Memorial Day 2010

I had to do a shift in the ER yesterday.  It started out slow, but after lunch a crazy number of patients came into the ER.  There were some interesting cases yesterday: a probable Steven Johnson Syndrome, a cachexic man who had terminal cancer and had an arterial block that turned his leg basically into a purple ice pop, stroke patient, and someone who almost drowned.  Now don't get me wrong, I love medicine; however, I don't love the ER.  I respect ER physicians and staff, but I don't think I have the personality that fits ER.  I really wouldn't be surprised if I went into oncology.  My favorite patient was probably the cachexic man with terminal cancer because I felt like I could do something to ease his pain by holding his hand while they had to examine him (even the smallest touches caused him pain due to the cancer).  Emergency medicine, obviously, involves a lot of stabilizing and admitting or discharging the patient.   I think I like being able to form relationships with my patients and being able to spend more time with them than is possible in emergency medicine.  There are so many of my peers who want to match in Emergency Medicine, but I know that I wouldn't be good at it and I know that I would make a great oncologist, pediatrician or obstetrician.  

Today, Farley and I decided to take a break and go to the beach.  Being a holiday weekend, it was much more crowded than usual but luckily we were able to find a little secluded place on the beach.  It was so nice to relax and read novels on the beach.  There was a breeze so it wasn't too hot and the water felt fabulous.  Being from the north, it always amazes me how warm the water is.  It was like cool bath water: perfect!

I started reading, "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield.  I started the book today and quickly read over 200 pages!  

Here are one of the airplanes flying banners over the beach.  This one is about a party at a club tonight. 

Farley enjoyed his time on the beach reading too!

I don't know how we were able to get such a secluded spot on the beach. 

This picture doesn't really show what I wanted, but it is suppose to be showing how many people were on the beach south of us.

This picture was suppose to show how many people were on the beach north of us.  It gives a little better idea of how busy the beach was.  There are usually just a handful of people near our apartment, but not today!

After we relaxed on the beach, we took a jog south to Lummus Park.  I did really well during the first mile of the job, but then it was like hitting a brick wall.  I was so hot.  I managed to make it back to the house okay and was able to jog part of the way back.  I probably was dehydrated from sitting on the beach all day, especially since there was a breeze and I was sitting in the shade: I probably didn't realize how much I had been sweating.  All and all, it was a great, relaxing day.

Internal Medicine: first few weeks

The first few weeks of Internal Medicine have been okay. Probably 80-90% of the patients in the clinic are Spanish speakers, so it hasn't been the best for me since I don't speak Spanish. However, the doctor that I am assigned to allows me a lot of physicals and I do get to do the whole history when the patient speaks English (or the doctor sends me into the room with the nurse, who can translate).

I had to do my first ER rotation last Sunday from 3pm until 2am and then I had to report to the clinic at 8:30 for my regular work day. It seems like everyone else is excited about these ER shifts, but I don't really like the ER all that much. It just isn't my favorite area in the hospital. In this Internal Medicine rotation, we are suppose to be assigned to an outpatient clinic for one month, to an inpatient physician for one month and to the ER for one month. I don't understand why they are scheduling us for the ER every month when we are suppose to have an entire month of ER. Also, the people doing the ER rotation are also having to go to some inpatient work. It would make more sense to me to do inpatient during the inpatient month and ER during the ER month. Even if I had to do four or five twelve-hour ER shifts per week, I think it would be better. I guess it doesn't really matter because I really don't have anything to do other than study and go to clinic so if I have to do ER for three months, I guess I do ER rotations for three months. Speaking of ER rotations, I was lucky enough to be assigned to an ER rotation this weekend. I really wish I didn't have to go into the ER this weekend because the traffic on Miami Beach is crazy. I hope that Farley and I have the weekend of the 4th of July off--not because I want to do anything all that exciting, I just don't want to drive anywhere!

Another Year Older

On the 17th, I turned another year older. I had to go to clinic, but it was an okay day. I really wanted to go to Espaniola Way for dinner, so we decided to get dressed up. I bought a dress on sale at the Nordstrom Rack when we went to Sawgrass Mills a few weeks ago and I finally had a chance to wear it! Here are pictures of Farley and I before we headed to dinner.

Farley bought me a pair of earrings for my birthday. Here is a close up of the earrings.

Here are some pictures of Espaniola Way. I know it is a tourist trap, but I just love it! I love the architecture and the feel. I just wish it was more than a block or two.

