Rock the Vote!

Ok ok ok... so this isn't so much of an academic/ medical/ life on the road post... ;)

But... it's the other topic that tends to occupy my life in my 'spare time' these days: wedding planning! :)

So I've been searching through the gamillion and one photos of hairstyles online and so far this is what I've come up with for a few of my faves. Let me know which one of these you like by leaving a comment stating "1", "2", or "3"...

Or if you think these are way off, have other ideas or suggestions, feel free to comment on that too. Love you guys! xo

Paging PA Mego!

So, since my bestest Siste` is always asking me all of her pressing tapeworm questions, I thought I'd open up my (still developping) medical services.
So right here on the blog here, feel free to "comment" to this post with your latest medical question or issue you either have going on, or have simply always wanted to know more about, and I'll do my best to shed some light on the subject for you.
My hope is that the "Paging PA Mego" segment helps answer those burning questions you keep forgetting to bring up at the doctor, or just haven't WANTED to bring up because you're afraid they'll slap a "psych" eval on ya ;)
So ask away! the doct- errr... PA - is in!!!!
xoxo
Mego

They just don't make 'em like they used to...

Since starting at this ED, I've had at LEASTTTTT 5 patients a day with either Chest Pain or Stroke. This usually means a patient demographic greater than age 70. And while some certainly have less chutzpah than others, can I just give a shout out right now to the really COOL old people. And when I say "old" I mean at like 80/90 years old people. And specifically the ones with spunk and character.
I've met the SWEETEST old grandpa's and grandma's in the ED. For example, this one patient I had last weekend, was the sweetest frail grandpa, with more hair on his eyebrows than I'm sure he ever had on his head, who presented to the ED with A-fib. As I was doing my history and exam on him, he just kept saying "I love seeing just nice young people doin' sumpin' with der lives..." (CUTE!) I asked him what he did for a living and he said he was a plumber. I said "well that's real good work right there. That's a great skill to have. Did you put it to use in your home too?" and he said yes, he was married to his wife for 60 years and she's with him in the nursing home too now but as he put it "she's got the old-timers so she can stay with me. But I'm the only one she likes to have around. She doesn't like much of anybody else" (CUTEEE) I then asked him if they had any kids and he said "Four girls! We had a good life... a good life." (ok cue eye's watering as I'm trying to perform my neurological exam!) So adorable. Just the NICEST guy. And for those of you wondering, he did have his family come in and sit with him while we worked him up and we didn't have to admit him. He was an absolute peach. Just a sweet soul.
And today, I had another similar experience with an adorable grandma. She was 85 and she was in because of chest pain. She told me she woke up not feeling so good this morning but still went to the community center for her exercise class (CUTEEEE) and she rode her stationary bike (she said she rides 3 miles a day! at 85!!!) and she took her blood pressure at the community center and it was in the 200's! So she decided to walk the 2 blocks back home and that was when she really didn't feel well. :( As I was telling her she'd have to be admitted for more labs and observation she began to get tearful and say "But I need to call John (her neighbor)... I've gotta take care of my husband. I can't leave him alone at night. Someone's gotta stay with him..." omg I wanted to say "I'LL STAY WITH HIM!" she was so cute. And she was downplaying her symptoms the whole time because she didn't want to have to be admitted to the hospital because she was her husband's care-taker and he sun-downs pretty bad :( Here is this spunky, tough, sporty, do-it-all grandma and loving wife... and it seems she takes care of everyone else but herself. It was so sad. I hope someone takes care of her as well as she seems to love and take care of everyone else. I tried to do that for the brief few hours she was in my care.
I sincerely wish that everyone I ever run into - even the crazies, the drunks, the hypochondriacs, the narcotic-seekers. I just wish everyone has someone to take care of them. Because whether you're one of those adorable good souls who truly deserve it, or one of the crazies that maybe wouldn't BE so crazy, or attention-seeking, if they just had someone to care about them a little more. I'll try to remind myself of that, next time I'm with one of THOSE patients. And until then, I hope I get LOTS more of the patients like A and B here to keep me motivated.
xoxo
Mego

I was born in a small town...

... and I live in a small town.

Probably die in a small town.

Oh those small communities...

Now that you all have John Mellencamp stuck in your head for the day... ;) So I may not have been 'born in a small town'... but I'm livin' in one now and I have to say it's growing on me- which is a big statement from this metro-chick who's favorite cities include Saint Paul (the Paris of the Midwest) and the real Paris (in France) arfarf...

So one of the perks of living in a small town is what you see in the photo here- a Saturday night ZUMBA party at the Armory! SOOOOO fun! We danced til we dropped; they had raffles; and I got some glow bracelettes! (as much of a favorite now as it was when I was 6 and it was halloween).

Which brings me to the second point of this entry... as most people are riding that renewed energy and motivation of a new year, and many of us have that whole "eat right/exercise/ lose weight" items on our list, before you start in on acheiving those checklists, might I suggest you take a minute and reflect on what activities you'd most ENJOY doing to get those goals done. For me, despite all my time and hard work in the gym lifting and doing cardio, things had started to become a little more of a chore/ boring.

But since starting on this small town rotation, I have not missed a single Zumba class. I LOVEEEEEE it! Lately I'd really been missing the DANCE element in my life. Some of amazing friends from college and the dance reperatory company I was with started up a new dance troupe and are doing super well! (wish is SOOOOO awesome!) But it reminded me of how far away I've gotten from dancing in my daily life. Seeing "Black Swan" also made me want to dig out my point shows and mess around (and I would have if they were pad locked into a storage unit in Minnesota!)

