Not Yet a Vet…dot net

Thanksgiving is 16 days away and I think I’m running on fumes.  I have 2 exams and several SCAVMA meetings between now and Thanksgiving break, but I think I’ve been having more trouble outside of vet school than in it these days.  The Captain has  job opportunity on the table that will take him out of the country for 1 year.  Honestly, after grappling with the thought for several nights, I think I’m on board with it if he decides to go.  He would be flying a cool airplane for a reputable company in Singapore.  With the connections and flight hours he’d gain from taking this job, he’d likely have an easy time finding a job in the US afterward.  The employer is well aware of (and comfortable with) the fact that Captain wouldn’t stay there for longer than a year.  He has also graciously offered to either fly the Captain back to the US or fly me to Singapore at least twice during that year.  It sounds like a pretty awesome opportunity and it’s certainly one that doesn’t come up often (if ever) for young pilots.  The Captain is going to meet with said employer over Thanksgiving break to discuss some of the finer details before he makes a decision, but it’s looking pretty likely that he’ll take the offer.  It may be a rather interesting year for us if he does.  I’m picturing phone calls at odd times and some great story swapping.  Interestingly enough, the fact that it’s in a different country doesn’t really bother me.  The Captain is already 9 hours away from me by car.  With our respective schedules, a 9 hour car trip may as well be an 18 hour plane ride.  The longest we have ever gone without seeing each other in person is 6 months, and with 2 visits, there is no way we would exceed that number in the coming year.  I’m sure I’ll mention all of this again when the decision is made.

Re-reading my previous paragraph made me realize how much I really had to get all of this into words.  The Captain and I have had several conversations about it, and I’ve also consulted with both Left Side Friend, Right Side Friend and, to a lesser extent, with Best Friend.  All of those opinions made it quite hard for me to organize my own thoughts when the Captain and I talked last night and I felt like it was taking me several extra sentences to get my point across.  The end result: I said he should go if it is a good professional decision and that I will support him either way.  Wedding date tentatively planned for May or June 2012 will remain unchanged (and will hopefully get a lot more specific when we choose a date at Thanksgiving).  Life is good.

On the veterinary school front, we did rectal palpations on dairy cattle yesterday.  I palpated once before when I was in undergrad, but this was the first time I received any sort of instructions attached to the notion that I should be able to figure out what I’m feeling in there.  It was probably the most fun I’ve had at a lab all year.  There is just something about working with live animals that is invigorating.  No matter how much book learnin’ we do in school, there is no substitute for getting out there and diving in (no pun intended).  I am quite happy to say that of the 4 cows I palpated, I felt 4 cervices, 6 uterine horns, 2 ovaries, and one cow with middle uterine artery fremitus (which means she is pregnant).  As much as I’m a small animal girl through and through, it was still a really great experience.  We are going back for more cows on Thursday and we’ll palpate horses twice next week.  It’s funny how this was the part of veterinary medicine that scared me the most when I was younger, but now it’s one of the parts I love the most.  Does that mean I’m growing up?

On that note, I have to get some work done  before my orthopedic bandaging lab this afternoon.  I have a big exam on Friday in neurology and while I feel pretty confident in my lesion localization skills, my differential diagnosis lists are sadly quite short or absent.   Onward and upward!

Third year is interesting.  I thought for sure I’d be more motivated to post this year because there is a huge clinical emphasis and I’m really enjoying my classes.  However, the huge clinical emphasis and the fact that my classes are enjoyable makes me want to do well on exams.  And wanting to do well directly correlates to spending nearly every waking moment studying in some way or another.

Last week was rough.  Left-Side Friend, Right-Side Friend, and I had our last spay of the semester on Monday, there was a food animal exam on Tuesday, and then a HUGE companion animal exam on Friday.  Needless to say, I was at school until 11 pm nearly every night.

