Musings of a sick John

Oh so much is going on! This isn't really the perfect time to be sick. I have not been sick all winter... I am quite proud of this fact since it is my first winter to actually see sick people all day every day. Except for last winter when I was doing pediatrics and was sick for 6 weeks straight!!!

Well Tuesday I saw some beautiful teenagers with colds and somehow I got one- despite the handsanitizing... and no it is not the swine flu but that is affecting me as well...
So yesterday, my day off, I spent most of it sleeping! Today I made it to work- with homemade soup and all but am feeling quite dead at the moment. One more work day to go... I think I will make it. I think I can I think I can.

I had to go to work today- because it was the going away party for my MA!! I have pictures to prove it.

She is going to be missed. One smart cookie.
Note my name plate in the background... yep my office... I really like where I work. it's a pretty good set up.
And after the third person asked me what I was bringing to her going away potluck today, despite my informing them repeatedly that I don't really cook. I brought taco soup.. which turned out pretty good.

I also snapped a pic of my new MA- Ashley- who is already doing an awesome job and learning the ropes.
Note the right hand corner is my own personal can of hand sanitizer that I keep of my desk :)

oh I can't be sick right now because it's a big weekend...
Our church plant starts this weekend! We've been having sabbath school every week for the past month but this week we actually are going to meet in our rented building and have church and sabbath school. I feel like I should be doing more to get ready but really- we have been planning this for months. Brian is in charge of worship and we have practice tomorrow night. I'm singing. Jim is preaching. Got sabbath school leaders, greeters, PA people... we're all having spaghetti dinner to celebrate after the service. Got the business cards printed, the banner, the invitations. Craziness. Brian has been working on the print stuff and doing an excellent job. I'm leading the youth group. So far we have two pre-teens so I am going to gear it towards middle schoolers. So all we've got to do now is pray!!

On top of everything we have decided to put our house back on the market. Now as I post this the last day of April I am wondering why we made our list date May 1st and if my house is clean enough for pictures tomorrow. It is about as spacious as it can be yet still have people live here. Our spare rooms are pretty much empty. Oh... I hope it sells in 2 days. That would be nice. but I am braced for a long haul in this economy. Anyone need a house? great town!

What else... also this crazy swine flu. I'm like yeah- Mexico and spreading here... but then I realized... HEY- We're going on our awesome Mexico vacation in 10 days!!! So I kind of think it's not going to happen. They rerouted this weeks cruise ship to San Francisco, Seattle, and Victoria. Hmm... nice except cold... and kind of the same weather as home. We are considering switching the cruise to the Carribean or using our airline tickets to California and going to Disneyland.

It has been BLAZER Mania at our house. Brian has taken to wearing his jersey to work on game days. Unfortunately we lost tonight.... so season is over. There is always next season.

Happy Tax Day

I like to think of Tax day as our anniversary. Since 6 years ago was the day we started dating!! In true fashion I made Brian take the afternoon off and we had planned to go our for fancy food. I called the place to make a reservation yesterday and they were closed for remodeling. After discussing several options we ended up going shopping for a kitchen table in Salem and got Kwan's food. Kwan's in Salem in delicious. Brian is going to take me to Nick's on Sunday for lunch... yummy.

Now we are back to watch the final Blazer game before the playoffs. They are on fire... and so much fun to watch. Maybe I should put my Roy jersey on for good luck!

What else what else. My MA Laura is leaving. I knew it was too good to last for long. She quits the end of the month to take 20 days to study before her MCAT's. She is one smart cookie and will be missed. I think I'm a little spoiled... my first MA out of PA school went to Dartmouth on a pre-med track! They've already hired someone to take her place who starts on Monday. She has big shoes to fill... I am happy for Laura though. She is going on to better things.

We are moving forward with Church planting! This weekend we held out first Sabbath school meeting. Brian led some songs- even had powerpoint, and then Jim led a lesson on Faith. It was simple and fresh and 25 people came. We had 5 kids there already so next sabbath we are going to have two children's sabbath school classes. I am leading the tween group. We have two tweens so far. It should be fun and a challenge. I think I'm going to lead indefinitely as long as everything meshes okay. We don't officially start church until May 2nd so off to a great start! Need lots of prayer... our little group has already been through a ton. Our leader Jim had neck surgery last Tuesday- it went awesome... but there is so much to do right now and to work full time and start something like this... craziness. We just finished putting toegether business cards and invites from the 2nd so we can start inviting people officially to the big kickoff!!!

Okay gotta go- Blazers are on in 10 minutes!!

April Showers bring May Flowers

Actually in true Oregon fashion it rained today. But a lot of our flowers are out already. We have tree full of pink flowers in our back yard and daffodils and other blooming bulbs in our front and back yard. Beautiful! It would be nice to put pics of this on here but alas... it's dark outside already...

