You know .... as an ID Fellow

Some random comments:

Just spent the first hour last Friday morning on the phone, holding, waiting patiently to find out if they still have that 1cc of frozenCSF from the other kid from last week! ---- where is my SECRETARY!!!

Still working on cliff-notes' version of our H&P's.

Wow! One never thinks ID consults could pile up ... and what's the worst that could happen if we sign off on a kid? A re-consult?

Also the common comment I have heard: "I thought you were done!" YES!!! I'm done. Got to explain for the 10th time today that I'm now one of the ID Fellows. It's getting tiresome by itself!

Interesting dialogue over time:
Sat.: We have this patient, and want a curbside.
Fellow dude/dudette: Do you want us to see this kid?
Team: No!

Sun. Fellow: We could see that kid.
Team: Never mind!

Monday - Team: You've probably heard about this kid but ....
Other fellow: What kid!
Team: We were wondering if you'd like a consult.

* Disclaimer: Please don't be fooled - I'm still cool (actually freezing in Siberia, just ask my fellow fellow), calm and collected. Right Mikhaela?

You know .... as an I.D. Fellow!

Some random comments:

Just this past week, I spent the first hour of my Friday morning on the phone, holding, waiting patiently to find out if they still have that 1cc of frozen CSF from the other kid from last week! ---- where is my SECRETARY!!!

Still working on cliff-notes' version of our H&P's.

Wow! One never thinks ID consults could pile up ... and what's the worst that could happen if we sign off on a kid?
A re-consult?

Also "I thought you were done!" YES!!! I'm done (with residency)! Got to explain for the 10th time today that I'm now one of the ID Fellows. It's definitely getting tiresome by itself!

* Disclaimer: Please don't be fooled - I'm still cool (actually freezing in Siberia -ask my fellow fellow), calm and collected. Right Mikhaela?

It's like CHO, except with a "P"

Dear friends,

So far fellowship is what I thought it would be: lot's of work and humbling. I joined the nurses' cooking club (someone brings food once or twice a week and we all share and swap recipes) and my first dish was a HIT! Mediterranean tuna salad on sourdough (tuna with lemon, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic salt, cilantro, and red onion). So I feel like I've earned the respect of the nurses (now I just have to work on the immunologists).
You see some crrrazy stuff here! I'd like to send a thanks out to D. Gamboa for e mailing me that neat case last week. Philly is actually a pretty fun town so if you're around, stay at my place and maybe I'll make you some tuna!

H-town

So I finally had a chance to look at the CHO blog since a while ago, all the pics of SSD and Tahoe made me kinda sad! Good job Debs though. Sonal, I already invited Fox to the blog site. I didn't invite Coco though. Things are well here in Houston, getting excited about Africa. The work looks like it will be very rewarding and it seems very exciting and dynamic. We will be building lots of new satellite clinics in Lesotho in addition to the main clinic in Maseru. And thank god there is a gym for KDB. The docs there have met Bill Clinton, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono...I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Angelina...

Chaos at JuVi

Hi Folks,
So I just started at JuVi as the acting (real fitting I assure you) "medical director."
And three days into the job and the state decides to audit us. Great right? Now I am signing my life away on a thousand different policies that I have not even read. Otherwise, everyday is an adventure.

Hey Sonal, can you also add Courtney to the Blog. Her email is: courtney_wusthoff@yahoo.com

Later all,

Hung

jackass

i admitted a patient the other day, and my diagnosis is JACKASS syndrome. Here's why:
16, male (that would be enough wouldn't it...but there is more), decides to start skimming some pills from mom's med cabinet. He does this for a few weeks, then decides to take 6 tablets on sunday...then gets punched in the side by a girl. like i said he's a jackass so that was bound to happen. Develops a huge hematoma in his flank, brusing and abdominal pain.
mystery medication: Coumadin
Patient's INR: 11.4
My first comment to him: Are you seriously that stupid? That is actually what I said.
he's still alive....actually he is doing okay. like I said JACKASS syndrome. it's an epidemic people...an epdemic. How come the only ones posting are me and debs...come on guys!!!!! not that I don't love you deb. I do, and I will love you more with tighter buns.