The spay was probably the most interesting part of the week.  We were working with a spunky little Tortie who was in heat when we got her.  Needless to say, she was IN  LOVE with everyone (including the dogs).  There was only one thing she did NOT love…ketamine.  She flew off the table during the initial injection and even though she got a pretty healthy dose, poor kitty seemed to be seeing pink elephants with knives chasing her.  We had to have the anesthesiologist help us box the cat down (we put her in a plastic box and filled it with inhalant anesthesia until she was anesthetized, at which point I intubated her and put in her catheter).  It was a rather traumatic experience for kitty, but it was our option to ensure her safety and the safety of the people trying to handle her.  After the rough start, her spay went very well and she recovered with no obvious memories of the incident.  She was still in love with everyone.

This week has been pretty amazing so far.  I (miraculously) do not have any exams, and the only extra thing I have to go to is a neurology lab on Friday.  I was planning on using my surplus of free time to get ahead, but that hasn’t gone as well as I was hoping it would.  I’ve been studying every night, but I haven’t gotten a lot done.  Oh well, I think I deserve a break every now and then.

That said, I should get back to the books since I’m at school “studying” because I get distracted at home.  Happy November!

It’s very easy to get bogged down in the sheer volume of things on my schedule this year.  I feel as though I’ve done nothing but eat, sleep, and study since my last post.  You know, that’s not entirely inaccurate.  Since my last post, I’ve had 4 exams, my surgery group has spayed 2 dogs, and I’ve had exactly 1 weekend off from studying (family wedding).  I have SCAVMA meetings mixed in with everything else and the only club meeting I’ve managed to attend was Feline Club.  I used to go to a different club meeting every day during first year.  I still attended a fair number during second year.  It’s a big change to not attend anything.  There just isn’t enough time.

I spayed a dog this week.  I was actually surprised that we were assigned a dog considering my group had a dog the first week of surgery.  In any case, my first surgery patient was a 6 month old boxer. I started every day with big, slobbery kisses and happy puppy paws on my pants.  She really was the perfect patient.  The humane society she came from said that she already had several adoptions pending so it was nice to know that she had a home to go to after her spay.  Her surgery went really well (even though we had to give some benadryl because she had a reaction to the iodine scrub) and she was so happy with her pain meds that she didn’t want us to remove her endotracheal tube when it was time for her to wake up.  Here are a few more pictures of my handiwork:

Holy cow, suturing takes a long time.  I’m making a smaller incision next time!  The whole time I was working, I couldn’t believe how COOL it was to actually be doing surgery.  I know that makes me sound like a big dork, but it’s true.  I have no aspirations to be a surgeon (beyond the basics commonly performed in general practice), but spaying a dog just seemed so…veterinary.  It was like things were just falling into place.  That feeling was solidified when we had rounds with the surgery clinicians on Wednesday (2 days after surgery) and I was told that my dog’s incision was healing just fine and there were no signs of dehiscence (sutures falling out).  She left to go back to the humane society yesterday and I can imagine she’ll be in her new home as soon as the sutures come out.  They’re going to be in for a real treat when they notice her boxer puppy prance!

On the non-school front, the Captain and I went to a wedding a couple weeks ago.  This was the last of the family weddings before we get married so there were lots of elbows-to-ribs gestures saying “you’re next!”  It’s amazing to think of getting married in less than 2 years (holy cow, I’ll be a doctor in 1 year and 7 months!).  I’ve spent so much time thinking about other people as the bride, it’s almost surreal that it’s my turn.  I can’t wait!  I’m going to visit my parents this weekend and I’m really looking forward to spending some time relaxing at home.  I haven’t been there since the 4th of July and it’s only a 2 hour drive.  Good food ahoy!

On that note, I should get going. I have this huge chunk of time in the middle of the day before ethics lecture and I should use it to listen to some swine medicine lectures.  This portion of the course is taught by a vet from a different school because we don’t have any swine vets on staff.  It’s an interesting concept, but I really like not having to go to food animal medicine lecture.  Happy Friday!

Classes started 2 weeks ago today.  I am officially a 3rd year veterinary student.  The feeling is surreal.  I feel like I just finished first year last week.  Second year was a total blur.  This is my last year of full-time classroom instruction before I am unleashed on the general pet-owning population in the teaching hospital.  I’ll be a doctor soon.  Holy cow.

