Day 2400: On child psychiatry

As if learning embryology and going through my ob/gyn rotation wasn't enough, my two-week stint on child psychiatry is showing me that making normal humans is tough noogies. On top being freaked out your baby will be deformed or mentally underdeveloped or any number of things that can happen in utero, you have to hope and pray that your baby is normal, whatever that means. I have seen kids as young as 4 on my in-patient floor and kids of varying ages in day treatment. I have teenagers on my in-patient floor who have strong suicidal thoughts, straight up psychosis (audio and visual hallucinations) and a lot of aggression and ADHD.

Seeing these kids...I'm happy to know they are getting help but it's a little intense to see a 7-year-old on 4 medications! Honestly, seeing these kids freaks me out about having children. I want some (probably, eventually) but the fact you have to try to keep them sane and normal for their entire lives is a little overwhelming, wouldn't you agree?

All in all, I have learned a decent amount. I am getting bombarded daily with psych meds, which is good to refresh what I learned last year in pharmacology. Apparently, you can use clonidine (which is typically used to treat hypertension) to treat hyperactivity and impulsivity in kids with ADHD. Huh. Whodda thunk?

I really am going to try to post more regularly. I have more time to write, but I'm actually living life a little and socializing so that has taken away some of my motivation and drive to post. My posts are so boring most of the time anyway. But I digress. Here's hoping there are more posts! With pictures at some point too!

Day 2135: Home, at last.

Okay. So. This blog title is about 6 days too late, but a lot has happened since I have been home.

I took my pharmacology final, which, as expected, was a lot of bloody information. However, it is over and I am positive that I passed the class so hooray! The most difficult class of my M2 year, done-zo!

I flew home on Friday (the 14th) and there was a party on Saturday for all these little MBA-wannabes that my parents know so I was quite the left-out-duck in regards to conversation. The rest of the week has been a blur of seeing friends and hanging out. I am currently attempting this while listening to this.

I know this was a boring update post but someone's gotta do it. Pictures coming soon!

Day 2121: Chugging along

Oh hey! Fancy meeting you here!

I am taking another break to blog because the way my life looks right now (see below) would make anyone go crazy.

Anyway, my eye has stopped twitching. I realized a few days later that it was twitching most likely as a result of a slight corneal scratch. I have to tell you, when my eye was twitching, I was convinced it was stress. So, all of Sunday and Monday, I was a sh!tshow (study-wise). The twitching eye felt like a constant reminder of how stressed I was and, as a result, my studying quality was greatly diminished (and my stress level probably increased exponentially because I was so stressed about not being able to study well).

It's okay. In spite of it all, there is, somehow, time in the day to learn drugs. And some pathology. But a very small amount. Right now, it's pharm pharm pharm. Path will start tomorrow (afternoon) at the earliest, and then continue throughout the weekend until my exam Monday morning.

Boring update over. Back to studying. Gym at 10pm with a friend. Rinse. Repeat.

Day 2116: The countdown begins

I feel like this post title will be recycled. I will have lots of countdowns in the next six months, this being the first one -- the countdown to finals/winter break. In the next 13 days, I will have completed my first semester of my second year. I have a pathology exam, CER (Clinical Exam and Reasoning) exam and the dreaded cumulative pharmacology final. At this point, I am taking a much needed study break to blog. Exciting. I know. I am amidst learning the last 100-or-so drugs for Block 4 and then I have about 10 days to review the previous 400 drugs. No big deal. (INTERNAL FREAK OUT IMMINENT.)

PS, my eye has been twitching non-stop for two hours since this post. I need to de-stress/calm down.

Day 2112: Pictures and pharm

Hi all! While I was home for Thanksgiving (and the weekend before), I got to see a bunch of my favorite people (as seen below).

Best friend!

Bride-to-be!

Gray tops and Christmas fun!

Jess-es!

Exercise dates at the dish!

I returned to Milwaukee for my last History & Physical Clinical Exam session (just going through a history taking, physical exam and assessment & plan) and an 88 on my pharmacology exam! I am ready to annihilate my pharm final (with lots and lots and lots of studying).

Oh, I left school last night and this is what my car told me.

19-degrees. NOT FUN.

Day 2089: Flippin' out, good and bad.

On Friday, I flipped out at my mom after she and my dad were super on my case. And I mean cursing, yelling, crying...the whole bit. Luckily, my mom is the best, and she just let me get it all out and apologized for being too hard on me. Then, I called on Saturday to apologize for yelling at her (while still maintaining my case about no need for added stress) and she joked that she would probably still be on my case. Thanks Mom.

