Weigh In Wednesday: August 28
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Hi everyone! I decided to try out vlogging today since I'm short on time and it's been something I wanted to do for awhile! I'm super awkward and nervous so don't expect an Oscar worthy performance. Let me know what you think!
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Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Hi everyone! Thanks for being patient as I get used to this being a student thing again - this has been the LONGEST week of my life. My brain has been in sleep mode for the last 15 months so the adjustment has been...well...interesting. I find myself coming home from class ready to fall asleep at 6pm. Sadly, that's just not an option!
Medical school feels like finals week every single day. I feel like I've been here for a month already - it's nuts!
I'd like to give a little recap of what classes have been like and my expectations of what a typical week will be like for the rest of the semester.
First of all, I have 4 "classes" going on at one time for the next several months: a Scientific Foundations, Introduction to Clinical Medicine, Osteopathic Principles & Practice, and Gross Anatomy & Development.
Scientific Foundations: For the first few months of class, SF will be a review of all my basic sciences from college - basically 4 years of material compressed into 12 weeks or so. After that, I'll start my systems-based course. The good news about medical school is that you aren't expected to know the basic sciences at a detailed level like a biologist or biochemist would. The bad news is the AMOUNT of material is immense. Conceptually the material in medical school isn't any harder than college but putting all your knowledge together and being able to apply it in different situations is the tough part.
This class might be my saving grace since I've already learned this information multiple times in undergrad. That said, I never learned or relearned this much material in such a short period of time. And there is no white space on my lecture notes - where am I supposed to write?
Introduction to Clinical Medicine: This is our "learning to be a doctor" course which seems like it will be a lot of fun! ICM is where I will learn how to take a history, do a physical, and explore topics like professionalism, ethics, and diversity. Once we have some basic skills we will have the opportunity to work with standardized patients, simulations, and early clinical exposure.
Osteopathic Principles & Practice: OPP is what marks the difference between the medical education of my MD and DO colleagues (I'm doing DO). The most identifiable thing we learn in OPP is OMM or osteopathic manipulative medicine. OMM/OMT focuses on the palpation and manipulation of bones, joints, fascia, and muscles to diagnose and treat dysfunctions and disease. This class goes hand in hand with anatomy. In order to succeed in OPP, you have to know your anatomy. Period.
We are already practicing our palpatory skills which means we were all walking about shirtless (girls in sports bras) feeling each others ribs and vertebrae from day one. Talk about getting comfortable with people quickly (and having tremendous motivation to go to the gym).
Gross Anatomy & Development: Anatomy is going to be rough. It's largely about memorization and it's the foundation for EVERYTHING I'm going to be learning in the future. Anatomy runs almost until the end of the first semester - I think it's 16 weeks long which is not much time to learn every nook and cranny of the body - you and I are made of a lot of STUFF!
I first want to start off by saying how grateful I am that so many people out there are willing to donate their bodies to science to further my education. I believe we will be having a memorial/thank you service for these individuals and their families once our lab is complete. We started our first cadaver dissection last Wednesday and will be in the lab three times a week until Thanksgiving. So basically I will have a permanent anatomy student smell until Christmas. The embalming fluid...it smells awful but you get used to it until you're eating lunch and still smell it on your hands.
As for the actual dissection, I was pretty nervous when I first walked into the lab. I've been in anatomy labs before when I interviewed at various schools but I wasn't sure how I would respond once we actually "met" our cadaver and started our dissection. I was a little tentative at first but quickly got my hands dirty (literally) and grew more comfortable with the process in a short period of time. It's so interesting to see how much human variation there is - nothing looks like the textbooks! If you have any questions about anatomy lab or this process, please email me!
Wrap Up:
So week one is over! I survived but I was pretty lax on myself and didn't try to over do it the first week with anything. I met some of my college friends for dinner one night, I went out with my new med school friends this weekend, and I spent a lot of time just getting organized and figuring out how to attack the material properly.