I’m really enjoying my classes so far.  It all seems so…relevant.  We spent a few days learning about gowning and gloving for surgery and we had a couple suture and knot tying refresher lessons.  The highlight of my week was participating in a cadaver spay.  Each surgery group (3 students) was given a dog and we went through the entire spay procedure.  It was really comforting to have the chance to fully explore the abdominal cavity of a fresh specimen to get a better idea of what to look for/what to avoid in surgery.  No one in my group (Left-Side Friend, Right-Side Friend, and I) have ever done a spay before, so any hands-on experience in situations where we can’t kill anything is amazing.

On Wednesday, everyone had to go in for a practical exam with a surgeon or surgical resident to make sure we were proficient in suturing/knot tying.  It was kind of scary to sit across from a resident (the same resident that very tersely reminded me the day before that I was holding my forceps improperly the day before, interestingly enough) stitching up a fake limb and doing hand ties with rope.  The exam was fine and I passed easily so that was good, at least.  We will get our first animal a week from today and then LSF will spay said animal a week from Monday (I’ll be assisting).  I’m really really excited!

Aside from getting ready for surgery, I’ve been having the most fun in companion animal and equine medicine.  This class is one of the reasons I love veterinary medicine so much.  We are actually learning how to treat diseases, etc.  It’s amazing how much the anatomy and physiology I learned first year relates to the medicine now.  It’s even more amazing that I remember most of it.

I know it’s a little early to be saying this, but this is really shaping up to be a great year!

I’ve just realized that I have only spent 4 nights in my own apartment since July 30th.  I’ve had a great time but it also feels nice to be home (and to no longer have to live out of a suitcase!).  I started my traveling adventures with a trip to Atlanta, Georgia for the annual AVMA Convention.  It was my 3rd convention and I think Best Friend and I have perfected the art of making it through the exhibit hall without becoming totally laden with crap.  We also went to the aquarium, the Coca-Cola museum, and some great restaurants.

Insert 2 night stay at my own apartment (8/3-8/5)

The next phase of my summer travel adventure was a visit to my best friend from high school and her husband.  They were married last year in a very small, private ceremony and decided to throw a BBQ reception to celebrate with everyone around their 1 year anniversary.  We started the long weekend with a mock bachelorette party, continued the fun by making way too many kinds of cupcakes, and ended the weekend with a pretty awesome BBQ.  I had a really great time.

Insert 2 night stay at my own apartment (8/8-8/10)

The last phase of my whirlwind summer travels was a visit with the Captain and his family.  I packed a suitcase, stopped by a bakery to pick up some cupcakes (even though the mere thought of cupcakes at that point in time was enough to make me want to jam forks in my eyes), and hit the road again.  The Captain and I spent some quality time with his family, ate a ton of great food, visited my favorite city, attended a family wedding, and attended the family picnic.  Since the wedding was the Captain’s dad’s family and the picnic was the Captain’s mom’s family, we literally saw EVERYONE in one weekend.  I had more fun than I could ever describe in words.

I got back to my apartment around 9:00pm last night and I was met at the door by my two very happy cats.  They haven’t left me alone since the moment I walked in the door.  Left Side Friend made sure they had food and water every day, but I guess no one can replace me in their eyes!

That brings me to the present.  Classes start on 9/2 so I have just over 2 weeks left in my summer of reading and relaxation.  I just renewed this domain, etc. so I’m hoping to get back into the normal swing of posting when I get back to the grind.  Time to get back to my books!

I volunteered today for a summer program for kids and their grandparents to explore the world of higher education.  There were activities all over campus, but I worked in one small corner of the veterinary program.  It was my job to teach groups of children how to do physical exams on dogs.

