Winter

Boy, winter came in with a vengeance. Up until last week, I had only worn a long sleeve shirt once; it was the first cold night of the year. Last week, we started to have snow. It was cold. And now it was time to break out the long johns and long sleeve shirts as well as the lucky orange hat. This week, it never really got above freezing. In fact, there were nights that it was about 10 degrees. Total we got about four inches of snow over the past week. Today, we had freezing rain. I fell down in the parking lot. Not once, but twice. Well, once was yesterday.

With the cold, gray day, I'm excited to sit on the couch with Mary, who literally just joined me, and apparently watch The Office all day. I was intending to watch girly movies. There's always tomorrow.

That's about all that's going on.

As usual, work sucks. I think that I've apparently been a vet long enough that there isn't much left that is exciting in my normal days. 

Anyway, books.

I most recently read Horns by Joe Hill. It was an impulse buy at Wal-Mart when I was waiting for my oil to get changed. The book lingered in the bedroom so I read it after I finished the Kathy Reichs book. It was surprisingly good. There's a movie coming out with Daniel Radcliffe (who has a funny face? Does anyone else think that?)
So total spoiler alert...

Ig wakes up from a night of drinking to realize he has horns growing from his head. He tries to put two and two together and all he can remember is being piss drunk and pissing over the memorial of where the body of his murdered girlfriend was found. (Ig was the prime suspect though charges were never brought forth on him.) As Ig goes though his day, he realizes the power the horns have on people. His girlfriend talks about how much she want to eat all of the doughnuts and get really fat, the doctor talks about wanting to snort some drugs, his mom says how much she hates him, his brother says something regarding a mutual friend, Lee...So Ig sets out to find out the truth. The truth is that Lee raped and killed Ig's girlfriend;he was jealous of their relationship all along. Lee is an awful person though he hides it well. They fight and fight and Ig eventually gets the upper hand.
There's a lot more to it but its a good book. The end gets a little difficult to understand. Is Ig bad? or is he good?

Right now, I'm reading Fifty Shades of Gray. Some of my friends are reading it too. I went ahead and bought the trilogy and am glad I did. Its super hot. I'm not ready to see the movie. Who would you go out to see it with? Its going to be awkward with anyone. Movies really don't show the level of sex and nudity that your typical Showtime show has...and that's what this book has.

Book Update

Okay...
Two down...
Prepare for spoilers...

The Castaways...A group of eight friends are met with tragedy when a couple (Greg and Tess) die in a sailing accident leaving behind their two twins. The book deals with the secrets left behind and how the remaining couples deal with the deaths. Ed is stuck being the police chief and dealing with a psychotic Andrea who can barely get herself together to take care of the twins. Phoebe is suddenly awake with possibilities (though torn with having given Tess medications) while her husband Addison retreats into solitude of his secret affair with Tess. Delilah feels the guilt of not having told Tess about what she knew (Greg was with the student that had tried to seduce him the night before he died) and Jeffery reminisces with Andrea, the little bit of normalcy she can feel.

The Sea Captain's Wife...Azuba dreams of going to sea with her sea captain husband but shortly after their marriage she is left behind. His visits are infrequent and while her family surrounds her she feels abandoned with her young daughter. Azuba loses a baby and in her grief meets the young new pastor. They enjoy each others company but in this invite scandal. When Azuba's husband returns, there is no explaining to him. He takes Azuba and her daughter to sea with him. The sea voyage is hard but they make it through. On their return trip (from Chile to Europe), they are faced with dead water and a severe food shortage. Oh and Azuba is with child. There is a small rebellion on board but eventually they reach Europe. Azuba has a healthy son and after some enjoyable times in Europe they return to the sea to go to Hong Kong. They are raided by pirates who kidnap their nurse and kill all but a handful of the men. The captain suffers a debilitating head wound and is forced to give up his command.

Currently, I've started to read Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs. Its pretty classic Temperance Brennan book.

I really liked the The Sea Captain's Wife. It was interesting and exciting.