Now I know what to expect, I'm going hard this week with my workouts and my studying. Nick is coming to visit and I want to make sure I can devote as much of my weekend as possible to hanging out with him.
That's all folks! Here goes Week 2!
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| Our College of Osteopathic Medicine - Inaugural Class! |
I'd like to give a little recap of what classes have been like and my expectations of what a typical week will be like for the rest of the semester.
First of all, I have 4 "classes" going on at one time for the next several months: a Scientific Foundations, Introduction to Clinical Medicine, Osteopathic Principles & Practice, and Gross Anatomy & Development.
Scientific Foundations: For the first few months of class, SF will be a review of all my basic sciences from college - basically 4 years of material compressed into 12 weeks or so. After that, I'll start my systems-based course. The good news about medical school is that you aren't expected to know the basic sciences at a detailed level like a biologist or biochemist would. The bad news is the AMOUNT of material is immense. Conceptually the material in medical school isn't any harder than college but putting all your knowledge together and being able to apply it in different situations is the tough part.
This class might be my saving grace since I've already learned this information multiple times in undergrad. That said, I never learned or relearned this much material in such a short period of time. And there is no white space on my lecture notes - where am I supposed to write?
Introduction to Clinical Medicine: This is our "learning to be a doctor" course which seems like it will be a lot of fun! ICM is where I will learn how to take a history, do a physical, and explore topics like professionalism, ethics, and diversity. Once we have some basic skills we will have the opportunity to work with standardized patients, simulations, and early clinical exposure.
Osteopathic Principles & Practice: OPP is what marks the difference between the medical education of my MD and DO colleagues (I'm doing DO). The most identifiable thing we learn in OPP is OMM or osteopathic manipulative medicine. OMM/OMT focuses on the palpation and manipulation of bones, joints, fascia, and muscles to diagnose and treat dysfunctions and disease. This class goes hand in hand with anatomy. In order to succeed in OPP, you have to know your anatomy. Period.
( Not my class but this is what it looks like)
We are already practicing our palpatory skills which means we were all walking about shirtless (girls in sports bras) feeling each others ribs and vertebrae from day one. Talk about getting comfortable with people quickly (and having tremendous motivation to go to the gym).
Gross Anatomy & Development: Anatomy is going to be rough. It's largely about memorization and it's the foundation for EVERYTHING I'm going to be learning in the future. Anatomy runs almost until the end of the first semester - I think it's 16 weeks long which is not much time to learn every nook and cranny of the body - you and I are made of a lot of STUFF!
I first want to start off by saying how grateful I am that so many people out there are willing to donate their bodies to science to further my education. I believe we will be having a memorial/thank you service for these individuals and their families once our lab is complete. We started our first cadaver dissection last Wednesday and will be in the lab three times a week until Thanksgiving. So basically I will have a permanent anatomy student smell until Christmas. The embalming fluid...it smells awful but you get used to it until you're eating lunch and still smell it on your hands.
As for the actual dissection, I was pretty nervous when I first walked into the lab. I've been in anatomy labs before when I interviewed at various schools but I wasn't sure how I would respond once we actually "met" our cadaver and started our dissection. I was a little tentative at first but quickly got my hands dirty (literally) and grew more comfortable with the process in a short period of time. It's so interesting to see how much human variation there is - nothing looks like the textbooks! If you have any questions about anatomy lab or this process, please email me!
 |
| Let's just say these are my new best friends! |
So week one is over! I survived but I was pretty lax on myself and didn't try to over do it the first week with anything. I met some of my college friends for dinner one night, I went out with my new med school friends this weekend, and I spent a lot of time just getting organized and figuring out how to attack the material properly.
 |
| Medical Student or just Jaundiced? |
That's all folks! Here goes Week 2!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Hey all! I'm taking time out from my night of trying to remember things about the thorax (not The Lorax, although that's a pretty cute movie!) to get in on this post idea I saw over at Kisses and Croissants! Patricia is one of my favorite bloggers/tweeters so when I saw the opportunity to stop studying the spinal cord and innervation of the ribs, I jumped on it!
