Things to do

Medical school has not been too bad, yet. Really. Despite the silence. The weekdays are All Craziness All The Time, but the weekends have some more wiggle room to them. It's just that three weekends ago I went to a wedding and then two weekends ago we went to the waterparks at the Dells on a whim (and short notice of some free tickets through a friend).

The wedding was lovely. It was the first time I had been away from Huxley for any real stretch. I slept through an entire night then promptly offset those gains by drinking too much at the wedding reception the next night. I read two junky novels on the airplanes. It was like living someone else's life.

The waterparks were fun as well. I just went with the little guys, so no pictures. I was a little worried it would be near impossible to handle two little kids in the water without one of them drowning, but we actually had a pretty good time. They splashed around in the shallow end for hours and then slept pretty good at night. Turing isn't terrified of water anymore (still doesn't like his head wet) and Huxley wouldn't even consider being afraid of something. They were both the cleanest they've been in months after soaking in the water for the afternoon. Don't worry, we ground some dirt onto their knees first thing the next day.

I've been doing a pretty good job of being presentable. I've almost figure out how to pin my hair up so my bun isn't a giant mess of loose ends. I also think the extra two inches of hair have helped a lot. I've rotated my shoes every day and they are all very comfortable, but I am just not used to having to stand all day. Standing is actually fine, but I'm not used to standing still in one place. There just aren't enough seats in those exam rooms for all of us. And figiting to keep my feet active doesn't seem appropriate either. My back hurt a lot the first week, but is now better. But my hands are going numb . . . I don't know if it is just the adjustments in my posture or that I'm wearing my stethoscope around my neck.

I've also done a stellar job of packing my lunch - only missed one day in 4 weeks. I don't expect to keep this up on the other rotations, but I'm pretty proud of myself for this one. Of course, as I read up on various things, I also realized that I'm technically overweight and 10 months post-partum is a bit long to still be blaming it on baby-weight. It isn't clear to me where I'm going to cram more exercise in my schedule. Packing lunch might help, though, as I am not standing in my house and snacking all day.

I've had all sorts of fun experiences so far. Pharm reps are all cute and perky and their sheer numbers are overwhelming. Driving to work is very weird - I can't believe I really used to commute an hour each way - but the NPR time is rather nice. It is kind of fun to be the medical student and spend some time with the staff . . .note to self: you want to be like the doctor all the nurses ask questions to and not the ones they all avoid and make snide comments about behind their backs.

It is nice to be older while doing this and not the nervous New Medical Student Who Is Looking For The One Right Answer. I get that these are all just people, someone has my back, every doctor has their own style and adaptability isn't that hard, and it is OK to be learning. I am entirely unintimidated by taking histories and practicing (non-invasive) physical exams on my own which seems to phase a lot of other students. Now I just need to be more aggressive about taking the stab as assessments and plans though I am amazingly clueless. I remember no medications. My practial ability to generate differential diagnoses is comically bad.

Practice, practice.