Sunday, April 16, 2017

top three [04.16.2017]

only one of these came home with me yesterday... ;)
medicine
  • On fetal ultrasound, another way of telling whether a baby is male or female besides "the money shot" is by looking at the bladder! The female bladder will be less rounded than a male bladder because the uterus is in the way!
  • Dr. Barry Marshall proved the link between H. pylori (a type of bacteria) and stomach ulcers by drinking a petri dish of the bacteria! Now that's dedication to science. Don't worry, he was treated, and then won the Nobel Prize, so it all worked out in the end!
  • The masseter is the strongest muscle in the body. 

on the internet

spotted

throwback

ask me anything
  • Does where you do your residency usually end up being where you practice medicine, or is it easy for any physician to move around? All I know is law school because my husband is an attorney, and unless you went to Harvard or something, in my experience most law school grads end up working in the city or state where they went to school.
    • You can practice wherever you want, and aren't obligated to stay in the state you did your training in! I know for most lawyers, you practice in the state you pass the bar in (but not always), but our board exams are national, so we can practice anywhere. Our long term plan is to live where we are doing residency for the next 6-7 years, and then move to upstate New York permanently. 
  • I'm getting ready to take Step 1 and I'd love to treat myself to new pajamas to wear the night before (I'm superstitious like that). Any suggestions for cute nightgowns/pajama sets?
  • Congrats on your match! I'm starting med school next fall, and like you, I'm going to have to rely on loans for my income. What recommendations or suggestions do you have for this process? I'm slightly terrified but I have to remember it will all be worth it in the end!
    • Taking out a significant amount of loans is definitely scary - it's a huge amount of money! Just remind yourself that most doctors have to take out loans to pay for school, so you are not in a unique situation. All but one of my friends had to take out loans to pay for school, and we all know that we will be able to pay it off. My suggestions would be to make a budget plan so you know how much you have to take out - you may not need the full amount of money every semester (although there are some where you need the full amount to pay for step exams and application and interview season). When I got my loan checks, I would calculate about how much all my bills would be every month, and put that into one savings account. Then I gave myself an allowance (for groceries, gas, and fun), put that money into a separate account, and had it automatically transfer that to my checking every two weeks (like a paycheck!). The rest I put into another savings account which I used for big school expenses (each board exam is around $1000) and unexpected expenses. That system worked out really well for me! Just know you will have a job eventually where you will be able to pay back loans. We plan on staying in our house we will be in for residency for several years after we are done with training so we can pay off our loans quicker - knowing we are doing that gives me the piece of mind that we will be free of our loan debt quicker. 

on franish
  • on the blog: I loved all of your advice on figuring out your personal home style. You guys had such insightful comments!
  • on the insta: 6 weeks left with the baby white coat (but really only 2 weeks because I don't have to wear it on my last rotation)
  • on the twitter: on Thursday we went on a Home Depot date...

at home
  • My MFM rotation started, and it's been so interesting! The MFM (maternal fetal medicine) doctors are the high risk ob doctors, so we see a wide variety of problems. Some from the simpler gestational diabetes, to patients with rare infections and cancers (while pregnant). We also see a lot of routine 20 week ultrasounds though, so it's been an interesting mix of patients. 
  • I ended up not writing a Healthyish post yesterday, and it's, to be honest with you, because last week was basically a week off for me. I wasn't having a good week, and so I only worked out once, and allowed myself a lot of freedom eating. It was obviously amazing to eat allllll that food, but I am ready to get back to it! I guess I just needed a few days off to be re-excited about this journey. I suppose going wedding dress shopping also helped! ;)
  • Happy Easter! I hope you are getting to spend some time with families and the Easter Bunny. CR's parents sent us an edible arrangement (I've never had one!), so we have been enjoying all that delicious fruit!