Without further ado, here are 6 things you should know about me (no need to take notes, there won't be a quiz at the end).
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| Via |
Without further ado, here are 6 things you should know about me (no need to take notes, there won't be a quiz at the end).
1. Where is "Home" for you?
I feel like I have a lot of homes, even though I've lived in the same place all my life. I have my home in Cincinnati - just my mom and I but since I just moved out officially, it's not really my physical home anymore. My physically home here in Indianapolis isn't really a home yet. It feels temporary. What I consider to be my "home away from home," Bloomington, IN and land of my alma mater, is still special to me but also isn't my place anymore. Maybe I'm homeless?
2. One goal you would like to achieve before 2014.
I would like to finally shed the weight I gained in college and reach a healthy point in my life. I think it's essential for my career as a physician and essential to keep up with the rigors of life.
3. What’s your biggest struggle in life?
No thought needed on this one: confidence. I will say that I have made tremendous progress in the last 4-5 years or so but I still lack confidence in myself on a daily basis. I have a crippling ability to underestimate my value and abilities. My lack of confidence has impacted every single area of my life so it's something that I try to work on daily.
4. What hobby would you love to pick up?
There are quite a few things I would love to learn or add to my hobbies. I don't have a good enough attention span to focus my energy on one or two activities which is why I've never really picked up hobbies and stuck with them (unless you count shopping). I would love to pick up photography, birding/hiking, or yoga/meditation.
5. Tell us something we may not know about you?
I am an excellent planner. I can plan and research like no ones business but I'm a terrible executor. I have very little discipline when it comes to actually acting our my plans.
6. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because I wanted to sublimate three different areas of my life into one: my health and wellness journey, medical school, and life in my twenties. I wanted to be able to stay in touch with my family and friends during this busy time in my life and I also wanted to have something to look back on years from now. I wish I would have started blogging earlier during college. I feel like it would have kept me more accountable and got me in touch with awesome resources. Even though I have less time to spend on my baby blog, I won't be stopping anytime soon!
I'm tagging all of you! Choose from the list of questions below and tell us more about yourself! Feel free to Tweet/Facebook/Comment Below your post!
1. What do you plan on doing with your life a decade from now?
2. Would you rather go back in time or remain where you are in terms of the time of your life?
3. If you were the last person alive besides one other person you get to chose, who would it be?
4. What’s something you hate?
5. What is your usual everyday dress code?
6. Why do you blog?
7. Most comforting place, smell, sound and memory?
8. Your greatest personal achievement.
9. Think of your oldest friend. If you met them now do you think you would still become friends?
10. If you could do anything or wish anything, what would it be?
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
I'm writing this blog post as a way to avoid the 70 pages of Anatomy I should be reading (I have it on good authority that the reading is terribly exciting!)
So. Here I am. A medical student. An OMS1 (that's osteopathic medical student year 1).
I had orientation last week, Wednesday through Friday which was a whirlwind of technology training, meeting a million different people, getting acclimated to our brand new building, and trying to get organized!
There are many reasons why I love my school - I love the location, my fellow classmates, our outstanding faculty, the community-wide support, etc. I could go on and on. I was even excited when they decided to provide us with iPads for studying and class but the technology aspect of medical school is going to be the BIGGEST adjustment ever. That's right - not the volume of material or changing my study habits - it's the dang computer stuff.
I'm a paper and pen type girl. I never took my laptop to class in college and I thoroughly enjoy the sight of new school supplies waiting to be christened by hours upon hours of rewriting notes. I love the smell of books. I love being able to turn pages, highlight important points, and write all over the margins. Most of all, I like that books don't have apps like Facebook or Twitter to tempt me from my reading assignment.
This iPad business is going to be messy for all involved. All our books are electronic, all our tests are electronic, all our notes and communications are electronic. I guess that's the way the world works now...pray that the wifi remains speedy and uninhibited.
