Sunday, January 31, 2016

top three [01.31.2016]

one of my favorite purses doesn't get the love it deserves
medicine
  • The "breath of death" is a late sign of liver disease and a clinical sign of hepatic encephalopathy. I personally have not smelled this, but apparently it has a "sweet, fecal" smell. Hmm. 
  • Pre-eclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that is defined by high blood pressure and a large amount of protein in the urine. Experts believe that vessels in the placenta are the reason for these changes, but exact mechanisms are unknown. Interestingly, one of the risk factors for pre-eclampsia are if the baby's father's mother had pre-eclampsia in her pregnancies. 
  • The advancement of pharmaceuticals over the last few decades has been amazing, but as it turns out, the number one thing you can do to lower your blood pressure if you are overweight is to lose weight. The boring, and hardest, answer to what you can do for your heart. Here are 21 other, probably more interesting, facts about the heart

on the internet
  • Weight gain is something that happens to most women, but few openly discuss it. I know that personally as someone who has PCOS and has a really hard time losing weight, it isn't something I like to discuss either, so that makes me even more proud of Alissa for opening up about her struggles. In addition, and the best part of the post, is that she discusses ways to still work on your style and love clothing with those extra pounds. 
  • How cute is Merritt's all neutral look? Makes me want a pair of gold sneakers real bad. 
  • Morgan and I worked together the summer between first and second year, and she is seriously one of the best people I've ever met. Reading her latest experience in the ICU made me cry and want to hug her - she's going to make the best doctor. 
  • Bonus: Alyssa's post about Switzerland officially moves it to the top of my MUST GO NOW travel list. 

spotted
  • Do you really love Valentine's Day, or have a fun Galentine's Day party to go to? Please wear this heart covered dress - it's so freaking cute!
  • RED TRANSPORT TOTE. omg. 
  • OTK boots are all the rage this winter, but I can't bring myself to spend $700 on a pair. These look alikes are on sale now, are maybe even cuter than the original, and are under $100!

ask me anything
  • I am a 2nd year pharmacy student and your posts are my favorite study breaks. Do you interact with pharmacists much? If so, what are your interactions like? 
    • I'm doing most of my third year rotations at a smaller community hospital, so unfortunately I personally don't get a lot of interaction with the pharmacists. We do have pharmacy students round with us occasionally though! I know that at larger hospitals that many times they have pharmacists on rounds with them, which I think would be such a great experience since you guys know so much more about dosing and drug interactions. We do occasionally have to call our pharmacist though for questions, especially for our patients who are on many different medications, and they have always been so helpful and knowledgable! 
  • My husband are loving the show Code Black, and while watching it last night I wondered what people in that field thought of the show. So, my question is, If you watch any shows that take place in hospitals, what is your favorite? And which show do you feel is the most realistic? 
    • I'm actually a pretty big fan of medical shows - I have watched Grey's Anatomy from the beginning, I've watched almost all of House, I've seen some of Code Black, and I recently started watching Nurse Jackie. I've really only been in the clinical setting for seven months now, and only in my limited role as a medical student, so I can't really say how realistic the life of a surgeon is portrayed on Grey's or what an emergency medicine residency is like, but I can tell you that much of what goes on in the hospital is fairly mundane - a lot more charting and a lot less on call room romance ;) That's not to say that some of the situations haven't happened, but showing residents putting in orders is a lot less thrilling to watch on TV than a patient with a bomb in them, so I guess it's a tiny bit realistic, but not in the moment to moment, hour to hour life that is portrayed on television. 
  • I start PA school in May and have been so inspired by your style to build up my own wardrobe for school. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for a handbag I could use for school, preferably under $60 since I'm on a budget. Thanks so much! :)
    • Yay - congrats on getting accepted, that is so exciting! There are definitely a ton of bags at the price range, it all just depends on what you are looking for. This Phase 3 tote is the most classic black tote you're going to get (bonus is that it's currently on sale for under $40!). Sole Society has a really cute structured option that is just a few dollars over your limit. I found myself using a leather tote during the week while at school, and then using a bookbag on the weekends since I always took that much more with me to the library. I'd recommend this minimalist version from Everlane - large enough to fit allllll those textbooks, but sleek enough to look like you aren't on your way to kindergarten (and again just a few dollars over the limit!) 

on franish

notable sales
  • Gap: 35% off
    • These simple cut blouses are always my favorite - they go with everything! If this particular style works on, you it comes in a bunch of cute patterns so you can grab a couple - my favorite is the cherry print!
    • I don't own many shorter skirts, but I'd reconsider for this cute sailor inspired navy version! It would look so darn cute with a striped tee or v-neck, with a jean jacket. 
    • And speaking of jean jacket...it doesn't get more classic than this version, does it? 
  • J.Crew: 40-50% off sale items
  • Loft: 40% off new arrivals (+ 60% off sale items)

personal
  • I know it's called "the common cold" but damn does it knock you down! I had to take my first sick day this week since starting rotations just because I felt so awful. I slept all day, coughed all night, and am just now starting to feel better. 
  • 14 months ago I started with my invisalign braces, and this week I finally finished the "fixing my teeth" process by getting my front tooth redone (it was no longer the right shape and color). Let me know if you'd be interested in a full post dedicated to the process - I'm more than willing to share my experiences but don't know if anyone is actually interested in teeth ;)
  • It's my last week on the general internal medicine team, and I'm actually pretty sad to see it end - I have learned so much in this time! Next is GI, which was one of my favorite subjects during second year. The doctor I work with seems really great, so I'm excited to learn from her!