1) Speaking of sweet husbands (see post below), my hubby bought me an iPhone this weekend. Oh my gosh, I love it.
2) I have had multiple hits to my blog via people searching on Google for "Dog swallowed an ear plug" or some variation thereof. Craziness -- glad to know I'm not the only person this has happened to.
Monday, March 31, 2008
So sweet
Last week I was talking on call with one of our fellows and some of the nurses. This fellow was talking about her soon-to-be husband and happened to mention a particular nickname he has for her.
Fellow: "Yeah, he calls me 'Fat Girl.'"
Me: "Excuse me ... WHAT??" (This fellow is about an inch shorter and 10 pounds lighter than me.)
Fellow: "It's just a nickname. He thinks it's funny."
Nurse: "Yeah, my husband likes to poke at the dimples in my butt and then laugh." (This nurse is one size bigger than me at most.)
Fellow: "I know he doesn't mean anything mean by it."
Me: "Wow, my husband actually told me he hopes I don't ever lose a lot of weight because he loves my curves."
Nurse: "Yeah, my husband says he's only kidding, but ..."
Having this conversation broke my heart. These two women are being belittled by their significant others in the name of humor when I can clearly see how much this name-calling hurts them. The crazy part is that both of these women are beautiful, but they are being told otherwise by the one person who is supposed to think they're beautiful no matter what!
I am blessed with a husband who compliments me all the time. Even though I've lost some muscle tone and all of my tan to residency, I've actually never felt more beautiful on a regular basis than these last almost two years. Of course I have my fat days and my ugly days, and there are times when I just want to hide under my loosest set of scrubs, but those moments are eclipsed by the overall knowledge that my husband sees me as attractive. I will never be a Catherine Zeta Jones or be able to bounce a quarter off my abs, but I do know that the one person who matters most views me as lovely.
Fellow: "Yeah, he calls me 'Fat Girl.'"
Me: "Excuse me ... WHAT??" (This fellow is about an inch shorter and 10 pounds lighter than me.)
Fellow: "It's just a nickname. He thinks it's funny."
Nurse: "Yeah, my husband likes to poke at the dimples in my butt and then laugh." (This nurse is one size bigger than me at most.)
Fellow: "I know he doesn't mean anything mean by it."
Me: "Wow, my husband actually told me he hopes I don't ever lose a lot of weight because he loves my curves."
Nurse: "Yeah, my husband says he's only kidding, but ..."
Having this conversation broke my heart. These two women are being belittled by their significant others in the name of humor when I can clearly see how much this name-calling hurts them. The crazy part is that both of these women are beautiful, but they are being told otherwise by the one person who is supposed to think they're beautiful no matter what!
I am blessed with a husband who compliments me all the time. Even though I've lost some muscle tone and all of my tan to residency, I've actually never felt more beautiful on a regular basis than these last almost two years. Of course I have my fat days and my ugly days, and there are times when I just want to hide under my loosest set of scrubs, but those moments are eclipsed by the overall knowledge that my husband sees me as attractive. I will never be a Catherine Zeta Jones or be able to bounce a quarter off my abs, but I do know that the one person who matters most views me as lovely.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tired (again)
Why do I feel like all my recent posts are about residency? It must be because I've felt consumed by it since mid-January. I can't wait for next block when I will have a few minutes to breathe. I'm taking Step 3 one week into the block (April 14-15), and I am in desperate need of some studying time for this exam. Hopefully I can get myself into gear; it's just about 2 weeks away, and I am SO not ready for it.
I had a truly wonderful call last night. I actually got to lie down for five hours in a row. To me, that's virtually unheard of on a NICU call night. I was a little deeper into sleep than I usually get on call, so when the resus page came across our walkies at 3:45 AM, my fellow second year and I looked pretty funny with our pillow marks fresh against our faces and our eyes blinking against the bright lights of the delivery room. The babies ended up being fine (yes, babies -- we went to 2 deliveries back to back, and 1 was for twins!), so life was good. My attending this month is extremely diligent in getting us out on time, so I was actually able to leave at 29 hours instead of the maximum of 30. It really was a great call!
Now I'm sitting at home after a lovely little nap and a warmed up dinner of leftovers. I'm watching reruns of CSI (which I am just now getting into), and I have a small Yorkie curled up asleep on my tummy. I've been reading blogs and researching sightseeing and restaurants for our trip to NYC (just 3 more weeks!). Hubby's out of town, so I'm planning on turning in early and catching up on my sleep. Tomorrow should be a relatively long day (6 AM to 5 PM), and then I'll be on call again Friday, so I will rest while I can!
