I said YES!
Here is a picture:
YAY!!!!!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Week(s) in review
So it's been a busy couple weeks. I like the ER because I get to do stuff, but I think it's too stressful for me for a career. It is tempting to be done at the end of a shift and not have call, though. :)
ICU: pretty boring, a little sad, although interesting to see such a different side of medicine. tubes and wires and monitors on every body part imaginable.
EMT Ride-a-long: hung out with the medics and firemen from 9-5 and the only trip in the truck we took was to go to Jimmy Johns for some sandwiches (we didn't use the sirens though). I decided to stick around for rush hour to hopefully get a couple runs in. We first picked up a drunk homeless man to take to the VA (where he was very well known) and then we picked up a rather large lady who fell down a few steps in her house and thought she broke her back. Neither was too exciting but it was kind of fun to ride in the ambulance!
My CRAZY second shift in the ER: there's just too many stories so I broke it down
-The guy who took lortab and xanax and clonopin and amitryptiline and laid face down in the snow:
Had this guy not smelled quite so bad I might have given him a hug. We have these "task lists" for ER (stick 4 IVs, 1 foley catheter, 1 NG tube, etc) and I did practically everything on the list for this one guy. I stuck him with needles, shoved tubes in multiple orifices, and attached all sorts of monitors to him. And he didn't even complain one bit. Probably because he was unconscious, but whatever. It was awesome.
-the drunk guy who broke his ankle and almost coded:
OK so this guy was pretty intoxicated and we think he fell off his porch resulting in his ankle pointing 45 degrees laterally (enough that he broke the skin on the medial side-it was gross!). He was hilarious, though, because every few minutes he would say "what the hell happened to me?" and we'd tell him his ankle was broken and he'd say "well shit, how'd I do that?"...as if we knew.
Anyway, we were preparing a splint for him and the doc ordered some pain meds to give him before we pulled his ankle straight. He soon became completely unresponsive (in front of his family) and everyone panicked because he was in a hallway (not even a real room) and wasn't attached to any kind of monitor (for heart rate, BP, etc). Fortunately, the expert ER docs gave him another drug to un-do the pain medicine and he came-to, but not before we'd thrown somebody else out of a room and prepared three airway kits. And made my own heart stop for a minute or two.
Anyway, so he got himself a nice little room and we hooked him up to everything we could find, then decided to splint his leg. The ER resident pulled the ankle straight and then turned to me and said "hey can you hold this?" and handed me his ankle. I almost vomited. At least I got another check-off on my task list.
-the truck driver who's truck was hit by a TRAIN so he jumped out of the truck and walked away
This story is pretty much summed up by the title. His back hurt a little so he went to the local ER (about 30 minutes from our ER) and told the docs there that he just crashed with a train and they panicked and sent him to us. Without even checking him at all. Thankfully, he was okay, although he did tell me that he thinks his truck-driving career is probably over.
-a car wreck lady whose BP was down to the 50s and she was mad they had to cut off her clothes
I wish I could have followed up on her case. We had a report that there was a lady coming in from a motor vehicle crash whose BP was way down so everyone geared up in gowns, gloves, etc, we got surgeons, respiratory techs, the x-ray machine, and everything primed and ready to go...and she came in (with normal BP by that point) and was just jabbering away. They still insisted that they cut off her clothes because that's trauma protocol (apparently) but she was irritated "well I could have taken those off myself without you ruining them!" I'd have to agree. As soon as they wheeled her into another room, though, we got another report - one that was a lot less humorous and scared the crap out of a new-to-the-ER girl like me:
-A man with a gunshot wound to the chest:
First of all, this freaked me out because it happened here. Just by the mall. near the park. People don't get murdered in Lexington!
Again, we got on all the gear. A nurse told me to gown up because they may get tired doing CPR and I needed to be ready to step in. Uh, what? Me? doing CPR? in real life?
Anyway, we were told that there was one guy coming who'd been shot in the chest, was found down by paramedics (at least 20 minutes ago) and they were on the way, here in about 6 minutes. They finally wheeled him in (that 6 minutes seemed like at least half an hourm with all the activity going on) and he definitely didn't look good. Not a normal-person color. They immediately started doing CPR, hooking things up, cutting clothes off (I helped take off his shoes/socks and they smelled SO BAD. If you ever plan on getting shot, please, wear clean underwear and wash your feet)
Person #2 was doing CPR (I was 3rd in line) so I asked him if he was getting tired. He said no, but then another nurse said "oh no, stop and let the student do CPR!" Thanks, lady. Thanks. I'm already freaked out enough as it is and to think that I'm going to be pounding his ribcage trying to make a heart with a bullet in it start beating is more than enough for me. But, I stepped up on the box and started doing compressions. Probably only seconds later, they told me to stop so they could ultrasound his heart. Still no activity. I started pounding away again but one of the nurses called out "Time of death: 23:20" and then it was over.
I don't really remember much after that. I didn't want to give up and admit that he was dead, but looking back, not having a heartbeat for 30 minutes probably indicates that you're not going to have one again. And the color of his face indicated that too. I tried my best not to look at his face. I actually tried to not look at anything. I sort of have flashes of pictures in my mind - watching the nurse doing CPR and re-memorizing every movement I was going to make when I stepped up on the box, pulling off his dirty shoes, and making my gloved hands into the fist that I used to push on his chest, but that's about all that I remember. After they gave up, things happened just as fast but I sort of blocked it all out, trying to figure out my emotions (I think it was like the stages of grief - denial, anger, barganing, depression, and acceptance - all rolled into a 30 minute time frame).
It was nearing the end of my shift so I walked around the ER a few times. There was another guy who got shot (in the leg or arm) but was stable and was talking to police. I wanted to go in his room and find out what happened, but I figured that was just being nosy. I did read about him in the newspaper the next day, though. The story is here.
Kind of a lot to handle for one shift in the ER. It also made it difficult to sleep that night.
ICU: pretty boring, a little sad, although interesting to see such a different side of medicine. tubes and wires and monitors on every body part imaginable.
EMT Ride-a-long: hung out with the medics and firemen from 9-5 and the only trip in the truck we took was to go to Jimmy Johns for some sandwiches (we didn't use the sirens though). I decided to stick around for rush hour to hopefully get a couple runs in. We first picked up a drunk homeless man to take to the VA (where he was very well known) and then we picked up a rather large lady who fell down a few steps in her house and thought she broke her back. Neither was too exciting but it was kind of fun to ride in the ambulance!
My CRAZY second shift in the ER: there's just too many stories so I broke it down
-The guy who took lortab and xanax and clonopin and amitryptiline and laid face down in the snow:
Had this guy not smelled quite so bad I might have given him a hug. We have these "task lists" for ER (stick 4 IVs, 1 foley catheter, 1 NG tube, etc) and I did practically everything on the list for this one guy. I stuck him with needles, shoved tubes in multiple orifices, and attached all sorts of monitors to him. And he didn't even complain one bit. Probably because he was unconscious, but whatever. It was awesome.
-the drunk guy who broke his ankle and almost coded:
OK so this guy was pretty intoxicated and we think he fell off his porch resulting in his ankle pointing 45 degrees laterally (enough that he broke the skin on the medial side-it was gross!). He was hilarious, though, because every few minutes he would say "what the hell happened to me?" and we'd tell him his ankle was broken and he'd say "well shit, how'd I do that?"...as if we knew.
Anyway, we were preparing a splint for him and the doc ordered some pain meds to give him before we pulled his ankle straight. He soon became completely unresponsive (in front of his family) and everyone panicked because he was in a hallway (not even a real room) and wasn't attached to any kind of monitor (for heart rate, BP, etc). Fortunately, the expert ER docs gave him another drug to un-do the pain medicine and he came-to, but not before we'd thrown somebody else out of a room and prepared three airway kits. And made my own heart stop for a minute or two.
Anyway, so he got himself a nice little room and we hooked him up to everything we could find, then decided to splint his leg. The ER resident pulled the ankle straight and then turned to me and said "hey can you hold this?" and handed me his ankle. I almost vomited. At least I got another check-off on my task list.
-the truck driver who's truck was hit by a TRAIN so he jumped out of the truck and walked away
This story is pretty much summed up by the title. His back hurt a little so he went to the local ER (about 30 minutes from our ER) and told the docs there that he just crashed with a train and they panicked and sent him to us. Without even checking him at all. Thankfully, he was okay, although he did tell me that he thinks his truck-driving career is probably over.
-a car wreck lady whose BP was down to the 50s and she was mad they had to cut off her clothes
I wish I could have followed up on her case. We had a report that there was a lady coming in from a motor vehicle crash whose BP was way down so everyone geared up in gowns, gloves, etc, we got surgeons, respiratory techs, the x-ray machine, and everything primed and ready to go...and she came in (with normal BP by that point) and was just jabbering away. They still insisted that they cut off her clothes because that's trauma protocol (apparently) but she was irritated "well I could have taken those off myself without you ruining them!" I'd have to agree. As soon as they wheeled her into another room, though, we got another report - one that was a lot less humorous and scared the crap out of a new-to-the-ER girl like me:
-A man with a gunshot wound to the chest:
First of all, this freaked me out because it happened here. Just by the mall. near the park. People don't get murdered in Lexington!
Again, we got on all the gear. A nurse told me to gown up because they may get tired doing CPR and I needed to be ready to step in. Uh, what? Me? doing CPR? in real life?
Anyway, we were told that there was one guy coming who'd been shot in the chest, was found down by paramedics (at least 20 minutes ago) and they were on the way, here in about 6 minutes. They finally wheeled him in (that 6 minutes seemed like at least half an hourm with all the activity going on) and he definitely didn't look good. Not a normal-person color. They immediately started doing CPR, hooking things up, cutting clothes off (I helped take off his shoes/socks and they smelled SO BAD. If you ever plan on getting shot, please, wear clean underwear and wash your feet)
Person #2 was doing CPR (I was 3rd in line) so I asked him if he was getting tired. He said no, but then another nurse said "oh no, stop and let the student do CPR!" Thanks, lady. Thanks. I'm already freaked out enough as it is and to think that I'm going to be pounding his ribcage trying to make a heart with a bullet in it start beating is more than enough for me. But, I stepped up on the box and started doing compressions. Probably only seconds later, they told me to stop so they could ultrasound his heart. Still no activity. I started pounding away again but one of the nurses called out "Time of death: 23:20" and then it was over.
I don't really remember much after that. I didn't want to give up and admit that he was dead, but looking back, not having a heartbeat for 30 minutes probably indicates that you're not going to have one again. And the color of his face indicated that too. I tried my best not to look at his face. I actually tried to not look at anything. I sort of have flashes of pictures in my mind - watching the nurse doing CPR and re-memorizing every movement I was going to make when I stepped up on the box, pulling off his dirty shoes, and making my gloved hands into the fist that I used to push on his chest, but that's about all that I remember. After they gave up, things happened just as fast but I sort of blocked it all out, trying to figure out my emotions (I think it was like the stages of grief - denial, anger, barganing, depression, and acceptance - all rolled into a 30 minute time frame).
It was nearing the end of my shift so I walked around the ER a few times. There was another guy who got shot (in the leg or arm) but was stable and was talking to police. I wanted to go in his room and find out what happened, but I figured that was just being nosy. I did read about him in the newspaper the next day, though. The story is here.
Kind of a lot to handle for one shift in the ER. It also made it difficult to sleep that night.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
holy cow i've been busy
Things I need to update on:
-my ICU experience (or un-experience)
-the (relatively uneventful) EMT Ride-a-long at the fire station
-my boring first shift in the ER
-and my CRAZY second shift (Including but not limited to: The guy who took lortab and xanax and clonopin and amitryptiline and laid face down in the snow, the drunk guy who broke his ankle and almost coded, the truck driver who's truck was hit by a TRAIN so he jumped out of the truck and walked away, a car wreck lady whose BP was down to the 50s and she was mad they had to cut off her clothes, oh yeah and a gunshot wound to the chest - in LEXINGTON)...
all in a 6 hour shift.
holy cow!
My question is: how much can I talk about without violating HIPPA? I must do some reading on this before I write any more...