I had April Fools day off today and got tons done. I actually cooked- broccoli rice casserole. I was again reminded that it seems to take me such an effort to cook. I had to go to the store and then run home and start rice cooking and then I ran to my friend Judy's house and bought some Fri-Chik from her. Do they sell Fri-chik in stores around here??? I guess there is one store in town. Then I came home and cooked broccoli and was frying the fri chick when Brian called me reminding me that I had to come pick him up at work in 2 minutes. So I finished the fri-chick and ran and picked him up (I had taken his car to the shop). I came home 45 minutes later (had to pick up the car, go tanning, and get chai tea). Finished mixing up the casserole and stuck in the oven. Then I'm like oh... I forgot to go get bread to go with this. Oh well. Then I realize that something dripped on the bottom of the oven the last time I cooked that I forgot to clean... cleaned that up. stick the food in the oven. Ahh... dinner was finally done at 7. I think I started around 3. Now that everthing is done and our bellies are full. I'm like wow- it turned out pretty delicious but was it really worth all that effort??

I did also make it to the gym today. My favorite instructor lead Zumba. (it's a latin dance workout) It made me miss Ecuador.

Happy April to you all!

Work and Play

Wow. Lots to blog about. Exhausted today- life is so full and busy. I love being busy. Sometimes I commit to too many things. I find it hard to give up an opportunity to spend time with friends and family. So have been presented with lots of these opportunities lately- thus have been doing lots of things!!!

Last week I started Tanning. I know we aren't going on the cruise for six weeks but I am so excited. I figure I always burn first anyways so it may take me 6 weeks to perfect. I don't know if I've ever felt like tanning has gone perfectly for me and my red hair. There's a new tanning place in town so I got a month's pass and went 4 days in a row last week. Then I noted that I just was mildly red and itchy in some parts (where I forgot to put tanning oil) and have taken 4 days off. Will restart tomorrow. But overall... I think the best tanning experience so far... a mostly brown. Just so exciting to feel like spring is here and winter is passing! just would like to have a nice base tan so I don't burn on the trip!

My mom came this weekend!!! we packed it with plans and fun things to do. My mom is always up for adventure!
Sabbath we went to church (got to hold a baby for a while during the service) and then had a church plant potluck.
Our group went and toured the church we are planning on renting (just gotta sign the contract) and everyone was excited about starting services there May 2!!! We spent some time in prayer at the church.
Then my mom and I took a photo shoot in my backyard:



The next day we got up early and went to the crescent cafe for breakfast. Then we were off to Portland for a day at the Spa! We got massages, facials, and foot soaks. And hung out in the sauna between sessions. It was wonderful!!! Then we headed over to the Rose Quarter for the rock and worship road show. It was a 10 dollar concert with Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, and Hawk Nelson. Unfortunately after only arriving 30 minutes early in the concert we were turned away along with about 500 other people since the place had reached capacity. So we went to see SlumDog Millionaire instead. Totally recommend SlumDog.

Then I hit the week running! Monday and Tuesday were awful days at work for me. I just had hard patients that I didn't know what to do with. I was behind and I kept having to grab my supervisor and get his help. It was awful. Even the ones I didn't ask him about were patients with lots of psychosocial issues and issues that I didn't have easy answers. Diagnosed a GI bleed on Coumadin yesterday. Stopped the coumadin. Had someone with gout. Had someone with MRSA infection that was worsening. Multiple patients with Back Pain. Prepatellar Bursitis. I think that was just yesterday. Umm... can I get some URI's?? Even a UTI. Ahh... Internal Medicine at it's finest.
I chucked it all and left my charting last night. I just had to get out of there. Walked across the parking lot to the movie theater. Yes... I work 100 feet from a movie theater.... Met Brian there and friends and had a slurpee for dinner. The slurpee was delicious and the movie was was more hilarious than I thought it would be. We saw I Love you Man. Totally recommend that one too.

So... then today, on my day off, of course I had to go back to work and finish the charting. Finished that quickly. I like being at work when I'm not behind and don't have patients waiting for me. :) Less pressure.

Then went shopping with the girls today! Went to Target and the Mall with Kylie, Hannah, and Katie. I am in love with my niece and it was fun to have some girlie company. Hannah was playing peek-a-boo with me. It was so precious. She was lifting up her blanket and hiding from me and then coming out with a big grin. ooh... she is getting bigger.

Tomorrow.... back to the grindstone.... and then off early to see a Blazer Sun's game. oh... I can't complain. I am blessed. God is good.

Still Marching

Brian has been sick all this week. Poor guy has missed most of the work week. He made it in a few days but it just made him sicker and he went home. He's sleeping right now. I was hoping if he rested immediately upon getting it that we would see improvement by now but he's still miserable. I think overall he's kicking it though and should get better as long as he doesn't get something on top of it.

