fortune telling

Two months down. Three years and two months, that is. 10 months to go.

I had the best vacation. The week in St. Louis, followed by a few days off, followed by a long Independence Day weekend on a lake in northern Iowa. Gorgeous weather, plenty of sleep, relaxation, really fun times. It was my first time on a major body of water since last summer, and I loved every minute of it.

I feel exceptionally lucky for my schedule this summer – I paid my dues with starting in ICU, but since then, and until the middle of September, a mix of vacation with relatively easy rotations.

This is how I see the year going for me:

Summer (through Sept): happy, fun, worry-free. Picture me tan, laughing, wind in my hair. Travelling, having a great time, enjoying good and relatively low-key rotations.

Fall (Oct, Nov): dark and scary. Picture me wide-eyed, petrified, concentrating really hard. I’ll have my Grand Rounds presentation, and the National Board exam. Study, work, STRESS.

Winter (Dec, Jan, Feb): cold and mysterious. Mostly because I’ll be waiting to find out my board results. I should find out around February 1 if I passed. I also hope to make good progress on the job search front. Picture me huddled under the covers in the fetal position, weeping. Biting my nails.

Spring (Feb – May): happiest time of my life (projected). Picture me twirling on a mountain top, swinging my arms in the air, singing. I’ll have passed boards (which I WILL), will have a new job. Major responsibilities will be behind me and I’ll have almost nothing standing between me and graduation. I’ll do some travelling for preceptorships, start preparing for graduation and beyond, and generally, enjoy the crap out of my life.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be one happy girl. I’m totally okay with those five dark months in there so long as I really do pass boards.

We’ll see how it goes. 2 months down, 10 more to go.

oopsie

I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, and in fact, woke up at 3am miserable enough to figure out that since I didn’t have to be anywhere today and probably wasn’t going to get any quality unmedicated sleep, I might as well throw on some clothes and go hit up the 24-hr WalMart for some drugs. Which I did, rather enjoying the nice cool night and quiet of the streets.

And yet then on my way home, the streets were apparantly too quiet, because within 2 miles of the comfort of my bed, I noticed police lights behind me. Greeeeat.

When I asked the nice officer what the problem was, he informed me that one of my front headlights was out. Which I knew, and I proved that I knew it by sheepishly holding up a brand-spanking new front headlight sitting next to me on the passenger seat, apologizing, and explaining that I had bought it that day and just forgot to install it.

Ahh, no problem, he said….but let’s just see your driver’s license and registration while I’m here.

So first I opened my wallet and noticed with a sinking heart that my current license was MIA – no doubt in my boyfriend’s wallet, where I left it after we had gone out the previous night and I didn’t want to carry a bag. So I dug out my expired license, sheepishly explaining the whereabouts of my good license. Ugh.

And then I opened the glove compartment and found the registration sitting right on top and as I handed it to the cop, I noticed the expiration date like an evil little glint of light: April 2009! Awesome. I hoped he might just not notice but OF COURSE HE DID. And as he informed me that my registration was indeed past the leeway due, I remembered with perfect clarity the renewal notice that I received back in February and put in my “to do” file with a mental note to do it RIGHT AFTER FINALS! But then you see, I started ICU and forgot about all other responsibilities. So I just sunk deeper into my seat.

And then he asked for proof of insurance. Phew! This one I could totally handle because I DO have current car insurance and I most definitely carry a card in my wallet. After some furious shuffling through the wallet revealed no insurance card, I just shuffled through my glove compartment and was really dumbfounded when that search also turned up nothing. So feeling like the biggest idiot, I just mumbled something about how I had no idea where my car was, but really, seriously, i was totally insured…UGH.

All in all I ended up with a warning for the insurance issue and a $100 citation for the registration issue. By the end of our visit, I think he had forgotten about the initial headlight issue. So it could have been worse. But also, maybe I should have just gulped some Nyquil and stayed in bed. [Feeling a bit better today, by the way. And I got the car registered today, too.]

light

It was just over three years ago that I stepped foot in Iowa for the first time. I was already all set to go to Kansas when I found out that I had gotten in off of Iowa’s waiting list, and my mother flew out here on short notice…the rest, as they say, is history.

Funny what life does to you, when you’re kicking and screaming to resist. I was talking to some people over the weekend about how I ended up here, and I think it’s remarkable, how completely random and arbitrary it was, and yet how perfectly it has worked out. The school, the affordability of the town, the good sushi places coming to town just months after I arrived, my friends, of course…there’s no denying that I got really exceptionally lucky.