3rd shift is from midnight-6am. Wish me luck!
-my ICU experience (or un-experience)
-the (relatively uneventful) EMT Ride-a-long at the fire station
-my boring first shift in the ER
-and my CRAZY second shift (Including but not limited to: The guy who took lortab and xanax and clonopin and amitryptiline and laid face down in the snow, the drunk guy who broke his ankle and almost coded, the truck driver who's truck was hit by a TRAIN so he jumped out of the truck and walked away, a car wreck lady whose BP was down to the 50s and she was mad they had to cut off her clothes, oh yeah and a gunshot wound to the chest - in LEXINGTON)...
all in a 6 hour shift.
holy cow!
My question is: how much can I talk about without violating HIPPA? I must do some reading on this before I write any more...
3rd shift is from midnight-6am. Wish me luck!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Nausea
I caught a stomach bug this weekend. I feel like death. I have to be in the ICU tomorrow (where I may encounter some actual death, which kind of puts everything in perspective).
Seriously though, I'm not sure I'll make it through 6 hours straight of rounding. Wish me luck.
Seriously though, I'm not sure I'll make it through 6 hours straight of rounding. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Homemade pesto
I'm on subspecialty week this week for Medicine which means I get to go shadow a bunch of docs who subspecialize: nephrology, cardiology, GI, oncology, etc. I also went to my women's continuity clinic (where I get to go every week and it's AWESOME) and to home hospice one day (which is entirely different--and way better--than nursing home hospice). I should write about that later.
Right now I have much some pretty cool news.
I fell in love with a website called Karina's kitchen. She has Celiac disease so she makes a lot of gluten-free (and a lot of other-free things: lactose free, egg free, vegan, etc). I don't really know how I stumbled upon it, I think I was looking up a recipe to use turkey and sweet potatoes together (enchiladas!). I haven't yet gotten the chance to make any of the recipes yet, but I'm super pumped to try some of them. Also, the food photography is spectacular and I think she's a pretty entertaining writer. The line I liked best was "Homemade pesto always elevates the ordinary to extraordinary. Kinda like love." It helped that I made homemade pesto on Monday. :)
Anyway, I'm trying to decide what to make first. I'm thinking Butternut Chili then Peanut Stir Fry. Yum.
Edit: I actually saw a patient in my continuity clinic who had celiac disease a few days after I wrote this post - we talked about our favorite recipe websites!
Right now I have much some pretty cool news.
I fell in love with a website called Karina's kitchen. She has Celiac disease so she makes a lot of gluten-free (and a lot of other-free things: lactose free, egg free, vegan, etc). I don't really know how I stumbled upon it, I think I was looking up a recipe to use turkey and sweet potatoes together (enchiladas!). I haven't yet gotten the chance to make any of the recipes yet, but I'm super pumped to try some of them. Also, the food photography is spectacular and I think she's a pretty entertaining writer. The line I liked best was "Homemade pesto always elevates the ordinary to extraordinary. Kinda like love." It helped that I made homemade pesto on Monday. :)
Anyway, I'm trying to decide what to make first. I'm thinking Butternut Chili then Peanut Stir Fry. Yum.
Edit: I actually saw a patient in my continuity clinic who had celiac disease a few days after I wrote this post - we talked about our favorite recipe websites!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Black Friday
This year I went shopping at 5am with my mom for Christmas gifts.
We usually go just for fun, but the past few years have been a bust since there hasn't been much we've wanted/needed to get and there haven't been any good deals. But, my mom has been scouting out television sets for my brother and I since our old TV got struck by lightning and the new TV has about a 5 by 5 inch screen. Seriously. Neither of us watch much TV but the one we have is a little ridiculous.
Anyway, we searched for the deals and decided to start our outing at Walmart on Nicholasville Road. Thankfully, we were not at the store in New York where a worker was killed today as a result of the crowds, but I can see how things get out of control. First, there was NO parking spaces left in the entire Walmart parking lot. I've always thought that they had an obscene amount of parking but people had spilled over across the street to Lowes and Macaroni Grill, McDonalds and the gas station. TONS OF CARS. It was about 5:45 by the time we got there and it was absolutely packed. We decided to still go in anyway just for kicks, but figured we probably wouldn't stay to get the TV.
We got in the front doors and there was just a jam of people as far as I could see. Shopping carts and people (most of whom looked like they had been up since 3am - looking a little trashy but I guess I couldn't talk since I didn't shower either). We got in about 10 feet (literally, we couldn't get any further) and decided to call it quits. It was not worth saving even $100 on a TV if it was this crowded. They probably didn't even have the television left anyway. We turned around to leave and realized we were stuck! More people and more shopping carts had come in behind us and there was no moving in this crowd - everyone trying to go in different directions and no one could get anywhere. It was absolute insanity. My mom started pointing and calling people out "Excuse me, I'm claustrophobic, will you move so I can get out?" and pushed their cart out of our way. I think if we had been 10lb heavier we would have had no chance!
I seriously question the intelligence of the people in that store, standing there like cattle with one or two little things in their cart. The "deals" are NOT that good. Seriously. I can see how a frenzied crowd could get dangerous, though, so I'm glad we didn't stay in there.
So, we did what seemed most logical: we went to the mall. It actually was a good idea because there was even more parking and more stores for people to spread out a little. We did a good bit of damage at the mall and got quite a few presents. We actually strolled through Sears and realized they had a better TV on sale for only $2 more than the Walmart one! So my mom stood in line for only about 10 minutes and got us a TV and found a DVD player for $15! Yeah Christmas!
Another great deal was at Dicks - I got a new winter coat (instead of my HUGE yellow one that's getting a little old, and yellow) and we got some Nike shoes for one of our "giving tree" kids (a 17yo boy named "Mondo") and the shoes were only $28 (every other pair was at least $70!) AND since we spent over $100 and I got a North Face jacket we got a $20 Gift card to Dicks and a $15 iTunes gift card. We also found Mondo a regularly $40 shirt for $6 at Macy's.
Next, we headed to Panera after 9 and got some breakfast, although I really wanted a turkey sandwich and soup (I'd been up for over 4 hours, it was almost lunchtime for me!).
Of course, after that it was a little later and we decided to go back to Walmart. Yea, we're morons. Anyway, it had cleared out quite a bit by that point (all the good sales had been sold out) and we got a few things (including another turkey to make for dinner tonight to eat with the leftovers) and called it a day.
We got home around 11am and I sort of didn't know what to do with myself. Now I think I'm just getting the beginnings of a cold. I should probably take some Airborne or Zicam, but really I just want to go to sleep. Yessss, sleep.
We usually go just for fun, but the past few years have been a bust since there hasn't been much we've wanted/needed to get and there haven't been any good deals. But, my mom has been scouting out television sets for my brother and I since our old TV got struck by lightning and the new TV has about a 5 by 5 inch screen. Seriously. Neither of us watch much TV but the one we have is a little ridiculous.
Anyway, we searched for the deals and decided to start our outing at Walmart on Nicholasville Road. Thankfully, we were not at the store in New York where a worker was killed today as a result of the crowds, but I can see how things get out of control. First, there was NO parking spaces left in the entire Walmart parking lot. I've always thought that they had an obscene amount of parking but people had spilled over across the street to Lowes and Macaroni Grill, McDonalds and the gas station. TONS OF CARS. It was about 5:45 by the time we got there and it was absolutely packed. We decided to still go in anyway just for kicks, but figured we probably wouldn't stay to get the TV.
We got in the front doors and there was just a jam of people as far as I could see. Shopping carts and people (most of whom looked like they had been up since 3am - looking a little trashy but I guess I couldn't talk since I didn't shower either). We got in about 10 feet (literally, we couldn't get any further) and decided to call it quits. It was not worth saving even $100 on a TV if it was this crowded. They probably didn't even have the television left anyway. We turned around to leave and realized we were stuck! More people and more shopping carts had come in behind us and there was no moving in this crowd - everyone trying to go in different directions and no one could get anywhere. It was absolute insanity. My mom started pointing and calling people out "Excuse me, I'm claustrophobic, will you move so I can get out?" and pushed their cart out of our way. I think if we had been 10lb heavier we would have had no chance!
I seriously question the intelligence of the people in that store, standing there like cattle with one or two little things in their cart. The "deals" are NOT that good. Seriously. I can see how a frenzied crowd could get dangerous, though, so I'm glad we didn't stay in there.
So, we did what seemed most logical: we went to the mall. It actually was a good idea because there was even more parking and more stores for people to spread out a little. We did a good bit of damage at the mall and got quite a few presents. We actually strolled through Sears and realized they had a better TV on sale for only $2 more than the Walmart one! So my mom stood in line for only about 10 minutes and got us a TV and found a DVD player for $15! Yeah Christmas!
Another great deal was at Dicks - I got a new winter coat (instead of my HUGE yellow one that's getting a little old, and yellow) and we got some Nike shoes for one of our "giving tree" kids (a 17yo boy named "Mondo") and the shoes were only $28 (every other pair was at least $70!) AND since we spent over $100 and I got a North Face jacket we got a $20 Gift card to Dicks and a $15 iTunes gift card. We also found Mondo a regularly $40 shirt for $6 at Macy's.
Next, we headed to Panera after 9 and got some breakfast, although I really wanted a turkey sandwich and soup (I'd been up for over 4 hours, it was almost lunchtime for me!).
Of course, after that it was a little later and we decided to go back to Walmart. Yea, we're morons. Anyway, it had cleared out quite a bit by that point (all the good sales had been sold out) and we got a few things (including another turkey to make for dinner tonight to eat with the leftovers) and called it a day.
We got home around 11am and I sort of didn't know what to do with myself. Now I think I'm just getting the beginnings of a cold. I should probably take some Airborne or Zicam, but really I just want to go to sleep. Yessss, sleep.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
As promised: what I'm thankful for
I just want to say this right now: I feel sorry for turkeys on Thanksgiving. I mean, everyone says "Happy Turkey Day!" all cutesy and happy but really, are the turkeys that happy? I think it's probably Sad Turkey day, since we're eating them and all. I definitely wouldn't be a Happy Turkey.
Also - Everyone that says "Happy Turkey Day" is being unfair to the other side dishes - Why not "Happy Sweet Potato Day!" or "Happy Broccoli Casserole Day!" because those are just as delicious as the turkey. Anyway, on to the list!
Things I am thankful for (in no particular order of course):
Happy Thanksgiving!
Also - Everyone that says "Happy Turkey Day" is being unfair to the other side dishes - Why not "Happy Sweet Potato Day!" or "Happy Broccoli Casserole Day!" because those are just as delicious as the turkey. Anyway, on to the list!
Things I am thankful for (in no particular order of course):
- My coffeemaker (and Starbucks)
- Christmas music!
- An almost-perfect family: I couldn't ask for a better one
- My boyfriend who is so much like me it’s scary and awesome!
- Faith – in God, in my future, in my family and friends
- Facebook and my phone to keep up with old friends
- Turkey sammiches !
- Having a fantastic place to live and a pretty awesome brother to live with
- Friends who are there for you no matter how far away they are (like…3,498 miles last time I checked)
- Cooking time
- The Internet – because it knows everything
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
1 more story.
The Girl Who Never Talks
There is a girl in our med school class who never talks. Literally. I have heard her utter about 3 words in the past 2.5 years of school and even that was a soft semi-mumble that I couldn't really understand. Because of the fact that she's so quiet, I find myself very intrigued by her. She's obviously bright or else she wouldn't still be in our class but I constantly wonder why she is so quiet! She sits by herself and doesn't engage other students in conversation. When asking others about her I have heard that she's just not a conversationalist and gives short one-word replies when one tries to talk to her. I think she is probably nice because I have smiled at her and she smiles back, but I have never had the opportunity to talk to her since I've never worked with her in any group or whatnot. Anyway, today we had standardized patients come in and we had to take turns sitting in front of the class interviewing them. Guess who had to go first?! Anyway, she did a good job...but still I wonder how someone makes it through so much of med school without talking. And why? Is she shy? Snobby? Thinks she has a weird voice? Why doesn't she talk? It drives me nuts.