I signed up for NaNoWriMo which is National Novel Writing Month. (Its the month of November.) I'm hoping to get some serious writing done

Feeling Sorry For Myself

Well, I'm ready to throw in the towel and feel sorry for myself. I'm ready to say that I'm dealing with infertility issues.
So while I was waiting for my doctor to get back to me with the progesterone level, I started a period. On my own! That was sort of exciting suggesting a lot of possibilities. Maybe the clomid did work. Maybe my body follows its own schedule and I did ovulate. Just not on day 14 like expected. When I finally got ahold of my doctor, she was surprised but happy. She prescribed me a new medication and referred me to the reproductive endocrinologist.
The medication made me feel super dizzy. Like unable to drive a car dizzy. But I found that if I ate it didn't seem that bad. So this month, we're having a lot more sex and I probably should actually use those ovulation strips.
Somehow, I managed to get into the reproductive endocrinologist rather quickly and had my appointment today.
It didn't go well.
My appointment was a consultation. And from the start I felt like I was missing something. Why were the questions from the nurse about my own body so difficult to answer? Is it that confusing? (Yes.) Enter the doctor. Now one of the techs had seen this doctor before and really liked him. I'm not so sure. Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe he needed an extra cup of coffee or wasn't feeling well.
Anyway, it felt like I was being put on trial for what my body did or didn't do. Why didn't my doctors do this or do that? Why was this medication prescribed in this dosage? And if PCOS was truly my diagnosis then there were things that would be have to be done. Management changes to my life style. Birth control between pregnancies so that my cycles would continue on a regular schedule. Medications to take. And now, the doctor reviewed Joe's history and in seeing that Joe's son has some chromosomal abnormalities he said that he needed to know more and that we shouldn't go into a pregnancy with blinders on.
While this is true, knowing the genetic outcome of my children and their future especially when I'm having trouble conceiving in the first place, seems like eugenics to me. It's a struggle for me to know what I should or shouldn't do in this situation.
But honestly, going into a pregnancy blindly is my choice. The choice of my husband and I.
So there. I left my doctors appointment feeling like the fact that I can't get pregnant was all my fault. That any choices I make are going to be the wrong ones. I left feeling fat and like I was not worthy of having a baby...if it was even possible for me to have one.
I now have orders for more bloodwork. Bloodwork to determine if I have insulin resistance, if I have diabetes and to see even if I have any eggs left. Then if I don't get pregnant this cycle (and I really, really hope I do so that I can put all this behind me for at least nine months), I have to have my uterus filled up with saline and air so that I can have an ultrasound. Doesn't sound like a very fun time to me.
So everyone pray to who or whatever you believe in or cross your fingers that I get pregnant. I could really use some positive vibes.

Clear Blue (It Isn't) Easy

Welcome back fans of TMI.
As you know, in June I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries (PCOS) which was the reason I wasn't having a period and why I wasn't getting pregnant. My doctor was sort of skeptical at first but after bloodwork and an ultrasound was convinced.
So in August, I started on Clomid, had sex, had bloodwork and then found out that my estrogen and progesterone levels did increase however they weren't enough to suggest ovulation. In September, I doubled my Clomid dose. This made me feel just ADR. I repeated bloodwork but my doctor who is the queen of calling me at 6pm on Friday while I'm doing a calving or cutting a c-section hasn't called me back. The nurse told me that my estrogen went up from like 92 to 290 which is great. Until you start googling that at ovulation the level is around 400. Then you get sad.
The past few days though my boobs have been feeling sore. And today felt bigger. (Actually last week a tech commented on them.) Tonight, I took a pregnancy test and it was negative.
For me, even before we got a diagnosis I never wanted to lump myself in with people suffering from infertility. I'm still not sure I want to but with each month that passes it gets harder to not think about it. Everyone at work knows my business which isn't good but I have no where else to turn. My mom keeps assuring me that if it doesn't happen that it's not the end of the world which makes me sad and confused. Why is she saying these things? It's not helpful or supportive.
I'm ready to have a baby. I know that I won't pursue IVF because 1) financially I can't and 2) I feel that if I was intended to have a baby that I wouldn't have to. No you can look at it and say 'well, you're taking medications to help you get pregnant, what's the difference?' And I'll say that it's my body so shut the fuck up.
At least now with a negative pregnancy test I can rest assured that the beer I drank on Monday, the X-rays I helped to take on Tuesday and consistently forgetting my vitamins did not scare a bundle of cells. At least I hope.

Book Sale!

