Thursday, May 10, 2012
Me and baby Lupe
Here's the pic of me and baby Lupe about 20 minutes after her entry into this world (4/20/12). What a wonderful moment, I love this stuff!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Emerging from spring quarter
Time for a recap...
Since the last time I posted, a lot has happened!
1. I ran the Santa Cruz half marathon with my college friend Larissa on April 1st. It was a beautiful race and we both ran 13.1 miles with more vim and vigor than we ever had. (next race on my calendar, the Nike Women's Marathon in SF - another full 26.2 miles in October!)
2. Four days into spring quarter, I flew home to surprise my parents for Easter. Danielle was in on the secret (so that she could help coordinate and make sure that my parents didn't have too many plans for that time). The plan was executed perfectly! And, despite a few of my family members getting sick while I was there, it was a wonderful trip. So glad I did it!
3. As a compliment to all of the physiology coursework I have right now, I am enrolled in an elective called "Mothers and Newborns"...all of the med students refer to it as "Mommies and Babies." This class includes a weekly seminar about various pregnancy and early childhood-related topics, but what it is known for is the opportunity to be matched with an expectant mother for the remainder of her pregnancy and beyond. I was lucky enough to paired with a vibrant 28-year-old Tongan woman at about 7.5 months into her pregnancy. I followed her to many of her OB, ultrasound, and stress-test visits (she had quite a few because she is profoundly diabetic, independent of pregnancy, has hypertension, and was preeclamptic for both of her previous two pregnancies).
On April 20, I spent the entire day with her and her family in labor and delivery for her scheduled induction. Everything went well, albeit slowly, for the first portion of the day until they gave her a second dose of the hormone that is supposed to trigger contractions. Her contractions came too close together and the baby started to show prolonged signs of distress. Because of these, and the mother's risk factors, the medical team suddenly swarmed into the hospital room, broke her water, put her on oxygen, told her to get on her hands and knees, and wheeled her out to the OR. This was all due to the presumed stress the baby had been under and the team's concern for long-term oxygen deprivation. Within a matter of a couple of minutes, my 'mommy' was on her way to a possible emergency c-section and the father and their two-year-old son were left in an empty hospital room. The most distressing part of this...neither the mother, nor father, were told what was going on.
I was shocked by the lack of communication between the medical team and the family. The mother was visibly traumatized throughout the whole experience. Fortunately, the baby did stabilize and the emergency c-section was canceled. After she was returned to her room, I was able to take some time to acknowledge what had happened and convey to the family that they deserved better. The medical outcome was a good one, but the team failed to respect the family appropriately.
The rest of the labor went smoothly and the mom delivered a beautiful baby girl ('Lupe') at 9pm that evening. It was a true privilege to be there for the whole experience and I think I am now an honorary member of their family. I have seen them a couple of times since then and will see the family next week for another follow-up appointment.
Having this opportunity has been one of the highlights of my quarter. Any chance to connect with patients and have a little more human interaction!
4. I started my new organ-system based curriculum. We kicked this portion of the curriculum off with a study of the respiratory system. Last Monday (4/30), I had my first block exam where we were assessed on respiratory physiology, pathology, neoplasms, as well as on antibiotics and antifungals. Needless to say, we were accountable for a ton of information and I passed. :-) I am glad to be onto the cardiovascular system. Check one thing off the list and take one step closer towards summer.
Now, I am studying the cardiovascular system and, unbelievably, I only have 2 more weeks until another exam, ewwww.
That's a basic recap for me. Alex remarked the other day that he thinks it is ironic that I came to medical school and then needed to learn how to study less. :-) I certainly overcompensated in the fall and I have been purposely striving to be more relaxed about school. Relaxed, while still taking it seriously...just not too seriously.
I, along with many of my classmates, found winter quarter to be remarkably challenging and I know many of us felt stunned by all that we have ahead of us and the intensity that will entail. Thus, I am trying to do what I can to tone down my life...just a little.