I met my canine helper, a very sweet golden retriever named Remi, and her mom, an equally sweet human.  I started telling my first of four groups of kids and their grandparents about physical exams and how important the physical is to veterinarians.  About halfway through my third group, I realized how many times I was telling the kids to feel for lumps or bumps on Remi or to move their fingers a certain way to find a lymph node.  It really started to sink in that my hands will be my greatest tool in this profession.

After telling the kids to examine the dog “nose to toes”, I started paying more attention to the way I’ve trained myself to conduct a physical exam.  The actions that seem like second nature to me were quite tough for 8-13 years olds to grasp.  I think trying to explain things to kids is the ultimate exercise in client communication.  It was so rewarding to teach them how to put a stethoscope in their ears properly and see their eyes light up when they managed to find their own heart.  Even the grandparents were excited to listen to themselves and to Remi.

As much as I know the program was for the benefit of the children and their grandparents, I can’t help but think that I got as much out of it as they did.  It’s not every day that I get to teach children what to look for in a dog’s ears and where to find the place on the chest where the dog’s heart sounds the loudest.  It’s days like today that remind me that I’ve chosen the right profession.

Since June has come to a close, I figured it was high time I post my updated summer reading list.  Since the last time I talked about my library capers, I’ve added quite a few books to the list, but I’ll include all of my summer reading on the list since I didn’t do so in my first post.

1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
2. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
3. The White Mare by Jules Watson
4. The Dawn Stag by Jules Watson
5. Sabriel by Garth Nix (re-read)
6. Lirael by Garth Nix (re-read)
7. Abhorsen by Garth Nix (re-read)
8. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
9. Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris
10. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
11. Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
12. The Heat of the Moon by Sandra Parshall
13. Disturbing the Dead by Sandra Parshall
14. When the Wind Blows by James Patterson
15. Catnapped by Gabriella Herkert

I found 12, 13, and 14 by doing keyword searches at the library for fiction books with veterinarians as main characters.  I have really enjoyed Ms. Parshall’s work but it seems she has taken some liberties with the veterinary profession.  The main character, Rachel Goddard, was 26 when she was first introduced and at that point she was already established working in a clinic  and had completed a 6 month (I didn’t know there was such a thing…) internship after graduation.  Unless Dr. Goddard skipped a grade or two, it would be pretty unbelievable to make it that far into the veterinary profession by 26.  It’s a small point but what can I say?  It didn’t stop me from reading both books and checking out the 3rd in the series.  I guess I still got hooked on the story.

When When the Wind Blows came up under the same keyword search, I knew that I had to read it right away.  I’ve felt a bit inadequate as a modern book-lover having never read a James Patterson.  After all, the man plays poker with a bunch of other authors on the show Castle on ABC.  Even though the book was written in the 90s and there were references to the Rosie O’Donnell show, the veterinarian, Dr. Frannie O’Neill, was very well-written.  Truth be told, I could actually picture some of the vets I have met over the years taking her place at certain points throughout the story.  It was also nice to read a book that could stand alone.  I feel as though I am getting sucked into a lot of trilogies or full-blown series.

That brings my grand total up to 15 books in 46 days.  At just under 1/3 book per day, I think that’s pretty respectable.  Or nerdy.  You pick.

In other news, I had a great time with my future in-laws last weekend at the wedding shower I mentioned.  As I imagined, it was a little different to be there without the Captain, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I went out for dinner with the Captain’s younger sisters (college freshman and sophomore) and I couldn’t help but think about how much they’ve changed in the time I’ve been seeing the Captain.  The first time I met them, they were 8 and 9, respectively.  Now they both have boyfriends.  I feel old.  I can’t imagine what I’ll feel when they get engaged and start planning weddings.  Luckily that day is several years away!

And now it’s time to get back to my book.

I’ve been to a lot of weddings since starting veterinary school.  I watched Best Friend become a Mrs. last summer and I’ve actually lost count of the number of friends that have gotten married since then.  Seeing a lot of weddings has made me think a lot about what I want when the Captain and I tie the knot.

