All My Crafting Is Paying Off

   I've realized surgery (and medical procedures in general) are very much like arts and crafts.  You have to have a lot of concentration, and not get bored with being meticulous with your movements.  I observed a sacrocolpopexy the other day, and I was strangely reminded of some kind of basket weaving or needle work.

   I've also realized that OB/Gyn is all of the good things I liked about surgery (the OR, doing procedures, quick-to-the-point rounds, "fixing" your patient)... but without all of the things I hated about surgery (not liking or not caring about patients' well-being, competitive patriarchal culture, etc).

   This week, I was scrubbed in on a gyn surgery, and the team let me close the skin.  I am always rusty and awkward when I start suturing, but as I move along the incision and relax more, I get smoother and faster.  When I finally finished sewing up this lady's abdomen, the attending came over to check my handy work, and she goes, "Wow! What do you wanna go into? Plastic surgery or something?!"

Me: "No, I wanna go into OB/Gyn!"

Her: "Oh good! You're hired! Your C-section patients will love you!  Just skip 4th year of med school.  You don't learn anything then anyway.  Just start residency now."

   If only they could see my smile and bright red face underneath my mask...

Lost My 'Girly-girlness' For a Second - But I Found It!

   Ever since the Great Sephora Splurge of 2011*, I banned myself from stepping foot into a Sephora, because I am incapable of handling myself in that store.  I had been really good about it for about a year, and then I got a Sephora giftcard for my birthday...  So yesterday, I took BF with me to Sephora, and I immediately remembered why I placed a ban on myself in the first place.  That store is so overwhelming, in a good way.  I just walk in, and there are so many pretty things to look at! And SO SHINEY!  I just want everything there!!!  BF thought it was entertaining.  

  So, I love having my nails painted, but one of the things that drives me crazy is how fast they chip.  A solution to this problem is getting a gel manicure, where the polish lasts at least 2 weeks, however, you used to have to get these in the salon, and I refuse to pay $20-30 to get my nails done.  A while ago, I looked into the little UV lights that set the gel polish to see if I could maybe do my own gel manicures at home, but even with my aunt's beautician license, they were still $200-$300, so that was a no-go.  BUT Sephora just came out with a new line of do-it-at-home gel nail polishes with a UV light kit, all for $160!  I HAD TO HAVE IT... 

   So far, I just started out with the nude shade since I'll still be scrubbing in on gynecology surgeries in the next few weeks, but I already love it!  

   Also, I've been wanting to get my hair cut for a long time now, but I've just been dragging my feet because it takes so long to grow out.  But finally, this weekend, I just said, "Ah, WTF... I'll just go for it!"  So here it is... And I love it!  Hopefully it isn't too much work in the mornings...

* Great Sephora Splurge of 2011 - Last year in the fall, after bombing a quiz, Mama J and I went to Sephora for a little retail therapy.  $250 later (more then I'm usually comfortable spending in one sitting), and I decided to ban myself from the store until further notice and mandated myself to actually use all the products I bought on a daily basis to make it worth it.  

When You Know, You Know!

   Just finished my third night in a row of overnight call for OBgyn, and I'm somehow feeling more refreshed than ever! In the last three nights, I've delivered one baby boy, one baby girl, and a few placentas. One of the new dads had the nurse put a onesie on his newborn that said, "mommy, will you marry daddy?" Another patient came in at term and gave birth within a few hours of arriving, with absolutely no prenatal care and meth positive. I've observed several other births, held a woman's leg while she pushed, and scrubbed in on a salphingostomy for an ectopic pregnancy. I've been working with attendings, residents and nurses who may be tired, but they all love their jobs and are extremely passionate about caring for patients. The residents aren't touchy-feely-bubbly, but they actually acknowledge me, include me and let me do stuff, and teach me when they have time. I've even had two chief residents tell me I'm doing a good job, one of which told me she "has a good feeling about me going into OBgyn." I'm tired, but it's been incredible.
   I don't know how any other specialty is going to live up to this!

   Unfortunately, the one bummer is that I lent my stethoscope to one of the residents, who left it on the table in the work room to give it back to me, and someone took it :(. I mean, I didn't really have a choice - when a resident or attending asks you to borrow your stethoscope, it would be really rude to say no. But it just sucks because it was an expensive one and the resident was super nonchalant about it. I can't really do anything about it because they are evaluating me. Oh well, I have a cheaper back-up one at home. And maybe this is the price I must pay for getting so much action on my call nights.

When Wannabe-Ob/Gyn Meets Wannabe-Surgeon

   Sounds like the cheesy plot line of a romance novel, but it's my life.  I wanted to practice my surgical knot tying skills, so I bought some colored string to make it fun.  Last night, BF and I had arts-and-crafts time, where we practiced our one-handed and two-handed knot tying, but we decided to get fancy and make each other anklets.  We decided on anklets as opposed to bracelets so we don't have to take them off.  Feel free to barf now!  :P

Placentas Are Like Jellyfish

   Yesterday was my first time assisting in a delivery, but I didn't really do much, so I'm not gonna count that was my first one.  Today I got to deliver my first placenta.  IT WAS AWESOME.  Lol... I don't know who gets excited about delivering a placenta, but I do.  Anyway, I'm still loving OB/Gyn.  I'm working on learning as much as I can so I will be a rockstar intern, working on my confidence in taking H&Ps and treating patients, and trying my hardest to balance being proactive with not getting in the way too much.  All the interns and residents just seem to know what they are doing, and I can't wait until I get to that point.  I think people are beginning to warm up to me :).  It's just hard because when I get intimidated, I get very quiet and shy, so sometimes I come off stand-offish.

