Midadventures

A lot has happened since I posted last.  I completed my Family Medicine Rotation and....LOVED IT!  It was so much fun and educational.  It was in an inner city clinic that served the under-served.  I saw so much pathology and really learned a lot.  I also learned to love the patients too.  They were so interesting.  I found it amazing that I could drive 1/2 from my house and be in a completely different world.  Completely different.

The first couple of days were a bit difficult for me.  In fact, my first day, I got into the building and the head nurse came up to me and asked if I had any valuables in my car and to make sure that my car was locked.  Whoa!  Where was I?!  Nobody had forewarned me that I was going into this type of environment.  The patients all spoke in slang, and I could barely understand them.  For the first three days I think I said 'pardon me' a thousand times!  But, I quickly caught on.  I loved the doctors with whom I worked as well.  They were all into teaching and learning.  Every time I saw a patient I could come out of the room and the attending would be like: "so, doctor, what do you think and what do you want to do to fix them?"  Very intellectually challenging.  I appreciated it.

As the rotation progressed though, I started to know that something was very wrong.  I mean it was a long time coming, but everything came to a head, so to speak, when I had my 5 month follow-up with my surgeon.  I had worked extra during my time at the clinic so that I could spend three days off to go out and have the follow-up.  When I saw my surgeon he stated that we needed to do something sooner rather than later and that I was to have hip surgery (yes another one!) in a week.  Gulp.  But wait, I don't have any time left off from school!  This though, did not matter.  When we talked about things, it was clear that I was not functioning properly.  I couldn't stand for more than 5 minutes and when I did stand all I could think about is where could I sit next.  And, when I was sitting, I couldn't sit straight up as my hip wouldn't flex past 90 degrees.  And, to add to everything, my other hip was causing much pain as well, and we would have to do surgery on the other side too.  Flip....there went my life!

I knew what had to be done.  Seriously, I needed to take the time off from school, get my health under control and then pick up where I left off.  Much easier said than swallowed.  Deep down I knew this was coming, but it was very difficult to handle.  I cried for three days, but then, pulled myself together and organized my life.  My medical school has been wonderful, within hours they had had a meeting and figured out the best amount of time needed off to heal and return back to clerkship.  8 months.  This puts me a year behind, thus graduating in 2014.

I am now 12 days post op and really know I made the right decision.  My surgery, I believe, really did work!!!  My left hip feels MUCH better.  Although I have surgical pain the pre-op pain has vanished.  I am thrilled.  I am now able to focus on getting better and rehabbing properly.  And, when the time comes (perhaps in a month or so) we will do the other hip.  I have tried to keep my hip situation separate from my school on this blog, but there was no avoiding it.  The hips won this round, but my surgeon and I are gathering forces to give me my life back.  I will get through this, and I AM learning so much about myself.  Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would have 5 surgeries during medical school and take 5 years to get through medical school.

Life is certainly unexpected.