The ER test today was okay. Sort of random but that's Dr. Young. Plenty of easy peasy questions but then he would put in something that nobody ought to know. Except probably Jeff, but that's fine with me. Other news: I ate an entire bag of spinach today for lack of any better food. Don't worry though, I cooked it down so there wasn't that much to chew. Does anyone else have the problem with spinach making their teeth gritty? I hate that feeling.
I didn't study today. Not one word.
Now it's 11pm before my 8:30am "National Board of Medical Examiners Internal Medicine Exam" and I am thinking "whoopsie"
Maybe I'll go read a few pages and then fall asleep.
But, I repeat, how does one study for ALL of internal medicine?
PS-Chris is drawing a piece for the humanities festival. I love when he draws and I don't know why. I miss being five-year-old Katie who was going to grow up to be an artist (or a ballerina) and drawing all day. Ah, growing up.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
studying as usual
Ugh. I can't study any more! I've read too much. Done too many questions. Seriously. But yet when I do new questions I still get them wrong! I know that I don't know things, but I don't know what the things are that I don't know, so I don't know how to know them. (Figure that out!)
Anyway, I thought I would write a little post about things that have recently made me happy. Because otherwise I will be stuck alone in a conference room at school with a stinky trashcan on a drizzly Wednesday with nothing better to do than be miserable and studying. So here goes:
1) xkcd.com - Sometimes this comic is a little weird, but sometimes just absolutely cracks me up.
2) Running. Really! I've been running a couple times this year (after not running in over 5 months - okay, that first run was rough) but it's actually been ...enjoyable! I don't know how it happened, either. I'm afraid to actually say it out loud because then I'll jinx it. I have been "running" on a sort-of regular basis since med school started (not counting the time in 6th grade when I tried out for the track team - awkward!), but I never really enjoyed it. Mostly, I did it because it's a cheap and time-efficient way to exercise. I'm afraid to say anything too soon but if this keeps up you may just see me running a marathon! Okay, just kidding.
3) Doing non-school things. Surprise, right? I'm dancing in 3 songs for our bi-annual "humanities festival" and maybe doing a duet with Sabrina of Carmen with flute/clarinet. It's awesome to do stuff with my peers that doesn't involve any studying or geeky talk whatsoever. (Geeky talk is okay but school-related geeky talk is unacceptable.) It also gives me a good opportunity to make friends with people I otherwise don't get to talk to. Be there, April 3!
4) Having days off during the week. Awesome. I don't know if I will get these again anytime soon, so hopefully I enjoyed them while I had them. You get to sleep in, hang out, make all the appointments and do all the errands you heart desires, and still be done by 4pm. After 2 months of medicine (where 6-day workweeks come standard) I really, really appreciate my days off. Especially when they're in the middle of the week. Whoo!
5) Making lists of things that I like. Just kidding, that was a cop out. I'm in a better mood now and better get back to learning the entirety of internal medicine and emergency medicine before, oh, tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! :)
Anyway, I thought I would write a little post about things that have recently made me happy. Because otherwise I will be stuck alone in a conference room at school with a stinky trashcan on a drizzly Wednesday with nothing better to do than be miserable and studying. So here goes:
1) xkcd.com - Sometimes this comic is a little weird, but sometimes just absolutely cracks me up.
2) Running. Really! I've been running a couple times this year (after not running in over 5 months - okay, that first run was rough) but it's actually been ...enjoyable! I don't know how it happened, either. I'm afraid to actually say it out loud because then I'll jinx it. I have been "running" on a sort-of regular basis since med school started (not counting the time in 6th grade when I tried out for the track team - awkward!), but I never really enjoyed it. Mostly, I did it because it's a cheap and time-efficient way to exercise. I'm afraid to say anything too soon but if this keeps up you may just see me running a marathon! Okay, just kidding.
3) Doing non-school things. Surprise, right? I'm dancing in 3 songs for our bi-annual "humanities festival" and maybe doing a duet with Sabrina of Carmen with flute/clarinet. It's awesome to do stuff with my peers that doesn't involve any studying or geeky talk whatsoever. (Geeky talk is okay but school-related geeky talk is unacceptable.) It also gives me a good opportunity to make friends with people I otherwise don't get to talk to. Be there, April 3!
