"We got Kentucky back."

Cats beat UNC 76 - 69 tonight in the East Regional Final.  

I'm still way too excited to string together two thoughts, so all I'm gonna say is GO BIG BLUE!  It's such a thrill being a UK student while all this is going on.  Campus is going crazy.  Cops are everywhere.  I only wish I could go with my family to the Final Four next weekend, but I'll be cheering my behind off from here in Lexington.  Thanks, Jorts, for giving us the "Kentucky" back that we all know and love.   And it feels oh so sweet to do this by beating Ohio State and UNC.

Final Four bound, baby!  Houston, watch out! 


LOVE this team.

Happy Things

Home-cooked meals.

UK basketball wins.

Weddings.

Picking fresh veggies and flowers from the garden.

Adorable nieces.

Approaching College Station, TX on Highway 6, blaring the Aggie war hymn with the windows down, warm air in your face.

Smell of freshly cut grass.

Quiet evenings in with the hubby.

Post work-out highs.

Thinking about how cute my mixed kids are going to be.

Freckles.

Sunsets.

And of course, Disney World - The Happiest Place on Earth.




These are a few of my favorite things.

Thanks, but no thanks

I'm on my Emergency Medicine rotation right now and my lack of experience and confidence is biting me in the tail.  Unlike our other rotations during third year, we are not assigned to a particular resident or attending physician who is to mentor, teach, and tell us what to do.  I am completely on my own when I show up to the ER.  I can do whatever I want whenever I want it.  Freedom.  Some thrive off of this (ie my husband).  Others struggle (me).  We have a list of things we have to get done during this short rotation, such as starting IVs, placing a foley and NG tube, doing a stint and laceration repair, etc.  But there is no one there to make sure I get it done.  It's up to me, which means I have to steal it away from one of the residents.  I am not nearly aggressive enough to get in on the good stuff.

Confession: I am a third year medical student who has never put in an IV.  We spend so much time book learning and do not get nearly enough hands on education.

Yesterday I decided I needed to "man" up and just do it.  I went up to one of the EMS guys and asked him to show me how to place an IV on the next patient that comes in and then let me do it from then on.  He was very accepting and was excited about teaching me, so after showing me on the first patient, he grabbed me to take me to the next room where it was my turn to try.  I walked into a room with him to find a neurotic 45 year old man that had interesting views on life, and we were his audience for the moment.  He explained to me how he doesn't trust MDs, only DOs.  Army nurses are the only nurses that know how to place an IV because they are taught in stressful situations.  He then told me how he never lets attractive doctors near him because they only got where they are because of their looks, not their brains.  He then looks straight at me and says, "Yeah, so that means you better not touch me."  Ummm, thanks for the complement, kind of.

I botched my next opportunity on a guy that was screaming bloody murder as I tried to stick him.  Luckily the nurse messed up twice after me (well, luckily for my ego, not for the patient) and another nurse had to come in and give it a try.  My confidence was down to zero at this point, but the EMS guys came to the rescue.  They let me practice on them.  Yes, that's right, they sacrificed their own bodies for a scared little med student who had no idea what she was doing.  I am forever grateful.

Today I was assigned to Fire Station #1 in Lexington for an EMS ride-a-long.  Once again, the paramedics were awesome and let me do whatever I wanted.  I didn't get to stick the first patient we picked up because she was having seizures and was mentally handicapped plus had CP, so not the easiest thing in the world.  But the second patient was perfect.  A young, mostly healthy woman who was having abdominal pain.  Easy stick opportunity.  That is, until mama hopped in the back of the ambulance with us.  When the medic explained to the patient that I was a medical student and would love to try to start the IV, she was cool about it.  As I moved into position to start, the mom whispered to the Major on board, "She's suffering enough, I don't think we should make her suffer any more."  "Huh?" he responds.  "I'd really rather the medical student not touch my daughter."  That wasn't awkward at all.

And then to end the day, the Chief of the station came up to me and started chit chatting.  After about 5 minutes, he asks what program I am with.  I tell him I'm a 3rd year medical student on my ER rotation, and he looks at me funny and says, "What?  A medical student?!  How old are you?"  "26, sir.  Why, how old did you think I am?"  "19, tops."  In some ways I guess that's a complement, but at the same time, I wish I looked a little more mature.  No wonder people don't want me sticking them.  I wouldn't want a 19 year old poking me with a needle either.