I had a truly wonderful call last night. I actually got to lie down for five hours in a row. To me, that's virtually unheard of on a NICU call night. I was a little deeper into sleep than I usually get on call, so when the resus page came across our walkies at 3:45 AM, my fellow second year and I looked pretty funny with our pillow marks fresh against our faces and our eyes blinking against the bright lights of the delivery room. The babies ended up being fine (yes, babies -- we went to 2 deliveries back to back, and 1 was for twins!), so life was good. My attending this month is extremely diligent in getting us out on time, so I was actually able to leave at 29 hours instead of the maximum of 30. It really was a great call!
Now I'm sitting at home after a lovely little nap and a warmed up dinner of leftovers. I'm watching reruns of CSI (which I am just now getting into), and I have a small Yorkie curled up asleep on my tummy. I've been reading blogs and researching sightseeing and restaurants for our trip to NYC (just 3 more weeks!). Hubby's out of town, so I'm planning on turning in early and catching up on my sleep. Tomorrow should be a relatively long day (6 AM to 5 PM), and then I'll be on call again Friday, so I will rest while I can!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Catching up
Today is my 2nd day off this 4 week block -- yay! Unfortunately Hubby had to leave for Philly this morning, but I was so out of it that I barely remember him saying goodbye. I slept for eleven hours straight!! I still can't believe it. At least I feel well rested now; tomorrow night I'll be back for yet another no-sleep call in the NICU, so feeling not tired for now is a great feeling.
My parents came into town on Thursday so that my dad could speak at our church; it was so awesome both seeing them and getting to hear again the message of all Christ has done for us. I think this was my 4th time hearing the talk, so I got teased that pretty soon I'll be able to give it since I've got the medical background as well. If only I didn't have my extreme dislike of speaking in public! To make Easter even better, I was able to finish my work up early that morning and make it to church only 5 minutes late. I had gotten to work at 5:30 so that I might be able to finish early, and praise God, I was able to wrap up quickly and get out! I've had to miss a decent amount of church recently because of work, so being there at all is a blessing, but being there with my church family on Easter Sunday was a special treat.
After sleeping half the day away, I'm working on getting the house cleaned up and back in order. It's not too bad since my parents were just here, but there's always laundry to be done or something to be cleaned. Then I'm running to one of the best and most fun stores in the world, Target, later today to clean up on post-Easter candy, and then I'm going to come home and bake! My mom brought me this AMAZING cookbook, and I'm eager to try out some new recipes. It's going to be a very relaxing day off!!
My parents came into town on Thursday so that my dad could speak at our church; it was so awesome both seeing them and getting to hear again the message of all Christ has done for us. I think this was my 4th time hearing the talk, so I got teased that pretty soon I'll be able to give it since I've got the medical background as well. If only I didn't have my extreme dislike of speaking in public! To make Easter even better, I was able to finish my work up early that morning and make it to church only 5 minutes late. I had gotten to work at 5:30 so that I might be able to finish early, and praise God, I was able to wrap up quickly and get out! I've had to miss a decent amount of church recently because of work, so being there at all is a blessing, but being there with my church family on Easter Sunday was a special treat.
After sleeping half the day away, I'm working on getting the house cleaned up and back in order. It's not too bad since my parents were just here, but there's always laundry to be done or something to be cleaned. Then I'm running to one of the best and most fun stores in the world, Target, later today to clean up on post-Easter candy, and then I'm going to come home and bake! My mom brought me this AMAZING cookbook, and I'm eager to try out some new recipes. It's going to be a very relaxing day off!!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
True conversation
Hubby is working from home this week, and today is my first day off after eight straight days and 2 calls in the NICU. Thunderstorms have been roaring over the house today, and since my parents are coming into town Thursday for my dad's Crucifixion presentation at church, I've been doing a ton of cleaning.
I paused to make Hubby lunch, so we ate while watching Paula's home cooking on our new TV. A commercial for Yaz came on. I don't think Hubby was particularly paying attention to it until they started talking about how it relieved headaches, fatigue, irritability, and bloating among a whole host of symptoms. "There you go!" he exclaimed. "That's what you need!"
Me: "HUH??"
Hubby: "The commercial says that this relieves headaches, fatigue, and irritability. If this can help you feel better, don't you think you should take it?"
Me: "Honey, that's a commercial for birth control that helps relieve PMDD, not PMS. My PMS isn't even that bad." (In my head, I'm thinking, "Are you NUTS? And as for the fatigue, I'm a resident; that has NOTHING to do with hormones!")