4) Having days off during the week. Awesome. I don't know if I will get these again anytime soon, so hopefully I enjoyed them while I had them. You get to sleep in, hang out, make all the appointments and do all the errands you heart desires, and still be done by 4pm. After 2 months of medicine (where 6-day workweeks come standard) I really, really appreciate my days off. Especially when they're in the middle of the week. Whoo!
5) Making lists of things that I like. Just kidding, that was a cop out. I'm in a better mood now and better get back to learning the entirety of internal medicine and emergency medicine before, oh, tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! :)
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Dress
I have a dress! Hooray! I have pictures posted... katietwist.shutterfly.com :) Chris figured it out, too. I came home from the store and he immediately could tell I had a dress (because I was excited, duh) but he looked at me for a minute and said "I know which one it is!" - and he did. That's okay though, he's not allowed to see it anymore until October! When I'm wearing it! Next I need to choose some bridesmaid dresses (and what color I want them to be!) Since my dress is darker than I originally planned, I want to go with a darker color. I'm thinking a teal or maybe brown. I had been thinking navy too, but that may be too formal/wintery.
Anyway, part 1 of 3 of my medicine final is tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck! It's a standardized patient exam, so basically it's like I'm having an afternoon full of pretending doctor in a pretend clinic! I need to brush up on my smoking cessation counseling, but other than that I hope I am ready. I don't really know how to study for this! :)
PS- I am loving the weather right now. It's PERFECT outside! even when I have to sit and study it still is nice to go out for some fresh air. HOORAY!
Anyway, part 1 of 3 of my medicine final is tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck! It's a standardized patient exam, so basically it's like I'm having an afternoon full of pretending doctor in a pretend clinic! I need to brush up on my smoking cessation counseling, but other than that I hope I am ready. I don't really know how to study for this! :)
PS- I am loving the weather right now. It's PERFECT outside! even when I have to sit and study it still is nice to go out for some fresh air. HOORAY!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Match Day
One year from today, I will be determining my fate for the next 3-4 years. It's a little terrifying that my future will be determined by a magic international double-matrix-voodoo-computer, with lots of numbers and rankings and things. Actually a lot terrifying.
First things first though: what do I want to do when (if) I grow up?
In lighter news, Chris and I have found a great reception place for our wedding (finally!) and that makes me happy. It's even on sale! I've still not figured out which dress I like better...but I am planning to go once again to the store and try on poofy white dresses to decide which one I want to become Mrs. Simmons in. Hehehee.
I do get a little sad because I like my last name (I've had it for 23 years now and grown quite fond of it), but Chris is the last male in his family so he feels he has to carry on the family name. We both agree that Twist is cooler, though. :)
Anyway, I'm trying to study (and failing quite miserably) because my resident let us go home at 11:30 this morning (on a call day!!!) because we need to study for the Shelf exam next week. Shelf=really hard. But, it's a national exam so at least it's fair. And curved. Whew! We also have a "clinical performance exam" where we get to play with fake patients. That is a little stressful but hopefully goes well.
Sorry I've not been very cohesive in writing lately. Or ever. Maybe I can work on that...after I do these GI questions. :)
First things first though: what do I want to do when (if) I grow up?
In lighter news, Chris and I have found a great reception place for our wedding (finally!) and that makes me happy. It's even on sale! I've still not figured out which dress I like better...but I am planning to go once again to the store and try on poofy white dresses to decide which one I want to become Mrs. Simmons in. Hehehee.
I do get a little sad because I like my last name (I've had it for 23 years now and grown quite fond of it), but Chris is the last male in his family so he feels he has to carry on the family name. We both agree that Twist is cooler, though. :)
Anyway, I'm trying to study (and failing quite miserably) because my resident let us go home at 11:30 this morning (on a call day!!!) because we need to study for the Shelf exam next week. Shelf=really hard. But, it's a national exam so at least it's fair. And curved. Whew! We also have a "clinical performance exam" where we get to play with fake patients. That is a little stressful but hopefully goes well.
Sorry I've not been very cohesive in writing lately. Or ever. Maybe I can work on that...after I do these GI questions. :)
Monday, March 9, 2009
this and that
I can't even remember all the things I wanted to write about. Here are a few random tidbits:
It's official: July 28th USMLE Step 2 CS, October 2nd USMLE Step 2 CK and $1500+travel/lodging in Atlanta. And I used to think that it would all be smooth sailing after the MCAT. Ha!