I am more forgiving of myself. If I am tired and just want to lay in bed and watch a movie, then that's what I am going to do. If I decide to go for a run or bake banana bread instead of studying, so be it. I am soaking up the opportunities, cultivating more meaningful friendships, enjoying the sunshine, and embracing all of the information I am being introduced to. So much going on, but it is all very rich.
It is not a mystery to me now why medical school is so challenging. Achieving greater balance is going to be an ever-changing target, but I am up to the task.
Much love to all!
P.S. Below is a picture from our trip to Napa last weekend. I almost had a change of heart and had Alex leave me at the Culinary Institute of America. ;-)
1. I ran the Santa Cruz half marathon with my college friend Larissa on April 1st. It was a beautiful race and we both ran 13.1 miles with more vim and vigor than we ever had. (next race on my calendar, the Nike Women's Marathon in SF - another full 26.2 miles in October!)
On April 20, I spent the entire day with her and her family in labor and delivery for her scheduled induction. Everything went well, albeit slowly, for the first portion of the day until they gave her a second dose of the hormone that is supposed to trigger contractions. Her contractions came too close together and the baby started to show prolonged signs of distress. Because of these, and the mother's risk factors, the medical team suddenly swarmed into the hospital room, broke her water, put her on oxygen, told her to get on her hands and knees, and wheeled her out to the OR. This was all due to the presumed stress the baby had been under and the team's concern for long-term oxygen deprivation. Within a matter of a couple of minutes, my 'mommy' was on her way to a possible emergency c-section and the father and their two-year-old son were left in an empty hospital room. The most distressing part of this...neither the mother, nor father, were told what was going on.
I was shocked by the lack of communication between the medical team and the family. The mother was visibly traumatized throughout the whole experience. Fortunately, the baby did stabilize and the emergency c-section was canceled. After she was returned to her room, I was able to take some time to acknowledge what had happened and convey to the family that they deserved better. The medical outcome was a good one, but the team failed to respect the family appropriately.
The rest of the labor went smoothly and the mom delivered a beautiful baby girl ('Lupe') at 9pm that evening. It was a true privilege to be there for the whole experience and I think I am now an honorary member of their family. I have seen them a couple of times since then and will see the family next week for another follow-up appointment.
Having this opportunity has been one of the highlights of my quarter. Any chance to connect with patients and have a little more human interaction!
4. I started my new organ-system based curriculum. We kicked this portion of the curriculum off with a study of the respiratory system. Last Monday (4/30), I had my first block exam where we were assessed on respiratory physiology, pathology, neoplasms, as well as on antibiotics and antifungals. Needless to say, we were accountable for a ton of information and I passed. :-) I am glad to be onto the cardiovascular system. Check one thing off the list and take one step closer towards summer.
Now, I am studying the cardiovascular system and, unbelievably, I only have 2 more weeks until another exam, ewwww.
That's a basic recap for me. Alex remarked the other day that he thinks it is ironic that I came to medical school and then needed to learn how to study less. :-) I certainly overcompensated in the fall and I have been purposely striving to be more relaxed about school. Relaxed, while still taking it seriously...just not too seriously.
I, along with many of my classmates, found winter quarter to be remarkably challenging and I know many of us felt stunned by all that we have ahead of us and the intensity that will entail. Thus, I am trying to do what I can to tone down my life...just a little.
I am more forgiving of myself. If I am tired and just want to lay in bed and watch a movie, then that's what I am going to do. If I decide to go for a run or bake banana bread instead of studying, so be it. I am soaking up the opportunities, cultivating more meaningful friendships, enjoying the sunshine, and embracing all of the information I am being introduced to. So much going on, but it is all very rich.
It is not a mystery to me now why medical school is so challenging. Achieving greater balance is going to be an ever-changing target, but I am up to the task.
Much love to all!
P.S. Below is a picture from our trip to Napa last weekend. I almost had a change of heart and had Alex leave me at the Culinary Institute of America. ;-)
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