There is a girl in our med school class who never talks. Literally. I have heard her utter about 3 words in the past 2.5 years of school and even that was a soft semi-mumble that I couldn't really understand. Because of the fact that she's so quiet, I find myself very intrigued by her. She's obviously bright or else she wouldn't still be in our class but I constantly wonder why she is so quiet! She sits by herself and doesn't engage other students in conversation. When asking others about her I have heard that she's just not a conversationalist and gives short one-word replies when one tries to talk to her. I think she is probably nice because I have smiled at her and she smiles back, but I have never had the opportunity to talk to her since I've never worked with her in any group or whatnot. Anyway, today we had standardized patients come in and we had to take turns sitting in front of the class interviewing them. Guess who had to go first?! Anyway, she did a good job...but still I wonder how someone makes it through so much of med school without talking. And why? Is she shy? Snobby? Thinks she has a weird voice? Why doesn't she talk? It drives me nuts.
4 short stories.
Patrick the Meatatarian
Once upon a time there was a boy named Patrick. He was allergic to raw fruits and vegetables (yes, really) but he didn't care for them cooked, either. He became a meatatarian. When asked "Patrick, what did you have for dinner tonight?" he would reply, "Chicken. and Hamburger. I might have a hot dog, do you want one?" Also, he would leave his meat-juice plates all over the apartment he shared with his sister. Also, he would leave the empty raw-chicken-containers in the garbage for days at a time, which caused the house to smell like...well...I don't even want to talk about it. It made his sister very unhappy when she walked in the house and literally Gagged from the smell. She may become vegetarian if this keeps up. Ugh.
I Hate Medicine
Not the profession, but the actual pills. I have come to the conclusion that if there is a possible side effect to a medicine I will have it worse than most. Even side effects the doctor didn't tell me I would have. In the past year I can count five different medications I have taken and each one caused me considerable distress. I don't think it's just because I'm a wimp - I don't believe everyone has these problems. Maybe I have something wrong with my P450 proteins and I can't break things down properly. I'll never be able to have hypertension, diabetes, or any other chronic health problem because I can't (won't?) take medicine for it. I'm going to be a much better doctor than patient, because medicine is for the birds (actually, I wouldn't even will this on birds!). I'd better go eat some low-fat veggies, get my shots, and take a bike ride (with a helmet, of course)!
Internists
I just began my internal medicine "megablock" of 3rd year, which is 4 months of wards, ICU, ER, and subspecialty training all rolled into one. I am very excited for this block because Medicine is possibly a career choice for me. I've been busy talking myself out of Family medicine (more on that another day) so IM is looking pretty promising. I hope that I love every minute of it. I am concerned, however, that the personalities I have met so far aren't really my "type" - a little more conceited and a little more intense. Also, it's apparently very hard to do well (well=A) in this rotation, which stresses out dumb little me, but I'm going to study hard and do my best and see what becomes of everything!
Thanksgiving
The Smith family (my mom's side) celebrates Thanksgiving the same way every year: with lots of laughter and tons of food! We're all getting together at my parents' house to eat and give thanks. I have a lot to be thankful for, which sounds like a great idea for another blog post. What a cliffhanger! Stay tuned!
Once upon a time there was a boy named Patrick. He was allergic to raw fruits and vegetables (yes, really) but he didn't care for them cooked, either. He became a meatatarian. When asked "Patrick, what did you have for dinner tonight?" he would reply, "Chicken. and Hamburger. I might have a hot dog, do you want one?" Also, he would leave his meat-juice plates all over the apartment he shared with his sister. Also, he would leave the empty raw-chicken-containers in the garbage for days at a time, which caused the house to smell like...well...I don't even want to talk about it. It made his sister very unhappy when she walked in the house and literally Gagged from the smell. She may become vegetarian if this keeps up. Ugh.
I Hate Medicine
Not the profession, but the actual pills. I have come to the conclusion that if there is a possible side effect to a medicine I will have it worse than most. Even side effects the doctor didn't tell me I would have. In the past year I can count five different medications I have taken and each one caused me considerable distress. I don't think it's just because I'm a wimp - I don't believe everyone has these problems. Maybe I have something wrong with my P450 proteins and I can't break things down properly. I'll never be able to have hypertension, diabetes, or any other chronic health problem because I can't (won't?) take medicine for it. I'm going to be a much better doctor than patient, because medicine is for the birds (actually, I wouldn't even will this on birds!). I'd better go eat some low-fat veggies, get my shots, and take a bike ride (with a helmet, of course)!
Internists
I just began my internal medicine "megablock" of 3rd year, which is 4 months of wards, ICU, ER, and subspecialty training all rolled into one. I am very excited for this block because Medicine is possibly a career choice for me. I've been busy talking myself out of Family medicine (more on that another day) so IM is looking pretty promising. I hope that I love every minute of it. I am concerned, however, that the personalities I have met so far aren't really my "type" - a little more conceited and a little more intense. Also, it's apparently very hard to do well (well=A) in this rotation, which stresses out dumb little me, but I'm going to study hard and do my best and see what becomes of everything!
Thanksgiving
The Smith family (my mom's side) celebrates Thanksgiving the same way every year: with lots of laughter and tons of food! We're all getting together at my parents' house to eat and give thanks. I have a lot to be thankful for, which sounds like a great idea for another blog post. What a cliffhanger! Stay tuned!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
a few things and a funny story
Few things:
1) It's very very cold outside.
2) I bought fleece sheets from Target which were the BEST DEAL EVER because they're ultra fantastically warm.
3) Flu shots hurt but hopefully are worth it.
4) My toilet broke.
Funny story:
Yesterday I sent my mom an email with the article I "helped" write (so now I'm officially a published scientist...not counting the wikipedia page on PGRMC1), so she called to congratulate me. Here's how it went:
Mom: That's really great, Katie, I'm proud of you!
Me: Thanks Mom, but I didn't really do much of it.
Mom: No, it must be important because in order to get the full text online article it wanted me to pay $30!
Me: I hope you didn't pay that.
Mom: No... So, is the article going to be in a magazine or something?
Me: They usually call them "journals," mom.
Mom: Oh. So is it something I can get at Joseph-Beth?
Me: I don't think so. I will send you the final copy if you really want it.
Mom: Well not really - I can't even understand the title!
1) It's very very cold outside.
2) I bought fleece sheets from Target which were the BEST DEAL EVER because they're ultra fantastically warm.
3) Flu shots hurt but hopefully are worth it.
4) My toilet broke.
Funny story:
Yesterday I sent my mom an email with the article I "helped" write (so now I'm officially a published scientist...not counting the wikipedia page on PGRMC1), so she called to congratulate me. Here's how it went:
Mom: That's really great, Katie, I'm proud of you!
Me: Thanks Mom, but I didn't really do much of it.
Mom: No, it must be important because in order to get the full text online article it wanted me to pay $30!
Me: I hope you didn't pay that.
Mom: No... So, is the article going to be in a magazine or something?
Me: They usually call them "journals," mom.
Mom: Oh. So is it something I can get at Joseph-Beth?
Me: I don't think so. I will send you the final copy if you really want it.
Mom: Well not really - I can't even understand the title!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
i love babies!
I got to "play" with the cutest babies today! I'm on newborn nursery this week and we don't really get to "play" but we get to "examine" them which is sort of the same thing but instead of making them warm and happy we made them cold and angry. Basically the same thing.
We've gotten to see a few deliveries which have been cool (especially to be on the other end of it from the OB perspective)...I do think it's weird how separated mother/baby health are as soon as they're born. They have completely different doctors taking care of them. I think it's another good reason to do something like family medicine because you DO get to take care of both Mom and Baby together. Also, they get really confused with each service rounding on them and things...
Also, today was my day to carry the "med student pager" (which hasn't gone off except for 2 times this entire week)...and while I was in our 1-hour lecture I got paged FIVE TIMES! I felt kind of awkward! Do I leave? Do I pretend it isn't me that's beeping? Do I run off to rub/aggravate the baby and cut the cord shorter? I decided just to sit there and listen to a guy who sounds a little bit like Dracula drone on and on about pediatric hypertension. Worst of all, we missed two NICU babies! Bummer! (More of a bummer for the babies I guess, but I was still sad that I didn't get to see them.)
I also realized today that I have a knack for getting babies to poop when I'm examining them. Don't know why, it doesn't happen to anybody else. I just look at them and they start grunting...and before I know it I've got a stinky...
Also, they have a "baby photographer" who was there today who put a little bow in the baby's hair and gave her little angel wings and took her picture - there were other really awesome pictures too...ahh babies!
Better stop cooing and get back to studying - finals are in 1 week!
We've gotten to see a few deliveries which have been cool (especially to be on the other end of it from the OB perspective)...I do think it's weird how separated mother/baby health are as soon as they're born. They have completely different doctors taking care of them. I think it's another good reason to do something like family medicine because you DO get to take care of both Mom and Baby together. Also, they get really confused with each service rounding on them and things...
Also, today was my day to carry the "med student pager" (which hasn't gone off except for 2 times this entire week)...and while I was in our 1-hour lecture I got paged FIVE TIMES! I felt kind of awkward! Do I leave? Do I pretend it isn't me that's beeping? Do I run off to rub/aggravate the baby and cut the cord shorter? I decided just to sit there and listen to a guy who sounds a little bit like Dracula drone on and on about pediatric hypertension. Worst of all, we missed two NICU babies! Bummer! (More of a bummer for the babies I guess, but I was still sad that I didn't get to see them.)
I also realized today that I have a knack for getting babies to poop when I'm examining them. Don't know why, it doesn't happen to anybody else. I just look at them and they start grunting...and before I know it I've got a stinky...
Also, they have a "baby photographer" who was there today who put a little bow in the baby's hair and gave her little angel wings and took her picture - there were other really awesome pictures too...ahh babies!
Better stop cooing and get back to studying - finals are in 1 week!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
I love soup!
I've not posted anything recently because I don't want to bore anybody with my daily goings-on...inpatient peds is pretty good but I don't have many patients which makes it a little boring. I'm also getting more frustrated with my inability to decide how much I like different specialties. I like everything, I can't decide what I like the most or least! Anyway, besides the constant battle of trying to decide what to do with my life, not much has been going on.
Anyway... I decided to write today about something that is very dear to my heart: homemade soup! It's cheap, healthy, delicious and warms you up on a blustery day - seriously, how much more could I want?
Last week I made some potato soup. I'd never made potato soup before (I have never even made a cream based soup)...but I basically found that potato soup is basically watery mashed potatoes. Which is a good thing, of course, but I like a little more variety.
One soup I'm particularly fond of is my Thai Omelet soup. It's basically broth with cabbage and carrots (and I usually throw in some ramen noodles) but what makes it delicious is you cook an "omelet" and cut it into strips and put it on top of the soup.
Today I made "Tortilla tomato soup" which is a delicious blend of onion, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro, topped with fried tortilla strips and cheddar cheese.
Later this week I have two other delicious soups to make: a turkey chili and tomato soup with Israeli couscous. I'm pretty pumped.
I'm (hopefully) going to put the recipes on my other blog if you would like to make these delicious goodies on your own. Or, if you're nice to me, maybe you can come over and eat soup with me!
Anyway... I decided to write today about something that is very dear to my heart: homemade soup! It's cheap, healthy, delicious and warms you up on a blustery day - seriously, how much more could I want?
Last week I made some potato soup. I'd never made potato soup before (I have never even made a cream based soup)...but I basically found that potato soup is basically watery mashed potatoes. Which is a good thing, of course, but I like a little more variety.
One soup I'm particularly fond of is my Thai Omelet soup. It's basically broth with cabbage and carrots (and I usually throw in some ramen noodles) but what makes it delicious is you cook an "omelet" and cut it into strips and put it on top of the soup.
Today I made "Tortilla tomato soup" which is a delicious blend of onion, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro, topped with fried tortilla strips and cheddar cheese.
Later this week I have two other delicious soups to make: a turkey chili and tomato soup with Israeli couscous. I'm pretty pumped.
