Nov - May, end of 3rd year!

Six months later and here I am finally blogging again… Back in November I had completed the first 4 rotations of my third year of school. For my only ‘elective’ of the year I was really hoping for an orthopaedic rotation so I could see if actually liked what I was planning to do for the rest of my life, but unfortunately I didn’t get the rotation I wanted. So, I went ahead and started an orthopaedic research project. Although I had four weeks to work on it, research is a slow process and I’m still not done with it. It is especially hard to find time to work on it now that I’m back in other rotations, but I’m still hoping to complete it before applying for residency.

During November, Ryan and I went to spend Thanksgiving with his brother and sister-in-law, Kyle and Sarah, in Austin, TX. The weekend included watching lots of football, eating lots of food, and drinking lots of beer (including Kyle’s homemade beer). Austin is such a beautiful place; it was a nice break from the rainy Portland weather.

Speaking of Portland weather… this leads me to December. The month started with all kinds of holiday festivities. There were multiple parties to attend, cookies to bake, and kitties to dress up in holiday outfits. In addition to that, there were many days of snow!!! This was frustrating and annoying for most, but considering I was working on research from home I was happy to have the snow! Gabe and Mia were in town (unfortunately they got snowed in!) and helped the family celebrate the holiday season.

In the midst of the snow I escaped to Hawaii with my mom, Pete, Grandpa and Grandma. I was loving the sun, but missing Ryan… luckily he had plotted with my family to come and surprise me!!! We had a wonderful time being lazy on the beaches, reading books, drinking daiquiris, and playing Scrabble. It all ended too soon and I was back to Portland to start a very demanding 10 weeks… my Internal Medicine rotation.

I spent the first 5 weeks at OHSU and the second 5 weeks at the VA. Every 5^th night I stayed up all night writing a 6-10 page paper about a patient I admitted. Most days I started around 7am and ended any time between 4 and 7. The hours weren’t bad, but I only got one day off a week and being on call every 5^th day made me quite tired. The learning curve was very steep, but I came out 10 weeks later feeling so much smarter. The rotation was also difficult because I had many patients die… this was a new experience for me and quite taxing. Some of these patients were elderly and had been battling chronic diseases for a long time. However, some of these were young (my age!) and healthy up until the point when they got sick with whatever eventually took their life. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but made me grateful for my health and the health of everyone in my life. The test at the end of the rotation was difficult and I didn’t do very well… luckily, the evaluations from my attendings and residents were good enough to help me pull through with an Honors grade.

During my Medicine rotation, I celebrated my 26^th birthday just the way I wanted… reality TV, a good dinner (made by Ryan), Scrabble, champagne and ice cream!

My next rotation was OB/Gyn. I knew it would be one of the most difficult rotations of the year (up with surgery and medicine) and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Surprisingly, I found that I loved it! I didn’t realize how much surgery gynecologists get to do. I spent 2 weeks doing benign gynecology (a surgical service dealing with cysts, hysterectomies, pap smears, etc). I spent 1 week on the antepartum service which meant taking care of pregnant women both in and out of the hospital. The last 2 weeks were Labor and Delivery; 1 week of day shifts and 1 week of night shifts. I started to think that maybe I could do this for a living, but after to L&D I was sure that I needed to give it some serious thought. This has actually caused me to stress quite a bit because I have spent so many years preparing for orthopaedics and now, just a few months before I have to decide for sure, don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I have scheduled my 4^th year so that I will do an orthopaedic rotation first and hopefully then be able to decide which path I will take. After that I will either commit to a 4^th year schedule for ortho or for ob/gyn. I’m very nervous to make this decision, but am confident that I have set myself to successfully apply to either specialty come next fall. I’m also sure that I will love being doctor and could probably be happy in many different fields.

As for my current rotation (and last one of my 3^rd year)… I’m spending 5 weeks in Milton-Freewater on my rural rotation. MF is in Oregon, just across the state border from Walla Walla, WA. I actually have some family (Aunt Sue, Uncle Les, and Cousin Kayla) who live in MF which is making my time here much better. The school has paid for me to stay in a bed and breakfast while I’m here; I’m living with the owners Mick and Michelle and their 2 sons, Harry (6) and Arden (1). I’m working with a Family Medicine doc, Dr. Fry. So far the medical care is fun and exciting, mostly because the primary care doctor has to take care of most things as there aren’t as many specialists available for referral. Ryan was able to come for my first weekend here and we were able to join in the festivities of Spring Release Weekend; this is when all the wineries in the area release their new wines!!! We had a great weekend, but I was sad to see him go. I’m also looking forward to Memorial Day weekend when Ryan and I will travel to Sunriver with my dad and Christie for a few days. Then… I’LL BE A 4^TH YEAR STUDENT!