Even though the big day won’t happen until soon after I graduate with my DVM in 2012, I’ve been thinking about colors and themes and dresses and venues quite a bit this summer.  I suppose planning is just in my nature.  The Captain and I decided on a color, sapphire blue.  I told all of my veterinary friends that the color is “Blasto Blue,” named for the shade of my favorite fungus, Blastomyces dermatitidis, on cytology slides.

Aside from the color, the Captain and I have only really agreed on one other thing.  No animals and no airplanes.  That’s not to say that he can’t have a Cessna-shaped Groom’s cake or that I have to sit down when my classmates try to reenact the “horse hindgut tai chi” routine.  It would just be too hard to fully integrate our two professions.  My bridal magazines aren’t exactly bursting with ideas on how to merge intestinal foreign bodies and ground reference maneuvers into a fun shower game.  I’m sure our personalities will be apparent in whatever we end up putting together.

I have a rough idea of when we can actually start planning, and it doesn’t start until next spring.  After waiting all of this time, the fact that I will soon be waist-deep in wedding preparations in less than a year is almost mind-numbing.  I’m going to spend the night with my future in-laws tomorrow because we’re going to a wedding shower on Saturday for the Captain’s cousin.

I haven’t seen my future mother-in-law since the Captain and I announced our engagement and I’m really looking forward to talking weddings with her.  She used to be a seamstress and she has been around wedding dresses her whole life.  Coincidentally, the dress is the one purchase I am most excited about making.  I am definitely getting a great mother-in-law.  I’ll just be sure to leave out the part about choosing a wedding color based on my favorite fungus.  Is it spring yet????

This past weekend, I flew down to see the Captain.  I know I say it after every visit, but I really didn’t want to leave.  I’m a bit of a mess today.  I do much better when I have something to do to distract myself, but thanks to my relaxing final summer, I don’t have anything planned until Left Side Friend gets done with work.  We’ll just say that yesterday was rough and today seems only marginally better.  August can’t come soon enough.

I got into town Thursday night and the Captain and I had dinner and relaxed.  He had a student to fly with in the morning so it was a pretty low key evening.  I read a book Friday morning while the Captain was at work.  I can’t describe how happy I was to see him walk in the door.  I think I really appreciate the tiny little things that most people take for granted.  I can’t wait until the Captain comes home and it’s MY home, too.  It was really really hot on Friday so we went out for lunch and saw a movie.

On Friday, we went to an air show at an airport about an hour away.  It was ridiculously hot again, but it was worth it for the Golden Knights and the Blue Angels.  We parked at a local high school and took a shuttle to the air show.  It seemed like a great system.  The show was great.  I’m always impressed by stunt pilots and aerobatics.  And even though I’ve seen the Knights and Angels before, I’m always awed by the things they can do.  Some of the Golden Knights had parachuted over 3,000 times.  That’s beyond impressive.

We decided to walk out to the shuttles to head back to the car as the Blue Angels were wrapping up their show.  We soon discovered that the great shuttle/parking system was beginning to fall apart.  There was a huuuuge group of people waiting on black asphalt for several poorly-marked buses all going to different places.  After about 30 minutes, I discovered that the large bottle of water I consumed an hour before and the cup I water I just finished were not enough to keep me adequately hydrated.  I was just telling the Captain that I was feeling light-headed and we started to walk back to the table to get more water.  He decided to walk me to the EMTs instead and it was a good thing he did, because the progression from light headed to seeing stars to muffled hearing to the ground is rather rapid.  I actually fainted from the heat.

Luckily, we were very close to the ambulances and the EMTs came over right away and one of them caught me before I hit the ground.  The Captain said that they were just getting the stretcher ready for me to sit on and down I went.  I woke up a few moments later in the back of the ambulance with several cold towels on me.  They put a pulse-0x on my finger and checked my blood pressure.  Luckily, they let the Captain in the ambulance, too.  I couldn’t believe I actually fainted.  After about 20 minutes, some water, and another blood pressure check, I was released from the ambulance for Vet Student vs. parking lot, round 2.  By that time, there was another ambulance to lean on (and some glorious shade) and they had set up another table with water right in front of where we were waiting.  The Captain managed to see a bus headed to our parking lot and we scooted to the front of the line.