I'm (hopefully) going to put the recipes on my other blog if you would like to make these delicious goodies on your own. Or, if you're nice to me, maybe you can come over and eat soup with me!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Block 3: Pediatrics
Officially back from Bardstown. I had been meaning to write a nice little note about cute kiddos and how much I learned this month, but last night I started to come down with a wicked sore throat (seriously, I think I'm swallowing knives) and feeling generally crummy, so my outlook on things may not be quite so bright today. Everyone says you'll get sick on peds, but I naively thought that since I made it back to Lex without a single sniffle I would be off the hook for getting sick. Darn you, incubation time! I wanted to have a fun weekend of pumpkin carving and cooking and generally having a good time. Now I can't sleep and have to drink icky tea to make myself feel better. Bummer!
Anyway, I'll do my best to write about my month.
Staying with my grandparents was pretty fun. Grandma was sort of sick in the beginning (just really tired) since she had just gotten out of the hospital, so I was glad that I could help with cooking dinner and things. She did get better, though, so I was glad of that. I think they had a lot of fun with me there--my grandpa wants to adopt me!
Last weekend Chris came up to stay with us and we did all the "touristy" things we could think of. We went to Bernheim forest and hiked around a little bit...then we went to "downtown Bardstown" and window shopped (we did get some delicious donuts from a bakery there!) We also went to church and I met the priest that married my parents and all of my aunts and uncles. On Sunday, we tried to go to the Abbey of Gesthemane (where the monks are) but unfortunately they were closed on Sunday. We then went to Nazareth (where the nuns live) and took a walk on their grounds. We finished off the trip with a trip to Maker's Mark and Chris got to dip his own bottle in the wax, which was pretty sweet. Hopefully I'll have pictures to come soon.
The rotation itself wasn't bad, I saw TONS of patients (seriously, over 20 patients/day!) and learned a crazy amount of stuff. I am still not sure how I feel about the kids (as in being their doctor) because I feel like there's a lot of stuff that I just don't really like to deal with. I did think that the kids were cute and I had fun getting them to let me examine them...but I don't know if I want to do ONLY peds for the rest of my life. Some of the days just seemed really long.
It's kind of disheartening because I had hoped that I would fall in love with Peds and that would be the answer I was looking for...and I didn't. I like peds, it was fun, but maybe not what I want to do forever. Thankfully, though, I have another month of kiddos (really sick ones this time) to decide.
Well, I better go take some medicine, I'm hurting all over! :(
Anyway, I'll do my best to write about my month.
Staying with my grandparents was pretty fun. Grandma was sort of sick in the beginning (just really tired) since she had just gotten out of the hospital, so I was glad that I could help with cooking dinner and things. She did get better, though, so I was glad of that. I think they had a lot of fun with me there--my grandpa wants to adopt me!
Last weekend Chris came up to stay with us and we did all the "touristy" things we could think of. We went to Bernheim forest and hiked around a little bit...then we went to "downtown Bardstown" and window shopped (we did get some delicious donuts from a bakery there!) We also went to church and I met the priest that married my parents and all of my aunts and uncles. On Sunday, we tried to go to the Abbey of Gesthemane (where the monks are) but unfortunately they were closed on Sunday. We then went to Nazareth (where the nuns live) and took a walk on their grounds. We finished off the trip with a trip to Maker's Mark and Chris got to dip his own bottle in the wax, which was pretty sweet. Hopefully I'll have pictures to come soon.
The rotation itself wasn't bad, I saw TONS of patients (seriously, over 20 patients/day!) and learned a crazy amount of stuff. I am still not sure how I feel about the kids (as in being their doctor) because I feel like there's a lot of stuff that I just don't really like to deal with. I did think that the kids were cute and I had fun getting them to let me examine them...but I don't know if I want to do ONLY peds for the rest of my life. Some of the days just seemed really long.
It's kind of disheartening because I had hoped that I would fall in love with Peds and that would be the answer I was looking for...and I didn't. I like peds, it was fun, but maybe not what I want to do forever. Thankfully, though, I have another month of kiddos (really sick ones this time) to decide.
Well, I better go take some medicine, I'm hurting all over! :(
Saturday, October 4, 2008
post from b-town #3
I’ve officially started my AHEC rotation. For those of you who don’t know, AHEC stands for “Area Health Education Center” and means “away rotation.” I’m in Bardstown, which is southwest of Lexington and almost exactly an hour away from Lexington. I’m working in an outpatient pediatrics clinic with a doctor who is actually the father of a girl in my class.
It’s perfect timing too (makes you think the guy upstairs had a hand in making this one happen) because my grandma got sick about 10 days ago. She had a UTI that ascended into acute pyelonephritis (a kidney infection) and actually went into her bloodstream, causing her to get septic and almost die. She was in the B-town hospital but got transferred to Lexington, went to the ICU for a couple days and then a regular bed in the hospital. She actually just got home this afternoon (and I came in the evening) so I can hopefully be here to take care of her (when she lets me) and make sure she’s not getting any worse.
There is no internet here.
I’m allergic to the cat, and even though I’ve only been here a couple hours I think IgE & friends are starting to kick in. My throat is itchy and I just sneezed.
However, it’s hard to tell if that’s due to the cat allergen or just runoff from my normal allergies. I helped Chris move this weekend (which should get it’s own post) and got about six pounds of dust up my nose. I’m actually starting to feel a little wheezy, so this may be a really terrible month. Hopefully not, though.
I’m getting pretty sleepy so I guess I’ll go to sleep. There’s not anything else to do here anyway. :)
It’s perfect timing too (makes you think the guy upstairs had a hand in making this one happen) because my grandma got sick about 10 days ago. She had a UTI that ascended into acute pyelonephritis (a kidney infection) and actually went into her bloodstream, causing her to get septic and almost die. She was in the B-town hospital but got transferred to Lexington, went to the ICU for a couple days and then a regular bed in the hospital. She actually just got home this afternoon (and I came in the evening) so I can hopefully be here to take care of her (when she lets me) and make sure she’s not getting any worse.
There is no internet here.
I’m allergic to the cat, and even though I’ve only been here a couple hours I think IgE & friends are starting to kick in. My throat is itchy and I just sneezed.
However, it’s hard to tell if that’s due to the cat allergen or just runoff from my normal allergies. I helped Chris move this weekend (which should get it’s own post) and got about six pounds of dust up my nose. I’m actually starting to feel a little wheezy, so this may be a really terrible month. Hopefully not, though.
I’m getting pretty sleepy so I guess I’ll go to sleep. There’s not anything else to do here anyway. :)
post from b-town #2
Okay – this entry is for things that happened while on FM, and what I did with my “free” weekend between FM and Peds.
1) My birthday: this was on September 6. I turned 23 which makes me officially “old enough to be in med school” even though all the Hospice nurses told me I didn’t look a day out of high school. Thanks, ladies, except for the fact that you deal with 90 year olds all day.
Chris and I went to celebrate at Alfalfa’s which was a very delicious restaurant if you’ve never been there. We got the house salad, and I got a grilled sandwich with tomato, avocado, and mozzarella cheese and it was unbelievably good. Chris got fish tacos. And we got blackberry cheesecake with chocolate mousse on top. It was heaven!
I also got to go out shopping which was actually quite fun and turned up a few good deals.
2) Chris’ birthday: this was on the 19th and he turned old. Just kidding, he’s only a little older than I am, but I still make fun of him for it. His dad stopped by on his way from TN to IN, and I made a bruschetta chicken bake (which was fabulous!) and red velvet cake – I’d never had red velvet cake before but that’s what he wanted and that’s what he got. And it was tasty!
3) We also went up to Indianapolis for a weekend but I don’t remember much of that except that it was a nice time.
4) Race for the Cure: Chris and I ran RftC again this year (hoping to beat our time from last year which shouldn’t have been hard but was). We crossed the finish line at 33:33, but that doesn’t really count our time since we had to walk for a while in the beginning. I made Chris stop a couple times because my allergies were very bad and I had trouble breathing, which wasn’t fun. So, I didn’t do as well as I wanted but I didn’t die so that’s good. My dad got some sweet (read: awkward) action photos so maybe I can post those.
5) Moving: Chris and Kateri decided it was time for them to move houses. Their old one was nice and in an absolutely wonderful location but it was very very cold in the winter (with electric bills over $200!) and they had a number of plumbing problems that weren’t going to get fixed. So, they moved – and they’re my neighbors now! The front of my house can see the back of theirs, and it’s pretty convenient since we hang out so much. Unfortunately, now that they’re all moved in I’m gone for the month, but it will be nice when I get back. Moving wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t really that bad. Just bad for my allergies but you do what you gotta do.
1) My birthday: this was on September 6. I turned 23 which makes me officially “old enough to be in med school” even though all the Hospice nurses told me I didn’t look a day out of high school. Thanks, ladies, except for the fact that you deal with 90 year olds all day.
Chris and I went to celebrate at Alfalfa’s which was a very delicious restaurant if you’ve never been there. We got the house salad, and I got a grilled sandwich with tomato, avocado, and mozzarella cheese and it was unbelievably good. Chris got fish tacos. And we got blackberry cheesecake with chocolate mousse on top. It was heaven!
I also got to go out shopping which was actually quite fun and turned up a few good deals.
2) Chris’ birthday: this was on the 19th and he turned old. Just kidding, he’s only a little older than I am, but I still make fun of him for it. His dad stopped by on his way from TN to IN, and I made a bruschetta chicken bake (which was fabulous!) and red velvet cake – I’d never had red velvet cake before but that’s what he wanted and that’s what he got. And it was tasty!
3) We also went up to Indianapolis for a weekend but I don’t remember much of that except that it was a nice time.
4) Race for the Cure: Chris and I ran RftC again this year (hoping to beat our time from last year which shouldn’t have been hard but was). We crossed the finish line at 33:33, but that doesn’t really count our time since we had to walk for a while in the beginning. I made Chris stop a couple times because my allergies were very bad and I had trouble breathing, which wasn’t fun. So, I didn’t do as well as I wanted but I didn’t die so that’s good. My dad got some sweet (read: awkward) action photos so maybe I can post those.
5) Moving: Chris and Kateri decided it was time for them to move houses. Their old one was nice and in an absolutely wonderful location but it was very very cold in the winter (with electric bills over $200!) and they had a number of plumbing problems that weren’t going to get fixed. So, they moved – and they’re my neighbors now! The front of my house can see the back of theirs, and it’s pretty convenient since we hang out so much. Unfortunately, now that they’re all moved in I’m gone for the month, but it will be nice when I get back. Moving wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t really that bad. Just bad for my allergies but you do what you gotta do.
post from b-town #1
Well I’m long overdue for a post, but now that I’ve finally decided to write something, I don’t have internet access. Bummer! I kept thinking I should write about my Family medicine experience, but I never quite found a good time to do it. It’s ironic, though, since I found time to write when I was on OBGyn and working 14-hour days but when I was working 8-6 in the clinic I couldn’t quite find the time. I was too busy having fun, I guess.
Family medicine wasn’t what I expected it to be. I really had no expectations for it, except that I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be a family doc. I have met quite a few during my time here in med school and I didn’t think that I had their personality.
I was so wrong!
I really, really enjoyed FM. I liked the variety of patients – I saw everyone from pregnant women (and their soon-to-be babies) to 97 year old women in the nursing home! I saw just about every complaint imaginable – cardiac, psychiatric, musculoskeletal, etc – and the amazing thing was: we could do something for almost all of them! I had imagined that we would do tons of referrals to other doctors since FM docs don’t have a specific specialty. Instead, we handled a majority of complaints, and when we did refer out, patients would come back to us looking for answers and explanations that their specialty doc didn’t give to them.
I loved spending time with the patients, discussing things that were going on in their lives and what was worrying them. I felt like this is what a “doctor” should be - you should be able to treat just about everybody (and know when you’re out of your league) and be able to really know your patients one-on-one.
People throw around the term “continuity-of-care” but I never really paid much attention to it – but I found myself wondering about my patients when I went home at the end of the day. I wonder about the 21 year old guy who lost 35 pounds in the past few months without trying, I wonder what happened to the poor old lady with the bowel problems that we sent her to the hospital for, I wonder what happened with the little boy who was taking seizure meds that had delayed his speech development…If they were my patients, I wouldn’t have to wonder!