Zumba (though nothing like dancing the principle role in Balanchine choreography!) has at least allowed me to express and challenge myself with dance again. (and if you think it's easy for a ballerina to forget all that Vagonova training and just shake her hips left to right, you got another thing comin'!) ;) Anywho, I could not be HAPPIER! I am hooked on Zumba! And if you can find a class (having a particularly good teacher helps!) I highly suggest you check it out. And if what you LIKE to do isn't Zumba, FIND that thing that makes you EXCITED about moving and working out. Your chances of sticking with it, and it getting some results for you as a nice little side effect, are far greater when you LOVE what you're doing.

Rock on friends! :) xo Mego

Treat Day!

I know a lot of you are is focused on the renewed motivation and determination a New Year brings- I know I certainly am too! But you gotta remember to LIVE a little too. So I will preface this posting with a diet spoiler alert...

There is the most adorable bakery/ coffee house called "The Sweetest Thing" in the little town that I currently call home. They specialize in cupcakes and the place is run by a super cute hubby/wife team in an old victorian house in the main street disctrict. So after two weeks of completely good behavior and extra kick@$$ workouts, today I brought home some treats to share with my roommate, Linda. The cup cakes are, in order:

TOP RIGHT= "Smores!" Chocolate cake with ganache filling, whip cream frosting and graham cracker sprinkles

BOTTOM RIGHT= "Praline Dream!" Vanilla cupcake with buttmilk frosting and browsugar pecans

BOTTOM LEFT= "Red Velvet!" red velvet cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and an adorable hand sculpted fondant flower

and the hands down, winner=

TOP LEFT= "Breakfast in Bed"- Cinnamon French Toast cake batter, maple frosting and Bacon sprinkles.... ummmm YUMMMMMM!!!!!

If you are ever in the area -and you WILL be if you plan on coming to the wedding this August! hint hint ;) I highly recommend a visit to "The Sweetest Thing". For those of you who are stickin' to those New Years diets, hopefully just looking at the pics and descriptions here will satisfy those cravings.

As for me, I'm about to hit the gym so I can have that "breakfast in bed" treat when I get home ;)

TGIF to all! xo

It's Been a While!

Well helloooooooooooooooo faithful follwers and Happy New Year! 2011 is gonna be a big, Big, BIG year! How do I know this? Well, "11" was always my softball number (because 1+1=2, which was always my Dad's softball number), my Mom says odd years, are good years and just because in eternal-optomist Mego fashion, I LOVE a fresh start and a new reason to "turn the page"! :) Here's just a few of the amazing things coming up in 2011:

1) I GRADUATE PA SCHOOL!!!!!
2) Ryan and I get MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3) I get to go to ODS!!!!! (and finally act out my own real life version of one of my favorite movies, "G.I. Jane")
4) I get to go to CHINA!!!!!!!
5) My Mumsey turns 60!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6) Deckie - the BABY of the family- goes to COLLEGE!!!!!!
7) My sister gets her own Radio Show (ok, ok, that one's a PREDICTION, but it still counts!)

As you all know, I started this blog to tell of my adventures (misadventures) in my residency year for PA school. It's also been a while (2 months) since my last post! So to say I owe all of you in my adoring public (6 of you) an update and apology is an understatement.
Really, I didn't post any updates during my last rotation, because my last rotation wasn't REALLY a "rotation" it was 6 weeks to write my Masters Thesis... the ins-and-outs of which I thought you'd prefer I SPARE you from, instead of subject you to. Arfarf
Anywho... know I'm back in action!!!! On my Emergency Medicine rotation. I'm working a small ED in rural Oregon and I really like it a lot! Though it's definitely a lot different than I thought it'd be. I know a lot of people in the whole PA/Med School scene like to fantasize about how they are NOT doing FAMILY MED, they are gonna be TRAUMA or ED providers - YEAAAA the GLORY job! for the BEST OF THE BEST! ... and yet, with the exception of the rare ACTIVE acute MI... all the ED is, is Family Medicine without an appointment.
The laceration that needs a couple stitches, or just bio-glue... the cold, that the parent is CONVINCED pneumonia, and just needs tylenol and 2 days off of school.
That said, the cool part of ED (compared to family med) is that you get pretty much instant gratification. In family med, when someone comes in with abdominal pain - you refer them for a CT, labs and an endoscopy. But in the ED, you get to know NOW what those test results are because you just get them done right then and there!
That said, I am astounded at the amount of people that use and abuse the ED! WHY would you come into the ED for a stomach that started 4 hours ago- and you haven't thrown up. Or why would come in to the ED for a headache, when you already have a history of migraines and an Ex for Imitrex?! I think a lot of people want to come to the ED just to say "I spent all day in the ED!"and maybe get a day off of work ... this is not faster or better than being seen by your PCP in the clinic for that chest pain you've noticed comes and goes, or stopping by the Urgent Care clinic after work for that worsening headache. I don't get it!
Don't get me wrong, the ED - itself - is a phenomenol place to work- and it's staffed by amazing people (see above about how the best of the best want and do work ED/Trauma). I'm excited to learn from these Masters. I need to shift out of my basic Primary Care mind-set and get into the acute treat-and-street mentality of the ED. I'm a little rusty from sittin' on my butt just researching/ writing my thesis.
But now the scrubs are back on, the stethescope has been toxic-baby-wiped, Tarasgon Manual in pocket, ready to save lives baby! Stay tuned for those adventures (and misadventours)!
It's gonna be a great year!!!! Much love to all! xoxooxoxxoxoxo
Mego