So my mom came to visit this weekend. She came in on Friday night and stayed till this morning (Tuesday). We didn't do much. Saturday, we went shopping. Sunday, we went to Lake Erie with Riley (she enjoyed it) and on Monday we just ran errands.

Part of Saturday was going to the library book sale. Until now, I was very skeptical about book sales. In my experience, when you go to book sales, especially the last days, you are left with worn out paperbacks by no name authors and nothing good. Luckily, Pennsylvania likes book sales as much as they like yard sales. Case in point, the one I went to in July where I made it out with five good books including three books by known authors (Jane Smiley and Kathy Reichs).
So Saturday was the last day of the book sale and you could buy a whole bag of books for $5. Now the downside of this was that it was super crowded. The upside was that there were still 100s of books including some really good ones. Mom and Joe bought big full bags. Mine was a lot less full. But here are the books I got:
Psychopath by Keith Ablow-you may recognize the name from another book that I read. See, I've read one book off of the first shelf from the library and now I found another author who's books I enjoy. I like the mystery-thrillers.
Any Place I Hang My Hat by Susan Isaacs-Mom actually picked out this book but gave it to me when we had our book party exchanging and looking at what everyone else bought. It looks good.
Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs-Yep, I might be obsessed no matter how much I complain about these books being sort of cheesy.
The First Paper Girl in Red Oak, Iowa by Elizabeth Stuckey-French-This is probably one of the books that I'm least excited about. But we'll see!
The Casual Vacancy by J. K.Rowling-I never read any Harry Potter books. I admit it. But this book seemed interesting and there it was, a new book ready to be picked up and read!
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver-This is another one that we'll see how interesting it is. I suppose I'm going to have to implement the 50, 100 page rule.
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison-So I really liked one of this author's other books (When In Doubt Add Butter) so I'm pretty excited about this book.
Jemima J by Jane Green I decided a while ago that I liked chic lit. This is one of those. I'm sort of excited about this book.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Oprah book club, Pulitzer Prize...very exciting.
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian Oh, Oprah book club again!
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand Another easy beach read. One perfect read for a cool fall day or a winter snow in.

Needless to say, I have a lot of books to read. I'm not sure when I'm going to get back to the library but since we don't have cable any more...or at least not much of cable (that was sort of a drama), I should have plenty of time. I need to dedicate myself fully to reading now.

Fearful

Well, you know by now that I'm a worrier. The what ifs and the should haves plague me. I'm always thinking about what I should have done and what if something else happens.

My future is particularly scary. The choices that I have to make regarding my future scare me even more.

I'm fine with the idea of the future containing children. I'm fine with the choices I have made so far.

What I'm not fine with is the fact that I want to buy a house. Well, I'm fine with that part of my future. But what starts making me worried and fearful is the what ifs....

What if...
-I have a baby and decide that I don't want to do large animal any more?
-I do want to do large animal and my clinic stops providing that service (again)?
-I buy a house and start hating my job?
-I make the wrong choice?

This would be a lot easier if I had fewer cats, fewer dogs, fewer husbands, fewer bills to pay, fewer responsibilities. But I have too much of all of those things. Its unfortunate.

My decisions don't just involve me. They involve Joe and potentially a little bundle of cells. My choices have to be right for them. And that's what I can't get over. That's what I can't stop worrying about.

All I want is a stable mixed animal job, a goat farm, a baby and less debt. Is that too much to ask?





I guess it is...

