CURVEBALLS 2 AND 3

I assume you read my post a few weeks ago titled "Curveball" regarding the unexpected passing of my grandmother. I guess things good and bad tend to come in three's, so here's the rest of the trio. #2-An aunt of mine (my mother's sister Kathy) passed away of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. My mother's family has a history of high blood pressure, and her grandmother had an aneurysm which never ruptured. My aunt also smoked. Regardless of these factors, nobody (including my aunt) knew she had the aneurysm, so needless to say, her passing was quite unexpected. Please keep our family in your prayers as we cope with yet another loss. #3-Ryan was laid off. This one was really a blessing in disguise as he quickly got another job where hopefully his talents can be utilized more. It's essentially the same position, but he should be able to teach more and really work with the club members more instead of manning a counter for most of the day. And the BEST part...it's back in Fort Worth instead of Houston! That means we are officially working on moving back! I cannot express how happy this makes me. We are so very excited about this.
Now, we also got some very good news from our vet regarding Mav. Late last year, I felt a mass along his ribcage. Being medical-minded, I decided to monitor the mass to see if it was growing, or if it just popped up and would stay the same size. Plus, I knew the first questions the vet would ask are: how long has it been there, is it growing, and is it painful to him. As it turns out, the mass was growing. It wasn't overnight, but I could tell a good difference each month when I measured it. We went to our primary vet here, who was not much help. His suggestion was: remove it or don't. Now, after having worked in oncology and having access to the medical technology I do, I know there are more options than that. I asked for a referral to a veterinary oncologist for a second opinion, and he flipped on me. I essentially bruised his ego, which rendered him useless now. So I attempted to get in with the best oncologist I could find, which proved to be about impossible. They wanted a referral, I couldn't get a referral out of my egotistical ex-vet and no other vet had seen the mass. Besides, I know more about the dog and his current condition than any vet we've ever seen does. And I don't mean that in a rude way, but we have moved around so much, that Mav hasn't seen the same vet more than twice. I have kept detailed records of his visits, can provide vaccination information, and have more info about this mass and its evolution than anyone cares to know. I worked through their referral requirement with my own means. Then, there was scheduling. They aren't open on weekends. They said they could get me in within the week, and couldn't. Any time I called for an appointment, she was either booked up or out of the office. They said they close at 5, but don't take new patients after 2...then it was no new patients after 1. Considering I'd have to leave work, drive 45 minutes home to get Mav, then drive 40 minutes to the vet...this begins to turn into an all day event. Plus, Ryan was reasonably apprehensive to take him in without me. So...we decided to pursue other options. I got a recommendation from my friend Stefanie on a good primary vet in the area. We went in on a Saturday. He examined Mav and even did a needle aspiration on-site with a cytological evaluation. All of this said and done, he was pretty comfortable that the mass was another lipoma (Mav has a few of these already), and we agreed on no further intervention at this time. I will monitor it and make sure Mav isn't inhibited or in pain, and we will just keep a close eye on it/him. That's probably the very best news we could have asked for. :)

WEEK ONE: A CONFESSION

The past week felt soooo long. We came back to town last Friday from Grandma's ceremony. I spent Saturday and Sunday attempting to study for my test that the school was kind enough to let me take on Monday. Problem was that I was still stressed with everything else going on (end of rotation, emotion about Grandma, stress of travel, impending Ayachi exam, new rotation to start...you get the picture), so apparently I maintained the attention span of a goldfish. I studied a lot, but I'm not sure it did much good. Monday came, I took my exam, then headed up to my new rotation in OB/GYN. With some decent hours, physical activity (delivering babies can be hard work!), and all the new info, the first week just really did me in. Thank goodness I had good Friday off! I was uber productive on Friday, then spent Saturday attempting to relax. So here's the confession part...I kinda think I love this OB/GYN business...mainly helping deliver babies! It combines the continuity of care and occasional "calmness" of primary care and internal medicine, the occasional spontaneity of ER, and some surgery. The atmosphere is generally light and happy, but of course there are serious times and hard parts, too. I don't know, I just feel right in this specialty. I also love the group I'm working with! So in short, week one was quite demanding on many fronts, but I love my new rotation :)

PICTURES!

As promised, here are some of the pics from Jason's birthday party in February...

Aren't we all cute?! This was the mob at our house before we went out.

ROOMIES! <3 I'm not sure why we were laughing so hard...
Me and the hubs
Part of the mob out on the town...can you say TROUBLE?!
Me and Heather
And remember how I told you we put Jason's birthday present in a pinata? Here's the proof and him in action attempting to open it :) Yes, we did this all indoors!

CURVEBALL

We got some unexpected, sad news this past Sunday. We found out that my Grandma Baileys passed away. Yes, she was suffering from dementia, but otherwise was in pretty good condition, especially for 87 years old. The nursing home said that she experienced respiratory distress/failure. A death in the family isn't easy though, whether it's expected or not. This also stirred up emotions since my Grandma Hill passed away just over a year ago. It got really difficult when I had to call the vet on Monday to cancel Mav's appointment with an oncologist because we will be out of town for Grandma's funeral. When Grandma Hill passed away, we were all sad, but also grateful that she wasn't suffering from the cancer any longer. I'm trying to see that side of my Grandma Baileys' passing, too, but it's proving to be more difficult. Please pray for me and for my family during this difficult time.

