November Notes, Day 29

"She Googled Your Ass"

This photo was making the rounds on Facebook today, and it reminded me of a post I did a while back (2011) on just this subject.  I'm going to reshare that with you tonight:

"Would You Like Fries With That?"

Excuse the rant, but seriously?

I've seen electronics develop greatly since the time I was in medical school.  I remember getting my first Palm and "synching" programs to help make studying easier with my fellow colleagues.  I remember our brand new auditorium boasting that one day all of the students would be able to instantly download the lecture to their personal laptops.  Wow, how could a medical student afford the $3300 a laptop would cost....?

Fast forward to now where I look up everything from medication interactions, to the latest antibiotics therapies, to calculating free water deficits on my phone.  My laptop is my, almost, constant companion.  And that dream of one day using a tablet-based medical logging system is now becoming a reality.  I, of course, should have patented my App for that.

But, what I find hard getting used to is patients who come in and tell you what their problem is, how they would like it treated, and could you freshen their coffee while you're at it.

I have always advocated for patient rights.  I tell patients it's their responsibility to ask questions of their doctors so that they are well-informed about their illnesses.  But, really?  I've called primary care physicians at home to talk to their patients who come into the emergency department because they don't believe me when I tell them to stop their medications, and that, no, they won't die, well unless they don't stop their medications.  I know what you read on WebMD but that relates to a certain population which you're not a part of.  I know that "Diagnose That" said that because your skin looks green under a full moon you could have a metabolic disorder, but if you read further or did some more research,  the fact that you're still alive at 22 means you probably don't have something where the average survival age is 2.

I read somewhere that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing... just continue to quote the internet to someone who's dedicated at least 12 years of their lives to studying medicine. Mmhmm...

MyPod Birthday Shuffle IV - Day 8 - I Want You to Want Me

Some songs are just fun and this is one of them.  Fast paced and energetic.  I have it on my "Songs to run to" playlist.

I'll always remember it from high school dances as one of the songs the bands always covered.

And I'll always remember this scene from one of my all-time favorite TV shows which I've talked about on here before... "Scrubs"

#1579 - On eXercise...

I was looking back through some prior posts, and I came across this photo...

St Lucia 03/2013

which is actually connected to the link that I will share

tomorrow from last year's challenge.

Fast forward to January of this year where I was actually

heavier than I am in this picture, and suffering

the effects of the extra weight while trying to hike in Yosemite.

I made a promise to myself to never be that heavy again,

and I bought my Fitbit which I have

discussed on a recent post.  Which one...?

Hmm...?

My lifesaver...!

And, I talked earlier as well about counting calories

and how much fun that has been... not!

But, now I am finally starting to see some results.

You see, working in "pajamas" on a daily basis

makes it real easy to gain weight and not even realize it.

You just let out the drawstring on your scrubs from

time to time, and you don't think about it

until suddenly your pants are tight across the seat

and you worry about ripping them when you bend over.

Plus, you have that set of "fat clothes" that fit comfortably

no matter what.

No problem, right?

Wrong.

Over the course of the last couple of months

since I've been counting calories and making a concerted effort

to get more exercise, I'm noticing that suddenly

I am sleeping better

I don't get heartburn

I can just about keep up with my dogs

Dixie encouraging me up the hill...

I am enjoying doing more with my husband

(I used to balk at the idea of going for a walk on the beach)

and now I actually want to eXercise...

on a treadmill some days

The view from my treadmill

Rainy, like most days, so easier just to eXercise inside

and...

I had to buy new scrubs...

Smaller, actually tapered womenly scrubs

that aren't just a square with arms...

And, while on vacation, I was able to fit into some of my

"thinner" clothes.  White pants and a breezy top I ridiculously bought on sale

and never thought I would actually fit into.

But now I do...

And, I hope it will be looser soon...!

2013 A to Z Challenge Post:

X is for eXasperation

NaBloPoMo Day 17 - I'm an ED Doc

For those of you that at this point still don't know what I do, let me tell you...

I'm an ED doc... not ER, we're not an emergency Room any more, we are an

Emergency Department.  We handle emergencies.  Mhmm... remember that...

I have to admit, I did "grow up" watching, 

"M*A*S*H," "Emergency," "ER" and "Rescue 911."

I was in medical school when "Scrubs" got started.

I was a surgical resident when "Grey's Anatomy" and "House" started.

Very often, I have been asked if it's all like it is on TV.  

And, except for the really good looking people that seem to be everywhere, it kinda is.

Ok, yes, there are some good looking doctors out there, come on... 

but not to the extent that there are on TV...

And, I've never climbed up on a patient and ridden on the gurney with them down the hallway...