I wanted to go to a store that only sells linen, when Mom was in town, but we didn't have time. Thus, Farley and I decided to stop in the store. I have wanted linen pants since moving away for medical school in 2007. I have looked high and low and the pants either look horrible on me or they are expensive. I decided that since I've wanted a pair for so long, that if I found a pair I liked, I would go ahead and get them. I found the most beautiful pair of paints and I decided to buy them; however, I didn't have a chance because Farley got them for me as well as a linen shirt for him. This store was so much fun--I wish I remembered the name of the store. The owner was from France and all of her linen is from Egyptian cotton and made in France. Her store was filled with beautiful things and she was so interesting because she had lived all over the world. After shopping, we decided to go for Italian food. There were three restaurants, but we decided to go with one of the more inexpensive places. The food was great, but it started raining. It was the first rain we had in a long time. We were sitting under an awning and it was so nice to sit and watch the rain. Here are the pictures of the rain.

After dinner, we headed to a gelato place and had some yummy gelato. Here is a picture of the restaurant that we had dinner at dusk.

May 12th

This was a tough day for me. Despite leaving the Great Northwest for medical school three years ago, it is still really hard for me to say goodbye to my family. As usual, I cried when I had to say goodbye, but I am now used to it so I didn't' put mascara on until after Farley and I left for the clinic.

The rest of the week in the clinic was okay. Since I don't speak any Spanish and I was still getting over my illness, I didn't have the best week. The doctor and nurse I am working with are great, but I just wasn't feeling like myself at all. Luckily, they canceled our lectures for the first week and I was able to sleep a lot.

I decided to order "Instant Immersion Spanish: Levels 1, 2,& 3." I highly doubt that I will learn enough Spanish to really talk to anyone, but I am hoping that I will learn a few more words and that I might be able to understand a bit when people are talking. I never should have taken Latin and Ancient Greek in high school. Why didn't I just take Spanish like everyone else??

Mom's Visit to Miami: Tuesday, May 11th

Tuesday was my first day of Internal Medicine in the clinic. When I woke up, I was feeling significantly worse and within the first ten minutes of meeting my preceptor, she had written me a prescription for antibiotics. She did a physical exam and declared that my cold had progressed into bronchitis. Lucky me.

The clinic that I am working at has 80-90% Spanish speakers and I don't speak Spanish. So this first day was extra trying because I could barley speak, was coughing like crazy, felt horrible and couldn't understand what was going on. The doctor and nurse tried to translate for me, but considering how yucky I felt, it didn't matter all that much.

When we got home, Mom was down at the beach again and I decided to meet her down there. Here is a picture of her relaxing on the beach:

It was a little overcast and very windy, but Mom still had a great time on the beach. It was warmer than it looked!

Since I wasn't feeling too well, we decided to have a very laid back evening. We went to dinner at Cantina 27, which is less than a block from my apartment. The food was great!

When we got home, Mom and I decided that I needed a hair cut. Since she only took a carry on, she could not bring her hair cutting shears (they are too long). I had surgical scissors, so she decided to give it a go. Now, the surgical scissors I have are not very long and her hair cutting shears are 6 inches. This was the longest hair cut of my life, but it is straight! Poor Mom went on vacation and then had to work. We ended up taking 7-8 inches off my hair and I still have long hair!

Monday, May 10

First thing Monday morning, I had orientation for my Internal Medicine core rotation. It was a fine orientation, but I really wanted to get home and see my Mom so it felt like it lasted forever. The other problem was that I had lost my voice. I felt pretty good other than having a little bit of a sore throat and the laryngititis.

Luckily, we got out of the orientation early. Farley and I had a few errands to run before coming home. Mom was still at the beach when we got home, so I decided to go sit with her (I couldn't really chat) and Farley took a run on the boardwalk. It was a beautiful day.

I have been wanting to go to happy hour at one of the many restaurants on the boardwalk north of my apartment so we decided to walk to dinner. We left the apartment a little after 6:00, which is a great time to walk on the boardwalk because it is starting to cool down a bit, but it is still light out. Here is a picture of one of the hotels with the sun starting to sett behind it.

We settled on Carrabba's Italian Grill, but I believe that the restaurant on the boardwalk is actually called Carrabba's Seaside Grill or something like that. They didn't serve the Italian menu, but had some great sandwiches and amazing coleslaw. The restaurant is on a beautiful deck, which is decorated like a tiki bar. Here are some pictures.