A friend asked our small group an interesting question. She asked us what are the top five diagnoses we see in the hospital. MI, COPD exacerbation, CHF, Pneumonia, and Renal failure were all on our list. She then asked us how we fix those things. Other than pneumonia, we don't "fix," we "manage" with symptomatic treatment (and hopefully preventative treatment too). It makes me sad that with all the medical advances we have that chronic disease is so prevalent, and we can't fix people no matter how hard we try. Ironically enough, oncology is one of the few specialties where you actually do CURE people.
I had a close encounter with something very scary last week on my day off. I went to Lenscrafters to get contacts. Not even 5 minutes after I had gone in and sat down, I heard a loud "bang" outside - loud enough that I looked out there to see what it was. I didn't see anything...then there was another bang... and I still didn't think much of it, until a few minutes later ambulances and fire trucks and police cars all showed up. Apparently two men got in an argument and the one shot the other (his former lover) in the back and in the head! I was very upset (to say the least) considering this was in the middle of Joseph Beth parking lot in total daylight - and the creepiest thing was that the shots were not right in a row, they were separated by at least 15-30 seconds, meaning he thought about it before shooting again. The killer then went on a high speed chase and ended up in a standoff with police for 2 hours and eventually turned himself in. I was SO freaked out because I had been outside in that parking lot just minutes before... eeeeek.
On a separate note, my patient yesterday was probably one of my most touching so far this year. He has lung cancer with a recurrent pneumonia that just won't go away. He's sick of fighting it and finally decided he wanted to go home with Hospice and not have to be in the hospital anymore. He was given a 6-month prognosis 8 years ago, though, so he's not complaining. He was so brave when facing his own mortality and he told us how he was not afraid of getting out of the boat, that he had a friend, and that friend was Jesus Christ. (I assumed he was referencing Peter in the Bible and walking on water?) He'd fought his battle hard and wanted to die with dignity. and his sweet wife was just heartbroken. Before we walked out, he told us all "hug your kids" - I think we all left that room a little teary-eyed.
I had wanted to tell him how his faith was so inspirational to me, that I hope that I can be that clear-headed and brave when my time is coming, and that he taught me invaluable lessons about life and love. Unfortunately, he left yesterday before I got to say goodbye, but I hope he knows he made an impact on me.
On a lighter note - we picked our honeymoon today! Hooray, vacation! We're going to Sandals Grande in St. Lucia - I am so pumped!
A funny VA story: So a nurse called and said that Mr. X was bleeding out of the groin after his cath - we assumed it was his foley catheter caused some trauma and was bleeding...and he was on heparin so he obviously was having trouble clotting his blood. Our resident joked that she needed a medical student to go put pressure on it, and I (begrudgingly) volunteered since I had nothing better to do. My partner-in-crime on medicine with me (who shall remain anonymous for the purposes of this post) said "No, Katie, he probably doesn't want you holding his schlong for 15 minutes, I'll go instead." This "schlong" is one of the funniest sounding words I've ever heard, so I cracked up laughing and felt like I was in 3rd grade for laughing at a slang term for male genitalia. Fortunately (for our patient and unnamed medical student) he was actually bleeding after coming back from the Cath Lab - out his femoral area (which is near the groin but not the "schlong" exactly...hehehe). No pressure was needed.
Speaking of schlongs - I dozed off for about 15 minutes this evening after dinner and dreamed that I had about 7 baby turtles walking around the floor of my apartment. I looked away for a while then looked back and there were 14! the only reasoning I could come up with was that they were mating/multiplying, so I'd have to separate the boys and the girls...I flipped over the first turtle and saw the tiniest (human-looking) male genitalia (except that it was green like the turtles)... and then I woke up. This dream is open for interpretation...
anyway, I should go do some studying, and maybe even try to exercise. I need to try on wedding dresses tomorrow!
It's official: July 28th USMLE Step 2 CS, October 2nd USMLE Step 2 CK and $1500+travel/lodging in Atlanta. And I used to think that it would all be smooth sailing after the MCAT. Ha!
