Wait.... Is He Pregnant?

Hey Y'all ,

I've got to be the worst blogger known to man kind. I can't seem to keep up with this thing to save my life! I keep saying I'm going to do better, but life continues to get in the way. Thank you so much for continuing to follow me on my journey in spite of this! Of course, a great deal has happened since I last blogged in December. One of the most exciting things is that I wrote a blog that has been published on two medical blogging sites (http://thephysiciansblog.net/2014/04/03/the-p-word-how-to-talk-to-your-daughter-about-her-period/). I am very excited about those opportunities and pray that there are more to come. One of my life's dreams has been to become Oprah's official OB/Gyn guru/correspondent. Maybe that's the first step! LOL.

I'm currently completing my very last day on labor and delivery as a lower level resident. Today is my last day and I am truly sad about it. Labor and delivery is my most favorite rotation. How many people can say they have the opportunity to welcome new life into the world on a daily basis. It's such a wonderful blessing to hold those little bundles of joy even before their mama's do, call them by name and tell them Happy Birthday! One of my attendings once said that I am a laborist, and I think she is right. I like gynecology, but I LOVE obstetrics. I also have had the opportunity to work with the awesome night nurses who are some of the best nurses I've ever met. They know they're stuff and are willing to impart that knowledge on me. I always feel as though we're a team, working together to take care of the patient to the best of our ability. They're also hilarious and so much fun to be around. I can't believe that when I sign out my board tomorrow morning I won't be returning to labor and delivery again until I am a senior. That's a whole year and a half. I do get the opportunity to cover the suite a half day on Wednesdays for 2 months while I'm on a certain rotation next year, but that's not nearly enough. I'm really going to miss catching those babies and caring for their moms.

After I sign out my patients tomorrow morning, I am going to walk over to the SICU and start a rotation there (yay for the 80 hour work-week/28hr day maximum). As a second year, we are required to do one month in the ICU. To say that I am petrified is an understatement. Please pray for me, because right now I feel like I'm just gonna look like an incompetent fool because this is so out of my element. I've done nothing but OB/Gyn for almost 2 years and now I have to go take care of broad medical issues and I haven't taken care of a man since last June when I was in the ER. If he doesn't have a uterus, I can't help him (hence the blog title)!  I have also NEVER been responsible for a critically ill person who is requiring ICU level care. If we have a patient who is sick enough for ICU care, they are transferred to the ICU. I don't do critically ill.... but I guess I do now. Nothing about taking care of a person on a ventilator and potentially on the brink of death excites me or makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I know that everything I'm faced with has a purpose and the more I think about this rotation, I feel as if I know what that purpose is. When I started this journey in medical school I knew that medicine was my ministry. My opportunity to serve the Lord through offering healing, comfort and sometimes merely a hand, a hug or a shoulder to cry on when things aren't all good. In the ICU, I may be a part of some hard end of life discussions and/or caring for a patient (and subsequently that patient's family) as they embark upon a long and hard recovery. While the former of these will definitely be hard for me, I think it's an opportunity for me to use what God has given me to help somebody else. Not just the book stuff, but the things that make me personable and allow me to relate to patients. I think that's a large part of my gift. I definitely don't think I'm the smartest person in the world, but I do know that I am compassionate and I have a heart for people. I'm praying that this is what is going to get me through this rotation. As of right now, I'm dreading it because it's uncharted territory for me. But that's the same way I felt about oncology and I absolutely loved it. I'm an oncology stalker to this day. I always ask about the chemo patients and go see my favorite patients when they're admitted to the hospital even though I'm not on that service. I'm hoping that I'll feel the same way after my time in the ICU.

Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I continue to navigate this residency. I am going to try my best to do better with this blog, but please continue to bear with me. Until next time...


Your Favorite MD,

Keisha B.

Mahogany Pearl: "Man is never so tall as when he kneels before God- never so great as when he humbles himself before God. And the man who kneels to God can stand up to anything." - Louis H. Evans


P.S. - Look at how big my baby is getting!