I felt like I had a purpose being there as well. I was there to listen. The doctors had only 20 minutes to see each patient, but my time was unlimited. Some patients just need to be listened to, especially those with chronic pain, depression, and stressful living situations.
Chronic pain is another issue I learned a lot about. Not necessarily medical knowledge, but I got to spend time talking with multiple patients about their daily struggles with pain. It’s a sticky subject in the medical profession because doctors are afraid to walk the fine line between creating drug dependence and really helping those in need. Some of the residents I worked with refused to give out narcotic pain medication altogether. I think that it should be what it is - a controlled substance – but I think that it has a purpose and it works for some people. Going to pain clinics can work for some, physical therapy for others, but some people just need a pain pill and I think they deserve that. I read that one of the most undertreated diseases in the US is chronic pain because doctors are scared of prescribing someone too much medicine and creating addicts. But if I were in chronic pain, I’d rather be an addict than live my life hurting all the time. I think doctors need to step out of their own shoes once in a while, take off that white coat, and imagine what it would be like to have crippling pain all the time. Waking you up in the middle of the night. Preventing you from being able to do things you love. Making you cranky and irritable and no one wants to be around you. You would want to take some Vicodin too.
Whew…Back off the soapbox. Thanks.
The only thing that I didn’t like about the specialty itself is something that others may say is silly – but I feel like FM docs are sort of looked down upon. “FM is the specialty you go into if you can’t get into anything else.” “Smart people don’t go into family medicine.” While I know these things aren’t really true, I dislike the fact that the sayings exist. I also don’t like that my FM doc could spend 45 minutes with a patient discussing different issues, and get paid pennies compared to what some specialists get paid in a few minutes of seeing a patient. We took some skin tags off a patient and billed about $150, a dermatologist would bill over $300 for the exact same procedure! Hopefully with the shortage of PCPs (due in part to the striking difference in reimbursement) things will change. I know things aren’t all about money, but when I graduate I’m looking at a debt of over 100K – that’s a lot of money. I want to pay it off so I can get a house, a family, a car with air conditioning, and someday afford to send my kids to college. Will I really be able to do that with a FM salary? Yes, but I could do it much quicker and easier if I spent an extra few years specializing.
Okay, off the other soapbox.
Anyway, in summary, I really, really, liked family medicine. I surprised myself I liked it so much. I was happy to go to work every day and help the young and old, the sick and healthy, the rich and poor. I enjoyed the continuity of patient care, and the variety of issues that are brought up. No two days were the same. I had a great time, and even though it’s still early in the year, I think that this was a rotation that is hard to beat.
Family medicine wasn’t what I expected it to be. I really had no expectations for it, except that I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be a family doc. I have met quite a few during my time here in med school and I didn’t think that I had their personality.
I was so wrong!
I really, really enjoyed FM. I liked the variety of patients – I saw everyone from pregnant women (and their soon-to-be babies) to 97 year old women in the nursing home! I saw just about every complaint imaginable – cardiac, psychiatric, musculoskeletal, etc – and the amazing thing was: we could do something for almost all of them! I had imagined that we would do tons of referrals to other doctors since FM docs don’t have a specific specialty. Instead, we handled a majority of complaints, and when we did refer out, patients would come back to us looking for answers and explanations that their specialty doc didn’t give to them.
I loved spending time with the patients, discussing things that were going on in their lives and what was worrying them. I felt like this is what a “doctor” should be - you should be able to treat just about everybody (and know when you’re out of your league) and be able to really know your patients one-on-one.
People throw around the term “continuity-of-care” but I never really paid much attention to it – but I found myself wondering about my patients when I went home at the end of the day. I wonder about the 21 year old guy who lost 35 pounds in the past few months without trying, I wonder what happened to the poor old lady with the bowel problems that we sent her to the hospital for, I wonder what happened with the little boy who was taking seizure meds that had delayed his speech development…If they were my patients, I wouldn’t have to wonder!
I felt like I had a purpose being there as well. I was there to listen. The doctors had only 20 minutes to see each patient, but my time was unlimited. Some patients just need to be listened to, especially those with chronic pain, depression, and stressful living situations.
Chronic pain is another issue I learned a lot about. Not necessarily medical knowledge, but I got to spend time talking with multiple patients about their daily struggles with pain. It’s a sticky subject in the medical profession because doctors are afraid to walk the fine line between creating drug dependence and really helping those in need. Some of the residents I worked with refused to give out narcotic pain medication altogether. I think that it should be what it is - a controlled substance – but I think that it has a purpose and it works for some people. Going to pain clinics can work for some, physical therapy for others, but some people just need a pain pill and I think they deserve that. I read that one of the most undertreated diseases in the US is chronic pain because doctors are scared of prescribing someone too much medicine and creating addicts. But if I were in chronic pain, I’d rather be an addict than live my life hurting all the time. I think doctors need to step out of their own shoes once in a while, take off that white coat, and imagine what it would be like to have crippling pain all the time. Waking you up in the middle of the night. Preventing you from being able to do things you love. Making you cranky and irritable and no one wants to be around you. You would want to take some Vicodin too.
Whew…Back off the soapbox. Thanks.
The only thing that I didn’t like about the specialty itself is something that others may say is silly – but I feel like FM docs are sort of looked down upon. “FM is the specialty you go into if you can’t get into anything else.” “Smart people don’t go into family medicine.” While I know these things aren’t really true, I dislike the fact that the sayings exist. I also don’t like that my FM doc could spend 45 minutes with a patient discussing different issues, and get paid pennies compared to what some specialists get paid in a few minutes of seeing a patient. We took some skin tags off a patient and billed about $150, a dermatologist would bill over $300 for the exact same procedure! Hopefully with the shortage of PCPs (due in part to the striking difference in reimbursement) things will change. I know things aren’t all about money, but when I graduate I’m looking at a debt of over 100K – that’s a lot of money. I want to pay it off so I can get a house, a family, a car with air conditioning, and someday afford to send my kids to college. Will I really be able to do that with a FM salary? Yes, but I could do it much quicker and easier if I spent an extra few years specializing.
Okay, off the other soapbox.
Anyway, in summary, I really, really, liked family medicine. I surprised myself I liked it so much. I was happy to go to work every day and help the young and old, the sick and healthy, the rich and poor. I enjoyed the continuity of patient care, and the variety of issues that are brought up. No two days were the same. I had a great time, and even though it’s still early in the year, I think that this was a rotation that is hard to beat.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
catching babies
The past week I've been on labor/delivery "days" rotation. Days=before 6am until about 7:30pm...running around the whole time! I've learned a lot this week, met a lot of big ladies, and witnessed quite a few miracles :)
Some of the highlights:
I had an entire conversation with a patient in Spanish! They have "translator telephones" but I didn't even use it - I just talked to her, and it went really well! Until I tried to tell her that her baby was cute, I don't think she really understood. She even asked me for some water and for some medicine-and I got it for her! I was really proud :)
I learned the drawbacks to being a tertiary care center - Friday around 4:15 when all the doctors from smaller hospitals wanted to go home they sent us all their emergency cases. One lady who lost a LOT of blood after she delivered her baby, and another who was 29 weeks pregnant and had ARDS (a respiratory disease that comes on quickly and has about a 50% death rate) were the scariest. However, there were all the patients that come in at the end of the workday that have been feeling sick, so triage filled up. In addition to all that, there were some ladies who were in labor and their babies were ready to come out! Friday afternoon was stressful for everyone involved!
Another scary time was when a 29 week pregnant lady came in whose water had broken and the baby was showing signs of distress. As we were wheeling her in for an emergency C-section she kept saying to us "This is too early! is my baby going to be ok? What is wrong?" and we couldn't tell her because we didn't have any answers. When they opened her up, they couldn't get the baby out because her uterus clamped down on the baby's head - they were pulling on it's tiny little feet! It came out and was whisked away by the neonatal specialists for resuscitation - it's Apgar scores were 1 and 2 (on a scale of 10 - not good) but from what I hear it is getting better.
I went to YPP clinic - basically a clinic for pregnant teenagers - and I really, really enjoyed it. I actually surprised myself by how much fun I had. I can't tell you why this was so fun, but I want to go back. I volunteered in the Florence Crittendon Home (a place for pregnant teens) in college and thought it was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had, since having babies was the farthest thought from my mind when I was a teen. I liked the interaction that I had with them. I don't know if it is because I am finally more comfortable seeing patients on my own, or maybe because I was able to give them more advice and relate to them - I was just a teenager 3 years ago. Something to think about for the future.
Finally, there was the 400 lb woman in a C-section - this was probably the craziest case. This lady was 1) huge, 2) had an anterior placenta (which means that as soon as they cut into her uterus it starts bleeding like crazy) 3) had polyhydramnios (which means that there is a HUGE bag of water that had to be broken), and while THREE doctors are sweating and putting their whole body weight into wrestling with her (10lb!) baby trying to get it out, she says "why is this taking so long? Everyone is getting to hold the baby and I'm the one doing all the work!"
Anyway, a fun and exciting week. The hours were long but no two days were the same and I have definitely learned a lot. I still don't think I want to be an OB/Gyn when I grow up, but I think that if I had to be one it might not be so bad.
I hear nights are more relaxed...a little break would be nice!
Some of the highlights:
I had an entire conversation with a patient in Spanish! They have "translator telephones" but I didn't even use it - I just talked to her, and it went really well! Until I tried to tell her that her baby was cute, I don't think she really understood. She even asked me for some water and for some medicine-and I got it for her! I was really proud :)
I learned the drawbacks to being a tertiary care center - Friday around 4:15 when all the doctors from smaller hospitals wanted to go home they sent us all their emergency cases. One lady who lost a LOT of blood after she delivered her baby, and another who was 29 weeks pregnant and had ARDS (a respiratory disease that comes on quickly and has about a 50% death rate) were the scariest. However, there were all the patients that come in at the end of the workday that have been feeling sick, so triage filled up. In addition to all that, there were some ladies who were in labor and their babies were ready to come out! Friday afternoon was stressful for everyone involved!
Another scary time was when a 29 week pregnant lady came in whose water had broken and the baby was showing signs of distress. As we were wheeling her in for an emergency C-section she kept saying to us "This is too early! is my baby going to be ok? What is wrong?" and we couldn't tell her because we didn't have any answers. When they opened her up, they couldn't get the baby out because her uterus clamped down on the baby's head - they were pulling on it's tiny little feet! It came out and was whisked away by the neonatal specialists for resuscitation - it's Apgar scores were 1 and 2 (on a scale of 10 - not good) but from what I hear it is getting better.
I went to YPP clinic - basically a clinic for pregnant teenagers - and I really, really enjoyed it. I actually surprised myself by how much fun I had. I can't tell you why this was so fun, but I want to go back. I volunteered in the Florence Crittendon Home (a place for pregnant teens) in college and thought it was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had, since having babies was the farthest thought from my mind when I was a teen. I liked the interaction that I had with them. I don't know if it is because I am finally more comfortable seeing patients on my own, or maybe because I was able to give them more advice and relate to them - I was just a teenager 3 years ago. Something to think about for the future.
Finally, there was the 400 lb woman in a C-section - this was probably the craziest case. This lady was 1) huge, 2) had an anterior placenta (which means that as soon as they cut into her uterus it starts bleeding like crazy) 3) had polyhydramnios (which means that there is a HUGE bag of water that had to be broken), and while THREE doctors are sweating and putting their whole body weight into wrestling with her (10lb!) baby trying to get it out, she says "why is this taking so long? Everyone is getting to hold the baby and I'm the one doing all the work!"
Anyway, a fun and exciting week. The hours were long but no two days were the same and I have definitely learned a lot. I still don't think I want to be an OB/Gyn when I grow up, but I think that if I had to be one it might not be so bad.
I hear nights are more relaxed...a little break would be nice!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Wow - black hole
So I finally got on Blogger today, for the first time in a couple weeks and decided to write some updates! What an exciting two weeks it has been!
I started my OB/GYN rotation with two weeks on Gyn-Onc. It has been okay - most of the docs are super nice, they tend to ignore students, but nice otherwise. The surgeries aren't great because it's really hard to see anything (and I don't really like the operating room environment). But it has been a pretty good experience overall, and I've definitely learned a lot.