A friend asked our small group an interesting question. She asked us what are the top five diagnoses we see in the hospital. MI, COPD exacerbation, CHF, Pneumonia, and Renal failure were all on our list. She then asked us how we fix those things. Other than pneumonia, we don't "fix," we "manage" with symptomatic treatment (and hopefully preventative treatment too). It makes me sad that with all the medical advances we have that chronic disease is so prevalent, and we can't fix people no matter how hard we try. Ironically enough, oncology is one of the few specialties where you actually do CURE people.
I had a close encounter with something very scary last week on my day off. I went to Lenscrafters to get contacts. Not even 5 minutes after I had gone in and sat down, I heard a loud "bang" outside - loud enough that I looked out there to see what it was. I didn't see anything...then there was another bang... and I still didn't think much of it, until a few minutes later ambulances and fire trucks and police cars all showed up. Apparently two men got in an argument and the one shot the other (his former lover) in the back and in the head! I was very upset (to say the least) considering this was in the middle of Joseph Beth parking lot in total daylight - and the creepiest thing was that the shots were not right in a row, they were separated by at least 15-30 seconds, meaning he thought about it before shooting again. The killer then went on a high speed chase and ended up in a standoff with police for 2 hours and eventually turned himself in. I was SO freaked out because I had been outside in that parking lot just minutes before... eeeeek.
On a separate note, my patient yesterday was probably one of my most touching so far this year. He has lung cancer with a recurrent pneumonia that just won't go away. He's sick of fighting it and finally decided he wanted to go home with Hospice and not have to be in the hospital anymore. He was given a 6-month prognosis 8 years ago, though, so he's not complaining. He was so brave when facing his own mortality and he told us how he was not afraid of getting out of the boat, that he had a friend, and that friend was Jesus Christ. (I assumed he was referencing Peter in the Bible and walking on water?) He'd fought his battle hard and wanted to die with dignity. and his sweet wife was just heartbroken. Before we walked out, he told us all "hug your kids" - I think we all left that room a little teary-eyed.
I had wanted to tell him how his faith was so inspirational to me, that I hope that I can be that clear-headed and brave when my time is coming, and that he taught me invaluable lessons about life and love. Unfortunately, he left yesterday before I got to say goodbye, but I hope he knows he made an impact on me.
On a lighter note - we picked our honeymoon today! Hooray, vacation! We're going to Sandals Grande in St. Lucia - I am so pumped!
A funny VA story: So a nurse called and said that Mr. X was bleeding out of the groin after his cath - we assumed it was his foley catheter caused some trauma and was bleeding...and he was on heparin so he obviously was having trouble clotting his blood. Our resident joked that she needed a medical student to go put pressure on it, and I (begrudgingly) volunteered since I had nothing better to do. My partner-in-crime on medicine with me (who shall remain anonymous for the purposes of this post) said "No, Katie, he probably doesn't want you holding his schlong for 15 minutes, I'll go instead." This "schlong" is one of the funniest sounding words I've ever heard, so I cracked up laughing and felt like I was in 3rd grade for laughing at a slang term for male genitalia. Fortunately (for our patient and unnamed medical student) he was actually bleeding after coming back from the Cath Lab - out his femoral area (which is near the groin but not the "schlong" exactly...hehehe). No pressure was needed.
Speaking of schlongs - I dozed off for about 15 minutes this evening after dinner and dreamed that I had about 7 baby turtles walking around the floor of my apartment. I looked away for a while then looked back and there were 14! the only reasoning I could come up with was that they were mating/multiplying, so I'd have to separate the boys and the girls...I flipped over the first turtle and saw the tiniest (human-looking) male genitalia (except that it was green like the turtles)... and then I woke up. This dream is open for interpretation...
anyway, I should go do some studying, and maybe even try to exercise. I need to try on wedding dresses tomorrow!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
so many things
I actually took notes on things I wanted to post about today during rounds (silly, I know), but I reallyreallyREALLY need to study and my sweet and awesome fiance (after cleaning my house for me while I was on call yesterday) just made me some "study juice" - vanilla soymilk chai extra foamy! - so I'd better do that instead.
I promise to update soon!
PS-I think I have *almost* picked a wedding dress. I picked two, actually...and they're very, very different! oh, decisions! I may have pictures to come later :)
PSS- did I mention that Chris is the best??? YUM chai!
I promise to update soon!
PS-I think I have *almost* picked a wedding dress. I picked two, actually...and they're very, very different! oh, decisions! I may have pictures to come later :)
PSS- did I mention that Chris is the best??? YUM chai!
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