Anyway, I’ve been reminded of that first visit regularly in the past few weeks because it’s the same time of year, and Mom and I were struck, three years ago, by how it doesn’t get dark until disconcertingly late. 9PM is dusk, at best – still light enough enough that you could probably get away without headlights. Tonight you could really only call it “dark” 15 minutes ago, at 10pm. It’s weird. I suppose it’s the difference between being in the center of a time zone rather than on the eastern edge of one.

I’m in the middle of a two-week vacation that has been great so far. Last week I was in St. Louis, and had an excellent time: some pet-food-company-training, lots of good food and drink, and a fantastically hot but still enjoyable trip to the zoo. This weekend has been quiet but in a nice way: today we attacked the poor vegetable garden that we planted in late May and have neglected completely ever since…the weeds were definitely starting to take over, but I think we brought it back from the edge.

Now the week looms ahead, and I’m afraid my lack of planning might make the week pass too quickly and uneventfully. I’m heading to a lake in northern Iowa for the long weekend, but before then I’m got to figure out some good ways to spend my time. Fortunately (sorry, New Englanders) the weather is cooperating nicely – it has been sunny, hot and GORGEOUS for days, and the 10-day calls for nothing but sunny/mostly sunny/partly cloudy and 84-86F.

summer in Iowa

I remember last summer, in Boston, absolutely dreading this summer: being stuck in Iowa, working a lot, nothing to do, etc, etc.

And now, I must admit to feeling a little sheepish for my angst, because this is shaping up to be a really, really great summer. I love being on clinics.  Iowa will never be New England, and as always it is the people that I miss, but not having to worry about traveling across country and distrubuting the cats in places I hope they’ll be happy; not having to work a job I really, really hate; and not having to spend a fortune on housing, entertainment, etc. is really really nice.  Plus, I LOVE my apartment: poweful ceiling fans and AC when they can’t keep up, a sunny balcony from which the cats can soak in the sun and drool over all of the birds and the bunnies, and a pool and tennis court right out front… it’s positively luxurious.

And, I’m having fun. The flowers I planted have met mixed fates – the petunias and marigolds are thriving, others, not quite so much. But it’s still fun to have the space to do that, and watch the progress. I share a big huge vegetable garden – another first. It’s so much fun to watch things pop up in mostly neat rows, and I have high hopes that we’ll actually get a few vegetables at some point. Of course today will be my first day of weeding, so I might appreciate it a bit less in a bit. There’s a state park (Ledges) just a 10-15 minute drive away that it is surprisingly gorgeous and forested and hilly; great for a walk or bike ride. There are beaches, lakes, canoeing and kayaking, all at the ready. I bought a cheap bike (but in really great condition – anyone in Ames should totally check out Bicycle Surplus over off of Main St. for really great deals).

It’s not New England, but for now, it’s my home, and I’m glad that I’m enjoying it so much. Six weeks from today, I’ll be in the car, probably just an hour or two away, but well on my was to Maine via Boston, for a 6 week vacation. I’ll be thrilled, and excited and anxious to get there, but I think i might also feel the tiniest bit sad that my Iowa summer will effectively be coming to an end (I’ll be in New England til mid-September).

another one down

And so Derm ends, as best it can: 3 hours early! I have the next block off, and so it’s really a great way to start a vacation.

I must admit, Derm was pretty slow. There was a lot of sitting around. It wasn’t a waste of time, definitely not – I learned a lot about the basics, some about the more complicated stuff, and generally feel pretty competant working up a derm case, doing a database, etc. But it probably wasn’t the most efficient way to spend my time. I HATE sitting around waiting for something to come up.  Ah well.

Next up: VACATION, baby! I’m going to food company rep training next week (three nights in the Four Seasons, anybody? yes please.), and will be going to a lake for a long weekend around the fourth. Should be a really great two weeks, and I’m pretty much besides myself to have so much time to myself.

And to start it out I’m going to grab my book, plant myself on the couch and relax for a few. Life is good!

hush

I know I’ve been quiet lately, and pretty poor about posting…but, c’est la vie. Dermatology is going great – I’d love to go on and on about some of the cases I’ve seen (I’m guessing due to the generally non-fatal nature of most dermatologic diseases some of the stuff we see is really advanced and insane), but I haven’t really mastered the art of altering identities as would be required so that I didn’t inadvertently reveal personal information…and sure, maybe I could master it, but it just seems to take up more energy than I am willing to part with lately.

