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.

A,B,C... Easy as 1,2,3..

I like to avoid studying, and my friend Lauren had this post on her blog. Hooray for procrastination!

A: Age, 25
B: Bed size: Queen
C: Chore I dislike most: Vacuuming (when you live in a house holding 3 girls--lots of hair gets shed)
D: Dogs: I don't have one, but I puppy sit some for my brother and sister-in-law and even sometimes my sister, and I love love looooooooove their doggies (especiallly Bowzer because he's still a puppy :D see previous posts for pictures)
E: Essential start to my day: COFFEE and some good TV show to distract me and make me late for wherever I'm going
F: Favorite color: Green
G: Gold or silver: silver or white gold :)
H: Height: 5' 7 3/4"
I: Instruments I play: Piano--I can claim this if i know how but don't utilize the ability, right?
J: Job: Professional student
K: Kids: well, I'd prefer to do things in the proper order and get married before having any of these
L: Live: Madison, MS
M: Mom's name: Laura
N: Nickname: Daybird, Dayders, Dayday, Daytona, Daytime, Daisy, Day-Z, Day-O, HeyDay, (i'm going to stop because this could take several DAYS.... hahaha see what I did there?)
O: Overnight hospital stays: Zero (praise Jesus!)
P: Pet peeves: Most grammatical errors/misspellings that happen because people are lazy. Biggest of them all: thinking a lot is ONE WORD
Q: Quote from a movie: "It's Dr. Evil. I didn't spend six years in Evil Medical School to be called 'mister,' thank you very much."
R: Right/Left: Right
S: Siblings: Two bros and a seesy
T: Time I wake up: my current sleep schedule is from 2-10, unless a mandatory class is involved. I kiiiinda like sleeping in.
U: Underwear: What?
V: Vegetables I dislike: Beets
W: What makes me run late: What doesn't make me run late is probably a better question.
X: X-rays I've had: bones of steel = no x-rays
Y: Yummy food I make: Chicken pesto pasta... But most of my specialty dishes are sweets. cookies and cupcakes mostly
Z: Zoo animal: umm, I guess penguins?

Rely on Him

Times are getting pretty rough for the UMMC med school class of 2013. We're finishing up class, which is a plus, but we're also less than 2 months away from the USMLE Step 1 test. It's a nasty test, but as a patient, you would definitely want your doctor to be able to pass this test. It covers our first two years of school in excruciating detail and is a huge marker for how well we will do when getting placed for our residency. OK, now that I've succeeded in scaring myself again, I think now would be a good time to ask everyone for prayers for my classmates and I. We need motivation, wisdom, strength.... but most importantly we need a reminder that God is in control of this all, and that even when this seems unbearable, we can make it through. I'd like to share a verse that my friend Wesley posted on his facebook last week:

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead."
2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Here's to knowing someone much wiser and more powerful is in charge.

San Fran

So last week, for the final spring break, Mom, Caitlyn, and I all went to Napa/San Francisco for about 6 days. It was absolutely gorgeous! I haven't edited any pictures, but here are a few I took while I was out there--it rained several days on us, but it was still a great trip!

Wine Tasting

A decanter being put to use

Not time for grapes!

Hot Trolley

FULL HOUSE!!!!!

Down at the Fisherman's Wharf

I've finally seen the Golden Gate in real life!

Well Hey Bridge.

Baby Ketchum

Thomas Edward Ketchum has finally arrived! I'm sorry I'm late putting this up, MB, but you know how busy life gets--and I know yours just got even busier (but in a good way :D).

This precious baby boy was born to one of my best friends, and I just want everyone I know to see his smiling face! I stole this picture off of her facebook. I'm so happy for you and Michael. Yay for new life!



You two are going to make wonderful parents. I'm so glad that this little boy will be raised in an environment where Christ guides all decisons. He is already so blessed.

Rushed

So I won't go another 2 months without posting, I'm going to post some pics of the last few weeks. I have my first test of 6 starting tomorrow so words aren't really on my mind (but procrastination is :D)

My beautiful family posing for our annual Christmas pic!

Several of my classmates and I at a family medicine interest group banquet

My friend Bronwyn and I celebrating New Year's Eve at the IP watching the Molly Ringwald's

Only the cutest puppy in the world, Bowzer. He's my sister's new long-haired chihuahua

Bowzer one more time :)

AHHH! Rabies!

Medical tidbit of the day:

Currently in microbiology we are studying virology. Yesterday, we covered rabies, and naturally, what comes to mind? Cujo... and Old Yeller. As our teacher was going through her slides, she shared some interesting statistics with us. I thought I would share them with anyone who wants to read. Also, credit goes to our micro teacher Donna Sullivan.

There was a total of 48 cases of human rabies in the United States between 1990 and 2007. Of those 48, only TWO were contracted from dogs/coyotes here in the U.S. That's right... two... in all those years. The rest were mostly from bats or from dog bites while outside the U.S. Weird, right? I made sure to tell my friend Amanda, who is in vet school, that her very expensive rabies vaccine might have been in vain (except for the fact that vet school requires it). I might have found that more interesting than most, but there ya have it! No need in being worried about getting rabies.

