Revival!!!

So... I am back in the blogger world! I was looking for old pictures to show someone the other day and pulled up this old, out of date blog. It was so fun to read and look at pictures that I decided it was time for a revival. So here is the first of hopefully many as "my adventures" continue. 

In the biggest of adventures we have a new addition to our family. Welcome Piper Claire Deutsch. Born 8/9/14 @ 9:16 PM, 8 lb 5 oz, 21 inches. She is amazing and Peyton is so excited. So much more to post later. But here is the start. 

First Daddy+Daughter Run

So we outfitted our Bob stroller with a "snuzzler" to give Peyton some extra support and after taking her on a number of walks we decided it was ok to try a run. Here is us afterwards and little Peyton is out like a light. We ran about an 8:30 mile time for 3.1 miles and I didn't hear a peep. Not too bad for 6 weeks old. I think we are a pretty good team. Maybe we will make a debut race sometime this summer...

MICA 10K... Lessons learned

This is me saying "horrible", which was how I thought the race went. First of all, my little rant about the race is that just because it is not pavement does not mean it is a "trail race". All dirt roads and 1 mile of paved road over six miles. It was not a single "trail". However, it was also not easy. Glad that my mom was able to come to a race, kinda wish I had a better performance.
My lessons learned:
1. If I want to run better than the 53:52 that I ran, maybe I should train.
2. If your legs hurt from the race the previous weekend, running a 10K is not a recovery.
3. Hills suck when all you run is flat pavement.
4. Racing is fun until you get passed by the fat girl in the hooded cotton sweatshirt, then you feel like walking.
5. You don't impress anyone by starting in the front of the pack if you don't maintain that standing till the end.

Family Visit

All the out of town Deutsch side of the family came to visit last week and it was a tight squeeze but really fun to have all the family here at once. Peyton got to meet her great grandparents, grandparents and uncle Shaun and aunt Gretchie. Our little picnic at the river was great (a little cold if you ask grandma and grandpa). Hopefully we can get together again sometime soon.

Living the Dream

Well, I am enjoying my month off and looking forward to family coming in town this afternoon to visit. I have a list of things to do that never seems to get any smaller but some rest and time with Christie and Peyton is great and well deserved.

I ran a 5K yesterday and finished in 20:52 which was good for 15th place out of 943 people. But 4 minutes off the winner's time. This was the first race I tried wearing my Vibram FiveFingers, which was fun but last year my time was 20:15 for the same race so obviously I need to train more. I have a 10K trail race this weekend at Fort Gordon which should be fun and hopefully I will have some pictures to post.

Welcome Peyton

Obviously I am assuming that most of you have seen pictures of our new little bundle of joy. Here is one more. Our new jogging stroller with little Peyton all strapped in, looking like she is ready to go to the moon. Well she is doing great and Christie is doing well, trying to adjust to the lack of sleep. I have said that my month on GI surgery in December prepared me for functioning with minimal sleep. Honestly though I sleep through most of it each night.
So, other than that we are excited that in a few days Mom and Pop will be visiting from Oregon along with Gretchen and Shaun and Grandma and Grandpa. Our own little family reunion.
I just finished my chronic disease rotation and now I am off for 1 month. Looking like this month will be much busier than I once thought but time at home should be great. Putting together my schedule for 4th year and looking at programs for residency. Hard to believe I am going to be done in just over a year. My next rotation is Pediatrics which should be pretty interesting especially after this month at home with Peyton.
I have a couple of races coming up, a 5K in downtown Augusta to benefit the MCG children's hospital and a 10K trail race at Fort Gordon. I am sure a few more races will come up this spring but that is all for now.
Softball is getting started so that is one more thing to look forward to. I am going to be playing intramurals and church league. I will try to get some pictures to post later.

Dog Gone Cold 5K

Look at my little champ. This is pre-race, Addy was so excited she could hardly control herself. This was a local 5K to support animal groups in the area and the turn out was great. Over 300 runners were there and probably 1/4 of those were running with their dogs.

Look at Addy ready to fire. Unfortunately the weimaraner just behind her beat us but I will take the blame there. I think if I hadn't been so sick recently and we had trained we would have been the winners. Maybe next year...

Here we are finishing. 14th overall and the 3rd dog to cross the line. Addy helped win us some gourmet doggy treats and a loaf of homemade bread. Good work pooch. Hopefully there will be some more adventures in the near future. Till next time...

New Car!!!

