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Rapid Strep anybody with a sore throat, 99% of the time, it will be negative. If this is the case, it's probably viral (see prior rule)

Juice is bad.

Babies need tummy time.

Babies get GERD for several reasons: shorter esophagus, lying down all the time and drinking mulk alot.

When we get an upset stomach or constipated, we deal and take meds. Babies get irritable and fussy.

Similac is the shit.

"It's okay for the doctor to look down there" .... precedes the most awkward of things.

When the doc says: you should see this.. it's never really good,especially when it involves fondling balls.

Things I Learned From Kids

So, I'm on my community medicine deal meaning I work on a project over the summer and shadow/ work with a Doc for four weeks. So I thought I'd share my revelations/observations. This will be ongoing..

Little kids hate ear exams, you'd think we were slowly advancing to them with a butcher knife the way the scream and writhe. It doesn't help that we pin down their arms but the irony is, the stiller the are... the less likely they'll be scraped or hurt.

If they're strep negative, afebrile, or we can't figure it out = it's viral.

People still don't grasp the idea that antibiotics don't work on viruses.

Viruses do what they want, when they want and even better, they like to set the ground for their buddy.. Mr . Superimposed Bacterial Infection.

Babies have the most paralyzing, disarming stares ever.

I love watching siblings interact. Maybe it's because I'm a big brother but when they laugh at the other one getting a shot/examined.. it just makes me giggle inside.

It's pretty damn obvious I'm not a regular.. I'm the only one in a white coat.

While, we're supposed to say we are medical student which I do, parents still prefer to call you doctor.. it makes you seem like you're legit.

Immunizations , most likely won't cause autism in your child but I can assure you poliovirus will cause polio and Hib will cause meningitis.

Mongolian spots are normal.. aka those random dark patches on kids... will go away with time.

Dysmorphic = looks weird

Kids love lollipops.

Quotes from Facebook

So in order to save these quotes, I'm porting them over from facebook to here.

"Can you come back later? I have some business I'm conducting with the Prince of Nigeria" - House MD

"2 things that aren't forgiven shirk and being in hufflepuff" - Nooreen Fatteh (fellow Ravenclaw)

"I don't have a favorite color. I think all colors are beautiful." - Nira Patel

"i recall a certain [insert medical student name] not leaving room for jesus when he was all up on me" - Jenny Thomas

"What friends" - Elizabeth Almon [in reference to anything I might say with the word "friends" in it]

"Your face...." - Helen King [i don't remember the exact context but it was a brilliant and well timed rebuttal leaving me disgraced]


"I hope they all die from a curry disease" - Andrew Mohamed

"1....2.....3.." - Robert Abdullah [2/17/09 - First Rectal Exam]

IHOP. [for Jenny and Umangi]

we can try to be happy broke bitches. - Umangi [referring to our future as doctors]

Failing to Succeed

So, I've had my share of pretty spectacular failures/mistakes.  Some would say .. why dwell in the past, why even give credence to such events. The fact is.. what I know now and where I am are  in part do to where and when I've stumbled. So here goes:

The Car Crash (April 2002)

Here's the basic formula :   underdeveloped frontal lobe + fast and furious fascination + futile attempts to impress girl + calculus tournament + drifting + techno = recipe for disaster

In short, I attempted to drift my 1997 Green Toyota Corolla, affectionally called the Green Wizard, into a Publix parking lot, the very same publix i was employed at. Much to the chagrin of my parents, more specifically my father, I misaveraged at 45+ mph, and ended up skidding over the curb(s) and into the grass , around a sign and then back on to the parking lot tarmac... only to utterly crush my rims and break parts of my front axel. 

Lessons Learned - 

1. riding the bus sucks when you can drive, especially when the annoying girl in front of you won't let you listen to your music in peace

2. movies aren't real life (for the most part, i'm still banking on romantic comedies  - esp 80s Cusack)

3. corollas and cars don't need to be drifted unless you're on some kind of race track and you have that luxury

4.  attempts to impress girls can be dangerous

Losing all Hope (2003-2005)

I entered college as a sophomore due to my AP credit standing. I applied and was accepted early decision to the University of Georgia and was offered entry into their Honors program with another scholarship on top of my Hope.  It took me two semesters to lose both my Honors standing and all my scholarships.  I didn't drink or do anything remarkably stupid. I just didn't study. 

Solution: I finished my last year of college (2005-2006) at home at a Gwinnett campus for UGA. I worked as pharm tech and volunteered at the hospital while I was there. I was a straight A student and actually got my Hope (scholarship) back my last semester.  

Lesson:

Hard work , prayer and support from those around you can fix any if not all mistakes. I recently asked my dad if he thought I'd go to medical school after my first year in college. He said no.. it wasn't until I moved back home and got serious that the possibility become a probability.   I was fortunate to finish college early because it allowed me to take the MCAT twice.. and get a score I was happy with and ultimately saved my subpar GPA. I also used my year off to work as a tutor and ER Secretary, experiences I wouldn't trade. 