Stereotypes

Since entering the medical profession I have learned there is a lot of competition and, dare I say, contempt amongst physicians.  I had no idea until I started clinicals this year and have had the opportunity to see physicians bash each other time and time again.  Here are a few examples of what I've learned.  Note: these are NOT my stereotypes, but ones that definitely exist.  I do not agree with many of them, and there obviously are exceptions to the rule, but they are pretty amusing.

1. Pediatricians hate surgeons.  In their minds, surgeons exist only to torture their little, precious patients and are the real enemy, not the disease.

2. Cardiologists think they are God's gift to mankind.

3. Surgeons think OB/Gyn physicians are butchers.  They get so little surgical training compared to a surgery residency, there is no way they could do a good job.

4. Everybody hates Dermatologists because they work ~30 hours a week, have no call, work no weekends, and make 4x as much as the average physician.

5. Neurologists are obnoxious. 

6. If you like people and have an ounce of personality, then you don't go into Anesthesiology, Radiology, Pathology, or Emergency Medicine.  Basically, you don't do the "shift work" fields of medicine.

7. It's Emergency Medicine versus the world.  I have to say this is the strongest rivalry in medicine.  I have had at least 5 different physicians in different fields ask me what I am going into, and then respond, "Oh thank God, not Emergency Medicine."

8. Family physicians are the stupid people who can't get into any other field.

9. Psychiatrists are lazy.

10.  Internal medicine doctors think surgeons don't know how to think.  They are nothing but a good pair of hands who have mastered a skill, and their brains bring nothing to the intellectual table.  Surgeons think internal medicine doctors never do anything, they just sit there all day wasting people's time and resources by taking days to diagnose pneumonia, only after ordering a battery of tests to rule out the most crazy diseases in the world.

Well, I'm back...

...but this time as Mrs. Chang.

Marriage is a trip.  Tons of fun.  I really recommend it.  I don't understand why people say it's a hard adjustment.  Hasn't been for us.  Hello, I'm roomies with my best friend.  And he pays the bills.  All I have to do is a make him coffee in the morning, pack him a lunch, cook him dinner, do the laundry, clip his nails, and tell him he's amazing every day, all the while pulling 12 hour days at the hospital.  Oh wait, maybe that isn't such a fair trade-off?  Just kidding.  He also mows the lawn, takes out the trash, cleans the dishes, mops/vacuums the floors, and puts up with me.  He is well on his way to earning Husband of the Year award.

Ed and I have so much fun hanging out at home that we have become somewhat anti-social.  You really have to do some hard convincing to get us out.  We didn't go to one UK football or basketball game this year, but we watched every single one of them on our wonderful couch in front of our awesome TV.  You can't beat the luxury of home: clean bathroom with no wait, stocked refrigerator, and temperature control.  We aren't bad fans.  We just really, really like our house.  And Netflix has only added to this problem.

I love cooking.  It came out of nowhere.  I have become so domestic since moving into our home.  While I still have a long way to go before I consider myself a chef, my hubby is a gem and always compliments me on my cooking.  Every night when I tell him dinner is ready and he comes to the dining room, he looks at the food and says emphatically "This is my favorite!"  You think I'd get annoyed by this since he has said it at least 100 times, but it melts my heart every time because he seems so sincere.  I got myself a good one.

Med school is flying by.  Third year really is so much better than the first two years.  No more classroom and library time.   While the hours can be tough, I'm not going to complain.  Impacting patient's lives rock.  Definitely glad I'm going into medicine.  I'm currently deciding what to do with the rest of my life.  Ed is pursuing ENT.  I know I want to do primary care (although my dad is doing everything in his power to get me do a sub-specialty).  Family Medicine is in the lead right now.  Love the variety.  Love knowing something about everything.  Love outpatient medicine.  Love relationships with patients.  Peds and Internal Medicine are also in the running, but I don't think I'm willing to give up a population (children or adults) if I go into either of those.  Combined Med/Peds was in the running for a while, but none of the programs I am applying to have that as an option.  Plus, I lose the OB/Gyn training if I do that. 