A couple of weeks ago we went to CarMax and ended up buying a new Mommy mobile. The car seat didn't even make it in the house. It has been in the back seat for 2 weeks now. Come visit and we will take you for a spin :)

The Ultimate Update

Well, this blog has been an utter failure over the past few months. So we will give you the run down in bullet point format.
-I finished my 5th semester of medical school, I am officially 5/8 a doctor.
-I have declared internal medicine as my career path. I do intend to subspecialize but that is in the more distant future so it doesn't matter a whole lot right now.
-Christie is due to have a baby at any time. She has had a great pregnancy which most of you have probably followed on the only of our 3 blogs that still gets updated. There will be baby updates on that blog and maybe a few select pics on this blog.
-I am currently on my family medicine rotation. I am learning a lot, getting weekends off and no call. I really can't complain.
-I have a 2 week course next and then I have a month off! I will have to pick up an extra elective during 4th year but that seems to be a pretty good trade off to spend some time with the new baby and all the family when they come to visit.

Well since this blog is all about my adventures I guess I can blame my poor follow through with the lack of adventures. But I will make an attempt to do a better job...

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!

Baby on the Way!

Well, I got one past the goalie! Christie is about 6-7 weeks along and this is "it's" official first picture. See that little arrow? .38 cm long. Pretty amazing and watching a little heart beat on the screen was even more amazing. Crazy that in 7 1/2 months that thing is going to come out as a baby. I am super excited and it sure is hard to hold off from telling everyone but we are going to give it a few weeks before it's "facebook official". Pretty exciting!!! Many more updates to come...

Vacation at HHI

I have officially started studying for the step 1 board exam now but before I got started, Christie and I went to Hilton Head for a week to forget about school, work and everything else. It was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed every bit of being there. One of our favorite things to do is to ride the beach cruiser bikes to a restaurant for breakfast. I couldn't count how many times I said that I would love to live somewhere that we could do this and not be on vacation. It is just so relaxing and enjoyable. Here's hoping that our next city will love bikes as much as we do.

Of course, what beach vacation is complete without some time on the beach. Unfortunately, in years past the sun and I have not had the best relationship. I have been stubborn about using sunscreen and usually end up with a painful burn... well not this year! Check out my new digs (above), that tent was great and I used sunscreen. After staring at pictures of melanomas all year I decided I didn't want to end up an example on a medical school powerpoint slide, so I am now a religious sunscreen user. I was able to stay on the beach for hours under my little tent and read my book and drink my Coronas. I read "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall this week and I will not turn this blog into a book review forum but, what a great book! It was an easy read and really enjoyable, I highly recommend it even if you are not a die hard runner. All in all it was a great trip and boy was it hard to pack up the car and leave, but duty calls. On to the board review books, wish me luck!

First Adventure in Rotations

I know this seems like I am jumping the gun, but today was my first real experience in what the next two years of medical school will be like. For those who don't know, tomorrow is my official last day of my second year of medical school. Then I have about a month and a half of studying before I take the Step 1 board exam. Then, on to third year! Wow, time sure does fly by! Today we shadowed on the medical service that we are going to start rotating on in July to get a feel for our role in the clinics. My first rotation... Psych. Not my favorite but I think I will learn a lot about people on that rotation.
I shadowed in child psych today and it was quite an experience. I was thinking lots of kids with ADHD, maybe family problems but that was the least of our patients concerns. We had psychoses, aggression, self-injury, too many disorders to name. It was truly sad and somewhat tough to deal with. But we are here to do what we can to help these patients who in a lot of cases tell you that they don't even have hope that things will get better. This is the beginning of what will probably be a very interesting and challenging year in med school. I am sure there will be many more stories to come...

Family

For those of you who don't know everyone in the picture this is Alex (Christie's cousin), Michael (Christie's brother), Christie and of course, me. Alex has been working in missions down in Argentina for the whole year and he came back to be at his mom's wedding. What an awesome guy! Most of why I posted this (other than because it is just a good picture), is because Christie and I are so lucky. As we were driving home last weekend we were talking about how fortunate we were to still have our families together. Of course, I am talking about immediate families here. Even though I know that my parents and my in-laws have had their marital troubles they have weathered storms TOGETHER! I feel really grateful to have that example in a day where 1 out of every 2 marriages don't make it.
I am super happy for Christie's aunt who got remarried and am not writing this in a negative light at all. I just know that we are fortunate. Congrats to my parents who celebrated 30 years last year, my in-laws who are celebrating 30 this year and my grandparents have been married OVER 60 years. Christie and I will celebrate 5 at the end of this year. I sure hope the next 60 years for us will be as great as the first 5.