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Saturday, August 23, 2008

Hello Lewiston...

Well I just finished the first week of my emergency medicine rotation and all I can say is wow... I LOVED IT!!! I worked 4 ten hour days and then a half day on Friday, I feel like I have already seen more patients than I did in the previous 12 weeks. I have seen broken bones, plugged ears, sore throats, over doses, central retinal artery occlusion, subdural hematomas, pneumonia, lacerations, chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, tooth pain and all other kinds of pain. I have seen intubations, suturing, splinting, EKGs, CT, X rays, blood gases, and everything else imaginable all in the first week. Part of me wants to say it is nothing like on TV, I mean I have yet to meet Dr. Carter (I keep hoping), but another part of me thinks it is a bit like on TV- the early years at least. Especially when one of the Docs asks me a question and I get frazzeled and I just start spiting forth information. I usually get half right, maybe one day I will know an entire answer. Although there would be very little learning to do if I already knew all the answers. I guess I have a lot of learning to go...

In other news, I went to the Bangor Folk Festival this weekend. The weather was PERFECT for it and the company was great! This was the first fair that had real "fair food" and not just sea food (blah). I was very excited about it. I got lemonade, Chicken on a stick that I ate like a cave women (stains and all!) and best of all Fresh Kettle Corn... Just like at Sea Side in August... (Family- did anyone go this year?) Now I am relaxing and resting up for another long week in the ER.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Good-Bye Togus

Well it is time to move on from Togus and while I really enjoyed working with the Veterans, I will NOT miss Togus Maine. There was no Internet so I had to drive to the state library anytime I wanted to do anything online and I would inevitable remember something else I "meant" to do online as soon as I got back in my car to leave the library. The housing was questionable, I mean, I know it's free but I really don't like sharing my living space with bats and bugs... I am pretty sure the the house is on the Verge of condemnation. Anyway, I am done there, I got all my stuff out and I made it out Rabies free so that is a plus.
I spend the next two days on campus in Portland doing presentations and other busy work and then I start on Monday in Lewiston Maine in the Emergency Department. Yikes, I nope no one really sick comes in on my first day... On this rotation I will be living at the house of one of my classmates who, conveniently for me, needed someone to live there and watch the dogs during the week. I jumped at the opportunity but not before ensuring that she had Internet because there is NO WAY I would willingly sign up for another six weeks sans Internet.
I don't have any pretty pictures to post of my time in August because really, there was nothing there to see. Maybe next time I will have some photographs for you all.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The rain in Maine

When someone learns that I am from Seattle they ask two questions: "How did you end up in Maine?" and "Doesn't it rain all the time out there?". Well people I have news for you... it rains all the time in Maine, that is when it is not snowing. I feel like I have not seen the sun in days. I try to tell people that at least in Seattle it will sprinkle for a while and then stop... it doesn't stop here. The upside is there has been a lot of thunder and lightening which I enjoy. I am kind of tired of having to defend Seattle though... however, now that I think about it, I am not really sure why I am defending it at all- it will just make more people want to go there and those of us from there know that once people come to Seattle, they never want to leave. From now on I will say that it never stops raining, we can go for two years without seeing the sun, the city may fall into the ocean with the next big earthquake and the volcano will erupt at any moment. That should do the trick and keep people away...

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Saturday morning pass time...

I have discovered my new favorite way to start my weekends. Coffee, Breakfast, and Backgammon! We went to a really cute coffee shop this morning in Ellsworth Maine, me with my Travel backgammon in hand ready for some coffee and food! The placed had some really nice overstuffed leather couches and chairs so after we placed out order we grabbed a couch! The coffee was good, when I ordered I just said "I want the biggest vanilla latte you make" and the breakfast sandwiches were delicious (we both had ham, eggs and pepperjack cheese on an english muffin). We sat and played Backgammon for over an hour! The competition is heating up, which I like, each game gets a little bit closer- soon I will be losing more than I win! I would love to start every Saturday that way from now on, unfortunately that is not practical but it makes for a nice image...