   Something I realized about OB/Gyns that makes me giggle is how superstitious they are.  They are always knocking on wood and saying, "Don't jinx me!!!"  I think it's funny.

Oh No He DIDN'T...

   Today I was sitting with a few of my classmates, and one classmate started to brag about his latest "heroic" act.  He said that he was walking down the street, and saw some man push an obviously pregnant lady, so he automatically assumed there was some sort of domestic dispute going on and decided to take action.  He proceeded to tackle the man and bring him to the ground, holding his hands behind his back, and shouted to the cop across the street.  While I applaud his decision to do something about what he saw, I don't necessarily agree with his approach.  Personally, I think he could have just flagged down the cop in the first place, and allowed the cop (who is trained to handle situations like this) to decide what the best course of action was.  This particular classmate of mine is one of those guys who feels the need to demonstrate masculinity and power at very opportunity possible, probably because he is insecure about himself.

   But I digress from the point of telling this story, which is that just after he finished boasting about how he "just couldn't stand to see such a thing, and just had to do something to protect that lady," immediately joked, "I mean, who knows if that lady deserved it (to be pushed), but the baby didn't deserve it.  That's for sure!"

......................................  

   Just pause for a second and take that in.  Obviously, this tool performed his "heroic" act for the completely wrong reasons.  All he cared about was exerting his power over this other man and looking super rough-and-tough after the fact.  How dare he joke around that maybe this pregnant woman somehow deserved to be pushed by her partner?!

   So, after he said that, my "oh-no-you-DIDN'T" face immediately took form, and I said, "Excuuusee me?!"

   He goes, "Ohh please.... it's a joke."

   "Well, it's not a very funny one.  I don't think that's funny."

   "Oh come on, don't make me roll my eyes at you..."

   "Go ahead... I hope they get stuck up there."

   "Geeze, can't you take a joke?!"

   "Yeah, and obviously I've got 'jokes' too..."

   Anyway, I'm normally a pretty patient person, or at least that's my perception of myself, but I cannot tolerate "jokes" degrading women.  Everyone has their trigger points, and mine is chauvinism.  Nothing else infuriates me like it.  Back in college I had a group of friends who used to make degrading jokes about women ALL THE TIME.  At first, I just ignored it, because I figured maybe I was being too sensitive.  My friends knew very well that these "jokes" upset me, yet they just kept on with them.  Every time I would bring it up, they would dismiss it by saying I was over-reacting.  It got to the point where I would go home and cry after hanging out with those friends, because I would get so upset.  Eventually, I stopped hanging out with those friends, because I realized that there are a lot of people out there who don't feel the need to belittle women with constant jokes.

   Ever since then, I've decided that it's OK to speak up when people make rude jokes that offend me.  And my hope is that by doing this, people will react by either:

A) Not making those jokes anymore (the didn't realize how offensive to women it was, and now they realize)

B) Not making those jokes anymore - around me

C) Not hanging out with me

   Obviously, option A is ideal, but I'm fine with B or C.

Medical Mondays Blog Hop

   Hi everyone!  If you're new to my blog, hello!  I am a third year medical student who love cats, mac and cheese, and women's health!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to stop by Your Doctor's Wife for the Medical Mondays Blog Hop to find a bunch of other awesome medical-related blogs!

Is It Normal To Feel High During A NSVD?

   First week of L&D is complete, and I absolutely love it.  The team is pretty nice, but I'm still waiting for a few of them to warm up to me - all in good time.  I absolutely love the patients.  I just being the "go-to girl" for all their "intimate issues".
   Yesterday, I was observing another NSVD (normal spontaneous vaginal delivery), and AGAIN had to keep myself under control to stop myself from crying tears of joy.  I just can't help it!  Everyone in the room is just so different after a birth.  The awaiting family is standing by with their cameras at the ready and ginormous grins on their faces.  The new mom can't take her eyes off her precious new baby, whispering, "I love you so much already" into baby's ear. All the physicians and nurses (even the ones who are usually cold and intense in all other situations), are giddy with excitement and congratulating the new mom on her wonderful job well done.  And last but not least, my very favorite part of all: the new dad is wiping tears of joy from his eyes, kissing mom on the forehead, with a look on his face that screams this is the happiest moment of his life.  This might not sound normal, but I swear, the feeling I get while all of this is going on feels like I'm high on happy drugs.  How could I not love doing this every day?!
   I know, every birth is different.  Each family experiences the important event differently.  And every once in a while, the event is somber or tense.  But if I could just participate in a birth as miraculous as yesterday every once in a while, it would make it all worth it.  I think - I hope - I've found my calling.