Med School Update and Augusta Half Marathon

Well here is the update...I am done with Internal Medicine (at least for this year). I start Neurosurgery tomorrow. So last month I was at Fort Gordon doing general medicine and overall it went very well. I am about 99% certain that I will be going into Internal Medicine and I am still pretty sure that I will be subspecializing after that but I don't have to make that decision for another 3 or 4 years. So that is exciting, I was hoping that by the end of 8 weeks I would like internal medicine more than when I started. Now I have 8 weeks of surgery before 2 weeks Christmas break. I am sure there will be some interesting stories from surgery, now I just hope I will have the energy to write about them. I really can't say that I am excited about getting up before 4 am and working 80 hours per week but we will see how it goes.

As for the pictures below, this morning I ran the Augusta half marathon and due to my hectic work schedule lately I have not been running nearly enough. So this morning was interesting...
This is right near the finish line and I really had my teeth gritted hard just trying to finish with a respectable time. My only previous half marathon was last Thanksgiving and I ran that in 1 hour and 55 minutes. Well, today my time was 1 hour and 53 minutes. A new PR! Not too bad for so little training.

Here are my little cheerleaders! Christie brought the puppies along and they had a good time and were excited to see me when I got to the finish line.

Stretching out my legs, I think my smile is so big because I am just glad to be done. I am still in pain right now sitting on the couch writing this blog.

The whole family, sorry for the dog butts, they are not that attentive, just too many things to sniff and pee on.

Update

So, this week is wrapping up which means Heme/Onc month is almost over. It sure did go by quickly! Overall, a great experience and maybe a little bit of encouragement for the future. I would say my evaluation at this point is the following:
Chance of declaring internal medicine as my advising department this December: 95%
Chance of going into internal medicine residency: 90%
Chance of doing Heme/Onc fellowship: 70%
We will see if these numbers stay the same after next month where I will be doing general internal medicine at Fort Gordon (military base in town). I have had some really great patients this month and some pretty decent people to work with. Hopefully next month will continue to be encouraging and my desire to go into internal medicine will reach 100%. I will give you all the updates next month.
On another note, today is Wednesday, which means Christie is officially 22 weeks along. Pretty cool, past the halfway mark a couple weeks ago and now she just keeps growing and we have a name. Peyton Reese is her name. Pretty amazing I am writing it for the first time that my daughter's name will be Peyton Reese, only about 4 months left!!! So excited! Miss everyone who reads this, even though I think at this point it is only my mom.

Every day is a new adventure

So here is the update: Neurology is done, for good. I have decided I will not become a neurologist. On to the next thing. I am in Hematology/Oncology this month. So far so good. I am 1 week in out of 4 and I am still excited about going to work. I guess that is a good sign. Honestly from the beginning of 3rd year I have been looking forward to this month. I am praying hard that this month goes well. I don't think it is coincidence that our church is doing their annual month of prayer and fasting for God to move in big ways. Everyone is encouraged to participate and see God move in their lives and in the lives around them. Before you think that I haven't eaten yet this week let me clarify. Fasting doesn't always mean abstaining from food all together. Fasting can be abstaining from anything in your life that you enjoy or is a part of your everyday routine that will allow you to be reminded to pray, and seek God to move or direct you in life. Last year I did not participate but this year Christie and I are fasting sweets. It may seem small but it is amazing the temptations that arise when you are avoiding it. Just on Friday there were 3 events at work with cookies, brownies, cakes, and donuts. I did not partake even though my sweet tooth tugged hard at me. I am praying this month that God helps me with my direction for my future career and I think this is a great opportunity while I am in the rotation that I am most excited about. Hope everyone who reads these posts are doing well and is excited about fall which is just a couple of weeks away. I know we are here in the furnace of Augusta, can't wait to enjoy a cool breeze with a cup of coffee in my hand. God bless till next time...

Update

It's a girl! Wow, what a surprise that was to some (Christie). I really didn't have a feeling one way or another. But now that we know we are super excited. Just past the 16 week mark, which means less than 5 months to go! What an adventure this is, Christie is being a pathological shopper and the name discussion is ongoing. Keep a look out on the baby blog, 16 week pictures will probably make it on there this weekend.
As for neurology, I am halfway done and so far so good. I have had some really great attendings that have made for a great experience. Who knows, maybe I was born to be a neurologist...

Neurology

Well, neurology is better that psychiatry! I am finally getting to do some tests and use my brain in my new rotation. Only 3 days in, there is a whole lot more to learn but so far I am having a really good time and it is amazing how fast I am getting comfortable talking with patients and learning how to get all the information necessary to hopefully help them. All this month I am hoping to get comfortable and prepared for next month. I am really excited to be rotating in Hematology/ Oncology next month. Keep me in your thoughts, I really hope that will be my future career so fingers crossed that everything goes well. I will update more when I have some good stories. Just another update, the baby is the size of an orange now and we are hopefully going to find out boy or girl next friday! Can't wait!

Cross Psych off the list

Well one rotation is behind me. I guess first I should start by saying Step 1 board exam is behind me. I got my score back and thank God I passed. I would have liked a better score but I am really happy I never have to do that again. I have never had an anxiety attack but I was awfully close when I was loading my score report. I started Psychiatry at the beginning of July but it never really felt as though I was a third year student until 3 weeks in when I found out I passed step 1. Then a short week and a half has passed and now I am enjoying my weekend off before going on to Neurology. I titled this post "cross psych off the list" because 1 down, 9 rotations to go till 3rd year is over but also because I can officially say now that I will not be pursuing Psychiatry as a career profession. Overall I had a good experience and it was a good rotation to adjust to the new schedule of 3rd year but not my cup of tea. I never felt like it was the field where I would be looking forward to going to work each day. It just felt too much like a 9-5 job that I was not passionate about. I had some really interesting patients don't get me wrong. I had multiple patients with schizophrenia and it was so unpredictable how they would be each day. One day they loved me, other days I was insulted, cursed at and told to leave. It was my first opportunity to really "feel like a doctor" and being at the psych unit in the VA, most of my patients called me doc anyway (they didn't know the difference). All the hard work I put in during my first two years is being applied now and even though I have yet to really feel like I have helped someone I think that day won't be far off. Well now I get the weekend to catch up with Christie and enjoy some time together. She is not showing yet but is just past 14 weeks and I would expect her to start showing any day now. The "little bean" is no longer a bean but now about the size of a lemon. Should only be 2 weeks before we know if the "lemon" is a boy or a girl. Super exciting! I know I was planning on keeping this blog updated more frequently but I have been really bad about it so here's hoping I get better. Maybe neurology will give me something more interesting to post about.

The New Me

Normally a hair cut wouldn't make the blog but if you have seen the hair recently this was drastic. I flirted with the idea of growing a ponytail but in the end, it got buzzed. I think I am going to keep it like this for a while, low maintenance, and much cooler.
On another note, only 5 days until my board exam so please keep me in your prayers. I am well prepared so just pray that I am relaxed and focused on test day. 5 days till I get 3 full days of freedom! I can't wait!