So why write this?  

Sometimes I get the impression that we are taught to follow a protocol in life. You must finish high school, you must finish college in 4 years with all As and B, you must get a job to learn the value of a dollar. 

Fact is.. I don't think this is always the case. Have you ever asked your mom or grandma how she made that awesome curry [subsitute dish here]. Most of the time.. they have a general idea of ingredients but portions vary and it just depends how the chips fall as they may after you put in the work or preparing and cooking the dish.   That' how life is. You work hard, you set goals.. and things work out. Sure , sometimes things don't pan out well.. and you can't quite pinpoint why but perhaps it is these times that allows us to appreciate the times our expectations are met.. and even better , when they are exceeded.

So that's where I am now, winding down my second year of medical school... sitting for my first set of Boards on June 20 (iA).... and I couldn't be happier to be where I am. 

My next posts will include some.. quote-ables from medical school....

Cant Take My Eyes Off You - Muse

Med School Years 1 and 2, a recap

Okay, time for a little humor and reflection.

Acceptance Letter (some time in April)

My mom gets the certified letter and she's ecstatic.. for some reason it didn't hit me fully at the time... but I got progressively excited. (I think I was emotionally spent with my retaking the MCAT and getting the score I wanted and getting accepted to my first US school prior)

Orientation

Scope out brown people and people I know in undergrad, coincidentally who were brown. Orientation was like the first day of High School except in this High School, Middle Schools from all over Georgia sent students and they came in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors.  

Getting White coated was surreal. I didn't even grasp what a white coat means. It's a blessing and a reminder.  It tells your superiors that you're still a tool who knows very little because you're wearing a short coat  but it is the only real thing that distinguishes us as medical students. 

First Phase 

I learned that everyone is smart in medical school. Even the dopey looking kid is smart as is the hot girl who everyone seems to gravitate towards to at parties. Which makes for a nice segue:

Med School tunnel vision/ beer goggles/ Hardy-Weinberg in action:

In medical school , especially at a smaller school like mine that's not lecture based .. we get to know each other well. We see each other ALOT. Living in Middle Georgia also cuts down external interaction. So there is  a strong tendency to skew your perceptions of people, especially those of that opposite sex.  The cute girl with the quirky smile  turns into the supermodel with the come hither look. The non-Caucasian girl who talks to you every once in a while suddenly becomes the Exotic Girl with good listening skills.  Let's just say that somewhere between burying myself in books and trying to salvage some kind of social aptitude, I've fallen repeatedly  head over heels which isn't healthy... for them [wink]

[as an aside/afterthought.. I tried once to drop the line  "yeah, most anything is funny when you're in med school" at a barista at a Starbucks trying to be clever and indicate my medschooliness  and charm her .... FAIL]

My first year was all about learning how to study which really isn't all that interesting. Basically, I've come to the realization that I study best where there are people around but people who don't or are smart enough not to interact with me.   I learned how to play flip cup with Diet Dr. Pepper. Though I hear, it's strange to gulp down a carbonated beverage.  Another point, med students can party hard. I suppose when your life is dominated by studying and late nights studying and waking up to study.. when it's time to party, party big. I did research over the summer of my first year which was interesting material but mostly I learned that I hate being organized and keeping track of my results, most of which failed repeatedly.

Second year has been much more exciting. Some highlights:

Smoking Cessation

So they paired us up with another medical student, one person would be the intervener and the other would observe and provide feedback. Basically we went room to room meeting "patients" with different stories and we tried to intervene and try to get them to stop smoking. My best observation was watching a classmate say "you know sometimes, you just have to crank a heater" - i had to try real hard to keep character but we all laughed afterwards....  I also discovered that I can be remarkably stubborn. The patient I ended up with refused to say that he smoked which confused me since this was a smoking cessation lesson. I basically refused to back down and came short of calling him a liar ... only to find out he was "dipping" not smoking... you had to be there... 

Male GU/Rectal Exam

So I'm told to count as I slip my finger into "the receiving area" but I don't quite grasp this , being the first student to go  so I end up counting out loud with my gloved finger in the air much to the delight of my peers.[ we're supposed to insert on 2.. not hold your finger in the air like a jackass]  So every once in a while, one of my peers will go "1...2...3"

Female Exam

No comment. This was one of the best instructed exams but the most invasive and disturbing in the sense.. that you get "intimately familiar with the insides"  very UNLIKE a man.. who's junk is all up and outside... 

Anywho.. my memory is failing me right now.. so enjoy a song that I can't seem to  stop playing:

To My Son

This post is a bit more serious/sentimental that my other posts but I'll quickly return to humor in my next one.. called Med School Years I and II, a recap.

Basically, I'd like to write some thoughts, tips, anecdotes as if I were speaking to my son:

You can be too smart. I remember reading in my middle school yearbook. "Sometimes you're too smart for your own good." The key to being smart is being smart enough to keep quiet sometimes. Not every question needs to be answered or every mistake corrected. Relish the moments when someone asks you a question and you are fortunate enough to know the answer. This is one of the reasons I want to be a doctor. I'd like to be blessed enough to "know the answer" and help someone.