I will say.. if I see a dog like this, I'll still probably run like the wind:

One Road

Less than 2 weeks until Christmas. I've bought a grand total of.......... no Christmas presents. Yikes. Instead, I've been studying all sorts of things. We don't have finals, per se, this Christmas. We just have our 3rd test block of the semester. So we still have 5 tests between Thursday and next Tuesday, but fortunately these don't count anymore than any of our other tests. My classmates and I would love any extra prayers that you're willing to give us. More importantly, help us all to remember why this is an amazing time of year. I have been guilty, lately, of pushing my time with God aside or cutting it short because of responsibility. I came across a quote from my favorite author that help remind me of how important it is to stay on track:

"One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness."
C.S.Lewis

Thank you, Clive Staples, for keeping me in check. Merry Christmas to all!

Why, thank you

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Why does time slip by quicker every year? Maybe it's only seeming that way because as I've gotten older I've finally realized how important each day really is.

Naturally, the holidays seem to fly by faster than the average bear day because they are the days we long for the most and spend endless amounts of time daydreaming about. We imagine what we'll do on our time off and who we'll see. I am guilty of doing all of these things... and then my jaw drops when I realize that those 4 days were a lot shorter than the 4 days I had imagined in my head!

Either way, I am thankful for any 4 days off--be they short or not. I am even more thankful that I get to spend the holidays with my entire family--Mom, Dad, Todd and wife Rebecca, Corky, and Caitlyn. I'm so lucky to live so close to them all. It's times like yesterday that I realize how much I love being so near to them. Praise be to God for giving me so much more than I deserve. I will surely come into his presence with thanksgiving in my heart.

Oh, and who's excited about Christmas season??? Let the decorating, shopping, and music begin!

Inspiration

Here lately, I've been struggling with my positive attitude towards school. I know it's normal to wake up and not want to study for the day, but I've been having too many moments that make it hard to stay motivated. I have needed to change something and somehow give myself a reminder of why in the world I decided to go through this schooling and become a doctor. Now that our test week is over, I'm spending a little time searching for reminders. My first and important boost of reassurance lies at this website: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/index.cfm

Doctors without borders. Seeing those top news articles about how so many people in this world are struggling to get proper healthcare reminds me that I chose this career in order to help those in need. In my essay for my med school application, I even wrote about taking my M.D. outside of the U.S. and helping countries that are lacking in healthcare options. There will never be enough doctors in this world. We will always be needed somewhere. Knowing that will help me push along this long path that I chose. Not only did I choose it, but God also chose it. That's some great rejuvenating juice right there! Hopefully more reminders will come along the way, but I know that I have people praying for me daily and encouraging me.

"You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need constant, never ceasing vigilance."
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

"You know, a lot of people go to college for seven years."
"I know; they're called doctors."
Tommy Boy

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.

God is still God, and God is still good.

The Story of Zac Smith (New Score) from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

If that video doesn't work, click here.

Luke 6:27-28

Sometimes we need to remember we cannot stop loving people just because they are hard to love. In fact, this is when we need to love the most. That is one of the things that sets Christians apart from non-Christians. Even those who don't know Christ love people who are easy to love. To love an enemy--that, friends, is an amazing and glorious thing to do.

Luke 6:27-28
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

99

In an Intro to Clinical Medicine small group yesterday, I found out something that was mildly interesting--

So you know how some doctors ask you to say something like "blue moon" or "toy boat" when they are listening to your lungs? You might not have heard that--but know that it happens. Well, some doctors might have asked you to say "ninety-nine" instead. While in some medical books it says to do this, we learned yesterday that it is wrong to say ninety-nine. What? A book in medicine was wrong? Here's the funny thing--the reason it is wrong is because it was a German who first discovered that deep "o" sounds are what we need to listen to (I won't bore you with details on why) in the lungs and guess what ninety-nine in German is? Neunundneunzig. Ok, I know few people know how to pronounce what I just wrote out. Here's a key factor: the eu in German is pronounced "oi." So, in German, ninety-nine gives you the deep "o" sound (like toy boat), but in English, it doesn't. Some pretty important things really are lost in translation. Funny how so many things come back to German.....

..Tschüss!!

FT

I'm slacking again on the posts.. so until I make myself sit down and type something worth reading, I thought I'd use a couple of posts to give you an insight on some of the things we second year med students learn. I promise I'll try to make them somewhat interesting!

In microbiology right now, we just learned a little bit about antibiotics. Besides all the amazing things we've learned that they do, here's a special tidbit of information we found out in one of our lectures:

A man named Frank Tally did a lot of work with the Wyeth drug company. He's in all sorts of journals--pretty big deal--mostly because he helped develop antibiotics. Alas, after becoming an antibiotic guru, he got an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection later in life and died.

Just when you think life can't get any more ironic, it does. Think of this post as a little reminder of how things could always be worse....




Seriously, if all that's on your hand, do not give me a high five.