Now for my favorite topic… KITTIES!!! Colbie and Zane are loving life and really loving Spring because all the birdies are outside the windows. Their new favorite activity is going onto our deck and trying to eat bugs and leaves. I’m trying to get them used to their leashes, but that may take some more practice. Zane is getting pretty big… at least 4-5 lbs more than Colbie. Zane is talkative and likes to cause trouble. Colbie is still shy and crazily in love with shiny objects that reflect lights on the wall. They are crazy kitties, but they are our babies and we love them so much!

School, Engagement and Kitty

16 weeks have gone by and I finally have the chance to sit down and catch up my blog. When I left off, I had just finished my surgery rotation (the first of my third year). I have since received word that I got an Honors grade.

I did five weeks of Pediatrics next; 2 weeks on the wards at Doernbecher and 3 weeks in the Mother Baby Unit at OHSU. I had a great time and especially enjoyed the MBU. I have always been a little nervous around newborn babies (especially when they cry), but two days into the rotation I had figured out how to examine the babies and then get them nice and bundled up so that they wouldn’t cry at all. Apparently my magic touch earned me another Honors grade. They were soooooo adorable. Speaking of adorable little bundles… we got a new one!!!

ZANE!!! He is our 2^nd little black kitty. We found him online through Cat Adoption Team and went to see him one day while him and his sister were at PetSmart. We fell in love with him and although we weren’t planning on adopting a kitty that day, we didn’t even make it to the car before we turned around and got him. He had been with his litter since birth so he wasn’t scared of Colbie. She, on the other hand, was terrified of him. There was a good week of hissing, swatting, and Ryan and I sleeping in separate rooms so that neither kitty needed to be alone. Eventually, though they got used to each other and now are best buddies. They chase each other all around play fight like crazy. He is such a little boy (meaning “trouble maker”) but we adore him.

Also while I was on my Pediatrics rotation, my family and I ran in Hood to Coast. We certainly didn’t win, but we had a great time. I was so proud of all the team members who really trained hard and completely the 197 mile race! In my van, it was myself, Dad, Christie, my dad’s law partner Bob, Gabe, and Mia. In the other van it was my Aunt Sue, Uncle Les, Aunt Kathie, cousin Kortney, cousin Jon, and second cousin Ryan. Many of us were pumped to do it again next year, but I just received word that we did not make it into the raffle for teams.

In between my Pediatric and Family Medicine rotations, Ryan and I traveled down to Eugene with my mom and Pete for the Utah State Duck game. We arrived in town a little early so Ryan and I walked around campus. We went and saw the remodeled Hayward Field and then went to see Willamette Hall (the building where we met in physics class). While we stood outside the doors and reminisced about our meeting, Ryan got down on one knee and pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket!!! I couldn’t believe it! Before answering yes, I asked him “Are you serious?” at least five times. I was happy that I started to cry, but tears barely came out because I was so surprised and the physiologic response of the tears wasn’t fast enough. We went back to the car before the game started where we drank mini bottles of champagne that Ryan had brought with him. Then we headed to the game, watched the Ducks kick butt, and found some friends and family to share the big news with. Ryan has often said he doesn't think it is fair that the girl gets an engagement ring and the guy doesn't get a gift.... he thought an engagement bike was fair. So, Ryan got his new bike. We have since decided that we are going to have a long engagement secondary mostly to our school schedules. We have decided on May 8, 2010 at Sunriver Resort. We haven’t made many other decisions yet, but I’m looking forward to winter break so I can have some quality time with bridal magazines.

Following the excitement of the engagement weekend, I started my Family Medicine rotation with Dr. Charles Webb, a Sports Medicine doctor. I really enjoyed myself and admittedly was quite tempted to change my mind about orthopedics. For the time being, I’m staying with my original goal, but have certainly made some decisions about the type of career I eventually want. Sometime during the rotation, Ryan and I moved into a new place. Our old apartment was going into foreclosure and we decided to move out before we were forced to move out. We found a great 3 story townhouse in the same building (Meriwether in South Waterfront). It is a beautiful, big place with lots of stairs for the kitties to run up and down.