I got to see quite a few hysterectomies (occasionally on some really, really large women) and not much other than that. I saw a "chocolate cyst" (don't ask why it's called that) that held 1L of fluid! I was pretty nervous in my first surgery but I've seen quite a few now and I haven't lost consciousness at all! I think of that as Success #1! I also haven't been yelled at or made to cry! Success #2!
Before starting, I had heard that OBGYN rotation had the longest hours and I'd have to say I agree. I also heard that Gyn-Onc was the hardest part of OB/Gyn, so I'm glad that it's out of the way! Every day I had to get to the hospital at 5:30am to "pre-round" on patients - I had to wake them up, ask them questions and poke their bellies, write my findings in their chards, then go "round" with real doctors at 6:30 and present my patients. Then we'd usually have "team breakfast" at the cafeteria for a few minutes and figure out where we were going all day, and go to see surgeries, check on patients, etc.
Well this isn't nearly the exciting and funny post as I'd meant for it to be, but I'm a Tired Katie tonight. It is so hard to get up early every day, run around like crazy (and skip lunch every other day) then come home and try to get the grocery shopping done, laundry, and other things before crashing into bed. This is probably what residency will be like, though, so I'd better get used to it! One evening I dozed off in mid-sentence...I need to be getting to bed earlier! Speaking of, it's time to start winding down for the night (yes, it's 9pm) because I have a L&D (labor/delivery) 12 hour shift tomorrow from 7am-7pm. Next week starts L&D days, which should be pretty exciting!
I started my OB/GYN rotation with two weeks on Gyn-Onc. It has been okay - most of the docs are super nice, they tend to ignore students, but nice otherwise. The surgeries aren't great because it's really hard to see anything (and I don't really like the operating room environment). But it has been a pretty good experience overall, and I've definitely learned a lot.
I got to see quite a few hysterectomies (occasionally on some really, really large women) and not much other than that. I saw a "chocolate cyst" (don't ask why it's called that) that held 1L of fluid! I was pretty nervous in my first surgery but I've seen quite a few now and I haven't lost consciousness at all! I think of that as Success #1! I also haven't been yelled at or made to cry! Success #2!
Before starting, I had heard that OBGYN rotation had the longest hours and I'd have to say I agree. I also heard that Gyn-Onc was the hardest part of OB/Gyn, so I'm glad that it's out of the way! Every day I had to get to the hospital at 5:30am to "pre-round" on patients - I had to wake them up, ask them questions and poke their bellies, write my findings in their chards, then go "round" with real doctors at 6:30 and present my patients. Then we'd usually have "team breakfast" at the cafeteria for a few minutes and figure out where we were going all day, and go to see surgeries, check on patients, etc.
Well this isn't nearly the exciting and funny post as I'd meant for it to be, but I'm a Tired Katie tonight. It is so hard to get up early every day, run around like crazy (and skip lunch every other day) then come home and try to get the grocery shopping done, laundry, and other things before crashing into bed. This is probably what residency will be like, though, so I'd better get used to it! One evening I dozed off in mid-sentence...I need to be getting to bed earlier! Speaking of, it's time to start winding down for the night (yes, it's 9pm) because I have a L&D (labor/delivery) 12 hour shift tomorrow from 7am-7pm. Next week starts L&D days, which should be pretty exciting!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Orienting
Well, I survived our two-day orientation to third year and I am still absolutely clueless as to how this year is going to go. I'm not the only one, though, so I guess we're all in it together. It was a little sad to be back in class without Chris (and all my other MDPhD friends) there, but I think he's finally found a lab where he's happy and enjoys working. I still have absolutely no idea where to go on Monday morning, where to be, what to wear, what to bring, etc, but I've got my fingers crossed that I will be "in the loop" at least by the end of today.
Tomorrow is scut monkey day, an orientaton of sorts held by the now-4th year students. They teach us what we really need/want to know, like how to tie knots, start central lines, etc. Then, our group is having dinner together and I think it'll be really fun!
I need to think of some really awesome stuff to do on my last weekend of freedom!
On another note - I've started another blogger page for my recipes! It's http://bymouthasneeded.blogspot.com/ and don't make fun of me for the name. I was going to write "po prn" (which means "by mouth as needed" but in doctor-language) to be a big nerd, but "poprn" looks a lot like "porn" which made me a little uncomfortable to have it as the name of my recipes, you know? And I can't take entire credit for the name, Christopher is the real nerd who helped come up with it.
Anyway, I think after all that orientation I need a nap. I need to get rested up before I go catch babies!
Tomorrow is scut monkey day, an orientaton of sorts held by the now-4th year students. They teach us what we really need/want to know, like how to tie knots, start central lines, etc. Then, our group is having dinner together and I think it'll be really fun!
I need to think of some really awesome stuff to do on my last weekend of freedom!
On another note - I've started another blogger page for my recipes! It's http://bymouthasneeded.blogspot.com/ and don't make fun of me for the name. I was going to write "po prn" (which means "by mouth as needed" but in doctor-language) to be a big nerd, but "poprn" looks a lot like "porn" which made me a little uncomfortable to have it as the name of my recipes, you know? And I can't take entire credit for the name, Christopher is the real nerd who helped come up with it.
Anyway, I think after all that orientation I need a nap. I need to get rested up before I go catch babies!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Cuppicakes
A week or so ago I made some cupcakes, I decorated some of them a little bit cute so I thought I'd share. I made a new kind of fondant icing (made out of marshmallows and powdered sugar!) and wanted to try it out before it went bad. It was a little sticky so it didn't turn out super,but with a little practice I could be making supercute cupcakes once again.
This cupcake I made for a certain friend who sometimes reads my blog, and I hear her unborn child has a thing for cupcakes. Unfortunately she was on vacation (having way more fun than I've had in the lab) so she couldnt eat this cupcake. I will make her more, though! :)
These were the cupcakes I made for my co-worker's last day. They weren't really a big hit - my mom says it is because people don't like to eat blue food, and she says there are scientific studies to prove her point (as if "mom says" isn't enough proof)
This one was the first one I made. Guess the sesame street character!
This one I made the fondant with chocolate (it was extra yummy)
And last but not least, my other blog reader who lives in PERU! This cupcake is both to celebrate her day of birth and Peru's independence day. :)
And a little of everything...
This cupcake I made for a certain friend who sometimes reads my blog, and I hear her unborn child has a thing for cupcakes. Unfortunately she was on vacation (having way more fun than I've had in the lab) so she couldnt eat this cupcake. I will make her more, though! :)
These were the cupcakes I made for my co-worker's last day. They weren't really a big hit - my mom says it is because people don't like to eat blue food, and she says there are scientific studies to prove her point (as if "mom says" isn't enough proof)
This one was the first one I made. Guess the sesame street character!
This one I made the fondant with chocolate (it was extra yummy)
And last but not least, my other blog reader who lives in PERU! This cupcake is both to celebrate her day of birth and Peru's independence day. :)
And a little of everything...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
my last full weekend of freedom
A quick recap of my last free weekend, not much to brag about but I managed to have a little fun here and there :)
I went to see Batman in theaters today - Chris dragged me there even though I don't like movie theaters. I had no huge desire to go see it but Chris really really wanted to go, and so being the great girlfriend that I am, I went with him. I'm suprised to say that I really didn't like it. Not hardly at all. It was much too stressful for me to watch. I want to go to the movies and be entertained and happy and laugh and relaxed, but the whole time I was tense and unhappy that it seemed like evil kept triumphing over good. It had a really interesting, twisted plot, but I just didn't enjoy my 2 hours and 45 minutes and $6.25. It wasn't worth it to me.
I also went shopping with my mom for apartment things...I found some really great stuff at the store but unfortunately they had NOTHING in stock that I wanted, a shower curtain, a regular curtain, and a pillow, and none of it was in stock! Boo! I still ended up with the regular curtains, but the shower curtain (that is super duper cute that would match my newly painted bathroom perfectly) was unfortunately out of stock, and I can't find it online. :(
My joints have still been hurting. It's sort of like my fingers, wrists, and shoulders have taken turns hurting - each have hurt at least 2 times in the last week, but they take turns hurting and they each only hurt for about 24 hours. It's really weird and it frustrates me that I've had 2 years of medical training and I can't figure out anything wrong with me! I really feel like I should go to a doctor since I start in the hospital in a week, but I think that if I can't figure it out, why could somebody at university health? (Seriously, folks, I think UHS is sort of a joke). Anyway, I woke up with a very sore wrist and after the movie was out (around 9pm) it had migrated to my right shoulder. I guess I should just invest in Advil.
Uhm...that's almost all. I need to add pictures in, but Chris has to give me the pictures first. I have before/after of my bathroom and my cupcakes! Anyway, until next time...
I went to see Batman in theaters today - Chris dragged me there even though I don't like movie theaters. I had no huge desire to go see it but Chris really really wanted to go, and so being the great girlfriend that I am, I went with him. I'm suprised to say that I really didn't like it. Not hardly at all. It was much too stressful for me to watch. I want to go to the movies and be entertained and happy and laugh and relaxed, but the whole time I was tense and unhappy that it seemed like evil kept triumphing over good. It had a really interesting, twisted plot, but I just didn't enjoy my 2 hours and 45 minutes and $6.25. It wasn't worth it to me.
I also went shopping with my mom for apartment things...I found some really great stuff at the store but unfortunately they had NOTHING in stock that I wanted, a shower curtain, a regular curtain, and a pillow, and none of it was in stock! Boo! I still ended up with the regular curtains, but the shower curtain (that is super duper cute that would match my newly painted bathroom perfectly) was unfortunately out of stock, and I can't find it online. :(
My joints have still been hurting. It's sort of like my fingers, wrists, and shoulders have taken turns hurting - each have hurt at least 2 times in the last week, but they take turns hurting and they each only hurt for about 24 hours. It's really weird and it frustrates me that I've had 2 years of medical training and I can't figure out anything wrong with me! I really feel like I should go to a doctor since I start in the hospital in a week, but I think that if I can't figure it out, why could somebody at university health? (Seriously, folks, I think UHS is sort of a joke). Anyway, I woke up with a very sore wrist and after the movie was out (around 9pm) it had migrated to my right shoulder. I guess I should just invest in Advil.
Uhm...that's almost all. I need to add pictures in, but Chris has to give me the pictures first. I have before/after of my bathroom and my cupcakes! Anyway, until next time...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
cuppie-cakes
I LOVE CUPCAKES. There, I said it. They're just so cute and perfectly portioned. Anyway, I made some cupcakes for a co-worker (I have co-workers now! exciting!) who was leaving. She's been great at showing me around the lab. I will post pictures as soon as Chris gives them to me.
In other news, I painted my bathroom! It is adorable! (More pictures to come)
Unfortunately, I can't type much - I'm having some joint-pain action going on in pretty much every joint in my wrists and hands. I'm praying that it's just the cupcakes and painting and not rheumatoid arthritis - because you know I'm in med school now and so I'm prone to these things.
In other news, I painted my bathroom! It is adorable! (More pictures to come)
Unfortunately, I can't type much - I'm having some joint-pain action going on in pretty much every joint in my wrists and hands. I'm praying that it's just the cupcakes and painting and not rheumatoid arthritis - because you know I'm in med school now and so I'm prone to these things.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Happy Birthday, Patrick!
Today is my "little" brother's birthday. His name is Patrick and he is 19 years old. He's not little, though, he's 6'4". I'm making some more pizza dough so maybe I can make him a birthday pizza. (It's wheat dough with parmesean cheese and basil!) I actually bought him 10 frozen pizzas for his birthday (he is moving in with me and I don't think he'll cook much). I also have a little monkey statue to give him because he is a goofball. I also have the keys to the apartment that I'm going to give him - except that I put the keys inside a water balloon. How did I get apartment keys into a tiny little water balloon? Magic, I guess. I just can't wait until he has to pop the balloon to get the keys out. I'm a mean big sister.
PS- I couldn't get a picture of Patrick to post so you get this instead:
PS- I couldn't get a picture of Patrick to post so you get this instead:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Be nice to me...
