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!

Ode to the last day of February

February is a short month. I am ready for it to be over. It's been a good month and full of awesome things but with a cruise to look forward to in May... Lets move on to March!!!

I think the best part of the month is the new friendships we've made and the old friendships that we've celebrated. Brian and I have been hanging out with lots of couple friends. I am very much an extrovert so have just been soaking up the opportunities to eat out, hang out, go to movies, go walking, go out for chai tea.

I haven't been blogging because when I'm at home I've been playing this game called Hammerfall on Facebook. I am such a dork for playing an RPG game but I am so addicted. It is consuming my hours.

Other than that work has been busy. I saw my record of 17 patients the other day. I was a little frazzled by the end. And I'm supposed to do this every day. The job is still awesome though. I get to see a variety of things every day. My last patient on Friday I'm pretty sure had sepsis. She had a fever of 103.1, altered mental status, labored respirations and by report she was in to see me for a swollen leg. I'm thinking cellulitis that turned into sepsis but could not get her pants off to examine the leg. I turfed her to the ER before she crumped in my office. Freaked me out... Rightly so. I called her actual doc (he was just a hallway over) that knew her over to make sure she wasn't in her normal state and then to the ER she went.

Oh Happy Day

well... lazy day. I convinced Brian to stay home sick on my day off today. Good thing I did because he was pretty sick. Lots of clutching the stomach. I tried to feed him what I tell all my patients to eat with stomach viruses: Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast, and Yogurt. But he doesn't like Yogurt and Bananas. Applesauce and Toast made him sicker. So I just kept feeding him toast, water, and propel. We shall get through this.

I had gotten the bright idea to make freezer meals on Sunday. I ran out and got all the ingredients to make freezable chicken pot pie. So I ended up making it from scratch tonight. It tasted awesome. and Brian got to enjoy it and not get sick. And then I had another one to stick in the freezer. We shall see. I figure Brian will be able to pop it in when I'm working till 7.

I am toying the with idea of meal planning. People say once you do it you save money and life is easier. Just seems like a lot of energy to change habits.

I got a new dell computer yesterday. My other one was taken over by a virus and is pretty much toast. This one is pink!!! It is awesome. and No viruses. shall purchase virus protection from here on out. I am just spoiled rotten- iphones and laptops.

God is good.

A brief pause

Finally getting some down time! This week has been busy. I am getting busier at clinic but having easier patients which is nicer. Cold season has hit. Bring on the bronchitis. I can do this.

I just worked Saturday clinic today and I was reminded what true internal medicine is all about. Wow... hyponatremia, CHF, and possible CVA. One whirlwind day. I have to much to learn. But luckily lots of great docs to learn from.

Brian got me roses for V day. They are very pretty.

I think the fun part of the week was... I got an iphone. I've been waiting until I was upgrade eligible to get one and the day finally came. I got money for it for Christmas. Did have problems with AT and T and had to pester them for a couple weeks. But being persistent paid off and now I am a proud owner of this amazing device. What fun. Already downloaded epocrates and facebook and having loads of fun with it.

Anyways. I have nothing interesting to say except:

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!!