I've been seeing a patient for 6 weeks with pneumonia. Last week he was on my schedule again and I'm like what!! Isn't the poor guy better yet?? He looked sicker than I've seen him yet and the poor guy was positive for Influenza A on top of everything. Viruses on top of Viruses. anyways I used Relenza since he had only been getting sicker for the past 24 hours. Maybe we can stop that virus from replicating. and the flu is 20% resistant to Tamiflu.

So everyone around me is sick

my patients, my family, my friends have all gotten it. I have felt a little run down but haven't gotten anything yet!!! I just keep remembering the 6 weeks last year where I was so sick on my peds rotation and I think I got a lot of the bugs the adults are seeing this year last year. My theory- hopefully it's true.

So this week was mostly taking care of Brian and going to work!

Wednesday I went to a Blazer's game with Matt, Judy, and Laura. It was great fun but we lost. I got Brian a Pryzbila Jersey since he was too sick to go to the game. I so appreciate having great friends like Matt and Judy they are just some of the most fun loving, caring, listening people.

Sunday Judy and I are going to Portland. She's going to a wedding and dropping me off at the mall! I'm going sunglass shopping. I've got to get out of this sick house. Plus it's getting nicer and I broke my favorite sunglasses.

I'm thinking about tanning for the cruise. I have fair skin and don't tan easily. I figure if I start tanning 2 months before and go really slowly then I should have a nice tan by the time I get on the boat. it's so nice to have a vacation to look forward to. I'm so excited!!!!

Other than that I'm looking forward to my mom visiting next week. Her Brithday is on Wednesday and she is coming next weekend. We are planning a trip to the spa. If anyone knows any good spas in portland that are open on Sundays. I am all ears!!!

March of the Johns

This week has had lots of fun filled things but also trying times at work-

Highlights...

We started our small group on Tuesday night.

I got to go shopping for cruise clothes with Nikki and Quentin. We danced around the new J Crew outlet store where I bought lots of fun clothes for the cruise and a few tops for work. Dined on soft pretzels for lunch... yummy. Quentin is 10 months old and he was such a good shopper!

Thursday night we ended up at Jason, Kylie, and Hannah's for a fun mexican feast. Kylie is such a great homemaker. Unfortunately I was little burned from the day at work... I think my insight that day what that people actually grill chicken in pans. I know all of you reading this blog are going to be like.... yeah Sunshine that's the only way to grill chicken. I have only ever baked chicken. I didn't know that you can just stick a raw chicken breast in a paw in some oil and it would cook a lot faster. I was just sitting there so tired from work listening to Katie tell me there is a whole other way to cook chicken that I have been missing out on!. So I haven't tried it yet. maybe I'll take a picture for you all when I do.

Work.... work... work. Same old same old. I know some things but there is so so much to learn. I think the funniest and saddest story of the week happened yesterday.

I was cruising along. Saw 9 patients in the morning and actually stayed on time... didn't get behind and on top of that charted on my patients. Was all caught up by 12:30 and went to lunch. I was like wow... this is what every day should be like.

My 1:30 patient... Was an 89 year old female who had called that day stating that her wrist hurt but she didn't know what happened to it. As I'm talking to her I realize she is confused. She can tell me where she is and the date but she just wasn't all there. What is up with confused people on Friday afternoons?? I go ask someone who knows her better if she normally is like this... and no. she is altered today. I'm like she's gotta have an infection. So I x-ray the wrist, also get Chest xray, the get lab work checking for infection. I wanted to check her for a urinary tract infection but she couldn't give me a urine sample.

So I'm trying to figure out what is going on with her and I walk past her room and realize she is trying to wheel herself out the door in her wheelchair. I'm like what is going on? She says I have to pee!!! So I wheel her over the bathroom and help her up and say oh... give me a sample while you are at it... and she pees on me, and all over the floor, all over her clothes.
so here I am- in the bathroom with this confused, elderly lady, who just peed on me!!!

I'm like... okay the day has gone downhill from lunch.
In the end- it turned out she didn't have pneumonia, and she didn't have a UTI. I still didn't know what was wrong with her wrist. But she did have a white count of 12,700. So- I gave her Rocephin and Zithromax, splinted her wrist in a thumb spica splint (covering for occult scaphoid fracture) and she is seeing her own doctor on Monday.
I just wanted to sit at my desk and cry... she peed on me and I can't fix her!!! but I think that's much of what internal medicine is... people aren't always fixable.
But alas I had to go see my other patients... who were waiting patiently for me. But at least the morning was awesome!

Beach Trip!

Here are some pics from our beach trip a couple weeks ago:

Tillamook Cheese Factory!

The Guys- somehow they color coordinated

Singing worship

Kylie and Hannah

Brian and I

My Niece and I

Ricky

The beach trip was a lots of fun family time!