Hubby: "Well, what's the difference between PMDD and PMS?" (I proceeded to explain.) "Oh, well I just thought it might help."
Me: "Thanks ... I think. You know, you're lucky to be married to me; most women would be really offended if someone suggested they needed to take a pill for their PMS."
Hubby: "I still don't understand why. I really was just trying to help."
So sweetly clueless! I love my hubby. He left to go back to work (after taking his dishes downstairs without even being asked) but proceeded to come back a few minutes later to compliment me on lunch and how good the house looks. I'm a lucky lady. :)
I paused to make Hubby lunch, so we ate while watching Paula's home cooking on our new TV. A commercial for Yaz came on. I don't think Hubby was particularly paying attention to it until they started talking about how it relieved headaches, fatigue, irritability, and bloating among a whole host of symptoms. "There you go!" he exclaimed. "That's what you need!"
Me: "HUH??"
Hubby: "The commercial says that this relieves headaches, fatigue, and irritability. If this can help you feel better, don't you think you should take it?"
Me: "Honey, that's a commercial for birth control that helps relieve PMDD, not PMS. My PMS isn't even that bad." (In my head, I'm thinking, "Are you NUTS? And as for the fatigue, I'm a resident; that has NOTHING to do with hormones!")
Hubby: "Well, what's the difference between PMDD and PMS?" (I proceeded to explain.) "Oh, well I just thought it might help."
Me: "Thanks ... I think. You know, you're lucky to be married to me; most women would be really offended if someone suggested they needed to take a pill for their PMS."
Hubby: "I still don't understand why. I really was just trying to help."
So sweetly clueless! I love my hubby. He left to go back to work (after taking his dishes downstairs without even being asked) but proceeded to come back a few minutes later to compliment me on lunch and how good the house looks. I'm a lucky lady. :)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Little peanuts
I'm 3 days into my 28 days of my rotation through the NICU. I'm already tired, and I haven't even taken my first call. Tomorrow afternoon will be the first time I'll be going to "resus" (short for resuscitation) calls. It'll be the scary deliveries, but at least I will have back-up with me including a respiratory therapist and a nurse both specially trained for this with the ability to call a fellow if needed. I know I'll be saying many many prayers for myself, my team, these babies, and their families. By noon Friday, I will be 30 hours into my call; hopefully I will have helped to save a few lives by then!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Thank God
Last night I had a big scare. I was scratching something on my back when I noticed a new very dark spot in the middle of my back. It was just out of decent view, and since Hubby was out of town, I couldn't ask him to examine it better. I even tried to take a digital picture of it by sticking my arm behind my back, but I was unsuccessful. I have extremely fair skin and have already had a few concerning moles removed from my back several years ago, so finding this new spot really scared me. Hubby had actually fallen asleep already by the time I found this, so I wasn't even able to tell him about it last night. I left him a message on his voicemail and managed to finally fall asleep.
This morning I managed to find an appointment for 1:30 PM with one of the dermatologists associated with the medical school with which I am affiliated up here. She took a look at this spot and then called in another dermatologist to take a look, and they made the decision that it's nothing! I am SO thankful. I didn't even need a biopsy! They even complimented me on how well I am taking care of my skin and told me to keep doing what I'm doing now. (It's easy not to get any sun when you work from 7 AM to 7 PM!)
To make my day even more exciting, I managed to get caught in a snow storm on my way home; the lady at the store where I had stopped laughed at me when I told her that I have no idea how to drive in the snow! Thankfully I made it home safely. Hubby's flight home got cancelled, but he was able to make it on an earlier flight and should be home shortly after seven tonight. I'm so excited!! God's grace is abounding in my life today, and I am so thankful.
This morning I managed to find an appointment for 1:30 PM with one of the dermatologists associated with the medical school with which I am affiliated up here. She took a look at this spot and then called in another dermatologist to take a look, and they made the decision that it's nothing! I am SO thankful. I didn't even need a biopsy! They even complimented me on how well I am taking care of my skin and told me to keep doing what I'm doing now. (It's easy not to get any sun when you work from 7 AM to 7 PM!)
To make my day even more exciting, I managed to get caught in a snow storm on my way home; the lady at the store where I had stopped laughed at me when I told her that I have no idea how to drive in the snow! Thankfully I made it home safely. Hubby's flight home got cancelled, but he was able to make it on an earlier flight and should be home shortly after seven tonight. I'm so excited!! God's grace is abounding in my life today, and I am so thankful.
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