Wow, Day.

So, I'm going to be honest here. I, for the most part, forgot that I had a blog. Getting off facebook didn't help, either, as that was my reminder that it still existed. Well, I've been back on facebook for a week and finally discovered that I still had a blog. So let's see here. Since my last post a LOT has happened.
First thing, I got engaged. Practically days after my last post.
I'm almost done with my 4th year of medical school, which in turn means I'm almost done with medical school.
I've decided to pursue internal medicine as my specialty of choice. This means that after I graduate in May, I'll start my 3 year residency in internal medicine in July. I'll be an MD and all, but like the rest of the country graduating from med school, I'll just be one who gets double checked and taught a lot.
I've gone on some interviews and picked where I want to go, and those places picked if they wanted me or not.
I'll find out in less than 2 weeks where I "matched." By this, I mean that I find out where I get to spend my entire residency. More details on that later (hopefully).
I'm going to be married in 7 weeks. Whoooooooooooooa.

I think that's a lot of info at once. I'll include a few pics because what's a post without pictures??

Engaged!

Sissies!

 

 

Awesome shower hostesses and bridesmaids and friends!

After a huge Ole Miss bowl win!

Our annual rodeo night

My mama and me

Where art thou?

Well, it has come to my attention that I have not updated my blog since January, and that blog post was a rant about college fandom. Let's see if I can get some new material on here so that's not the last thing people have read from me. Well, where have I been? What have I been doing?

I've finished year 3 of med school.
I helped stitch up a few people.
I helped deliver a baby.
I decided I wanted to be a pediatrician.
I then decided I wanted to be an internist because I'm much better with grown ups than kids.
No, medical school is not like Grey's Anatomy.
I cut off all my hair in September.
It's mostly grown back.
My 4th year, or M4 year, officially started at the beginning of this month.
I am in the process of studying for Step 2, which is yet another standardized test that all medical students have to take.
I have been dating Brandon for almost a year and a half.
I'm slowly approaching grown up status.

That's it for now. I'll try to write a better post soon. Happy 4th!

You're a fan of where??? You didn't go to school there!

I've learned a few things over the years, and one thing that drives good Christian people to hatred and slander is... sports (myself included).

So let me vent out some frustrations now--frustrations that I often have bubbling inside of me.

There is NO list of rules about being a fan of something. You did not have to attend the school; you do not have to know all the players' names. You do not have to attend the games. You DO NOT have to pull for the team of the school you attend or attended (learn that there are other reasons people attend a school).

Type in a google search the definition of fan and this is what you get: A person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular sport, art or entertainment form, or famous person. Notice that all those things I listed above that some people think are requirements are not in the definition. Glad to see that.

I'm pretty sure if you want to pull for a team because their mascot is easy to draw or because they have a funny name is juuuuuuust fine. Actually, guess what? It is just fine because no one should be ridiculed for pulling for a sports team. Good grief, people. Sports are a temporary thing. Teams are great, then some years later, they stink.

Yes, I post this because I like the University of Alabama. No, I didn't go there. (OH my goodness!! Call the police!). I also like Ole Miss. (What's that you say? You like two teams at the same time? I cannot fathom how a brain could do such a thing!!!!! How do you exist?!). Yes, I do currently attend the University of Mississippi. Either way, I pull for who I want to pull for and no one can tell me I have to do otherwise.

End of sarcasm and end of rant. Forgive me if I have offended anyone.

2 down

I have now completed 2 full rotations. Psychiatry finished up this morning when I placed that bubbled-in shelf exam scantron into the wanting hands of the psychiatry secretary.

Psychiatry was a very interesting rotation. I met some peculiar people, some with strange stories and others with very sad ones. In the end, it opened my eyes to the fact that we all handle stress and emotions in different ways. Sometimes we can handle it by talking with friends, and other times we need medication to help us... and that's okay. Psychiatry isn't a bunch of voodoo, full of patients who need to suck it up and deal with it. Don't get me wrong--sometimes that could be the case (in my personal opinion), but in the end, we never know exactly what someone is going through.

I saw several patients who not only didn't have a social life outside of family time, but they couldn't even name one friend they had. This broke me heart for these patients because sometimes that was the very thing they needed. I found myself saying small prayers for different patients throughout the day because I honestly didn't know what else to do. I guess more than anything, this rotation really helped me appreciate the balanced life God has given me.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Holla Hiatus

I am back... for the time being. I've learned that when I have plenty of time to update my blog, I don't do it, yet when I have no time to update it, I somehow use my procrastination abilities to find time. Ridiculous. Sounds like most people, right? Let's hope.

Anyway, a few things of note:
1. I PASSED MY STEP EXAM!
2. I started my third year on June 6 and have already completed one full rotation.
3. Third year is 10,934,823 times better than second year (which was still better than first year).
4. I have already fallen in love with pediatrics.

So, I finished one rotation, peds, and I am now halfway through my psychiatry rotation. Specialties ruled in: peds. I learned that I actually really do like kids, and dadgummit I'm fulfilling the stereotype by saying that I want to do peds. You know what? I don't even care! I like kids and I don't care who knows it! I'm a girl! I can't help it! The biggest draw (besides helping kids, of course) is all the people who I worked alongside in the peds department here at UMC. I really enjoy how kind people seemed to be. Two thumbs way up!

Psychiatry is a really interesting field. I'll get back to ya more on it when I'm finished with it all. I sure do have some interesting stories and quotes from patients.

Irony

So I'm studying my rear off for my upcoming Step 1 test and thought I'd share a fun bit of information.

There is a disease called hemochromatosis, where you basically have too much iron in your body. Doesn't really seem too bad, right? Yeah, right. Minus all the really terrible things that can come along with it (i.e. liver cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, risk of liver cancer....) the weirdest side effect of it is this: you can have so much iron in you that you could set off a metal detector in an airport.

Could you imagine that? How would one go about explaining that to the fine folks in security? "Uh, well you see, I don't have any metal on me.. it's actually IN me.." Saying that would probably stick you on the no-fly list. Talk about worst airport stories. I thought it was bad enough having to take off my shoes. Guess I won't be complaining (as much?) anymore!

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm officially taking my test on June 1st. I appreciate all the prayers.. I surely need all the help I can get!

Tornado Alley

Today, Tuscaloosa, AL, among many other cities in Alabama and Mississippi, was hit by a mile-wide tornado. It ripped through the town, destroying much of the city and harming anyone in its path. My sister lives over there, and she is safe. She said that she watched as the tornado headed her direction from only a mile away. It didn't make its way to her complex, thank the Lord. All my friends in Tuscaloosa are safe (thank you facebook statuses). Many families have lost loved ones, lost houses, lost businesses...

Please keep the families of Mississippi and Alabama in your prayers. A long road of recovery is ahead of them.

To see a video of the tornado, click here

To see a video of what the city of Tuscaloosa looks like after the tornado, click here

Edit: Please keep Georgia in your prayers as well. Looks like the tornadoes made their way all the way across the heart of the south.