Quite the week!

It has only been a week since I've written, and it has been a roller coaster of a ride.

Last Friday, the day before my roommate Dana's 26th birthday, her mom had a heart attack. Her mom has a long history of congestive heart failure, and it was gut wrenching to see a friend be so far from home. Her mom is improving every day, but will still have two weeks of hospital time when Dana returns home next week.

The weekend consisted of no sleep, and calls to Georgia when possible. My best friend Ruthie, whos wedding I was lucky to be in March, is leaving for her first deployment to the middle east on Monday. Roo has always been adventurous, but goes from mixtures of excited to scared, and I long for the day I'll be close to her during hard times, as we've built so much of our relationship on distance. (And still, I wouldn't trade it for the world).

Monday and Tuesday I had exams, and they just seemed to go a lot better this time. My grades were very well, which is always encouraging for the amount of time I put into preparing for them. Thursday, I had a lab exam on patient-doctor, in which I performed a endotrachael intubation perfectly, followed by a not so bad sensory examination.

And, I'm itching to come home. After sleeping next to Dana's tears, and reading about my brother and sisters' lives over email, I'm ready to take part in them. I can't wait to hug my parents, my grandparents, and visit my grandpa's grave.

Finally, I would like to wish my very good friends, Erica and Larry a wonderful wedding day tomorrow. I met Larry my first day at Brockport, and he has been a special friend to me ever since. I am very sad to be missing their day. Congratulations you two!

ready for a break :)

Hi friends and family,
I am writing this morning because I need to clear my head before my studying, and last day of classes for 3rd semester begins. I have been studying while I cook, while I eat, even while I change my clothes between school and study time. I quiz myself to fall asleep, and wake up usually dreaming of drugs or white blood cell disorders. Last night I had a dream about my high school guidance counselor, and a random guy from WCS. Needless to say, I'm losing my mind.

Monday and Tuesday, I have four exams as always. Thursday, I have my final lab exam (physical examination on the patients). A week from Thursday, starts my 5 final comprehensive exams on the semester. I feel like 30 park is close, but I also feel like 10 tests are making it seem a lot further! Even more, usually the weeks fly in cayman. Honestly, I think I missed about two months in 2009 without realizing it. For some reason, this has been the longest week ever!

Think happy thoughts for me over the next few weeks, I am hanging in there but having emotional roller coasters on the way. Thanks for my mom for saving me from another last night!
Miss you all. We're in the teens tomorrow.

John Hopkins Medical International visit

Tonight at school, 3 professors and doctors at John Hopkin's University Medical school came to give presentations at school. The presentation was open to US physicians, CI physicians, professors and students.

The professors and their presentations were amazing. The 1st, a neurosurgeon who specialized in tumor resection and radiosurgery was amazing. He showed us several CTs and MRIs, cracked jokes and showed us surgeries removing pituitary glands. The second, was a rheumatologist who gave a great talk on how common the disease is and sadly, even more commonly how often it is misdiagnosed before the correct diagnosis is made. The last, a GI surgeon showed us a esophageal herniation surgery, in which the patients stomach was almost entirely in their esophagus and he pulled it back out. The technology is out of this world, but the down to earth personalities of these world famous surgeons and their encouraging words was great to take part in.

24 days to home sweet home!

A piece of motivation

This block especially has been particularly difficult to study for. Tonight I found a piece of motivation where I would least expect it, at St. Matthew's University.

I am an academic coach (tutor)-and yes, I always have the dorkiest jobs on campus-one night a week, Thursdays. I have 3 hours of tutoring open to any students in the first, and mostly second semester classes on any questions in any class they might have. I only have one student come, a girl named Soobin who speaks very broken English. She came second block (after a poor first block result) with wanted help for physiology. I worked with her every week on the previous weeks' lectures, understanding concepts, while getting a pretty good review myself. She came in this week (after I hadn't seen her in a few weeks), with a big smile on her face. She did excellent, 20+ points over class average and was right on track to pass the course. She kept wanting to buy me something (lunch, coffee) and insisted I was the reason for her success. I laughed, because 1-I'm already paid, and 2-she did much better than I did on block 2 last semester!