Now for the fun parts! I've already had the privilege of meeting some outstanding people in the short time that I've been here in Indy. Everyone is very friendly and willing to work with others - so far, so good! Wait until the stress starts adding up! After orientation on Friday, a big group of us girls went out to dinner in Broadripple and ended up going back out later that night with another group of classmates! That's probably the last time any of us will be going out until after our first exam on September 16th! (Ok, maybe this weekend too. We need to celebrate surviving our first week!)
Saturday was a chill day. Nick came up to visit me and help we get a few things for my apartment. He even ironed my white coat for me!
On Sunday, it was time for my White Coat Ceremony! This is basically when we get to officially call ourselves "student doctors" and wear our short white coats. For those that don't know, the long coats are reserved for doctors. (Kind of like cowboys and the size of their cowboy hat).
The ceremony was short and sweet and was held at an awesome venue in downtown Indy. Several of my family members attended and it was a lot of fun to kick off this journey in style!
As for today, I started my first day of medical school! My school does block scheduling and an integrated systems course which is a little different than the "traditional" view of medicine.
Just as an overview: the first two years are my pre-clinical years which basically consist of my basic sciences. The last two years are my clinical years or clerkships where I rotate through all the different specialities. During my pre-clinical years, instead of having classes called "Biochemistry," "Pharmacology," "Histology," etc., we have blocks. My first block is a basic review of all the my undergrad science (that's four years into about 2-3 months). Then we will start with Hematology (the blood and related tissues/structures) and this will include all the courses I listed above for that particular system. We continue with this block system with skeletal muscle, renal system, respiratory system, etc. I will do a post in the future explaining this set up more in depth soon!
So the first day wasn't too bad actually. Thank goodness I took an excellent physiology course in college! I think I learned and retained more from that course than any of my others combined so thank you, IU! The morning material was all review and not very hard to integrate back into my brain. I really can't imagine what will happen when I don't recognize the material and have to sit through 4 hours of lecture. UGH!
In the afternoon, we had OPP lab or Osteopathic Principles & Practice. This deserves its own post but for now if you have questions, feel free to email me or wikipedia osteopathic medicine! This was unlike anything I've ever done before - everyone is a little lost and confused after our lab!
So that's been the past few days! I'm really going to try to keep up with this blog - as usual I'm a little behind on emails and comments but I'll get there! I'm trying to develop a routine and a groove so I will do everything possible to keep up with things here!
So. Here I am. A medical student. An OMS1 (that's osteopathic medical student year 1).
I had orientation last week, Wednesday through Friday which was a whirlwind of technology training, meeting a million different people, getting acclimated to our brand new building, and trying to get organized!
There are many reasons why I love my school - I love the location, my fellow classmates, our outstanding faculty, the community-wide support, etc. I could go on and on. I was even excited when they decided to provide us with iPads for studying and class but the technology aspect of medical school is going to be the BIGGEST adjustment ever. That's right - not the volume of material or changing my study habits - it's the dang computer stuff.
I'm a paper and pen type girl. I never took my laptop to class in college and I thoroughly enjoy the sight of new school supplies waiting to be christened by hours upon hours of rewriting notes. I love the smell of books. I love being able to turn pages, highlight important points, and write all over the margins. Most of all, I like that books don't have apps like Facebook or Twitter to tempt me from my reading assignment.
 |
| This is me in lecture trying to make my iPad notes work. |
Now for the fun parts! I've already had the privilege of meeting some outstanding people in the short time that I've been here in Indy. Everyone is very friendly and willing to work with others - so far, so good! Wait until the stress starts adding up! After orientation on Friday, a big group of us girls went out to dinner in Broadripple and ended up going back out later that night with another group of classmates! That's probably the last time any of us will be going out until after our first exam on September 16th! (Ok, maybe this weekend too. We need to celebrate surviving our first week!)