A MONTH, REALLY?

Ok, I realize it has been almost a month since I updated this...apparently time kinda got away from me. So here's the short version of what has happened in the last month, in no particular order:

1. I'm back in Houston! My Dallas rotation finished up at the end of February, and Goose, Tig, and I made it back home safely to Houston. We sure miss everyone, but are really happy to be back home. It makes me realize how much Ryan and I both want to move back when I finish school. But with Ryan having a really good job here, it just makes the decision difficult. Please pray that God will make the decision clear for us.

2. Ryan and I celebrated 8 years together! We stayed at the San Luis on Galveston island, got massages, walked on the beach, swam in the hotel's awesome pool, and even made a shopping trip to Murdoch's. It was low key, relaxing, and perfect.

3. I started a new rotation in Internal Medicine with a doc who is into alternative medicine. She has introduced me to medicines and techniques that I haven't been exposed to before, and I must say it can be quite interesting! She is wicked smart and works really hard; I enjoy her passion for what she does and for treating unique cases.

4. I snuck out and had fun...don't tell anyone! lol Ryan, Heather, Jason, and I went out to the rodeo one weekend and saw Luke Bryan in concert. He put on a fantastic show! I do love going to the rodeo :) Believe it or not, this was my and Ryan's first concert together.

5. I'm finally not sick anymore! 7 weeks later, it's about time! I had pharyngitis, and got a week of antibiotics. That didn't work, so they tried "supportive care" with cough suppressants, steroids, and numbing agents for my throat for about a week, and was still sick. Then I had bronchitis and got another 2 weeks of antibiotics. That seemed to work, but 2 days after finishing my antibiotics, I started having coughing fits again. That time, it was my asthma and allergies. So after about 2 weeks of keeping a tight grip on my asthma, I'm about back up to par. It feels good to breathe!

6. We have a busy week coming up. It's the end of my rotation, which is always packed full. I have a test with Dr Ayachi, and you never know what to expect with that guy. I also have a mentor meeting with the class of 2013 since they're about to leave on rotations. Then, Mav has an important vet visit on Thursday. Also, the Shell Houston Open is in town at the end of the week, so Ryan and I will be going to that at least once.

7. New rotation starts Monday and it's OB/GYN with the chief of staff at a big hospital around here. I'm a little anxious (per the usual), but really excited about this one! The idea of delivering babies makes me happy :) I know that sounds odd since I don't like kids. I'm considering working in OB/GYN when I graduate, so I hope this one goes well.

8. I got chased by a dog while out biking one day, and almost used my pepper spray on him. He tried to bite at my feet, so I kicked him. I guess he learned his lesson because he didn't come back. If he had, I was ready to go with my pepper spray! Don't mess with me! The cherry on top was that I (mind you, being color blind) was out looking for my little red tail light in the green grass :/ That fun event was followed up with some patient logging, as you know, my favorite activity (insert sarcasm). That day was a bit rough...

9. In case you hadn't noticed, spring is HERE! Sunny weather (perfect for running and biking), bluebonnets blooming, and more baby ducks at the pond! Daylight savings time is not my favorite event (losing an hour of sleep does NOT sit well with me), but I do enjoy that it's still sunny when I get off work. Bad news is that the mosquitoes are coming...ugh. I plan on enjoying the pretty weather and being outdoors while I can!

Well, I think that about does it! Hopefully it won't be another month before I get back here. I would love to post pics, but Heather still has custody of all the pics from Jason's bday part back in FEBRUARY and she has the pics from the rodeo/concert...so if you want pics posted, go annoy her :) LOVE YOU ROOMIE!

SO PROUD

Today, my Dad was ordained as a deacon! I've been raised in a Christian home, but my parents have had some trouble really finding a church home. If there was a youth group I liked, they weren't as happy. When they found a group and pastor they liked, I didn't like the youth group or didn't get much out of the services. Some churches were just too big and you got lost, some were too small with too many cliques. Ryan and I were blessed enough to find a church home in Colleyville shortly after being married. My parents found their church about a year ago and finally have a real church home that meets their needs and where they can serve and meet the needs of others. Mom teaches Sunday school and Aimee has really been doing well with the kids her age. Dad has served in a few other capacities at two different churches, but never as a deacon. The pastor and another deacon approached him, and it really took him by surprise. After prayerful consideration of the proposal and discussing it with all of us, he decided that he did feel called to say yes. He and mom have had to go through counseling and classes for a while, and today it was made official...Dad's a deacon! The Pastor did a really nice job with the ordination ceremony for Dad and 3 other members that had also been called to be deacons. Anson and his family and the Aylesworth family came to church with us for the ceremony and joined us for lunch afterwards-some good ole BBQ! Just a beautiful day :) So proud of you, Dad! But now the work is just beginning, so y'all please keep our family in your prayers.

CONGRATS!

Congratulations to my cousin Brian and his wife Whitney. Yesterday, they welcomed a baby girl named Addison to their family. I'm sure big brother Zane will be so excited!

Also, my cousin Alex and his girlfriend Victoria will be welcoming a baby this September.

Congratulations and best wishes to both families!