I gave blood today! I work in Dr. Craven's lab with a soon-to-be M1 who worked at the blood center the past couple years, so she guilted me into it. IT HURT REALLY BAD! Ok not that bad but it hurt...a lot more than I thought it should! The poor guy couldn't find my vein...I must have tiny veins because they always have a hard time finding my veins for an IV and today was no exception. But I feel good that I helped save some lives even if it's just a few. If I have to have a little pain to help someone in need I guess it's worth it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have a nap. I took out rat livers at 7am for the past two days AND saved some lives, so I think I deserve it.
Oh PS - The pizza last night was AWESOME...so awesome that Chris asked me to marry him after his first bite. That's pretty good pizza.
and PSS - We're not really getting married (well not yet anyway)...but maybe I should make some more pizza! :)
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have a nap. I took out rat livers at 7am for the past two days AND saved some lives, so I think I deserve it.
Oh PS - The pizza last night was AWESOME...so awesome that Chris asked me to marry him after his first bite. That's pretty good pizza.
and PSS - We're not really getting married (well not yet anyway)...but maybe I should make some more pizza! :)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Pizza time
*Note: I finally finished posting my stuff from vacation but since I wrote it so long ago it is lower on the page (and I don't know how I can pull it back up - so don't forget to read those!*
I stole my mom's bread machine and I'm turning into a little bread-machining machine! I'm actually making pizza dough right now, and some made-from-scratch tomato sauce is simmering on the stove.
Research is going well, I'm really enjoying my time there and starting to learn a lot. Hopefully I will get published (the paper is already written!). I'm making a poster with the other med student in the lab to present in the Pharmacology poster session and a later one for the med school in the spring. We also wrote a wikipedia page! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGRMC1 You probably won't enjoy reading it but look at the nice formatting! Whoo!
Also, Dr. Craven was out of town this week but there was another group in a different department working on some rats that he wanted to use their livers and (of course) they decided to do it when he was out of town. So guess who got to be the lucky person to be at work at 7am to CUT THE LIVERS OUT OF DECAPITATED RATS? It was probably one of the most disgusting things I've ever done, but I chose "not to think about it" while it was occurring and I promise I will not share the details here. I am going again tomorrow for another fresh batch. Yippee, right?
Anyway, I figure after all that rat funness I should post a few extra pictures of vacation. :) Enjoy.
I stole my mom's bread machine and I'm turning into a little bread-machining machine! I'm actually making pizza dough right now, and some made-from-scratch tomato sauce is simmering on the stove.
Research is going well, I'm really enjoying my time there and starting to learn a lot. Hopefully I will get published (the paper is already written!). I'm making a poster with the other med student in the lab to present in the Pharmacology poster session and a later one for the med school in the spring. We also wrote a wikipedia page! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGRMC1 You probably won't enjoy reading it but look at the nice formatting! Whoo!
Also, Dr. Craven was out of town this week but there was another group in a different department working on some rats that he wanted to use their livers and (of course) they decided to do it when he was out of town. So guess who got to be the lucky person to be at work at 7am to CUT THE LIVERS OUT OF DECAPITATED RATS? It was probably one of the most disgusting things I've ever done, but I chose "not to think about it" while it was occurring and I promise I will not share the details here. I am going again tomorrow for another fresh batch. Yippee, right?
Anyway, I figure after all that rat funness I should post a few extra pictures of vacation. :) Enjoy.
Monday, July 14, 2008
yay for food!
Well I now have two whole entries ready to post but I'm waiting for a certain someone to upload pictures for me. That someone is still at work and I'm bored and lonely, therefore, this picure-less post will have to do for now.
I spent a majority of my weekend moving things from upstairs to downstairs and doing a major "purge" of my current belongings. It feels great! I've also gotten to cook a lot more, which makes me a very happy girl! I just made some poppyseed dressing (Chris keeps talking about it, so I thought I'd surprise him with a nice salad tonight) which turned out very sweet but very good. It is different because you add honey, not sugar, which has a nice flavor.
Poppyseed dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend. How easy is that?
I also went home and stole my mom's bread machine. I'm making bread now that I'm super excited about. Hopefully I will have some delicious bread for turkey sandwiches (my favorite!).
And last but probably the most important, I made Cinnamon Rolls. I didn't add enough yeast but they turned out SO DELICIOUS anyway. Plus, they're HUGE. I didn't make the glaze that it recommended but instead made frosting with warm cream cheese and powdered sugar...mmm...I just drooled a little. Here's the recipe:
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
I spent a majority of my weekend moving things from upstairs to downstairs and doing a major "purge" of my current belongings. It feels great! I've also gotten to cook a lot more, which makes me a very happy girl! I just made some poppyseed dressing (Chris keeps talking about it, so I thought I'd surprise him with a nice salad tonight) which turned out very sweet but very good. It is different because you add honey, not sugar, which has a nice flavor.
Poppyseed dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend. How easy is that?
I also went home and stole my mom's bread machine. I'm making bread now that I'm super excited about. Hopefully I will have some delicious bread for turkey sandwiches (my favorite!).
And last but probably the most important, I made Cinnamon Rolls. I didn't add enough yeast but they turned out SO DELICIOUS anyway. Plus, they're HUGE. I didn't make the glaze that it recommended but instead made frosting with warm cream cheese and powdered sugar...mmm...I just drooled a little. Here's the recipe:
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- FILLING:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup raisins
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.
- In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.
- Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
- Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.
- The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Today was DELICIOUS!
Exactly one year ago today I went on my first "official" date with my dear Christopher at Natasha's cafe - wow does time fly! He is really awesome, but instead of gushing about how wonderful he is I will tell you what we have done today, which is probably more interesting (no offense, Chris).
1) woke up SUPER early (for a Saturday, I mean) and went to the Farmer's Market to get some fresh peaches and green beans. I wanted some corn and tomatoes, but I ran out of money so maybe I will get those next week. :)
2) Next we went to Walmart (kind of the opposite of Farmer's market but it's cheap and I'm poor so that's just too bad) to get a few groceries for my house and organizational supplies for my room - I'm moving downstairs into a room that's at least half the size of my old room, half the closet space, and half the bathroom space. Needless to say, I've got a little too much stuff. I have already filled 3 garbage bags with Goodwill items and I'm sure I will have much, much more by the time I get all the stuff out of my old room.
3) We went back to Christopher's house and I decided to make pasta salad. Except we didn't have any of the "normal" pasta salad things (except for the pasta, of course) - no olives, italian dressing, pepperoni, or anything. So, I made a minestrone-type pasta salad with Italian veggies (from the freezer), kidney beans, stewed tomatoes, and a balsamic vinagrette. It was basically minestrone soup without the soup, and very tasty. I also made tilapia which also turned out delicious. Yea food! I need to get in as much cooking as I can before 3rd year starts...I hear you don't have much free time... ;)
4) Next, I had a sweet tooth (as I always do) and made low fat tiramisu. I made tiramisu last week with cream cheese, sour cream, and little shortbread cookies, but today it was super "healthy" and I made it with angel food cake and ricotta cheese. I haven't tasted the whole thing put together but licking the bowl was pretty much amazing.
5) Now, we don't know what to do. I think I will either go to the YMCA and burn off some of that tilapia or else go back to my apartment to sift through my crap. Either way, it was an awesome day.
1) woke up SUPER early (for a Saturday, I mean) and went to the Farmer's Market to get some fresh peaches and green beans. I wanted some corn and tomatoes, but I ran out of money so maybe I will get those next week. :)
2) Next we went to Walmart (kind of the opposite of Farmer's market but it's cheap and I'm poor so that's just too bad) to get a few groceries for my house and organizational supplies for my room - I'm moving downstairs into a room that's at least half the size of my old room, half the closet space, and half the bathroom space. Needless to say, I've got a little too much stuff. I have already filled 3 garbage bags with Goodwill items and I'm sure I will have much, much more by the time I get all the stuff out of my old room.
3) We went back to Christopher's house and I decided to make pasta salad. Except we didn't have any of the "normal" pasta salad things (except for the pasta, of course) - no olives, italian dressing, pepperoni, or anything. So, I made a minestrone-type pasta salad with Italian veggies (from the freezer), kidney beans, stewed tomatoes, and a balsamic vinagrette. It was basically minestrone soup without the soup, and very tasty. I also made tilapia which also turned out delicious. Yea food! I need to get in as much cooking as I can before 3rd year starts...I hear you don't have much free time... ;)
4) Next, I had a sweet tooth (as I always do) and made low fat tiramisu. I made tiramisu last week with cream cheese, sour cream, and little shortbread cookies, but today it was super "healthy" and I made it with angel food cake and ricotta cheese. I haven't tasted the whole thing put together but licking the bowl was pretty much amazing.
5) Now, we don't know what to do. I think I will either go to the YMCA and burn off some of that tilapia or else go back to my apartment to sift through my crap. Either way, it was an awesome day.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Um...where to begin
Things I have been up to since my life was given back to me:
(
- BODIES exhibit at the Cincinnati museum: this exhibit was SUPER cool, Chris and I spent hours and hours walking around and looking at all the dissections. We had hoped there would be a little more pathology there - they showed normal lungs and smokers lungs, but I wish they would have shown more things and given more advice on how to live a healthy lifestyle, and also focused a little on obesity. But I think they weren't trying to make a social point, they just wanted to show the human body from the inside out.
- Smoky Mountain National Park: We were going to camp in the Smokies a few days but since the weather looked a little stormy, we decided to hike out to the highest point in the Smokies and watch the sunset. It really was "smoky" there - most of the time you couldn't see anything due to the thick fog, but we hiked anyway and once we got to the top all the clouds cleared away and you could see a gorgeous sunset. The pictures don't do it justice.
- Hilton Head, SC: We stayed in a sweet hotel on the beach in Hilton head. We enjoyed the pool and beach and sun, watched the sun rise (yes I woke up at 5:30am on vacation), played with flashlights on the beach at midnight, and tons of other fun vacation-y things.
- Savannah, GA: we made a stop in Savannah to walk around the town. It was cute, but it began to storm so we cut our visit short and headed home.
- Now, I'm researching and making the big bucks in Dr. Craven's lab. Actually, now that I'm getting into the research and starting to understand it I'm getting sort of excited about it, which is good, but I only work for 2 1/2 more weeks.
(- Shakespeare in the park: Chris and I bought our season tickets and saw Anthony and Cleopatra last Thursday night. Some friends of ours met us there and it was pretty fun. I even bought Chris a picnic basket for our anniversary!
Monday, June 30, 2008
hooray, summer!
Well, I took the boards, then did a bunch of stuff. I promise to talk about the "bunch of stuff" sometime soon, maybe even later today, but I have errands to run!
As for the boards, I don't really remember much of them. I think it went okay. I was a little unhappy because they decided that there was a large chunk of concrete outside of the testing center (read: 7 feet from the wall of the testing center I was taking my exam on) that needed to be replaced. They were out there at 8:45am with a bobcat, concrete-splitter things, and a JACKHAMMER. Yes, folks, they were jackhammering outside my testing site. Not very pleasant but it was okay. There was also a girl taking her GRE who must have had tuberculosis and would NOT stop COUGHING. Ugh!
But despite the distractions I think I remained as focused as can be expected and (hopefully) did fine. *crosses fingers*
I've been playing ever since, and it's been great. I will write all about it soon. Promise.
Right now, I have to go return my library key so I don't get a fine. Oops!
As for the boards, I don't really remember much of them. I think it went okay. I was a little unhappy because they decided that there was a large chunk of concrete outside of the testing center (read: 7 feet from the wall of the testing center I was taking my exam on) that needed to be replaced. They were out there at 8:45am with a bobcat, concrete-splitter things, and a JACKHAMMER. Yes, folks, they were jackhammering outside my testing site. Not very pleasant but it was okay. There was also a girl taking her GRE who must have had tuberculosis and would NOT stop COUGHING. Ugh!
But despite the distractions I think I remained as focused as can be expected and (hopefully) did fine. *crosses fingers*
I've been playing ever since, and it's been great. I will write all about it soon. Promise.
Right now, I have to go return my library key so I don't get a fine. Oops!