Saturday was a chill day. Nick came up to visit me and help we get a few things for my apartment. He even ironed my white coat for me!
On Sunday, it was time for my White Coat Ceremony! This is basically when we get to officially call ourselves "student doctors" and wear our short white coats. For those that don't know, the long coats are reserved for doctors. (Kind of like cowboys and the size of their cowboy hat).
The ceremony was short and sweet and was held at an awesome venue in downtown Indy. Several of my family members attended and it was a lot of fun to kick off this journey in style!
As for today, I started my first day of medical school! My school does block scheduling and an integrated systems course which is a little different than the "traditional" view of medicine.
Just as an overview: the first two years are my pre-clinical years which basically consist of my basic sciences. The last two years are my clinical years or clerkships where I rotate through all the different specialities. During my pre-clinical years, instead of having classes called "Biochemistry," "Pharmacology," "Histology," etc., we have blocks. My first block is a basic review of all the my undergrad science (that's four years into about 2-3 months). Then we will start with Hematology (the blood and related tissues/structures) and this will include all the courses I listed above for that particular system. We continue with this block system with skeletal muscle, renal system, respiratory system, etc. I will do a post in the future explaining this set up more in depth soon!
So the first day wasn't too bad actually. Thank goodness I took an excellent physiology course in college! I think I learned and retained more from that course than any of my others combined so thank you, IU! The morning material was all review and not very hard to integrate back into my brain. I really can't imagine what will happen when I don't recognize the material and have to sit through 4 hours of lecture. UGH!
 |
| My bear gets a white coat too! |
So that's been the past few days! I'm really going to try to keep up with this blog - as usual I'm a little behind on emails and comments but I'll get there! I'm trying to develop a routine and a groove so I will do everything possible to keep up with things here!
How was your weekend?
What are some topics you'd like me to write about? (Medical school or anything!)
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Hey guys! Day two of orientation is over - one more to go! It's been a wild ride so far. I've met so many new classmates from all over the country and am slowly getting comfortable with life in Indy. I'll talk more about orientation tomorrow. Today I want to talk about my never-ending battle with fear.
I've talked pretty frequently about my fears when it comes to weight loss and life in general. I live in constant a fear (that sounds so dramatic) of being judged by others; mostly because of my weight. I feel like being heavier somehow portrays certain things about my personality or my habits to people which they then use to decide who I am.
Thoughts and anxieties swirl around my head such as I must be lazy, I must eat crap all the time, I am not attractive, or I must not care about my health. Worse still, I'm not worthy of friendship or I'm not smart enough, pretty enough, funny enough, etc. to make up for my unworthiness. These anxieties really used to affect not only my self-worth, but also my ability to trust and connect with others.
As I've started exercising, eating better, sleeping better, and taking time to care for myself, I've noticed a shift. I'm not 100% confident yet and I'm only at the beginning of my journey but I'm starting to learn to love myself - belly fat and all. I'm starting to realize that my body is capable of all sorts of awesome things! I can run for miles (most of the time), I can lift heavy and hard, I can run around the house with kids I babysit for and have Nerf gun wars, and I can start to bring that confidence to other areas of my life.
I originally started this post because I found myself "hiding" in my room tonight doing a Chalene Johnson workout. I didn't want my new roommate to see how ridiculous I look jumping around with all 200+ lbs of Heather flopping about. It's the same reason I avoided the gym for many years at school - judgement (even though my roommate is super nice and sweet). I often heard people complaining that they didn't want to see fat people at the gym. "Fat people should just stay home so no one is forced to look at that." Screw that notion. Flop around, wobbly bits. You won't be there much longer...
Don't get me wrong, all those steps are NOT easy or fun or natural. Every single day is a struggle and many times I lose that struggle. I think what makes the difference is that we all keep trying to get better. Instead of the all-or-nothing attitude I've adopted in the past, I'm learning that I can make the small changes and that they start to add up. I don't have to go from McDonald's to vegan yogi standing on my head all in one day.