Next up was my Psychiatry rotation. I was at the VA for 5 weeks and met all kinds of crazies! It was an eye opener to see how sick some people are and to see how little can often be done for them. I learned a lot, but know that I do not want to be a psychiatrist.

Other events that have come and gone are Halloween and Ryan’s 26^th birthday. For Halloween we went to the Tinkle’s place and Ryan and I dressed up as Colbie and Zane. Meanwhile, the kitties had their own costumes that my mom made for them. For Ryan’s bday we went out to an amazing dinner at Carlyle. The next day we went to Rogue Brewery with some friends for lunch and then watched football and played Wii Mariokart ALL EVENING at our place!

End of Year 2 and Beginning of Year 3

Holy moly… to catch up I am going all the way back to May for Mia’s bachelorette party!!! A group of the bridesmaids (and the bride of course) headed to San Fran for a weekend of wine tasting and clubbing. It was loads of fun but we didn’t get much sleep and definitely came back to Portland tired. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the other bridesmaids before the wedding.

When I got back there was just a few more weeks of school. I managed to finish out the year with straight As (actually “Honors”)… but that didn’t mean that I felt very confident for the boards. I spent 3.5 weeks after school to study all day every day for the boards; it was EXHAUSTING. I set a goal for my score and by the end of my studying I was approaching that score on my practice tests. Somehow I made it through and took the test on June 10^th. After my test Ryan, Colbie and I celebrated with a bottle of Champagne and PIZZA. 4 weeks later I got my score and got exactly 1 point above my goal.

Right after the boards I went down to LA for Gabe and Mia’s wedding. There was a dinner at Mia’s parents’ house on Thursday night, the rehearsal and dinner on Friday night and the wedding on Saturday night. The whole event was so beautiful… from the people to the flowers to the food…. Everything was elegant and created a perfect wedding for my brother and new sister.

After coming back to Portland I had one week of summer break and was determined to make the most of it. I started things off by chopping off my long hair!!! Some Pi Phis and I headed out for Thirsty Thursday. Then I went to the Brown’s house to celebrate the last day of school for the dental students and participate in the drinking of a 5 liter bottle of wine. The next day we had the 3^RD FIRST ANNUAL NOB HILL PUB CRAWL!!!

The following Monday I started back to school… the first week was called “Transition to Clerkship” where we basically went through a whole bunch of lectures and workshops to prepare us for third year. To finish off that week, right before starting my surgery rotation, I headed to Bend for Andy and Sarah’s wedding (Ryan was the best man). It was a beautiful ceremony right on the river and then we danced the night away. And, Ryan caught the garter belt!!! Speaking of weddings... Jessica Addleman, Michelle Donovan, and Molly Diaz are all recently engaged!!! They're dropping like flies!

On June 30 I started my surgery rotation. I was assigned to the OHSU Emergency General Surgery Team. I got up everyday at 4:30am, started working on patient notes at home at 5, took the 5:30 tram up to school and saw my patients before meeting with the surgery team at 6am. We then discussed all our patients (we had 20-30 patients at a time) and rounded to see them. Around 8am surgeries would start and we would keep busy with surgeries, clinic, and rounding for the rest of the day. I got done between 6:30 and 7pm most days. I worked 6 days every week. Also, I took one day on call each week which meant that I would show up at work at 5:30 one morning and not go home until 11am the NEXT DAY. I really enjoyed the whole experience and learned a great deal… but I am TIRED!!! And, I really need to workout! It was so hard to get motivated to workout when I was barely making time for eating, showering and sleeping. Anyhow, my 5 weeks of surgery ended today with a test I took this morning. Next week I start my Pediatrics rotation. I will be at Doernbecher for 2 weeks and then in the Mother/Baby Unit at OHSU for 3 weeks.

As for my first weekend off in the past 5 weeks, I will be keeping busy over the next few days. I’m going out with classmates tonight to celebrate being done with rotation #1, I have a Hood to Coast Captain’s meeting tomorrow morning, Julie and Jason’s wedding is tomorrow night, and then on Sunday I’m going to see Chorus Line with my mom.

Oh, and last but not least, Colbie is doing great... she just turned 1 year old!!!