Monday, June 16, 2008
I love soup
This soup rocks - it is easy, cheap, fast, versatile, and nutritious. PERFECT! I use the frozen mixed vegetables that are "Italian style" and whatever else I can find in the pantry. I love that I can mix just about anything into it that I want!
Here's the recipe taken from the Kraft website. You can get a free "Kraft food and family" magazine with lots of recipe ideas (and lots of advertisements for Kraft, of course) if you sign up.
Anyway, you should try this soup. It's definitely a winner.
Here's the recipe taken from the Kraft website. You can get a free "Kraft food and family" magazine with lots of recipe ideas (and lots of advertisements for Kraft, of course) if you sign up.
Anyway, you should try this soup. It's definitely a winner.
Minestrone Soup 
Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 40 min
Makes: 8 servings, 1 cup soup and five crackers each
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (16 oz.) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained, coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked kidney beans (prepared without salt)
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables
1/4 cup shell macaroni, uncooked
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
PREMIUM Unsalted Tops Saltine Crackers
COMBINE all ingredients except crackers in large saucepan. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. SIMMER 20 min. or until macaroni is tender. SERVE with the crackers.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Another one bites the dust
I should really be studying right now seeing as I'm taking the biggest exam of my life in 36-ish hours... so I'll make this quick!
1) I've been researching places to go on vacation for about a week after boards. I need a vacation, and this is my last chance to do so for a very long time. Checking for last-minute deals gave me hopes of flying to the Caribbean and laying on a beach, but checking my bank account reminded me that maybe I should scale it back a bit. The tentative plan now is to road trip it down to Florida for some Clearwater beach action. Chris and I spent a 6-hour car trip together a few months ago and had a blast, so I figure 13 can't be that bad, plus we're a little familiar with the area and will be able to have a car to get around. I'm pretty excited. Heck, I'd be excited to go to Cincinnati for a day trip - just get me out of the house!
2) My friend Jessica got married yesterday. Everything was beautiful and perfect and I had a great time hanging out with old friends and pretending like I was a normal person for a few hours. Weddings/marriages used to scare the crap out of me (not as much the commitment-for-the-rest-of-your-life thing but the wedding/reception planning! Too many decisions), but I think I'm getting better at accepting it. I may even have one someday!
3) I've been making a list of things to do for the rest of the summer. Some of those things include:
Anyway, I'm going to go bake some brownies, then off to studying. Almost done!
1) I've been researching places to go on vacation for about a week after boards. I need a vacation, and this is my last chance to do so for a very long time. Checking for last-minute deals gave me hopes of flying to the Caribbean and laying on a beach, but checking my bank account reminded me that maybe I should scale it back a bit. The tentative plan now is to road trip it down to Florida for some Clearwater beach action. Chris and I spent a 6-hour car trip together a few months ago and had a blast, so I figure 13 can't be that bad, plus we're a little familiar with the area and will be able to have a car to get around. I'm pretty excited. Heck, I'd be excited to go to Cincinnati for a day trip - just get me out of the house!
2) My friend Jessica got married yesterday. Everything was beautiful and perfect and I had a great time hanging out with old friends and pretending like I was a normal person for a few hours. Weddings/marriages used to scare the crap out of me (not as much the commitment-for-the-rest-of-your-life thing but the wedding/reception planning! Too many decisions), but I think I'm getting better at accepting it. I may even have one someday!
3) I've been making a list of things to do for the rest of the summer. Some of those things include:
- Bodyworlds exhibit (I've been wanting to go since January!)
- Jazz in Ecton park
- Shakespeare in the Park (if they're doing it this year? I can't figure it out...)
- Woodford Reserve with the parents
- Hiking the Gorge
- Run the Bluegrass 10,000!
Anyway, I'm going to go bake some brownies, then off to studying. Almost done!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
looking forward!
I forgot to mention: Sabrina liked her birthday cupcakes, and Sab and Caitlin and I got to hang out for all of about 15 minutes so we could eat cupcakes and ice cream together. It was nice roommate bonding time - actually the only roommate bonding time we've had all year!
In preparation for the USMLE, or maybe I should say for after the USMLE, Chris and I went to Liquor Barn to get some post-exam celebratory fluids. My goal is to find a drink that Caitlin will drink and not spit it out and say it "tastes like cow pee."
Here's the lineup of girly drinks ... so far!
Mmmm!
In preparation for the USMLE, or maybe I should say for after the USMLE, Chris and I went to Liquor Barn to get some post-exam celebratory fluids. My goal is to find a drink that Caitlin will drink and not spit it out and say it "tastes like cow pee."
Here's the lineup of girly drinks ... so far!
Mmmm!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
practice makes perfect
Not much exciting fun things to talk about... been taking practice tests like crazy. I think I have enough confidence in myself that I will do okay. My biggest hurdle in taking tests is getting over my nerves and my (lack of) self-confidence. I have to feel ready. I am ready.
Which is why it's KILLING me that the test isn't until next Tuesday! Gah!
I've been making some delicious food which always makes me happy, unfortunately I've forgotten what most of it was and also I've been cooking at my house where there is no pretty Nikon camera to capture all my creations!
Anyway, back to Qbank.
Which is why it's KILLING me that the test isn't until next Tuesday! Gah!
I've been making some delicious food which always makes me happy, unfortunately I've forgotten what most of it was and also I've been cooking at my house where there is no pretty Nikon camera to capture all my creations!
Anyway, back to Qbank.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Happy Birthday, Sabby!
Tomorrow is my roomate Sabrina's 3rd-annual 21st birthday. We have been friends since the first week of UK Marching band early week - she was some crazy clarinet girl with wild curly hair who lived in the DOV with me and we would walk to practice together. We have been good friends since then (you know, the kind who talks about poop, boys, and what to do about dinner all in the same conversation) and we've lived together the past four years. FOUR YEARS! Some marriages don't last that long! But we've stuck it out through spiders, fire alarms, a couple band camps, as well as countless other things.
Consequently, I wanted to do something really special for her (3rd) 21st birthday. Since I'm over $50K in debt (and soon to be much, much more) and I also have an insatiable sweet tooth, I decided to make her homemade cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Yea!
Anyway, while they were baking I was thinking of all the fun stuff we've done together in the past half-decade. I won't go into the countless days and nights we spend in each others' rooms gossiping and gabbing about everything under the sun, but I do have to say that Sabrina is one of the best listeners I have ever met. I can literally tell her anything and I know that she will listen--without interruption--for as long as I need her to. She only offers advice if I want it - and I have always valued her opinions (about everything from what my next hair color should be to whether I should end a long-term relationship).
We've had pizza-baking parties, "pudding night," and who would ever forget our peanut butter pie fights! We've spent marching band seasons together, we hung out at K-lair and Ovids, and done some really goofy things with our hair. We've had some really great times!
I could probably go on and on about how great Sabrina is - I could talk about how she just bubbles energy and enthusiasm and is going to be a great music teacher because of her compassion and love for both teaching and music, or I could mention how she is a great listener and friend and how nice it has been to have someone around who I can trust and confide in, or I could just talk about our silly antics, but it's time to go put the icing on the cupcakes. :)
I love you, Sabrina! Thanks for being such a great friend and roommate. Good luck starting a new chapter in your life, and I know that you will succeed in anything you do because you're such a kind and loving person. I will miss you next year!
-KT
Consequently, I wanted to do something really special for her (3rd) 21st birthday. Since I'm over $50K in debt (and soon to be much, much more) and I also have an insatiable sweet tooth, I decided to make her homemade cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Yea!
Anyway, while they were baking I was thinking of all the fun stuff we've done together in the past half-decade. I won't go into the countless days and nights we spend in each others' rooms gossiping and gabbing about everything under the sun, but I do have to say that Sabrina is one of the best listeners I have ever met. I can literally tell her anything and I know that she will listen--without interruption--for as long as I need her to. She only offers advice if I want it - and I have always valued her opinions (about everything from what my next hair color should be to whether I should end a long-term relationship).
We've had pizza-baking parties, "pudding night," and who would ever forget our peanut butter pie fights! We've spent marching band seasons together, we hung out at K-lair and Ovids, and done some really goofy things with our hair. We've had some really great times!
I could probably go on and on about how great Sabrina is - I could talk about how she just bubbles energy and enthusiasm and is going to be a great music teacher because of her compassion and love for both teaching and music, or I could mention how she is a great listener and friend and how nice it has been to have someone around who I can trust and confide in, or I could just talk about our silly antics, but it's time to go put the icing on the cupcakes. :)
I love you, Sabrina! Thanks for being such a great friend and roommate. Good luck starting a new chapter in your life, and I know that you will succeed in anything you do because you're such a kind and loving person. I will miss you next year!
-KT
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Chocolate cupcakes
Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake
2 c. sugar
1-3/4 c. all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c boiling water
Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9-in round baking pans. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on med. speed 2 min. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour into pans.
Bake 30-35 min. or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 10-12 servings.
Cupcakes: Line 2-1/2-in. muffin cups with paper bake cups. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes. Cool; frost. About 30 cupcakes.
"Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate frosting
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter or margarine
2/3 c. cocoa
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on med. speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 c.
And a couple photos of my "official taste tester":
(He gave it two thumbs up.)
yum, yum, extra yum
I've been trying to cut back on baking for a while (especially given that it is 80 degrees inside and only 75 outside), but I've still managed to have some delicious dinners. One day lastI was feeling a little under the weather so I didn't want anything too spicy or sweet. I made a dish that Chris made originally - basically a tofu fried rice. The picture doesn't include the huge bowlful of rice that I added, and I scrambled an egg into the final product for a little extra protein.
Pretty easy - just fry up a little tofu, add a package of mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green and lima beans, and corn), and season with soy sauce, pepper, and a little "all purpose seasoning." Serve mixed with brown rice and soy sauce. It's a great, easy, and filling supper low in fat and not too harsh on the stomach.
Next, I made a nutritious pasta dish that's one of my favorites. I always make a little extra dressing to add to it the next day (it seems to get absorbed into the pasta and needs a little more zing after sitting in the fridge). It's a food network recipe:
Whole-Wheat Pasta Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese
1/2 pound whole-wheat fusilli or other spiral shaped pasta
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepperCook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
Finally, I broke my "no baking" rule and made a low-sugar apple crisp with apples that were getting old in the fridge. It was my first apple crisp ever and I think it turned out pretty tasty. Sliced apples, mixed with a tablespoon or so each of flour, cinnamon, and sugar, topped with quick-cooking oatmeal, dabs of margarine, and some splenda/brown sugar. Bake until apples are soft and top is a little crispy, and top with ice cream or whipped cream (or both!).
Pretty easy - just fry up a little tofu, add a package of mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green and lima beans, and corn), and season with soy sauce, pepper, and a little "all purpose seasoning." Serve mixed with brown rice and soy sauce. It's a great, easy, and filling supper low in fat and not too harsh on the stomach.
Next, I made a nutritious pasta dish that's one of my favorites. I always make a little extra dressing to add to it the next day (it seems to get absorbed into the pasta and needs a little more zing after sitting in the fridge). It's a food network recipe:
Whole-Wheat Pasta Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese
1/2 pound whole-wheat fusilli or other spiral shaped pasta
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepperCook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
In a dry saute pan toast the walnuts over a medium-high flame until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the walnuts aside to cool then chop them coarsely.
In a large bowl, toss together the chilled pasta, walnuts, feta cheese, onion, and spinach. In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
| Nutrition Information | |
| Nutritional analysis per serving | Calories 420 |
| Total Fat 21.5 grams | Saturated Fat 4.5 grams |
| Cholesterol 16.5 mg | Sodium 245 mg |
| Carbohydrates 49 grams | Protein 13.5 grams |
| Fiber 9 grams | |
Finally, I broke my "no baking" rule and made a low-sugar apple crisp with apples that were getting old in the fridge. It was my first apple crisp ever and I think it turned out pretty tasty. Sliced apples, mixed with a tablespoon or so each of flour, cinnamon, and sugar, topped with quick-cooking oatmeal, dabs of margarine, and some splenda/brown sugar. Bake until apples are soft and top is a little crispy, and top with ice cream or whipped cream (or both!).
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