Speculative Speculum

Pregnancy fatigue has hit me hard. Really hard. I just want to sleep but can’t with work and school. This week was the children’s last week of daycare since the facility closed for good. It was associated with my hospital, and they decided that it was not a money maker. I think that my kids will miss going there. The workers wrote nice things in some books for the kids, and it made me sad to read the things that they had written. D1 starts kindergarten this week, however, so he will be busy doing big kid stuff. I will get to spend a lot of extra time with my younger children with D1 away at school.

I’m writing a literature analysis on A Midwife’s Tale. I wish that I had more energy to write, though. I don’t really feel that great. The nausea sucks, and I’m tired of spitting out all my saliva all the time into a towel. I’m tired of all the pregnancy questions and about why I have a towel with me all the time. Hyperemesis is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m also having trouble breathing and feel winded. I do like feeling all the Braxton Hicks; I find them strangely comforting. We will be six months pregnant tomorrow.

We have been using the new Interqual book for case management for the last several weeks. Let’s just say that it sucks, and I’m looking forward to the revisions that should be sent out soon. The section on hyperemesis gravidarum, however, is really good. Interesting.

I’ve been busy filling out my primary applications for both MD and DO schools. So far, for AMCAS 3/4 transcripts have been received. For AACOMAS, only 2/4 transcripts have been received Scratch that. I now I have 2/4 received and 1 “logged!” I am also still waiting for two letters of recommendation. It is a very slow process. Before I submit beginning in early June, I need to make sure that I put in all my courses and grades correctly. This is tedious when one has over 200 credit hours, and I need to still fill in a description for the work that I currently do in the ER as a case manager. It’s hard to sum up all the different jobs that I have had under the same role over the last six years since I have worn so many hats so to speak. Other than that, I’ve been just checking and checking both applications daily to see what comes in and what doesn’t. I would advise anyone applying to medical school to start filling out these forms early because they are long.

As for pregnancy, I feel like a train wreck. I’m not loosing weight as fast as with my other pregnancies so this is good. I just want to sleep because this is the only time that I am not nauseated. In my dreams, I eat tons of food. Last night in my dream, I had Dip N Dots ice cream. I was just scooping it up in my hands and eating it. The Phenergan is helping me keep some foods down. I’m intaking 200-1000 calories daily depending on the day and how much that I vomit. This is great for me at 8 weeks and 2 days! Usually, my overall intake is zero. I’ve been watching the second season of the Walking Dead to keep my mind off the nausea. Oh wait, I am kind of like the walking dead myself now, lol. My mom has been helping me A LOT and so has my husband since he has been taking the kids to daycare for me every Tuesday and Thursday. I decided to keep them in over the summer.

I’m just getting into the swing of MCAT preparation again. I needed a break from school. It is so hard to study while nauseated, not eating very much, high on Phernergan, studying with kids, and having a full-time job. I was wrong about my MCAT date; it is really for July 26, 2012. I kept getting it confused with July 14, 2012. This is okay, though, because it gives my two extra weeks to study. If I make it through this, I will be a rockstar. Who cares if no one admits me to their medical school. I will personally know that I had accomplished a lot under the circumstances!

The other great news, is that there is another MD school opening this year in my state. That makes five total of MD and 1 DO just in the state with another MD just minutes from my house across the state line (still get in state tuition through an agreement made because of such a close proximity to the school). Woo-hoo. Six schools available to me with in state tuition. Pick me, pick me!

D1 is talking so crazy now since he is into video games. He blabbers about portals, teleportation, sandstone, mining, and so forth. He can also read more words that I never taught him. He wants a baby sister. D2 is talking better, and D3 is REALLY talking. I can understand most of what she says. She loves ponies- plastic and real! She is also doing a great job with using the potty. Such a big girl!

My history courses are coming to a close, and I have done nothing but writing, writing, writing. I didn’t take my kids to swim lessons this week, I have done little organic chemistry, and I will be so glad when I have these three papers completed. I’ve decided to take the next month off from my history degree. I’m low on tuition money, so at least I will have time to save up. I think that it will be a nice break since I have had one since I started my graduate degree. I have not studied anymore for the MCAT this week. Work has been so busy also. We’ve had a lot of sad things happen in the ER.

Organic chemistry is going well. I have another test coming up on Thursday. For the last test, the scores ranged from a 43 to a 98. The girl who got the 98 didn’t study at all! I wish that I could be like that. I love chemistry lab, and I love my teacher. She gives us so much confidence in what we are doing and doesn’t treat us like we are stupid. She says that we are already her collegues and that the skills that we learn in the lab will help us in our future careers. I also love the microglass kits. Who knew chemistry could be so cool?