Fears Come To Life

If you've known me or been reading my blog long enough, you know that I'm a worrier. And not just a worrier but a paniker as well.
Veterinary medicine was probably a bad choice for me.
When it comes to my vet truck there are many fears and worries. What if I get stuck in 18" of snow and have to be pushed out by two Amish women? What if I break down? What if someone pulls into me when I'm going into a parking lot? What if I lock my keys in the truck? What if? What if? What if?
Well, those are all just really minor worries. My top three worries are:
What if I hit someone's pet while driving the vet truck?
What if I start the truck and there is a cat in the engine?
What if I leave a farm with a cat in the back of my vet box?
Well, let's just say I know what happens with the last one.
So funny story, today I went to the hospital after lunch to get some blood pulled. When I parked my truck, I thought I heard meowing. Actually, I thought it sounded like Frankie. Then remembered I hadn't had my truck home this weekend so how could it be Frankie? Then I thought there must be a stray cat around and decided to look for it because I'm crazy. Then for some reason, I decided to open my vet box and look inside. Yep, there was a cat in there all right. I'm sure if you were a fly on the way upon my discovery of the cat you would be laughing pretty hard. I was. So I scooped up the cat (a black tailless male) and put him in the cab and we went back to the office. He didn't seem any worse for wear (luckily it had been fairly cool this weekend) other than being somewhat dehydrated and very lonely.
On my way to the office, I called and had the receptionist call my farm call on Friday to see if they were missing their cat. No word from them yet. This cat seemed to be rather happy in the truck; he purred and sat on my lap or the console. He did get on the dashboard once but retreated quickly from that spot. (Thankfully!)
Once back in the office, I fed the cat and had the techs give him some fluids. He seems okay. He's BAR and eating. So now I just wait for the owners to call me. I can't think of anywhere else I went on Friday where I could have acquired a cat.
If all else fails, I'm going to name him Margie (after my truck) or Homer and he can live in our garage.

Book Review, Fair Winnings

I haven't been to the library for a little while. I was reading some of the books from the book sale. Normally, book sales aren't all that great but this on was. It was new books, well organized and popular authors were available.

I read Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs, another Temperance Brennan book. Much like the previous books, there was some fictional name dropping and several overlapping stories. This book involved NASCAR, the disappearance of two teenagers ten years earlier, and several conspiracies about their death. People died, causes were found. The book was okay, but honestly, I like the TV show better.

Long Past Stopping by Oran Canfield was the next book I read. It was told in two parts about this guy's life and growing up. Part of the book was his adult life and battling drug addiction and the other part of the book was his childhood. It was good. 

I'm currently reading another one of the Irish Country Doctor books. It seems in these more recent books, the author has gotten away from the medical parts which is what I liked. The good doctor is still busy figuring out things in his town, he's planning his wedding and as usual he's going head to head with the local councilor. 

So a little, TMI---last month, I was told that after the Clomid that my estrogen and progesterone levels both went up but the progesterone wasn't high enough to suggest that I ovulated. It was decided to double my Clomid dose and try again. So that's where I'm at, I just finished my double Clomid dose and go for bloodwork twice this month. Fingers crossed. I don't know where we go next. I think some baseline testing to see if there is any other metabolic disease.

I have stopped drinking soda which is good but have not started doing some walking which is what I wanted to do as well. 

Joe just started a new job. This job is in Meadville and in a plastics factory. He likes plastics. He's getting a raise which is good and the BEST part is that its on second shift! Or maybe even first shift! So we're going to enjoy our time together. 

I entered things in both the Transfer Fair and Jamestown Fair. I did really well at Transfer earning many blue ribbons, even if they were tiny!

I entered an apron (3rd), wreath (2nd), stick horse (1st), marigolds (1st), apple cake (2nd), potato candy (1st), brown sugar caramel cake (1st) and pecan pie muffins (1st). 

I didn't do nearly as well as I would have liked to at Jamestown Fair. I entered 10 things and only placed with 8. Thirds with coconut cereal cookies and hard cider cupcakes as well as with two of my wreaths. Seconds with an apron, stuffed animal and a houseplant. My single first came from marigolds again!

Veterinary Conferences

I've spent the last four days in Kansas City at CVC earning continuing education credits. Today is the last day and I'm majorly battling the urge to skip out on any further learning. My brain is full and I'm bored.
There have been some highlights like playing with the rescue greyhounds l, seeing long lost ZM as well as spending my time with two other classmates. Some of the lectures have been interesting. Others such as the backyard chicken one that included a 20 minute triad on the evils of commercial poultry production were not so much. I just wanted to know what to do for an egg bound hen. However, even if this is a working vacation, it's been worth it.
One of the things that I detest is the exhibitors hall. If I owned my practice and could make some financial decisions about new equipment or medications, I would be all over it but as an associate, I don't have that power. So instead, I sneakily pick up brochures on things that might be nice to give to my boss. Also I tend to get ignored. I'm not assertive or look old enough to have any power. Eventually, I settled on sneaking in and swiping a t-shirt and plush FeLV toy from different booths.
The food has been good. Last night was a big block party which was good times. We got Zach to come and that was fun.
I've enjoyed being at the conference with my friends and even more running into TS. She's so awesome. I think in the future I might consider a solo hotel room so I can do my two guilty pleasures-cranking the ac up, sitting in only my undies under the covers and watching HBO and ordering room service. We did hit up some nice restaurants including an amazing build your own salad place and a breakfast place where I had a lox bagel sandwich. Yum!
Yesterday, I was in a lot of pain because I had a huge blister on the bottom of my foot from walking to the hospital and back. Last night, my foot and ankle was swollen. I think it had to do with a subtle change in my stride because it's the foot where I think I broke my two last month. Today, my calves are killing me but my foot is not.
Here are some pictures.

