lady with Dandy Walker syndrome (I had never heard of this syndrome: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dandywalker/dandywalker.htm ) in for a pap. She has two children in their 20s who are perfectly normal. There were a couple others too, but can't remember the entire gist of it all, so I will save them for when I do remember.

Fighting the Urge

It's hard to fight the urge...especially when it would be so easy to give in. I gave in partially this morning by sleeping until noon hoping more rest would fight off the looming illness in my head and throat. I'm a firm believer that once you give in to the idea of getting sick - you will. For the record - I'm not getting sick, just cycling through a multitude of fun symptoms; headache, body aches, sore throat, nasal drainage. I don't have time to be sick right now, I have to make it through 2 1/2 work days to Wednesday afternoon when I will be driving to IA to visit my hubby and in-laws. I can't believe are finally in the same time zone, although truth be told I wish I were going back to NW but beggars can't be choosers and I am just very grateful to be able to see Shawn, no matter where he is. If he could have stowed away our 4-legged furbabies the holiday would be complete but at least I can watch them play on the webcams at daycare.
So until Thanksgiving passes, I will be fighting the urge to be sick and so for all of you patients out there and family members, cover your mouths and wash your hands, this holiday is about giving thanks, not your colds and strep throat.

Special Delivery

My phone rang at 9pm last night - it was the doc telling me our OB pt wasn't dilated more than 2 - maybe tomorrow "we'll get a baby out of the deal" (one of my docs commonly used phrases). I went to bed around 11 and my phone rang again at 12:20 - "she at 9." I said" let me throw some clothes on and I'll be right up" (in retrospect this sentence doesn't sound good in or out of context, but hey I was rocked mid-sleep cycle). I wasn't sure what to wear but threw on a pair of corduroy pants, a nice shirt and my dress shoes. I was there and in the room by 12:30 - not too shabby. I go changed into my scrubs - which looked ridiculous with my brown dress shoes and pink and white argyle socks showing from my buckle shoes, and my hair was a dry-sweat mess from the workout earlier in the evening (would have taken a shower but grandma didn't want me using any new towels until the next day since she just washed them and didn't want a single dirty towel). The mom-to be looked radiant, you wouldn't even know she was in labor. After 2 hours of pushing and a grade 3-4 episiotomy out popped a beautiful 8.5# little girl (much bigger than anyone thought). I was scrubbed in, but didn't do anything but massage the uterus after delivery for about 10 seconds. Oh well, I've helped deliver a couple before - but it would have been cool. The new dad almost lost it and passed out when the birthing coach had him look at the head of hair popping out of his girlfriend. I just can't imagine delivering babies gets old. How fun. The new parents were in shock and awe - new dad talking on the phone to his basketball buds - "it was just insane! the whole thing just crazy! I have a little girl." I may have been exhausted to make a house call at 7:15 this morning to a quad with hemorrhoids the size of a small head of cauliflower - no joke, but it was totally worth it to be there early this morning to watch the family pace as they waited for the first grandbaby and the expectant parents finding strength and endurance and bonding with their new little one. sigh.

It's a small world

There's nothing more awkward then rounding on your grandma unless it's taking an aerobics class from one of your OB patients with a class filled with people I have also seen -I've managed to accomplish both this week. Do I get extra points for that? Even if I did I am so done with Typhon I wouldn't take the time to add it on to my patient list anyway. I brought grandma home from the hospital at lunch time after rounding on an OB who hopefully will deliver in the next 24hrs. I will be sleeping lightly in the anticipation of a phone call to jet up to the hospital and catch.

I don't think I could live and practice in a town this size - I don't mind running into people I know here and there, but not everywhere: wal-mart (greeter, cashier and lady at the fabric dept), Applebee's - hostess, at the gym (on the treadmill, eliptical, free weights and in my exercise classes) and when my mom drug me to the Elks' lodge last weekend for a fish dinner. I feel like everyone is watching me and I'm sure most have met my grandma at one time or another (she chats up anyone within ear shot) and I'm sure they've formed opinions at some point too. I'm also not from a farming background so although I try to pretend like I understand the trials and tribulations from those working 16hr days in the fields to get the milo and grain packaged and take care of the livestock north of town, I probably really don't have a clue.

Last night my mom drove 2hrs from where she works and lives during the week to take me out to dinner - to celebrate my 2 yr anniversary with Shawn. It wasn't the same, but it helped not being alone on my anniversary. I also found out today that I can skip clinic next Fri (after turkey day - it's only a half day anyway) to run up to IA to see Shawn for 2 of the 4 days he's in town - YAY!! I am so ready to see him and my in-laws and niece and nephew and sister in-law. I love Thanksgiving!!

I've almost finished with Typhon - from the last rotation thank goodness, at least if they go to check it I will get a majority of the points I hope - it should make up for the lack of perfectness on my paper.

Conflict of Interest

I am frantically trying to squeeze this short note in when I should be up at the hospital with grams. I suggested she go to the ER yesterday w/ her 3 days of facial pressure, hoarse voice, sore throat cough and then the n/v/d. Long story short (and after disinfecting the ER room from the previous patient myself) she was admitted for hyponatremia (119) and an infection. IV fluids and a little azithromycin. I will finish the story later, I realize now as I start to write, I can't in anyway finish this story in 5min, not even in bullet form. But I am proud of mysefl for keeping my mouth shut for the most part about how these crazy small towners practice medicine out here...oh Lord, ship me to KC if I get sick. More to come...