So in short: things are fantastic. I am learning a LOT. If you’re a veterinary underclassman, all I can say is: hang in there. I’ve generally enjoyed vet school, but so far my 5 weeks and 1 day of clinics has been SO. MUCH. BETTER. than any 5 weeks in the preceeding years (including summers! but maybe I was doing those wrong!). I love being on clinics, and generally, I’ve never been happier.

It’s going to be a great summer, a great year.

focus

Derm started really well today – pretty slow, but we were in at 8 and out around 3, with two hour-long breaks in between, and after the month I’ve had, a 6-hour work day really hits the spot. 

But it is far more academic than ICU is, which is to say that in addition to seeing patients we’ll have regular daily topics rounds, along with a written/multiple-choice test upon completion of the rotation (next Friday).  We are also to prepare a brief review of a journal article and present it later in the week at rounds. And so I have to study and research. Tonight. 

With ICU, you put in your 12-13 hours, and were done, on your own, for the next 11-12 hours. Sure I’d look something up if I saw something during the shift that I was unclear on, but I wasn’t expected to necessarily. But if I don’t study tonight, then I’ll look like an idiot tomorrow…and then I’ll get a crappier grade, etc., etc.

Except I can’t focus!!! I’m not used to this studying thing. I feel like breaking for the coffee shop, but I really should just buckle down and get it done here at home. Really if I put in a concentrated 2 hours (not asking a lot after a 6-hour day), I’d be fine. But God forbid I actually concentrate. Plus I already lost a few papers that had cases we were to review tonight – DUH! 

Ah well. Back in school.

Wish me luck.

4 down, 48 to go

And so ICU ends, not with a bang or a whimper, but rather a nicely busy, but not crazy night. I had one patient to call my own, a nice pup who ate something he shouldn’t, and who happened to have one of those incredibly nice owners that makes me so freaking glad I chose veterinary medicine as my profession. Observe:

Phone: ring ring!

Me: Emergency, this is Elizabeth, how can I help you?

Phone: Hello Elizabeth. I have a x-year-old, y-pound Standard Poodle who just ate z-ounces of baking chocolate, and I was wondering how worried I should be? 

(We later found that she was exactly accurate about her dog’s weight, and knew how much chocolate because the dog had meticulous unwrapped one bar and eaten it as she unloaded the groceries.)

Me: Hmmm, that’s an excellent question. Would you mind giving me your phone number so that I can consult with the doctor, and call you right back?

Phone: Not at all! 

We figured out that the amount of chocolate was indeed toxic (if it had been milk or white chocolate it would have been fine, but baking and dark chocolates are the most toxic); I called her back and let her know that she should bring him in as soon as possible. “I’m on my way, ” she said immediately. When I warned her that there would be an emergency fee she said: “As long as my dog is safe, I don’t care at all.” 

When she got to the hospital, maybe 15 minutes later, she was just as sweet in person as she had been on the phone, and her dog, though a bit hyped up on chocolate, was just as great to work with. Sure, he was a tinesy bit CRAZY, but really very sweet and handsome. We managed to induce vomiting (mmm, kibble and chocolate!), gave him some activated charcoal just in case, and sent them on their way. By the time he had left, he had calmed considerable, and his temperature and heart rate had falled to normal values. It was gratifying to be able to treat a case, beginning-to-end, and with a happy resolution and a satisfied client. 

So next up is Dermatology, and I have high hopes. I’m with a good group (again! yay!), the hours should be MUCH more forgiving, and I found a pair of comfortable but stylish shoes to wear since my tattered sneakers won’t cut it anymore. It’s the little things, right?

better late than never

I did it! After almost two weeks on overnights, I have finally fallen into a schedule where I go to work, come home and sleep for a solid 7-8 hours, then have a 2-3 hours before I have to go back in. It’s not much fun, but it is restful, and for the last two nights I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that 4AM wasn’t 4PM, except for the whole dark sky and quiet hospital thing. 

And yes of course, this is my last night. And in fact, I’ll have to wake myself up by noon or 1 tomorrow if I’m to get a normal night’s sleep tomorrow. Go figure.

correction

I said in the last post that I felt I hadn’t really learned a lot on ICU, but that isn’t really entirely true. I haven’t necessarily learned a lot from the medicine aspect, but some lessons I’ll take away are invaluable, particularly in that they’ll be valuable to me for the rest of the year:  Competance and confidence in taking complete histories and talking to owners, taking and developing radiographs, running stat lab work, navigating the beauracracy of the hospital. 

So even if this rotation hasn’t necessarily helped prepare me for boards, I think it has been the best possible preparation for the rest of my senior year.