Book Review and Other Things

Hello All!
I've got lots of things to cover.
First-literature review.
I only have two books-one of which, I'm not even done with yet. After this, I have 5 books that I bought at a book sale (for $6!). I'm super lazy about reading apparently. I'm sadly much faster on electronic devices.
The first book is A Dublin Student Doctor which is one of the Irish Country Doctor series by Patrick Taylor. This takes good Dr. O'Reilly back to his student days. He's very much his impulsive, patient first self. I like this series and have a few more to read.
The next book is Compulsion by Keith Ablow. I recognized the name but didn't know who it was till I googled it-he's a TV personality, doctor, etc. Anyway, this book is the first of my books in an effort to read one book from each shelf. This book is about a psychiatrist working with the police in a murder investigation. It has a lot of fictional name dropping like Kathy Reichs books but is still good. It makes a good beach read and would be great for a man that likes to read. I was beyond page 50-the first reevaluation point-before I realized it!

Other news-
Joe went to St. Joseph for a visit and because his son was having some major surgery-open heart surgery. It was scheduled for Wednesday but got pushed back. Joe pushed back his departure date and I miss him terribly. Alex is doing well and probably will be sent home from the hospital tomorrow morning. Actually, I'm going to call him right now. Joe is coming home on Thursday. I can't wait.
While he was gone, I slipped in the shower. While I've slipped in the shower before, this was particularly gruesome. I fell OUT of the shower! I hit my head (on the floor) and my shoulder on the bathroom cabinet. I immediately got up and back into the shower. Later in the morning, the only thing that hurt was my foot. See how black and blue it is?

Is it broken?

I wondered if it was broken and seeing as that there isn't much that can be done, I taped its too its neighbor. Today we x-rayed it-no fracture seen but now its hurting pretty bad. Rough terrain on farm calls doesn't do it any good. It was scary. What if I had really hurt myself?

Work things-I gave a blood transfusion to a goat. It went well. Goats like when their PCVs are above 6%.

Getting RBCs, Eating Hay

I sewed up a kangaroo. I learned alot about kangaroos. Like how to sedate them (equal mg/kg ketamine and xylazine IM), like where their penises are, that males don't have pouches, that joey's are really soft and where their testicles are. Oh, their skin is also really thin.

I did two PU surgeries recently. The first one was scary but today I removed the sutures and it looked great! See the present his owner brought be below! The second one was less scary but didn't seem to go quite as well. 

A little present from one of my favorite cat's owners.

Finally, in the TMI section, I took clomid last month and I really think that it worked. Normally, I have some bleeding in the middle of my cycle (my google search indicates that it has something has to do LH insufficiency) but with the clomid I didn't! I see that as a really positive sign. I did some bloodwork two Saturdays in a row and need to call my doctor tomorrow. I'm feeling really good about this. I might be pregnant right now!