Oh, so I'm guessing you want to know where we are going after medical school?  Well as I'm sure most of you know, Ed is on an Army Scholarship for medical school, so he will be doing a military residency.  There are only 4 bases in the country that have ENT programs: Hawaii, Tacoma/Seattle, San Antonio, and Washington DC.  We are heavily pursuing the first two, but could end up at any of them since residency placement is a "Match" program where you interview multiple places and send in a rank list of your top places, and the programs submit a rank list of their top applicants, and a computer spits out the best match.  Slightly stressful, but fun at the same time.

More updates to come soon.  It feels good to be back.  Give me some input - what field of medicine do you think I should go into?

100 Days

The next 100 days are going to be intense.

I'm finishing up my second year of medical school, which is crazy to me because I feel like it just started. I have 7 more tests until I am half way to my degree. Exciting, except for the fact that I have to get at least a 90% on most of them if I want to get an A in the class. But I'm not here to complain. When I look back at my life this time last year, I was stressed about passing! I actually have the opportunity to pull out a 4.0 for this year if I can pull those A's out on these last few tests. It's going to be tough. I got my work cut out for me! But oh, what a difference a year can make.
...28 days


The day after I finish finals, I am a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's weddings. I am so blessed to call Ashley a friend, and I am incredibly pumped about Tommy and her tying the knot on May 8. They started dating about 2 months before Ed and I, and here they are getting married 2 months before we are. It's been so fun going through the highs and lows of being single, then dating, and now both being engaged to the men of our dreams together.
...29 days


That next Tuesday starts the most important 5 weeks of my academic career thus far - USMLE Step 1 studying. While most people have no idea what that means (and I envy you), those who do know how intimidating this process is. One test determines my career as a doctor. This 3 number score will be permanently tagged next to my name on all residency applications. It is more important than my GPA, research, extracurricular activities, or "who you know." If I do well, I can enter whatever medical field I desire. If I do average (which most people do, haha), I can go ahead and cross off all the competitive specialties. If I don't pass, I have to repeat second year. I'm not too optimistic about it, considering my track record with standardized exams is pretty bleak. But hopefully with 10+ hours of studying a day for 5 weeks, I'll be able to pull it out. DDay = June 16th.
...68 days


About one month after I finish boards, I get to marry my superman. While there is much to do between now and then in regards to wedding planning, I am so excited for July 18th! It is definitely the thing keeping my spirits high during this stressful time. I can't wait to be Mrs./Dr. Chang! I must admit that there are 2 drawbacks for the name change: (1) I will never get to be called "Dr. Jones, Dr. Jones!!" like in Indiana Jones, and (2) I fear my future patients will show up to my office expecting to see a smart, Asian doctor, and then find some dumb, white chick instead. Also, I am looking forward to moving into Ed's adorable home. I have had enough of these loud, ghetto, undergrad-filled apartments. I can't wait to have a roommate again! :) But even before enjoying that home together, I am slightly looking forward to the honeymoon. Tahiti here we come.
...100 days

The Proposal

Sorry for the delay on the proposal story. It's been a hectic month with both wedding planning and school, but I came to realization today that my life is going to stay that way until I get done with boards in June, so I might as well write the blog now. Keep in mind that I have a test tomorrow that I need to be studying for, so you aren't going to get all the nitty-gritty, dirty details, but it will suffice. Drum roll please....

The Set Up:

It was our first week back to classes after Christmas break, and I was already in high stress mode. Not only was I freaking out about all the tests coming up that I needed to do really well on, but I was also having mini panic attacks whenever the looming Step 1 board exam came to mind. I decided I needed to start doing some stress relieving exercises so that I didn't implode before this summer ever arrived. After much research online, I came up with my plan: eat healthier, exercise regularly, pray more, and get massages. It was going to be the cure to my stress, I was sure of it. So I called and set up a massage for that Friday afternoon, and the only time available was 4pm. I took it, marked it on the calendar, and went on with my week.

Ed was extremely busy that week. He was going into his lab more than usual to get extra research done and he was spending more time interviewing and seeing patients than usual, but he was happy as a clam. I was a little frustrated that he was gone so much, but it was hard to get too upset because he was doing things that were important to his education. Little did I know that the time spent in the lab on Monday was him meeting with my dad to ask permission for my hand. And then the time spent with patients on Tuesday afternoon was really him driving to and from Cincinnati to go purchase my ring. Tricky little guy.

