Cherrio from London!

N I SEE YOOO

Where to begin?? Or should I say, where do I begin again?  It's been almost a year since I wrote something in here.  I know we all semi-blog with Facebook updates now, but there really is nothing like looking back in your Xanga updates.  It takes you waaaaay back, and brings up such fond memories.  Lets you see where you came from, maybe to even shed some light on where you're going.  So I guess I will start by saying things are quite swell! 

I'm on my NICU rotation at Denver Health, and even though I don't like getting up early, it's kinda fun.  I get up and go in to see my kiddos.  They're all premies!!  One is just learning to feed, so we're just letting him learn to eat.  The other is sicker, younger, and so fragile.  But when I see her everyday, I know that she's a fighter.  She's gonna make it, and grow up to be strong!  But man, her Mom upsets me.  ANYONE can have kids these days.  You need a liscense to drive, but anyone can bring a child into this world.  Even cocaine/heroine users who have no responsibility...anyways, I can see how easy it is to become jaded now in this profession.  You take a look at a person, and your mind instantly compartmentalize them into categories you're familiar with.  It's just how the mind works.  I hope to retain as much of my compassion as I can...Man that was a downer...anyways just 2.5 weeks left, and I'll be going to TCH for Peds Heme/Onc...should be exciting! Can't wait...I LOVE being a 4th yr!!

PS...I think this summer is gonna be special!! (just a hunch) =)

New Fires and Fat Tires

Man…it's been so long since I've posted anything meaningful on this site.  But reading back on all those good times that I recorded, I'm so glad I did.  Lately, there's been so much going on...so much on my mind, so I thought I'd jot down some thoughts about what’s going on in my life…

So I finished the second year of medical school last April.  It was tough, as I had become exhausted from being tested every 2-3 weeks.  Always studying.  Relentless.  Drained.   The initial rush, excitement, and awe of the beginning of first year had worn off towards the end of the initial year.  We became cynical, had a sense of self-entitlement, and just plain whiney!  They had encouraged us to provide feedback and input because they had started the new curriculum.  So we did, and as the second year wore on, we almost lost the fact that it was a privilege to heal.  Thousands of people long for the chance to get to learn what we were learning, and we took it for granted.  It wasn’t until I started third year that I remembered the responsibility I took on when I swore that oath in August of 2006, nearly 2 years ago.  The oath to heal.

I am SO much happier now, compared to years one and two.  I wake up and actually look forward to learning about how to manage patients.  Even waking up at 4am during my surgery rotation to pre-pre-round on patients at 5:30, did not faze me…too much (I actually enjoyed my surgical rotation very much!).  There’s just something noble about sneaking into a patient’s room at an ungodly hour to touch them (that totally did not sound right…but we still had to do it! Lol).  During my rural medicine rotation, and now in the internal medicine clinic, I grow so much everyday.  I get to go into the exam room, and chat with a total stranger about their loss.  Their loss of health, and then I am able to help them on their journey to recover that which was lost.  What other profession can give you that?!  And I love it.  I can’t imagine doing anything else, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!  There’s definitely a new fire within me, or an ignition of something that was never totally burned out.

Which brings me to my next point, however tangential and unrelated it may seem…fat tires.  What fat tire am I talking about??  The one around my waist =(  Lol, I do not have Body Dismorphic Disorder.  I have consistently weighed about 115-120 lbs from 9^th grade through college graduation.  After I graduated from college I jumped up 20 lbs.  And although I am not technically overweight (my BMI is roughly 23 for those of you nosy enough to wonder), I definitely feel it.  I can point to several things that contributed to my unintentional weight gain.  I started working full time at Nextel, and was stuck in a cubicle for 8 hours a day.  Add to that sedentary lifestyle, an unhealthy fastfood diet of a twenty-something…the result is not unexpected (except by me).  

Fast forward to today, where my weight has been stable at 145 lbs for a couple years.  According to the typical American diet of caloric excess of 100 calories daily, I will gain about 2 lbs a year, as my metabolism slows down.  When I had to buy new pants because my central adiposity would not allow me to fit into my old pants, I decided a change was needed.  If I wanted to keep my weight stable, I need to cut out the excess 100 calories a day.  I can do that if I am aware of the issue.  All it takes is doing little things that add up!  Substitutions!  Whole grain products when I can (rice, pasta, bread); chicken/fish instead of red meat; olive oil instead of butter/margarine/vegetable oil.  People need about 10 servings of fruits/vegetables a day.  America has got it wrong.  We’re supposed to eat plant products as the main dish, and garnish with meat.  Not the other way around!!  Another important thing to consider is portion sizes.  I’ve decided to cut back on portion sizes, and eat slower.  At first this is very hard to do!  I’m so used to eating more, that I mentally don’t feel that the food is enough.  I’m using smaller plates, and just letting my stomach tell my mind when it’s full, rather than my eyes.  It takes time, but I just try to do it slowly.

Why am I telling you all this?  I know some of you are very fit!  And I congratulate you on your physical prowess.  But for those of you with a little fat tire you want to get rid of, and have been working out at the gym with little success.  Try this out, and tell me in a month if your gut has improved!  I know my cousin has tried this with extremely good success.

Goodbye for now Xanga…I hope that when I read this in a year, or 2, or 5, that my resolve for a healthier ME will continue to be as sharp as it is today!

Cheyenne Wells

So I've been here at beautiful Cheyenne Wells, CO for 1 week.  It's so...quaint here, so small and serene.  It would take 10 minutes to drive through the town, it's so small.  This is my Rural medicine rotation.  My second rotation, and I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of medicine, but then a day like today comes and I feel like I'm back at the beginning.  Not knowing anything =(  But I love working with patients, it's fun!  So that keeps me going...I miss home though.  You don't really appreciate it till you're 180 miles from home, on the eastern plains, in the middle of nowhere.  The people here are as nice as can be, so down-to-earth! But...

I miss home!

Voldemort kills Hermione, Hagrid dies, Harry kills Voldemort.  The End.  You guys can thank me for saving you hours of reading.

-Hung