Finally Glad

I've worked at GVC for just over two years. Things haven't been the best all the time and it took me a very, very long time not to yearn for working back at my first job. It was my first job and my first love. Its a shame I got fucked over.
Earlier this summer, there were some defiant times when I was ready to just up and quit. It appears that those times are behind me. Now I realize how much better this job is for me and my career. There are some many things that I am given free rein to do. Things I would have never dreamed of doing but somehow am forced into it. Is it that people in this area expect me to do more? Are unable to do more (referral) for themselves?
At my last job, I would have never even considered the idea of removing a kidney unless it was an emergency situation. Doing it on as just about as routine as you can would have just been unheard of. A PU on a dog and especially on a cat? Crazy! I never did entropion or cherry eye surgeries. If these were to be done, I wasn't the one that was going to be doing it. I did two c-sections in my two years there. I can do two a week here. I don't even think about it. I just do it. GDV surgeries? If these dogs presented to my last job they had two options-euthanasia or referral. Here, well, we tell the owners that referral is best, even if it is after we do surgery but if needed we'll just go ahead and cut that. No promises but CB and I have a 100% success rate. I tapped a dog's joints yesterday. That's insane. I had never done it before but looked like an old pro it went so well. Blood transfusions-why not? On Christmas Eve, I pulled blood on my dog and put it into another all by myself. It was a long night.
On the large animal side, I'm palpating colicky horses with every colic I see. (I don't like it but do it.) I'm becoming proficient in dehorning goats with large horns. I did an c-section on a goat and assisted on one with a cow. I gave a goat kid a blood transfusion last week. Sure, most of the large animal things I could have done at my last job if I had the chance but never did. The only thing that I could complain about is the frequency my fetatome comes out. Partially, I might use it more often because I am wiser about what I can and can't manually remove from a cow.

Anyway, as usual, as much as I complain about my job (which is a lot), I am finally glad that I have a new job that allows me to be bold and constantly try new things and new procedures.

Recipe to Pin

So there's a good chance that I'll do some shameless self promotion on Pinterest later tonight about tonight's dinner.
Let me preface this with the fact that I have my followers in mind.
I love Asian food. From cheap Chinese buffets to Pad Thai to Kim Chee, I love Asian food. And if it wasn't for a sometimes questionable GI tract, I'd probably readily seek more of it out.
When Joe and I got married, we had our rehearsal dinner at Amy's Thai which is arguably the best restaurant in Carlisle. I had been only a few times but never had a bad dish unlike the Straits Settlement here in town which insists on giving me a side of peanut allergy with my Pad Thai. Anyway, Amy's gave us a beautiful Thai cookbook as a gift. I was thinking about making Pad Thai (which I will later this week with a spaghetti squash!) when I can across this recipe.

Pad Ped Nuea (Stir-Fried Curry Beef with Long Beans)

2 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove-minced
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cups sting or snake beans into 1" segments
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp red curry paste
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup sliced red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced green bell pepper
5-8 Thai chilis

Heat a large skillet and add oil and garlic. Then add the ground beef and sauté on medium high until browned.
Then add the rest if the ingredients and cook until beans are tender.

Okay, I doubled the recipe and served over white rice.
I seemingly forgot to chop the green beans. I forgot to double the sugar or garlic. I added an onion. I used a jalapeño instead of Thai chilies. The beans were never tender; chopping probably would have fixed that! Also add bell peppers in much later so they aren't completely mushy. I drained the beef.

Overall, it was good. A nice lingering heat but not devastatingly so.

An Emergency

Scene: 4:50pm, Friday. Your average mixed practice veterinary clinic in a small town.
Participants: Receptionist (R), Equine Owner (EO), Vet (DVM)

(phone rings)
R: Hello, Greater Good Animal Hospital, how can I help you?
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: I'm not sure that's possible. It normally takes a few days for the test to be done.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: Okay, let me consult with one of the doctors.
(Puts EO on hold. Phone cuts out.)

DVM: So, do they need the Coggins drawn by Tuesday or back?
R: Back.
DVM: Yeah, that's not going to happen. Even if we run the rush test, the blood has to be there by noon. It won't get shipped till Monday and there would be no guarantee of it being there on time Tuesday. Maybe ready by Wednesday.
R: Okay, I'll tell her.

(EO calls back.)
R: The vet said that it isn't likely to happen. The blood has to get to a lab in the center of the state by noon to get ran that day and it won't get shipped till Monday. It might be back by Wednesday.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday.
R: I understand that. But it's just not possible to promise that.
EO: I understand I can get the results by email.
R: Yes.
EO: What if you came on Saturday? Or if I brought the horse to you? Would that make it quicker?
R: No. It's the shipping that's the problem. The blood won't be shipped till Monday. It has to be there by Tuesday at noon to be read that day. It just isn't possible.
EO: I need a Coggins test on my horse by Tuesday. The fair starts on Wednesday. I'd like you to come pull the test.
R: Please hold.
(EO put on hold. R consults with DVM who agrees to go out when she is still normally asleep before doing morning small animal appointments. EO rejoices!)