On Thursday afternoon, Andrew informed me that he was leaving the next day to go back to Wheaton College in Chicago, instead of Sunday like he had originally planned. He asked if I wanted to meet him for lunch on Friday, but I thought we should have a more formal going away party for him. I called up Mom and told her we should go out to eat that night as a family. She was so confused and kept arguing with me that Andrew wasn't leaving until Sunday, so we could do it later that weekend. She didn't believe me so she called Andrew and asked what was going on. He explained to her that this fake goodbye party was needed for Ed's proposal story, so she needed to play along. Mama called me back and said I was right, he was leaving, so we made plans to meet at Ramsey's for dinner that night. We had a great dinner, then Ed and I said our goodbyes to Andrew and went back to our studying.

The Scene:

Friday afternoon finally arrived. I dropped Ed off at his lab like usual at 1 pm so he could get some research done, and I went back to my apartment to study and get some other errands done before my massage at 4pm. The plan was for me to pick him up when I was done with my massage. I went into the massage feeling like crap (for lack of a better word); I was so incredibly stressed out. I had all the classic symptoms of anxiety - muscle tension, light headed, indigestion, fatigue, etc. An hour later, I came out feeling like a new woman. I was excited to see Ed and let him know how great I felt and how ready I was tackle the studying that needed to be done. I got to my car and found my phone - 2 missed calls and a missed text message from Andrew (my brother). "Call me ASAP," it read.

I called him to find out his car had broken down on his drive back to college. He hadn't made it very far, so he was wondering if I could pick him up. He couldn't get a hold of mom or dad, and he was desperate for a ride. He claimed his car had already been towed, and a nice lady had picked him up on the side of the road and given him a ride to her work (the Castle in Versailles, KY, about 30 minutes from where I live). He had been waiting there for a while now, unable to get a hold of anyone in the family, and was obviously frustrated. I didn't really want to go out there alone, so I called Ed to see if I could pick him up before I started heading out to get Andrew. He didn't answer my calls or texts. It was absolutely freezing outside, and snow was covering the ground, so it was slightly scary to drive, but Andrew had caught me in a good mood after the massage, so I started driving out to rescue my baby bro.

About 15 minutes later, Ed finally calls back and apologizes for not answering earlier. He had his phone on silent in his pocket, so he didn't know I had called. He was frustrated because he would have definitely driven out there with me, and he knew we wouldn't see each other for another hour or two now. We stayed on the line talking until I got to the castle, and I told him I needed to call Andrew to figure out exactly where to go. Andrew gave me directions to where he was, and asked me to park and come inside to see the place since we had driven by it a million times but never stopped there before.

I walked in the huge front doors expecting to see Andrew waiting right inside, but instead I was greeted by a concierge lady. "Are you Elisabeth?," she asked. "Your brother is right around the corner." It was at that moment that I realized what was going on. Everything clicked as I turned the corner to see Ed standing there in his nicest suit, holding a dozen roses and a little blue ring box. I screamed "I KNEW IT!", even though I had only known for 0.5 seconds. He hugged me, then immediately got down on his knee. He had a whole spiel that was incredibly sweet and romantic, then he asked me to be his wife. I was shaking so much from both shock and excitement that I could barely get out the answer. I managed to whisper "yes," and he put the ring on my finger and jumped up to hug and kiss me.

At this point I was still in shock, and I didn't even know how to react, except to say that I felt so stupid being in my grungy clothes and pig tails. It was the perfect set-up for him to explain that he had prepared for that and gotten a hotel room upstairs for me to shower and change into a dress that he had brought for me. We went upstairs to find chocolate covered strawberries and 2 glasses of champagne waiting for us. We celebrated up there in private, then I got ready and joined him downstairs for our 5 course dinner. We had a private room and chef for the evening. After the awesome meal, we packed up our stuff and headed over to my parent's house to share the good news with them.

It was a magical evening. I still can't believe he was able to pull it off so flawlessly. From the beautiful ring he picked out, to the surprise factor, to having my family involved, I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect. I can't wait to marry the man I love and spend the rest of my life with him. I am the luckiest girl in the world!!