280. The Thing About Medical School

The thing about medical school is that I'm learning just enough to become a menace to myself and society.  We're into the kidney now, and learning about nephrotoxins.  Well...I mean!   

That cave I've mentioned?  I really do think I ought to get one and withdraw completely from the world.  However, then I might develop some sort of lung disease from the mold and the dust and the dank.  See?  We did the lung several weeks ago.  I do retain some things. 

Like irrational fears. 

I definitely have to give up the Diet Coke/Pepsi, though.  Though all the doctors in the room are drinking it right along with me and race me to the vending machine at every break, the thing I have actually learned from medical school is something I already knew:  Doctors are stupid. 

I kid!  I kid!  But anyway, if the actual multiple poisons in that can don't get me, the fear and worrying about it will. So I'm quitting (again).  But not today.

Anyhoo.  We promised you a lace package drawing today.  But Paula's gone a-drivin' to pick up her son and won't be back 'til late.  The deadline for getting the donations and emails in ended after she had to leave and before she was expected back.  And I have 8 a.m. lectures tomorrow, so I'm going to bed early.  She's got the spreadsheet.  See the dilemma?

So do you mind waiting 'til tomorrow for the announcement?  [UPDATE:  The winner is Terry.  I've emailed you, Terry.  Congratulations!] 

Meantime, take a gander at my sleeve.  I had some real good knitting time yesterday afternoon, and I took good advantage of it. 

This is kind of a dumb and crappy picture, but what you should glean from it is that I have begun the sleeve cap already. 

I am feeling the love. 

Comments

[Kristen]

Yeah, the thing about studying any branch of medicine is that it can make you a real hypochondriac. Or, in my case with my studies of psychology, confirm that I am indeed seriously wacko.

[barb]

Wait until you get to the brain, heh.

[Ruth]

OSHA can't help you with that occupational hazard, I'm afraid.

I know you're right about the Diet Coke. Kicking it is hard, though. I have so few other vices (heh).

[Ally]

If there's one thing I've learned so far in medical school... it's that we're all gonna die.

Might as well go with a Coke in your hand and a smile on your face ;-)

P.S. I was wondering if I was the only one who noticed that Dr. Hopkins loves his Coke and Famous Amos cookies... interestingly, I've also noticed that he is one of the only cardiologists who is not overweight. Ah, the irony.

[Cathy-Cate]

And I love to see you feel the (sleeve)love!

Second year of medical school is where one develops 'medical student disease', where you get everything you're studying. Feel tired (who wouldn't?) and have a few enlarged lymph nodes on your neck from your head cold? Hodgkin's disease for sure! Me, I hit my head in a minor bike crash, and when I got my first migraine two months later, I KNEW it was a subdural hematoma. And we're all hypothyroid. (A few of us actually are.)

50 years ago, the air used to be blue with smoke at medical meetings. Doctors did quit smoking ahead of the general population, and ahead of nurses, interestingly. But it's hard to give up that Diet Coke (coffee for me). Shows you what the number one psychoactive substance used in this country is. Yep, caffeine. I believe the number two psychoactive substance might be donuts....

[Jean E.]

Maybe you could switch to wine. Red is high in antioxidants so it is actually good for you!

[margene]

She's knitting, she's knitting! I'll call you when I need a diagnosis of symptoms...you'll be as knowledge (but care more) than most docs.

[claudia]

What about instead of quitting, you implement "everything in moderation"?

[Marcia]

I find it amusing (and yet sad at the same time) that YOU got me to kick the can! Between the calcium that cola drinks leach right out of your bones and the kidney damage, it's gone from my life. I substituted green tea and green ice tea. And an occasional Diet Sprite. I don't drink coffee anymore, either, but that's another story. Given some of the things you've done, you CAN do this. Kick that can, lady!

[Kelli]

The race to Rhinebeck! Looks lovely so far. Is that Peace Fleece Sheplova mushroom? I think I have some in stash. I wish you well. I too am planning on wearing a CPH to Rhinebeck but I am midway through my first sleeve.

[Sarahfish]

Fantastic progress on the sweater! I can't wait to see you in it at Rhinebeck. Yes, I'm going to Rhinebeck!

Pay day is this Friday, so I'll be getting in on the RSF at that point. But man, have there ever been some great draws already!

[CindyCindy]

I need to quit Diet Coke, too, but am left with so few vices that I honestly don't feel up to it. Of course, if I were doing what you are doing, I would have every single disease discussed.

[carol]

The only thing worse than learning it in med school is reading about it in medical malpractice cases: x kept complaining of Y to her doctor and was told it was only Z. x dies of undiagnosed brain tumor. Talk about becoming a hypochondriac!

[marianne]

There's an available cave not too far from mine, and I might add these caves are state of the art as far as ventilation so no mold or dank or nasty.
Love seeing the knitting photos!
I never did get hooked on the diet drinks and gave up sodas years ago but I have to say... every now and then (if one is even available) I'll have me a Blue Sky Ginger Ale. no HFC, just the sugar.

[Lucia]

There's nothing like love.

There's a newly renovated cave a couple of hundred feet from my front door; I could bring you tea and yarn and you could pretend not to be home. (I am not making this up: there really is one, and it really did get renovated by the town preservation commission. I think it used to be a Native American religious site, back when all Americans were Native Americans. Hmm, think I should do a post on this?)

[LaurieM]

I'd like to recommend a book to you called "When the Body Says No." by Gabor Mate. You can read more about it here: http://www.whenthebodysaysno.ca/

[Kay]

I am diet soda free for the last year or so. By "free" I mean that sometimes at a wedding or something when I don't want to get tipsy (by which I mean I am already tipsy), I have a Diet Coke. They really taste funny when you're not used to them anymore.

Here's how I did it. This is not advice, just a tale from the trenches.

1. Switch to Crystal Light Lemonade. (Stay with me.) It tastes really good over lots of ice. After a short while, anything carbonated seemed highly aggressive and I didn't want it any more. Still using the artificial sweeteners, I know. Stay with me! It's a process.
2. Start diluting the Crystal Light Lemonade with unsweetened homebrewed iced tea, for a crystal light Arnold Palmer that is super-delish. Start out half and half, and keep reducing the lemonade until it's only a splash.
3. Give yourself a talking to and say, OK, stop drinking the Crystal Light already!

While I still occasionally have a naughty splash of Crystal Light, I have reduced my aspartame or whatevers by something like 99 percent since my Diet Coke days. Diet Coke makes you fat. So ironic! Bad bad stuff! I also really enjoy not having to haul Diet Coke home from the store.

I know, I'm giving Michael Pollan huge competition here with the sage food wisdom.

[Cookie]

I love that Kay, but I'm not giving up my pepsi. Just sayin'...

Love the sleeve. Love you! Love that you're thinking about kicking the can. Not joining you, just lovin' that you're thinking about it. Love all the RSPF winners. Love the cave idea. Can we be neighbors? I promise not to visit or make noise or wave anything. We hate people after all.

xo

[maryse]

yes, the irony is that all of the things that kill you, doctors rely on to get themselves through medical school and residency.

when i worked at BU Med, 2nd years always thought they had every disease they studied about in their Biology of Disease class.

[Jennifer]

Sigh. I gave up all my Diet Coke (and sodas in general) a few years ago. I was really doing a number on my body. In fact, since then, I've given up all fake sugars (or neurotoxins as my friend calls them). The last one to go was the sugar-free gum. I feel so much better. Next I've got to give up the decaf coffee. It's all so tough. Email if you need a supporter in your journey to go soda-free! Good luck.