Saturday I had free clinic again. Nothing was stolen! A good day! Actually, it was pretty good. The patients were pretty standard, but it was cool to be able to perform some of the physical exam (and teach it to an M1!) and converse with the M3 about drugs (while she subtly pimped me on them). (FYI, "pimp" in medicine means when someone smarter than you asks you medical stuff. For example, my M3 pimped me on statins. What is the main side effect? Rhabdomyolysis (muscle degradation) What is the other cholesterol drugs that statins should not be used with? Gemfebrozil.) It's rewarding to know that I actually do know something.

And then this morning, while studying and getting an extra hour of sleep (thank you Daylight Savings!), my friend sent me this link. Does any one else find it crazy that I know most of these drugs? I sure as heck do. On top of that knowledge, I can figure out the rest just based on their name. Holy cow Batman! Jessica actually knows something? Well. The world is surely about to end ;)

Day 2042: Results plus a couch.

Hello everyone!

The partial credit for my pharmacology exam was essentially nonexistent, so, as anticipated (however disappointedly (which apparently isn't a word according to my red underline courtesy of Firefox)), I passed pharmacology. What I really wanted to was to kill it with a skillet. Oh well. Such is life.

Pathology went gobs better. I don't know what a 90 is, but I'm pretty sure that's above a pass. Whoopee!

Today was given up to me not being ready to study. We have tons more to learn this block, for pharmacology in particular (20 lectures versus block one's 10...eep!), and yet, the motivation is not here it. Don't worry. It'll come back. ...I hope it does anyway... ;)

Oh! I bought a couch. I would link a picture, but the picture on the website is inaccurate. I have a microfiber suede couch, not leather. Anyhoo, a classmate of mine has a pick-up truck and he was kind enough to say 'yes' when I asked if he would help me pick up the couch and move it. So, I think when that is dealt with, I will feel infinitely more ready to study. ...I hope. Haha.

In other news, my darling boyfriend designed a t-shirt for my class/school. He's kind of the best artist ever so my class/school is more than lucky to have his work. I will reveal it in two weeks when everyone else actually receives them.

Okay, I'm off to bed! As my pal Tigger would say, ta ta for now!

Day 2027: Late night gyming conundrum.

I went to the gym at 11pm today last night (apparently it is Thursday and no longer Wednesday). I was pretty tired and worn out from studying and the gym was very invigorating. However, now I am awake, with little desire to study (this is why I no longer gym at 7pm, the rest of my night is shot for studying!) and just not quite willing to go to sleep yet.

Anyway, in other non-gym news, my darling friend Sandy is getting married and she invited me to be in her bridal party! I am honored and so gosh-darn excited for her!

Pathology exam on Friday at 2:30pm. Who tests that late? I should be out shopping for joy (or sorrow, depending on how the exam goes) at that time of the day.

I highlighted my hair. I was going for the ombre hair effect, but the stylist said that it would actually be more maintenance than I thought. I need to take a good picture of my hair and then I will show you all what the new hair looks like.

Oh! They posted the pharm exam answers and it looks like I passed! This "pass" entails me assuming they will give me zero partial credit for my answers and also assuming the answers I got "wrong" were actually wrong and not one of the possible answers they just didn't write down.

Now back to more not-studying-and-not-sleeping. I promise to write a more scintillating blog post next!

Day 2024: The waiting begins...

Okay. So. Okay.

Pharmacology exams are all short answer or fill in the blank. This is the perfect test taking method for me. No multiple choice confusion. Just me. And yet, perhaps because it was the first exam, I still managed to make stupid mistakes. Since the exam is fill in the blank, it will take the professors roughly one week for them to return our exams to us. Despite how absurdly well-prepared I was, I am just hoping to pass. What I really wanted was a solid A or even a B, but right now, I just want to see how I did so I know what to do for the next exam.

Anyway, with pharm over, I have three days to study for pathology on Friday. Then, I will buy myself a couch this weekend. If that isn't retail therapy at its finest, I am not sure what is.

Day 2005: Holy sh!t.

The first day was fine. The second day was a bit of a "holy sh!t" moment. We learned, I swear, an entire undergraduate course worth of immunology in one hour. And, after looking at some of the study resources provided by our pharmacology tutors, I apparently am not running (as in hitting the ground) fast enough. Did I forget to mention yesterday that by December 15th (of this year), I will have learned more than 500 drugs? Not just names people. Mechanisms, side effects, etc etc. FIVE. HUNDRED. I don't even know five hundred people, including celebrities whom I stalk.

My mom seems displeased that I don't plan on attending class today but after going the first two days, I know that I cannot passively sit in a room and listen for hours on end. I need to be actively learning, writing, thinking, or else I am honestly just wasting my time.

It seems quite evident that staying on top of each day's material is a very good thing. It also seems quite evident that I will defiinitely be studying while on vacation. (What vacation you ask? Stay tuned!)