Also, I think I'm getting rid of Disqus soon unless I can figure out how to make it more convenient while I'm in school. It seems like email may be the best way to answer comments. I'll keep you posted!
Now I want to hear from you all! (Feel free to comment with a link to your blog post if you have answers to this questions!)
How does fear play a role in your lives?
How do you tame fear?
How have things changed since your started your fitness journey?
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Just quickly checking in...
Happy Friday, everyone! I have done about 2 seconds worth of the packing and preparation for this move so far. Basically I plan on doing all of it tomorrow and moving Sunday morning. Cool? Cool.
So far, here are the things I've done besides packing:
1. Watched Sex and the City.
2. Folded my clothes and left them in the middle of my floor.
3. Attempted to sell things at Clothes Mentor and Plato's Closet.
4. Tried to do wedding planning stuff. (I have a specific date/church.venue in mind!)
5. Read no less than 5 magazines.
6. Went shopping for kitchen stuff 3 times.
7. Made this face a lot.
8. Watched Two-A-Days (remember that on MTV?)
9. Attempted to understand "GirlCode"
10. Realized I can't relate to 90% of what is said on GirlCode
11. Ran. (Following my training plan and trying not to skip ahead on mileage!)
12. Started and stopped 5 different blog posts.
13. Texted a bunch of people that are at work and don't have time to talk to me.
14. Named my first three children.
15. Fantasized about winning the lottery and how I would pay someone to pack for me if I did.
16. Counted cracks in the ceiling.
17. Thought about painting my nails.
18. Thought about going for another run.
19. Contemplated not going to medical school and running away to Europe instead.
20. Made a tofu scramble that I found on Andrea's blog A Doctor in the House. I love it!
21. Visited my favorite tumblrs #MedSchoolAppHell, #whatshouldwecallme and #whatshouldwecallmedschool
22. Wondered why I have to wait until October for The Walking Dead.
23. Watched a ton of DailyGrace videos
24. Moved a bunch of boxes from one side of the room to the other. Accomplishing nothing.
25. Wore my tiara and veil around the house.
...and I could go on. Now I'm going out for one last Cincinnati dinner with Mr. Nicholas. Peace and blessings!
Happy Friday, everyone! I have done about 2 seconds worth of the packing and preparation for this move so far. Basically I plan on doing all of it tomorrow and moving Sunday morning. Cool? Cool.
So far, here are the things I've done besides packing:
1. Watched Sex and the City.
2. Folded my clothes and left them in the middle of my floor.
3. Attempted to sell things at Clothes Mentor and Plato's Closet.
4. Tried to do wedding planning stuff. (I have a specific date/church.venue in mind!)
5. Read no less than 5 magazines.
6. Went shopping for kitchen stuff 3 times.
7. Made this face a lot.
8. Watched Two-A-Days (remember that on MTV?)
9. Attempted to understand "GirlCode"
10. Realized I can't relate to 90% of what is said on GirlCode
11. Ran. (Following my training plan and trying not to skip ahead on mileage!)
12. Started and stopped 5 different blog posts.
13. Texted a bunch of people that are at work and don't have time to talk to me.
14. Named my first three children.
15. Fantasized about winning the lottery and how I would pay someone to pack for me if I did.
16. Counted cracks in the ceiling.
17. Thought about painting my nails.
18. Thought about going for another run.
19. Contemplated not going to medical school and running away to Europe instead.
20. Made a tofu scramble that I found on Andrea's blog A Doctor in the House. I love it!
21. Visited my favorite tumblrs #MedSchoolAppHell, #whatshouldwecallme and #whatshouldwecallmedschool
22. Wondered why I have to wait until October for The Walking Dead.
23. Watched a ton of DailyGrace videos
24. Moved a bunch of boxes from one side of the room to the other. Accomplishing nothing.
25. Wore my tiara and veil around the house.
Will you come pack/move for me, friends?