Notetaking has been going fine. I’ve certainly got into the swing of things, and it will be nice to get a paycheck at the end of the semester! I started two new clubs at my college: the International Studies Club and the Math and Science Society. My sister was the president of the Math and Science Society two years ago, and my brother was in the International Studies Club and went to Europe last spring. I’m going to run for treasurer of the Math and Science Society and president of the International Studies Club. The meetings align perfectly in my schedule which is great. I wish that I would have joined more clubs when I was younger since it has been nice to get more social interaction with school peers. The International Studies Club plans on going to New York this spring to see the 9/11 Memorial which I feel is worth visiting at least once in a life time.

D1 has been so funny and sweet lately. D2 is so handsome and likes to dress up all the time, and D3 started walking! D3 has also started letting me put bows in her hair, which I love doing. She looks so pretty! Daycare has been going fine, and D1 is doing well in the school there.

I’ve been asking around to see if anyone would be interested in becoming a faculty advisor for the pre-health club that I’ve been trying to initiate. So far, I don’t have any bites. This is kind of dissapointing especially from the nursing department which is the area that could most benefit from having students better informed about going into the health care field. I will keep trying, however.

“Who is Frau Aufbau?” D1 asked the other day. We were obviously listening to EK Audio Osmosis in the car (if you have listened to these CDs, you know what I am talking about). So I told him, “It’s not a person. It’s when electrons are added to the shell with the lowest energy first.” D1 then asked, “Do electrons hurt people?” “Yeah sometimes,” I replied.

Working 12+ hour shifts daily is not conducive at all for MCAT studying. I’m currently almost done with EK Lecture 2 which covers gases and kinetics. I’ve been trying to get ahead in my organic chemistry class, so I’ve been spending a lot of time reading my organic chemistry book. Thankfully, a lot of my EK review material overlaps with the things that we are currently doing in organic chemistry.

Things are starting to “click” more, and I’m slowly getting into the groove of what the MCAT expects. I’m inspired by those on SDN who are getting high 30s; they are amazing! There have been a lot of changes lately with starting daycare, picking up an extra job, children who are always learning creative ways to get into things that they shouldn’t, constant volunteering opportunites, starting swimming again, and my kids starting swimming lessons this week. Considering everything, I’m probably going at the studying pace that should be expected for me at this stage in my life.

This week, I’m skipping to EK chapter 6: Acids and Bases since we are going to be reviewing all of these concepts over the next week in organic chemistry anyway. The five month mark until the end of January MCAT dates is now here. I have five months to prepare if I want to take the MCAT “early” so I can apply to some local special master’s programs in my area.

Everyone survived a first day at daycare yesterday -even the daycare workers! It was hard to leave my kids, and I definitely felt like a horrible parent. They had a blast, though, and my oldest keeps asking if he can go back. They are a hoot there at this daycare place which is associated with my hospital, and the rumor on the street is that they like to spoil the children rotten! Tomorrow is actually the first day of school at my other college, so that will be the first “real” day of everything being, well real.

My children will have to enter daycare for two days a week while I take organic chemistry next year. I’ve heard good things about my hospital’s daycare so I visited it and gathered paper work. I think that my children will have a good time there. It doesn’t make me any less scared, however. They have never really spent time away from family, and it’s going to be difficult for me to let them go. They will be doing preschool lessons which I feel good about, and I got to meet one of the kids that goes there. His name is Devin, and he reminded me so much of D1 down to his looks and love for vacuums. My class starts on 8/25, but I decided that I wanted to trial it out a little bit so that I feel more comfortable with everything. The daycare is down the street from several OB/GYN offices. One has said that he is okay with me shadowing him so I might spend a couple of hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the office. Otherwise, I’m asking him if I can shadow him in surgery. I can’t remember what his “OR” day is at our community hospital.

It looks like my college is organizing a history club. It has over 80 potential members at the moment. I’m exciting about this! Mentoring has been going well. I got some Berkely Review MCAT books in the mail. I ordered from them over three months ago and had cancelled my order after I had purchased the same books off of Ebay. Now I have two sets, but this is okay because now I don’t have to lug around so many books. After next spring, I’m going to give everything away! I have four more PS’s to read for people on SDN and a couple of papers to read from coworkers.

We kept busy this week. On Wednesday, we went to kid’s night at a local restaurant (see iPod images below). Yesterday, we went to the mall. D3 made friends with a two-year-old named Butter (yes, that IS is name lol) at the indoor playground, and everyone had fun riding the indoor train. Today, I got to hold a newborn. They were in the same L&D room that I was in when I had D3. She actually came to the hospital and gave birth at the same time of day that I did with D3 also which was fun. Phalina and her cute baby boy are doing wonderful. I got my baby fix in for the moment.