The Goldfinch

In my last blogpost regarding the books I was reading, I alluded to the fact that the next book I was going to read was the 770+ tome by Donna Tartt called The Goldfinch. It had won a Pulitzer (I think) and I had actually purchased the hardback meaning I had high hopes for this book...

IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

I can easily say, though, this is not a book for everyone. It is not a terribly easy read and it is a book that makes you think. I would end up having dreams about it afterwards. And now I will ruin the book for you.



The book's main character is Theo Decker and it starts when he is 12 or 13 years old. Theo and his mother live in New York City. His father has ran off and has not been heard from but it doesn't matter since Theo has always been closer to his mother. (His dad was an alcoholic.)
Theo has been suspended from school and he and his mother have a meeting with the school on the morning that changes his life. It was a rainy spring day and in the spare time they have before the meeting, they decide to run into a museum to stay dry.
Then the bomb goes off. When Theo comes to, he is disoriented and alone. All is still and quiet. He wonders around the ruined halls looking for his mother when he comes across an old man, Welty, who is dying. Theo had seen Welty and a young girl (Pippa) earlier. As he kneels near Welty, Theo is handed his ring, a painting (The Goldfinch) and the message of where to go with the ring.
Theo wonders home and falls asleep waiting for his mother who never returns as she was killed in the explosion. Eventually, Theo is taken to his friend, Andy's house, where he stays. Theo ends up taking the ring from Welty to Hobie who was Welty's partner in an antique's business. There he sees Pippa and this strengthens a strange longing he has for her. As Andy's family prepares to take Theo in, his father resurfaces with his girlfriend, Xandra. Theo and his mother's apartment is packed up but he takes the painting and realizing its value takes it with him for safekeeping. Theo goes out to Las Vegas with his father and Xandra.
Despite what he says about not drinking, Theo's father is into even worse things-gambling, living beyond his means, still drinking and pain pills. Xandra and the father pretty much ignore Theo which leaves him to find a friend in the nearly deserted neighborhood. Boris is the same age as Theo and is the son of a Russian mining official. Boris has lived alone and has had to grow up quick which unfortunately leads the pair into stealing and escalating drug and alcohol abuse.
Then one night, Theo's father is killed. Which isn't the worse thing since he owed some bookies large amounts of money and was trying to tap into Theo's trustfund. Theo decides that he needs to get out of there so he gets on a bus and heads back to NYC. (Of course, taking the painting with him. At this point, the painting is the one constant in his life. He realizes that he should not have it or keep it but is at a loss as to how to return it. Returning it may mean jail. Selling it means jail. Leaving it anonymously someplace may mean the painting's destruction.)
Back in NYC, Theo goes to live with Hobie who teaches Theo the art of refinishing antique furniture. Pippa remains just out of Theo's grasp having gone to live with a sister (?), then overseas to a boarding school. As Theo gets older, Theo takes over Welty's part of the business-selling. Theo is a natural despite his drug problem (prescription pills) and unfortunately has made many dodgy business deals by selling some of Hobie's pieced together furniture as something they are not. On particular client threatens to make waves about the piece he bought and despite Theo's attempts to buy back the piece and make peace, he is rebuffed. This client also ends up insinuating that he knows about the painting, which Theo has to deny.
Theo eventually returns to Andy's family as an adult. Andy and his father (mentally unstable) have met a tragic end in a boating accident which has left the family unstable. Theo will eventually become engaged to Kitsy, Andy's younger sister. Theo runs into Boris and it is a joyous coke fueled reunion.
Then the truth comes out. The package that Theo has taken some much care over and worried so very much over, the package that he thought contained his precious painting is nothing more than a school workbook. Boris has had the painting this whole time. ACTUALLY, he's used it as a pawn in his drug dealing (?) schemes to get further ahead. Now the painting is MIA.
Boris decides that he will get the painting back for Theo and the pair go off to Amsterdam at Christmas. Their plot to steal the painting back goes better than planned and as they are preparing to celebrate the two are ambushed. The painting is stolen and the two people that ambushed them are dead. Theo sits for several days in his hotel room until Boris reappears. Boris gives Theo a large amount of money which Theo is instantly suspicious of. Boris explains that he decided to just turn in the robbers. The painting as well as many others are found and Boris and his crew reap the rewards!
Theo comes back to the US and explains all to Hobie.