It was dusk when we walked back from dinner yet there were still tons of people out running and walking on the boardwalk. The most interesting person I saw on the boardwalk was holding a pet lizard and petting the lizard as he and a woman walked down the boardwalk. I am not sure what type of lizard it was, but it was rainbow colored and fairly large (the body was about the size of the man's forearm). The most humorous part was that the man and woman were walking like it was completely normal and the lizard was very alert and looking around with excitement in his eyes like a child at Disneyland. Mom and Farley completely missed the lizard when we walked past this couple! They did look back and see the giant tail, so they knew I didn't just make this up, but I really wish they would have seen it! Here are some pictures of the walk home.

We decided to go down to Wallgreens on 23rd street to pick up some more sore throat medication. When we were walking past the Gansevoort South Beach Hotel, there were many expensive cars (as usual). My Dad loves cars and since he couldn't come down with Mom for this visit, we had to get a photo of us in front of the pair of matching Bentleys. Look in the background!

Mother's Day

Mom and I went to Mass at St. Patrick's Church on Miami Beach. I usually go to the 5:00pm on Sunday, but we went to the 9:30am Sunday Mass because the choir sings at that mass. Now, this choir isn't just a group of singers from the parish. It is audition group that has toured Italy and New York. They have performed at the Vatican and Carnegie Hall. The music at the 5:00pm Mass is always amazing, but it is nothing compared to the Sunday Mass. Mom and I both had chills the whole mass. They are unbelievable. You can watch the Mass online at St. Patrick's website, but I am not sure if you would get the same feeling as being there in person. Mom said that she might watch from home, which would make me feel close to home: we would be at the same service.

After Mass, we headed down to 13th Street and Collins to park closer to the action in South Beach. Here is a picture from the parking garage.

The first place we had to stop was Miami Ink. Mom needed her picture taken in front of the shop because she loved the show (it hasn't been on the air in a while). She wanted to go in and get a tattoo, but decided against it.
We went down Espanola Way, which is a famous little street in South Beach. Many movies have filmed there, such as The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Miami Vice. We decided that we would go back for dinner as I wanted to go to the Van Dyke for brunch. Luckily, the food at the Van Dyke was as good as the jazz was in the bar. We had a great time and sat out side. Here is a picture of the Van Dyke:

The Van Dyke is on Lincoln Road so Mom and I did a little shopping. Here is a picture of her near one of the many water features.

Here is a picture of Lincoln Road.
Here is a famous theater, the Lincoln Theatre. This is where the New World Symphony performs in Miami.

We decided to get some gelato at a local shop. It was excellent.
We stopped and Mom (and Dad from home) bought me a birthday present: an i phone. I thought about getting one last year, but I was afraid it was too expensive. However, my i pod can't get online at the hospitals (to access drug databases and such) and my old phone had a horrible Internet browser. I didn't think it would be possible because I thought I wasn't due for a new phone until next year, but the salesman made it happen and I got the phone at the same price as if I was due to renew. Anyway, I sure didn't think I was going to get a new phone and I LOVE it. I feel so spoiled!

After getting the coolest phone ever, we had to stop by Dash to get our pictures taken. They were not open! Apparently, there is a problem with the staff in Miami and they are not open regular hours. I was disappointed that they were not open because they had some really, really cute stuff. They are also really off the beaten path. Most of the nice more expensive shopping is on Lincoln Road, which is between 16th and 17th street. Dash is located on 8th street, which is near all the hot spot night clubs and it is near some of the sleazy parts of Washington Street. Anyway, here are the pictures.

After going to Dash, we had to hurry to Fort Lauderdale to pick up Farley. After we got him, we headed back down to Espansola Way for dinner. We decided to go to a Mexican place. It is so quaint down there. I just love it. The only problem is that is is only two blocks.

Mom's Visit to Miami: Tour of Miami and the Everglades

Mom took a red-eye after getting off work on Friday to come down to Miami and see me.  Her flight was almost a half hour early so she had to wait for a few minutes for me at the airport.  Once we got back to my apartment, I made breakfast and I took her out to see the ocean.  It was a beautiful morning.