There are a lot of people here who are driving me nuts lately. I've diagnosed myself with island fever-something we've yet to cover in Pathology but I'm sure exists. Tonight reminded me that amongst the crap that comes along with med school, some moments can be pretty happy too. So, a piece of motivation to carry me into block 3 and FINALLY towards 30 Park :)
miss you all.

Tired of Studying!

Trying to get back into the swing of it again, for one last push on Block 3. Hard to believe I'm almost half way through my second year of medical school. I get so excited thinking of breaks, and yet I'm always planning what I can study, what I need to study in August, and again in December.

I have classes in the afternoon most days this semester, and a lot of the time our professors will give us reviews or extra classes after our 5 o'clock regular day ends. This gets me home, changed, and eating dinner by 8, then I have to start studying everything I learned that day!

I've been having a really hard time getting up. I'm trying coffee, but caffeine is mental for me I think, and right now I'm not mentally ready to get up. Sometimes I try to convince myself blocks are next week, or trick myself, but I usually end up happily hitting the snooze for another hour-not good!

So, this morning I figured it out. I'm not tired, I don't need sleep, I'm just tired of studying. So, I woke up, made a breakfast, showered, stretched (I don't have time/energy to run or exercise, but I'm trying to at least keep my muscles warm for one day when I do have time again), and then studied. It was my most productive day since block 2.

Tired or not, Block 3 is some ridiculous 18 days away. Off to class!

Weirdest 4th of July & Wedding wishes!

Well its hard to be away from home every day, holidays are always hardest. A recap on my Grand Cayman 4th of July:
1. I called my girlfriend this morning to see if we were still going to a Karaoke bar tonight after fireworks. She asked what the fireworks were for.
2. I went to a 4th of July BBQ where we could only have a hamburger OR hot dog, and we ate them in the 90+ degree shade. The sun was extra hot today!
3. The Ritz Carlton, who puts on fireworks almost every other week, informed us today when we called that there were no 4th of July fireworks tonight. Instead, we watched the NBC firework special from NYC, and our neighbors illegally shooting them off on the beach.

39 days to home.

Last, I wanted to write to one my blog followers on her wedding day. Kelsey (then Rase, now Holmes) has been my friend since Kindergarten 18 years ago. Today, she was married in Warsaw, surrounded by friends and family. I wish I could have been there, and am very much looking forward to pictures and videos in August. Congratulations Kels & Mike!

Survived round two!

I know that after each block, its time to take a deep breath, say "it wasn't that bad", and keep going. Its been 36 hours, and I've yet to exhale, and I'll probably never say that verse. I'm starting to realize that as stressful as medicine was before, I haven't seen anything yet. Exam were, well hard. I haven't checked any scores, so I'm not sure about numbers-but I am sure I need to work even harder this month.

On a positive note, today marks 6 weeks until home. Which-I know 6 months is a small number, but when I've had 6 months since home, it seems like nothing. A bit of recap of what I learned while studying for my past tests.

You can function, and function for days on end with enough coffee & pasta. I can sleep 3 hours a night for an entire week, and still survive. You can study until you can't study anymore, and still walk out of an exam wondering if you knew any of it. Professors stress certain subjects in class, and test you on all the ones they just mentioned. Clothes can really be warn 4 times before washing. 1 and done is silly.

Its hard to be away from home, reading about hard times with my cousin, exciting moments for my little sister (who, in case you didn't know just landed a job with a major production company in Nashville), my brother and sister being home for the 4th, and missing one of my Kindergarten friends walk down the isle this weekend is taking a tole. My mom just finished our entire house, and it'll be old news when I get there in August. I haven't talked to my college friends-my best friends in ages. My greatest friend Ruthie, is going to the middle east for an unknown amount of time this coming week, and it breaks my heart every day. Please keep her in your prayers. I feel like I'm getting old. I feel like everything is going on, moving on without me, and I'm scared to death to be thrown back into the states less than a year from now. This place is making me crazy, huh? I love it every day, and I still want to be a doctor more than anything-I just hope everyone at home still knows how much I miss all the moments with all of them.