Nice guys finish last is the biggest bunch of crap ever. Listen, nice guys do just fine. Sure the alpha males and cocky guys will charm the ladies. But at the end of the day , we can take care of business and provide. Plus, it's not always about the return. Don't hold the door open for the girl or tell her to text you when she gets home because you hope she'll fall for you. Do it because you know it's right. Karma, God , whatever you call it, prevails. Your friends deserve an open door and occasional compliment and you'll get one too when you most need it.

Being a nice guy doesn't mean you fold easily or are a wimp. Stand for what you believe in and with conviction. Yeah, we work out too. Chivalry is about holding the door open but it's also about slaying the dragon.

There's always time for family and friends and most importantly , God. Work hard and be the best you can be but that is not a mutually exclusive ideal. I've been in school the better part of my life. I like to do well.. but I also like to make my family laugh, be there for my friends and be at peace with God.

Be able to laugh at most anything. Try to be able to make anybody laugh, it's a priceless talent.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure" - Motto of Ravenclaw and life. Wit is about delivery, content and timing. The right thing said at the right moment with right expression, priceless. It combines two important elements: humor and intelligence.

Learn to listen. Learn to listen. [yeah, I repeated it twice]. Two ears, one mouth kinda deal. Listening lets you learn more about a person, it also tells them you're willing to put them over you. People love a good listener. It also lets you be thoughtful when you incorporate things you've gleaned from listening. Alot of times, people need to hear what they say reflected back... my best friends are often those who listen to whatever I throw at them.

Learn to make a fool of yourself and not care. As long as you don't seriously hurt yourself or others. Making people laugh, and sacrificing some dignity is great. Not only do you entertain.. you make for a great story to tell later.

Write, draw, sing, play music. Express yourself in some manner, it helps to see what you feel and for others to appreciate your art.

Struggle to find the good in someone. Remember random things. We thrive off being cared for, so why not care for someone else. Simple gestures at the right time mean alot. I don't know how many times some days seem to plummet downhill or things just pile up and someone just says the right thing to keep you going or warm you up.

Be honest with yourself and with others. Honesty doesn't have to hurt. Honesty is best coupled with another virtue, diplomacy. Telling someone they're wrong is honest but suggesting that you remember seeing/reading something to the contrary but aren't sure is diplomatic.

Don't be self-deprecating. It's hard to do when you never seem to match up to the jock, look like Brad Pitt or can't quite pull of the John Nash genius. The fact is , you do have attributes that people like.. and you need to play to these strengths.

Lastly, remember you are blessed/fortunate. If you can read this post, breathe air, sit in a chair.. you are better off than someone else. God has made sure of that so appreciate it.. and when you do, God tends to give you more.

Like Day and Night

I'm not a morning person with rare exceptions to that rule.  So let's first define a morning person. A morning person in my world is someone who is able to function to some baseline extent in the morning and carry a demeanor that is either equal or greater than their average personality.  I am not that person. I am intellectually less-abled in the morning; I am quite angry/bitter; I'm definitely not myself. 

So why is this? There are many reasons but I'll examine a few. First, waking up and starting your day early is the mark of a efficient and task oriented person. They will accomplish something that day. While I certainly can be efficient , somewhere between my procrastination tendencies and my anger at being interrupted from some sort of slumber is not compatible with this M.O.

Mornings also signal the end of night. I like the night. While this presents and excellent opportunity to explore my fascination with vampires, I'll table that for some other time. See, take the weekend of example. A productive weekend for me would consist of a good amount of studying and play time. Most nights I'll make my way to my cocoon around 1 or 2am. Then comes Sunday night.. where I can't fall asleep to begin with . Subsequently I'm awakened sleep deprived and with the realization that the weekend has ended and so has my fun and free time. The opposite is true with the first morning of some break. I remember how glorious it was to wake up on the first day of summer break. To know that I don't have to go school or have to do much at all...was glorious. Even better, if I wanted to, I could go back to sleep. This is becoming an increasing rarity as medical school disfavors breaks.

Lastly, mornings go with productivity and being an "adult".  Part of me ... perhaps a significant part of me wants to remain a child. I like staying up really late playing video games, watching movies or reading a book. There's nothing like driving with your windows down with some friends around 1/2a  with the windows down and music playing and very few if any cars around. It's like you own the night. When I worked in the ER as a secretary, the overnight shift (7p-7a) was so fun to work. The directors were gone and we were mostly autonomous. We did and said what we wanted and still got work done.  

I suppose I wrote this article because I realize I have to play  by the rules these days. The rules say you wake up in the morning, drink your coffee and make your way through the day. In medical school, our tests are in the morning, we round in the morning... we do pretty much everything in the morning.  I look forward to those precious days and weekends.. where I can own the night and drive with the windows down...