Things I love/hate...

I'm almost done in San Antonio!! It seems like these past 2 months have gone by so fast! I've learned LOTS and made some awesome new friends. I hope I'm back here this time next year (fingers crossed!!!) THere are SO MANY patient stories funny, sad, and awesome from this month that It would take me forever to write about all of them. Instead I'll just list them in my love/hate lists...

Things I LOVE from this month:
- Taking care of basic trainees that are so pumped and don't even realize they've lacerated their faces in the field and are forced to come get sewn up by the MTI's, and when they arrive, ask not to be numbed up because they want to be "tough". Some of these kids are sooo pumped up about getting their asses kicked everyday...how can you not love them!
- Out of all the basic trainees that we see everyday in the ER for "lightheadedness:... basically being "wimpy"...90% of them are male! :-D
- Finding an acute appendicitis on a WWII mustang pilot! (and then sticking my finger in his butt, that part i didn't love, but how many people can say that?!)
- Convincing a resident to get a CT abdomen (and betting a cup of coffee that it finds something) and finding a weird congenital intestinal anomaly that required immediate surgery! (ok fine, maybe I was ridiculously lucky on that one, i just wanted coffee, but sometimes its better to be lucky than good!)
- Being part of an all female trauma team :)
- Finally grasping the concept that in less than 1 year, I will be a freaking doctor! (are you serious???)
- Being around people that understand exactly what I'm thinking without even having to say it
- Not being the only one who seems to have to know the age of everyone we're talking about, even non-patients ;-)
- Waking up to taps and going to sleep when I hear reveille :)  I love the schedule of an ER doc!
- Being a part of a collective "yaay!!!" when the trauma phone rings.
- Learning that I too have my own "spidey-sense" about patients and even better, that a lot of times I am right!
- Not feeling like an idiot during a resuscitation
- Being pushed by residents/staff to be better all the time
- Realizing that i'm NOT the most type A person I know ;)
- Speaking spanish to my patients and having them tell me they are "proud of me." (i'm not really sure for what, but i just say thanks lol)
- Seeing people in the exact place/places I want to be and knowing the sky's the limit.
- Talking and Writing in only acronyms and abbreviations
- Hearing the words... "i trust you doctor"
- Looking at an ultrasound and actually seeing more than black and white dots!
- Sticking needles in things
- Having a consultant doc believe that I'm actually a doctor and not a med student!
- Being in a place where, 3 years ago, seemed so far away! :)