I wasn’t too excited about the hour drive back to the Captain’s apartment, but the promise of a cool shower and air conditioning kept me going.  As the evening progressed, I felt better and better.  We had barbecue for dinner and I happily drank some sweet tea (and a whole lot more water).  We were going to go out with some of the Captain’s friends, but it seemed like a better idea to stay in.  I wouldn’t have been able to drink anyway.  Alcohol + dehydration aren’t a good combo.

I called my parents yesterday while I was waiting to board the plane home and they both freaked out about my fainting (but I wouldn’t expect anything different).  I learned that consuming almost nothing but caffeinated beverages leading up a day in extreme heat is not a good way to prevent fainting.  I’ve been drinking a lot of water and I plan to continue and cut down on some of the coffee and pop.  I certainly don’t want to faint again when I go to Atlanta at the end of next month.  I got back to my apartment around 9:30 last night and spent some time with the cats.  I don’t know what I’d do without them.  There is just something about a purring cat that makes being sad just a little less…sad.  I know I’ll start to feel better soon.  The first day apart is always the hardest.  The Captain gets a week off in August and that’s not too long to wait.  I just need to find something to do in the mean time because sitting here and wallowing isn’t healthy.  I guess I’ll be reading a lot more books and actually getting to the gym…

I took James the cat to see his veterinarian on Monday.  He didn’t have any more seizures over the weekend, but I knew I had to get him checked out anyway.  He was very thoroughly examined by Dr. Wonderful and I followed her recommendation of a CBC, chem panel, FeLV/FIV test, and urinalysis.  Thank goodness for the previous employee discount… Since James was not generous enough to provide a urine sample, I had to leave him at the clinic for the day.  Amazing how this little experience has given me a new-found respect for other pet owners.  I was a basket case and I was only without my cat for 6 hours.

All of James’s lab values were within the normal range.  I expected this to be the case, but I would be lying by omission if I didn’t mention that some small part of me was hoping for a small abnormality that would help Dr. Wonderful make a diagnosis.  There are a few more tests that Dr. Wonderful mentioned, but I think I am going to hold off for now.  I’ll keep a close eye on James in the mean time.  I’m a veterinary student…I’ve always figured I’d have at least one pet develop a strange condition, I just had no idea it would happen so soon.

Since James seems to be out of danger for the time being, I’ve been free to think about the other things that are coming up this month.  I’m going to a wedding on Saturday with Best Friend and I think it’s going to be a really good time.  BF’s husband is out of town and the Captain couldn’t make it out here for the weekend so BF and I decided that we were each other’s date.  Since I drove to my parents’ house for Memorial Day weekend with the top down on the Jeep, I acquired some pretty funny tan lines that I tried to eliminate today.  I read outside for a while and when I came in, it looked like I had fixed my main problems.  However, my legs are flaming, lobster red starting 8 inches above my knees and ending on the tops of my feet.  Really, you’d think someone who grew up visiting a lake every weekend of her childhood would have more common sense when it comes to the sun…Aloe is my new best friend at the moment.

A week from Thursday, I’m flying down to visit the Captain.  I haven’t seen him since 3/11, which is the day after we got engaged.  To say that I’m excited would be a gross understatement.  I can’t wait. I smile whenever I think about seeing him, and I smile even brighter when I look at my engagement ring.  In less than two years, the Captain and I will share an address.  No more long distance, no more waiting months to see each other, no more scheduled phone dates…it will finally be our turn.  I bought a notebook today with a cover that matches out wedding color (Sapphire blue, or Blasto blue, to those of you in the veterinary world) to jot down my ideas for the big day.  What can I say?  I like making lists.

I should probably get to sleep at some point.  I’ve been staying up too late (as usual).  Actually, I think I’m going to read a bit more.  I’ve finished 3.5 books in 3 days at this point so I think I’ve finally hit my speed-reading stride.  I’ll fill you in on my conquests next time.  Goodnight moon.