Boot Camp

So LE, Fatima and I have joined bootcampsf. Because we miss getting up at 6am. Being put in our places by "authority" figures. Feeling grossly inadequate. It's just physical rather than mental. And instead of breakfast croissants and midnight snacks, we end up with tighter butts and abs. I think it's a good deal. Ask me again in a week. We only just made it through the "assessment"- so the actual boot camp part has yet to kick my arse.
Thus far, I now know I can actually run 1.5 miles and not die. It just takes most of the morning.
Ah well, at least our instructors are darn cute. Nairn has this amazing Scottish accent, and that alone will get me up at 6am. and Raul, dude, he's all no-nonsense. It's hot. Sorry. I can't help it. I had a glass of wine...
more to follow,
debs aka the hair beetch.

sheesh. . . my brain is tired

this attending gig is fun but in a draining and also terrifying sort of way. :) my eyes are bleary from scouring texts on topics that i thought i knew. . . and then start to question. . . and then worry that everything i thought i knew was maybe only half right, and now that it's my note that says the kid can go home and they'll be just fine, i probably should just make 100% sure. and then i give the residents my pager or cell phone and say call with anything. . . and then they actually do. with things like ALTEs and possible cyanosis and maybe it's NAT and i find myself recommending head CT scans and LPs at 1am in the morning. and then i think, man, if my attending made me do a head CT and sepsis work up on a ward-ward transfer at 1am in the morning just a few months ago i may have wanted to cry. but, i can't help myself. . . b/c what if? but, i'm learning so much. and, tomorrow i get to see kara and david back at the office and the kids and the families are great and i actually get to talk to them again. so it's good.

i am slightly afraid, or rather very afraid.

my cough is still going strong. i started coughing the day before the booze cruise. coughed in tahoe. coughed worse in phoenix and i'm coughing now. i restarted on my 500/50 advair and started on prednisone last night. steroids never really helped much in the past. my mom is giving my random advice like drink 1 gallon of water a day to help my cough. i haven't had my bronchospastic cough in full force for a year, and it has to happen now!

i can just picture myself next week. I, Mary , take thee Joseph, cough cough cough cough hack! post tussive emesis! i'm sure the pics and the video is going to be just lovely.

: (

btw. i'm getting married in exactly 1 week!!!!! crazy, isn't?

on call....ahhhhhhhgggghh!!!

hey y'all.
Its my first call in the ICU. I miss you guys!! This place really reminds me of CHO, well except the fact that the hospital is huge, new, fancy, well-staffed and mega rich. But, I'm proud to be from oakland...It is a little scary actually. The nurses ask me questions and I can't answer most of them, I laugh and they laugh, and we all
have a laugh at my inept-titude, then we call the attending. Its a hoot.
I also feel really bad about stealing procedures from the residents...but I did it twice today. Hope all is well. Send me fox's email and I will add her to the blog list.... so she can get an invitation. Hope everyone had a happy 4th! all my love, xoxoxo. Maybe I can send you a picture of one of the nurses laughing at me.

Tired in the Chiefs' Office

Hi pals -

4th of July on Baker Beach is nice. I can't find David OR Heidi right now and it makes me wonder if I should be at a meeting or something...David? Heidi? Ted? Does anyone know how to invite Fox to the Blog?

Take care and I miss you all!
Love, kara

Senior Skip Day

okay, so now I'm a little obsessed. Last post for tonight, but really, I'm loving this picasa web album, it's almost idiot-proof. Senior skip day... lots of baby thighs n butts towards the end, prepare yourself for cuteness.



hope y'all are doing well... happy 4th o' july,
toodles,
debs.

Tahoe pics....

I wonder if I can do this.... supposedly this is an embedded slide show below. Click on it and see if it works.

Photos...

I don't know if this will work, so this is a trial. But hopefully you can just click on the link below, and !voila!, pictures. These should be the much hyped booze cruize. More to follow if this indeed works.
Derm fellowship update: dang, there are a lot of balding peeps around. And a lot of crazies that think they're balding/thinning/shedding. Maybe I shouldn't write that. Someone could find this and get pretty pissy. Let's just say, to quote one lovely sexagerian, "I'm just vain." Ah, well put. And man, my hairline was more recessed than hers.
More pics to follow... (let me know if y'all are liking the picasa web deal, vs the kodakgallery, I uploaded them there too if anyone's interested in the link).
debs.

http://picasaweb.google.com/deborahsah/BoozeCruize?authkey=xVy9bHPLTDA