Although, I have run down the hallway with a patient, or two, or several...

I've seen the gamut from birth to death.

I've seen the inane and the insane.

And, yes, sometimes we need to take time out for ourselves and do a quick dance...

It beat crying in the stairwell feeling sorry for ourselves...

and, yes, I've done that too...

So, my blog is about my life, most of the time from outside the ED doors,

although most anyone will tell you they want to hear what happens

inside the ED doors... like my photo... about percocets and a candy bar...

hey, it's all about "customer" satisfaction these days...

Sausage Stuffing

I wear pajamas to work.  I wanted a career where I didn't have to think about getting dressed every morning.  Not that I mind dressing up, just when you're in the medical profession it's one less thing to think about. So I wear scrubs, daily.

It's actually very comfortable;  that and my collection of Dansko clogs.  I've got about 6 pairs now.  However, it's not very comfortable on those rare occasions when I've got to get into regular clothes.

See... scrubs are generous.  They're not form-fitting.  I could gain and lose 10 pounds and still fit into the same pair of scrubs.  So when I have to dress up in regular clothes... well, sometimes it's not that pretty.  Like most women, I just can't pull something off the rack and think it will fit me well.  That little black dress I used to wear, forget about it... not happening this month.

Tonight was the benefit ball for the hospital;  the one time a year when everyone gets dressed up and raises money for some new equipment for the hospital.  I think I've explained this is a flannel-wearing, Carhart-sportin' kinda place, so getting dressed up for anything is quite the event.

My friend refers to it as "sausage stuffing" which pretty much describes what happens when you try to fit your size 12 body into your size 10 dress... She likes to say she's one good bout of gastroenteritis away from fitting into a size 6.  For me that would involve several months on a liquid diet and some pretty radical surgery.  But, I digress.  We had a lot of fun tonight.  Thanks to some elastic, a little spandex, and some smart clothing buys... Spanx, anyone...?

myPod Shuffle #12 - Waiting for My Real Life to Begin

Ok, so getting this blog post done early since I have a flight to catch to SoCal later this afternoon, and I won't really have time once I get home. Also, I am departing from the shuffle and putting in a song I find fitting on this birthday because for so long I wondered when my ship would come in, and for the first time in many years I actually feel as though my real life has begun.

I can still remember sitting as a surgical resident on-call in Minnesota just wondering where I was headed. Was I meant to stay in surgery, should I be thinking about another residency, could I make it through the next 12 hours? I know in one of my written journals I have the words to this song written out because I was scared and confused. Thinking that at my age at that time just a short 5 years ago, I should know what I was doing. Actually, I should already be there. While friends and colleagues my own age were looking at marriage or divorce or their first child/house/promotion, etc, I still hadn't even finished residency and was looking at a long path ahead.

Now I've completed a residency, I've bought a house we'll soon be working on and moving into, I think I've arrived. And, today on my birthday, I am looking toward the future with hope and excitement for the first time in many years...

I included the "Scrubs" version of the song on top which is where I first heard it. Here's the original version of the song... it starts about 2:21 into the video, but Colin Hays is definitely worth listening to regardless, so enjoy!

Would You Like Fries With That?

Excuse the rant, but seriously?

I've seen electronics develop greatly since the time I was in medical school.  I remember getting my first Palm and "synching" programs to help make studying easier with my fellow colleagues.  I remember our brand new auditorium boasting that one day all of the students would be able to instantly download the lecture to their personal laptops.  Wow, how could a medical student afford the $3300 a laptop would cost....?

Fast forward to now where I look up everything from medication interactions, to the latest antibiotics therapies, to calculating free water deficits on my phone.  My laptop is my, almost, constant companion.  And that dream of one day using a tablet-based medical logging system is now becoming a reality.  I, of course, should have patented my App for that.

But, what I find hard getting used to is patients who come in and tell you what their problem is, how they would like it treated, and could you freshen their coffee while you're at it.



I have always advocated for patient rights.  I tell patients it's their responsibility to ask questions of their doctors so that they are well-informed about their illnesses.  But, really?  I've called primary care physicians at home to talk to their patients who come into the emergency department because they don't believe me when I tell them to stop their medications, and that, no, they won't die, well unless they don't stop their medications.  I know what you read on WebMD but that relates to a certain population which you're not a part of.  I know that "Diagnose That" said that because your skin looks green under a full moon you could have a metabolic disorder, but if you read further or did some more research,  the fact that you're still alive at 22 means you probably don't have something where the average survival age is 2.

I read somewhere that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing... just continue to quote the internet to someone who's dedicated at least 12 years of their lives to studying medicine. Mmhmm...