Surgery call math?

Tonight is my first night of call.  Well, first night of call as a doctor-type since I did it all the time as an EMT, but I digress... It is home call so it only half counts anyway. 

Call + surgery clerkship + Halloween night + stupid people = exciting learning?

Time will tell how this equation ends.

First real day of surgery

-Lasted 10.5 hours.  Of which, the majority were spent on my feet and 6 hours were spent in actual surgeries.
-I scrubbed into my first actual surgery and took my proper medical student place as a professional retractor.
-Due to the circumstances of said surgery, I had a lovely vaso-vagal episode in which I had to ask the scrub nurse for a stool so I didn't pass out or vomit on the patient.
-When sitting didn't prove to be enough, I broke scrub and excused myself briefly to re-compose myself.  I ended up being fine.  The rest of the team was fine with it.  Yep.  It turns out that I'm THAT medical student.  The one who nearly passes out & vomits in my first scrubbed surgery.
-I called my lovely girlfriend on my way home to strike a deal.  She's not allowed to break up with me during my surgery rotation, as I am sure that I will be a miserable and neglectful partner for the next 2 months.  Her response: "I bet we wont even talk enough to break up.  I'll have to do it over text message."  I do love her!
-My feet hurt.  A lot.  Disappointed my in well loved, and very old, danskos.  Here is to hoping that my body adjusts.
-Career hypothesis to date: surgery is looking like a no go.  OB/GYN is falling below peds due to the surgery component.

surgery: day 1 (orientation)

Yep, I'm already overwhelmed.  Can I go back to peds?  It is going to be a long 8 weeks!

PICU & peds neuro

My pediatric clerkship is quickly coming to an end, leaving me wondering if this is the specialty I'm destined for.  I've loved a lot of my experience so far.  While I have liked general out-patient peds, was surprisingly impressed by some of the other sub-specialties,  the PICU and neruo have been my favorite though.  It'll be interesting to see how my future evolves as I continue on into surgery, ob/gyn, neuro & family clerkships.  (OB being the clear front-runner when I started medical school.)

A recent NYT article on Dragon Parents was appropriately timed with my experience in the neuro clinic today.  "Conversations about which seizure medication is most effective or how to feed children who have trouble swallowing..." These parents are truly exceptional and have many things to teach the world.  Their hard-earned love, compassion, and understanding of daily blessings should serve as a lesson for all of us parents & future-parents.

HR 358 aka the "Protect Life Act"

And the madness concerning women's reproductive rights continues.  While Mississippi is leaving the debate of when life begins to their general pubic [initiative 26], which will have immediate determental effects including outlawing some types of birth control, the US House of Reps is also busy at work attempting to control my body and my choices.  Don't they have better things to do with their time and our money?!!!! 

I'm off to enjoy the first days of sukkot.  Hopefully the world wont go to complete hell in a hand basket while I'm gone.

Re-posting an RCRC action alert, the original can be found here:

STOP this Dangerous & Misleading Bill! Contact Your Representative Now!

Dear RCRC Advocate:
Congress is not listening to you! Instead of creating new jobs and helping our economy grow, they are attacking women's health in unprecedented ways!
HR 358 aka the "Protect Life Act" will be up for a vote on the House floor this week and you need to tell your Representative that you, as a person of faith, oppose this dangerous bill. It would ban abortion coverage in ALL insurance plans on the upcoming state exchanges, even if a woman uses her own private funds to pay for her insurance.
The "Protect Life Act" would also create a loophole in the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) that would allow hospitals to deny pregnant women stabilizing and life-saving treatments. It also expands already broad conscience protections for providers and entities who do not want to provide abortion services, without any regard for patient safety and protection or for those providers and entities who do want to provide abortion services.

HR 358 violates the hallowed promise of our nation to respect diverse religious views, so contact your Representative NOW and tell them to oppose this far-reaching and harmful bill!

Peace and blessings,

Reverend Dr. Carlton W. Veazey
President and CEO

10.11.11 in pictures

Happy national coming out day!  
(Not just as queer, but as a cowboy/girl ;-)) 

To quote a friend's facebook status: "happy national coming out day! i know this might come as a shocker to some of you, but i'm totally gay." 

And another: "Today is National Coming Out Day! If you would like to Come Out, or if you have already Come Out and would like to offer thanks, here is a lovely prayer written by Rabbi Rebecca Alpert: Nevarekh et Eyn HaHayyim asher natna lee haozmah lazet min hamezarim. Let us bless the source of life for giving me the courage to come out."

Happy 1 year anniversary of adopting Lulav!

Rejection

I had co-authored a JAMA letter to the editor recently.  Today we received a rejection.  I'm not overly surprised as it was a bit political for JAMA, but I am surprisingly disappointed that it was rejected.   Overall though,  I think I'm just moody and tired.  Trying to balance the month of high holiday while staying on top of my pediatric clerkship and preparing for the upcoming shelf exam has me WAY overwhelmed.  Right about now: being a medical students and being a Jew leaves me sleepy.