We decided to take a tour of Miami and the Everglades so we waited just outside my apartment and the tour company came to pick us up at about 9:30.  I can't believe what a trooper Mom was.  She barely slept on the red-eye flight and yet she was ready to go.  The bus picked up other patrons at their hotels and then we drove through South Beach.  I didn't get too many pictures of South Beach because the bus wasn't able to stop as much.  I did get one picture of a sculpture that I drive past at least one per week.  It is from the Holocaust Museum.

After finishing up on the beach, we went to Key Biscayne.  The following pictures are from the marina there.   

This building was the home of Transamerican Airlines, but had been converted to a Miami City Hall Building. It was right in the marina and it was beautiful.

After going to the marina, we headed to Coco Walk, which outside of South Beach is probably the second hottest hot spot for young people.  There is shopping and clubs.  We had a limited amount of time there, so we walked around a bit then headed to Johnny Rocket's for lunch.

After Coco Walk, we toured through some beautiful neighborhoods.  I just kept trying to figure out how much the houses much cost.  We were in city such as Coral Gabels and Coconut Groove, which are unbelievable.  Other than living on Star Island and Miami Beach, many celebrities call these cities home when they are in Miami.  We went to the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.  It is beautiful!  Below are pictures of the outside of the hotel, which from the Metrorail stands like a yellow beacon in the distance above the green tree tops, the pool and the lobby.

Here are birdcages in the lobby.  You can see the marble pillars behind the birdcage.  

This is the CIA boat house in Coral Gables.  There are plenty of canals in Coral Gables and I guess the CIA had offices there (I am not sure if they still do or if this is from the Cold War era only).

Coconut Grove's old Bahamian Cemetery, where they filmed Michael Jackson's, "Thriller."  It is above ground cemetery so if there are any floods, the corpses will float down the road. 

Here are pictures of Venetian  Pool, also in Coral Gables.  The pool is actually filled with water from an aquifer.  It is beautiful.  We didn't have time to look around for too long, but here are the pictures:

Next, we headed to Little Havana.  We had Cuban coffee and watched the domino players in the famous domino park.

To play dominoes in the famous domino park, Maximo Gomez Park, you must be a member.  Here are some pictures of the players.  Our tour driver said they may look mean, but they love having their pictures taken.

This is the pedestrian roadway next to the domino park.

After finishing up in Little Havana, we headed to the Bayside Marketplace.  Some of the tour goers were only going on the morning portion of the tour and some were going to tour the bay on a boat.  We had about a half hour to walk around.  I didn't really take any pictures though.  After loading up the bus, we drove about 40 minutes west (past the airport) and headed to the western part of the everglades: Gator Park.

We went on an airboat ride first.  It was really fun.  I was a bit afraid thinking about it...the gators could jump in the boat, but once we were there, I was having too much fun to be scared!  The first pictures are of the boat.

That was the first gator we saw.  They all responded to their names as the tour guide called them.  They swam around and ate some bread.  They were beautiful animals (as long as they stayed away from me).

The birds even responded to their names.  It was amazing.  This was my favorite bird, but I am not sure of the species.  The tour guide said that this species mates for life and often dies of a broken heart if their spouse dies.



Here is a baby alligator.  They have the yellow stripes until they are bigger as a warning to other animals.  I think this one was about a year and a half old.  They are hatched from eggs the size of chicken eggs.

This was a 7-foot alligator!  He was sure friendly!!

After the tour, we had time to walk the grounds before the animal show.  Here is Mom sitting in front of a beautiful tree.


Here is the animal show.  The first animal is a skunk!

Here is a baby alligator who was only a few months old.

The big alligator that the tour guide was going to wrestle.  I wouldn't have done it!!!

First they jump on the alligator's back because gators only have peripheral vision and cannot see right in front or behind them (well obviously, they can't see directly behind them).

Next, he grabbed the jaw shut.

Then he secured it with his chin.  In the old days, this is when they would tie shut the mouths.


I did it!  I held the baby alligator.  Okay, he wasn't exactly a baby he was three years old.  I can't believe I did it.  I hate to say it, but the first thing I thought was that he felt like an expensive purse.  But please don't think I am a changed person, after holding this lizard, I was scared by a little three inch gecko near my apartment.

There were many animals at Gator park, including a group of peacocks.  One even put on a show for us.  It was beautiful.




After the tour, Mom and I were beat.  We were going to to out to dinner, but the little cafe ran out of what we wanted for dinner.  We walked around on the board walk and then decided to order from David's Cuban Restaurant, which has free delivery on South Beach.  We headed to bed early!  It was a long and wonderful day!