March Break = Done, School = 8 weeks left!!!!!!!

I can't believe that my break is done and now I sit here on my bed back at school.

Sigh.....

Time certainly does fly, and now I am entering my final stretch of school until I am done with first year. Wahoo! I can't believe that I am slighly more than 75% done my first year of medical school. I feel like I have learned so much, yet still know absolutely nothing compared to a full doctor. It is just insane!

My flights were uneventful (which is definitely preferable) and I got in around 4:30PM (my time). Then I unpacked all my suitcases and cleaned my room. There was no way that I could put my stuff from my luggage back into a disarray of clothes and mess. So, I went to town and cleaned my room until 7:30ish, ate something, then tried to do some school work. This was fairly unhelpul because I was so tired that I barely retained anything. It is for this reason that I stopped studying, took a hot shower and now am lying in bed all ready to catch some ZZZZZs before my week begins.

I had the most amazing March Break ever! Again, I have to reiterate the fact that I definitely have the most amazing family on earth. I got to spend quality time with everybody in my family (well, almost everybody.....except for a certain few who are, at the moment, living it up in the Sunshine State). But I am truly lucky to be surrounded by such great people.

xoxoxo

Getting Recharged and Some Answers

So I am officially more than half done my March Break :( I have been looking forward to this for so long (it was extremely powerful motivation to get through the last couple of grueling weeks of exams). I love coming home and being around my family and pets. It makes me so happy! It was exactly what I needed; to get away from my medical school bubble, come back to 'real-life' and get rested up. I have had a wonderful break so far (minus the lack of school work and countless doctor's appointments).

Today I am going to try to get some work done and, guess what? Today is the first day since the weekend that I have not had an appointment. Yay for a free day! Speaking of doctor's appointments. I got the final word on my other hip on Tuesday. I went to the orthopedic surgeon and we decided to scope my left hip. It should make it feel better. Heck, I can't be lop-sided, eh? Both my hips have to match so, Mr. Left hip gets fixed as soon as I get finished with this semeter. I am kinda bummed about spending my precious summer recovering, but this is the only time I can get it done and it will be so lovely to not have a sore hip in the future :)

Anywho, I am just procrastinating now and really should get to learning about the thyroid gland. Doesn't that sound like an exciting topic to spend the next couple of hours studying? Oh, I can hardly wait!! :P

Now I Can Breathe

I have officially survived the first half of this semester. Yay! I wrote my last exam yesterday (well, I guess two days ago when I look at the clock) and I am so relieved that it is done. I had to dig really deep to make myself study for my last exam. I am happy that I studied as much as I did, but man, it was difficult to force myself to study despite being so tired.

Today was semi-productive. I got through almost three lectures and scrubbed the apartment down. Meaning, I got on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floors and everything. It needed it so badly. And it looks AMAZING. I didn't have the energy or time to vaccuum or straighten the 'living' area, but what I did will suffice.

I just crawled into bed after going to a friends house for a St. Patrick's Day party. It was so nice to get out and be social! Now, I am so incredibly tired and I need to be able to get up in the morning to do school work so that I can learn lots because I am trying to get stuff done so that I do not have to do too much work while I am home.

Gosh, words can't describe how excited I am to go home!!!!

Mark My Words....

I am never, ever, ever going to be a pathologist. EVER!

I have been studying pathology for three days straight now (only stopping to practice how to do a physical exam) and I still haven't been through all of the information and I am calling it quits and going to bed.

I have studied from 10:00 this morning until now....only stopping to eat and perform bodily functions. Sounds lovely, eh?

There are 19 lectures on this exam and some of the lectures have 100 powerpoint slides to them. This is not cool on the brain. In fact, I don't even know how it is possible to get thru all of the information, that's getting thru it, and then learning it all is yet another story. I have picked what I think is "important" and hopefully the doctors writing the exam tomorrow think along the same lines as myself. Not getting through everything stresses me out. Oh well, I have put forth my best effort and que sera sera.

Also, tomorrow I have a simulated patient experience in which I have to take a history on a patient, do a physical (focused on eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and head) and then write a SOAP note on my findings. Oh, I forgot to mention that a doctor is in the exam room marking every little thing we do during our physical.

Oh tomorrow is going to be such a fun day!

The good thing is that I am going to be able to cross off 66.67% of the exams I have until March Break and I am one day closer to going home. :)

P.S. If this sounds negative, I apologize...I am just super tired....zzzz....

OB/GYN

Today was a full day of studying, classes, and free lunch yet again! Last week I went to meetings during lunchhour and got two free lunches and this week I also got two free lunches (then there were left overs so I took some for my dinner too!) All in all, free food rocks!

I am a member of the OB/GYN club and today we had a meeting over lunch that included a panel of four family doctors who also deliver babies. They got additional training in obstetrics so they are able to deliver selected patients' babies. I thought that the talk was interesting and I actually look forward to our meetings.

After the meeting the president of the club came over and said that I have been the only student who has attended all of the meetings the OB/GYN club has had, and they would like me to be an officer next year for the club. She said that she wants people who are enthusiastic and interested in the club's focus. I said that I would think about it, but I think that I am going to do it. From what I understand there are four meetings a semester (to which I am required to attend) and I would also play a part in organizing the monthly speakers - so I would email various doctors and see if they would be willing to talk at our school and other various things. It not only lets me have a say in what happens in the club, but also looks good on a resume for residency programs.

I am pretty excited about this. Even though I do not really know what I want to do when I "grow up". I guess that's what clinical rotations are for during my third and fourth years.

Productive :)

I learned so much today....now fingers crossed that it sticks around long enough to A) get a good mark on my exam on Friday and B) to make board review easier (ie some sort of long term retention)

I studied my butt off and feel like I actually got somewhere today :) yayayay

Also, as the day progressed my torticollis started to let my neck/upper back muscles to relax. I can now look down and study! My sternocledomastoid muscle is still firing nonstop; it feels like a guitar string. But it should go away soon enough.

Anyway, I am headed off to bed because I need to make some neuronal connections while I sleep.

Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh me oh my...time certainly does fly by!

I can't believe that this semester is almost half done. Honestly, time flies by way too quickly. I am closer to the start of second year medical school than I am to the start of first year medical school. And I still feel like everyday I am trying to figure things out. Mind you, I am getting slightly better grades than first semester while studying the same amount. I guess that is a small sign that I am figuring things out enough to do well.

As medical school has progressed I have really become self-centered. Honestly, my life revolves around getting my brain ready for the next exam. I buy groceries for myself, I clean up so that I like the apartment, I do practically everything for myself. For instance, yesterday I made a whole banana loaf (as opposed to making a half one!) all for me. Like I need an entire banana loaf! Not to toot my own horn, but man it is good!!!! With glazed brown sugar topping and chocolate chips to boot.

Despite feeling self-centered, I do have to say that talking with my family every day keeps me grounded and helps me realize that life does go on beyond the two-block area of the globe in which I set up shop. I truly am blessed for such a loving family that supports me in everything I do in life. The Lord has truly blessed me and I can't ever let stress and worry take over my life (despite how stressful things get in medical school) because I have to realize that I have been given a wonderful opportunity to study medicine, and hopefully make a difference.

That is all.

-Me

So much for going to be early!

I had planned on going to bed early, but I got on a roll and ended up sucking back one more lecture of renal things before I headed home. I tried to study here at the apartment this evening but ended up just getting frustrated, tired, and then, I decided that I would head on over to the library to study. Today was semi-productive but I am super tired which is why: A) I can't wait for March Break and B) I need to go to bed now.

Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!