UPS AND DOWNS

My mom called me on Tuesday and had to give me some terrible news. I was already tired from a long day at work and knew I had 3 more shifts before my week was over, so I probably took it worse that I would have normally. She had to tell me that my cat back home, Scooter, had been viciously attacked and killed by a few stray dogs that morning. They had also killed other cats in the neighborhood and threatened to attack some of the people. I was, and still am, extremely upset about the situation, so please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. We found out today that the dogs were captured and taken to the local pound, which helped provide some closure; I just hope they won't be allowed access to hurt any people or any other animals.

As if my day hadn't already been physically, mentally, and emotionally draining, Ryan called on his way home from work to let me know that he was bringing home a kitten. Apparently he went out to his truck and found this little guy trying to find a safe, warm spot to sleep, then he followed Ryan around crying to him. He said he wouldn't normally bring home random cats, but this one was really little and we would be getting a cold front that night-he didn't think he'd survive outside alone without any other kittens or a mama cat. So...we got another kitten. And little he is...the vet estimated 4 weeks old and he weighed in at a whopping 3/4 of a pound. He was a bit scraggly looking at first, but he has cleaned up nicely and started putting on a little weight. He's really coming into his own now! He is playing, getting along with the pups and Tigger, and he has this eating thing down. Mav just loves him, Goosey hates him, and Tigger will finally go within a 5 foot radius of him. Everyone, meet Cheeto!

He looks innocent...but he can be a little firecracker!

Goosey is still mad that we have a new kitten. This is one of her ways of expressing how mad she is.

He's already a Packer's fan!

Apparently, he is Mav's kitty. They get along surprisingly well.

My first picture!

LIFE IN THE ER

First, an addendum to my post about General Surgery...to everyone, I know your mother probably taught you to wash behind your ears, but apparently some mothers have been failing to teach their children to wash their belly buttons. The deal is, when you go into surgery, especially anything to do with the abdominal or pelvic areas, the team will clean the area, and it often includes cleaning the belly button. Now, I saw some terrifying things come out of some of my patients' belly buttons. So almost as a PSA, please clean out your freaking belly button when you bathe!

So now ER business...I'm not sure this is quite my cup of tea. I have enjoyed some aspects-mainly the fast pace makes the time go by fast and working 12-hour shifts means I have to work less shifts. Plus, I really have gotten to see and do a lot. However, 12 hour days are really quite long. I'm not sure I'm cut out for that. I work with new staff each day, so each day is essentially Day 1 of a rotation, which wrecks my nerves and I always feel out of place and awkward. I also feel that once I get to know a preceptor, they help me with my weaknesses. In this scenario, I don't quite get that opportunity, so I feel like I've grown in a few small areas, but no significant areas like I did in some of my other rotations. Also being in a very urban ER is much different than my small-town ER where I got my first ER experience. I preferred the small-town vibe :) Now, don't get me wrong, the staff I've worked with here has been quite helpful and generally friendly, but I like to develop relationships and work with people on a more personal and less formal level. Regarding big lessons to pass on to yall...I'm still working on thinking about that one. The cool stories I can't really share for privacy reasons and the rest you'd probably find boring. But I'll keep thinking about it... I've actually finished my days in the ER and am now switching to nights for a few shifts. For those of you who know how much I love my sleep, pray for me and this transition!

FALL FESTIVITIES

I have about 3 days off before my next rotation starts, so we decided to take the pups out for a little fall fun. We went costume shopping and visited the pumpkin patch. :)

We dressed Mav up in the "Land Shark" costume...we thought it was pretty fitting for him! lol But even though we had the largest size (an XXL), it was still too small :(

LIFE IS LIKE A GAME OF DODGEBALL

Well, I survived general surgery! Yay! And I didn't pass out! I ended up enjoying it much more than I expected. What did I enjoy most? Probably the atmosphere. It was a light, relaxed atmosphere, but it was still efficient and productive. My preceptor was also pretty awesome, so I'm sure that had an impact. So what did I learn? First, life is apparently like a game of dodgeball. You'll always have people on your side and always have people not on your side. You may have strengths, but you'll also always have weaknesses. You'll play the game better if you learn to work as a team. You won't get very far by sitting in the corner alone doing nothing or just being scared to play. And lastly, it CAN BE FUN! Granted, I also learned a lot about the surgeries we were doing and patient care...but you'll probably find the dodgeball thing more interesting :) So all in all, I had a great rotation, I really learned a lot, and surgery is still in the running for career possibilities. I also learned/realized how important it is to have a boss that I really get along with if I do choose a career in surgery because of how closely we will be required to work. So ER is up next...yet another foreign environment and new experiences!