The last few pages of the book got really preachy and was sore of a let down. Overall, I would grade The Goldfinch as a B. Initially, I would have given it higher but the ending was confusing and too metaphorical/philosophical for my liking. It's worth the read though.

Colic

So one of my most hated emergencies second only to HBCs is anything involving a horse. And recently, I've decided that I hate colics especially. Well, no, I hate any emergencies involving horses. They are all terrifying.

The more and more that I do colics the more and more I am less comfortable about them. Or at least the more and more terrified of them. And not even really terrified but just worried that I did something wrong, missed something, or didn't fix the horse at all.

Of course, there is a limit to what I can do. At some point, there are going to be those cases that I can't fix. And I've seen them. And I've given the poor prognosis. And I've gone home only to find out that the horses have died later. Those suck but have taught me an important lesson. If you think its going to die, don't be optimistic. Its okay to euthanize the horse. After three of those, I decided that when I see those horses that don't want to get up, that have high heart rates and just want to lay around and groan. Those horses I euthanize.

Colics just suck.
I mean even the yearling stud colt who was the best horse I've ever tried to tube caused me to panic. Sure he responded to banamine. Sure he liked his torb. Sure he let me tube him and got gut sounds right away. Sure even his rectal (that's right, I rectalled a yearling stud colt) was normal but it didn't stop me from freaking out about it. What if I missed something-especially on his rectal exam?

And Josh, poor, poor Josh. Maybe if I had been able to tube him on Thursday, he wouldn't have had to be euthanized on Sunday.

Sorry this one is sort of rambly. All I know is that I hate colicky horses, thinking about them makes my stomach tie in knots and seeing them has me question myself for days. No matter the outcome.

TMI: Diagnosis

Well, its time for another round of what's wrong with Leslie's body? And not that you asked. Its going to be TMI. Feel free to skip if you don't care. (I won't be hurt. Promise.)

So, let's see, where I was I?
At the mid/end of May, I went in for an ultrasound of my uterus and ovaries. Eventually, the doctor called me back with the results. The ultrasound was consistent with polycystic ovaries (PCOS). The doctor sounded sort of skeptical about that diagnosis and decided that we would see what the bloodwork looked like. I started my progesterone and then had a period as expected. My period was way shorter than expected.
Then on Day 4 (because of Memorial Day), I had blood drawn for a million tests. I don't do well with getting blood drawn and made the mistake of looking at the number of tubes that I was scheduled to have extracted from my arm. I made it through but my arm hurt the rest of the day. It might have been in my mind.
Joe also submitted his 'sample' and it ended up being all okay. He might have been proud of that. LOL.
So I was waiting on my bloodwork results and the doctor called while I was in STL. I missed her phone call but called the nurse back and she gave me some results and let me know that my doctor was going to be out of town. Then on Sunday, we were waiting in the airport when my doctor called me! I love my doctor for this reason. It might take her a while to get to me but she routinely calls late on Fridays so I don't have to wait another weekend and here she is calling on a Sunday so that I don't have to wait for her to get back into town. Pretty sweet, I think. Of course, on the Fridays that she has called me I've been dealing with veterinary OB emergencies and unable to answer but that is beside the point.
I had my thyroid tested again (it was normal), my rubella titer checked (normal) and was screened for cystic fibrosis (okay). Then a bunch of hormones were tested too. My ratios of FSH and LH were abnormal and my testosterone was elevated. Both of these indicated that the ultrasound was accurate and that I have PCOS.
Friday, I had my progesterone level drawn. The doctor's office called today looking for some info before they will call me back with my results. I have a bruise in my elbowpit from getting blood drawn. It wasn't so bad as the last time because it was only one tube BUT I did look and it appeared that they were using an 18G needle to draw it! That's too big! Use a 22!

Anyway, I think the plan from here is that I continue on the progesterone and also start Clomid. The doctor is also planning more testing-for diabetes, insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome and cholesterol, etc for heart disease. PCOS predisposes you for all those things. It also explains my weight gain.
If by chance, I have insulin resistance I'll also probably get started on metformin.

I guess I still have a lot of questions about PICOs. Dr.Google here I come! Questions like-what are these cysts on my ovaries? Are they follicular? Little follicles that never progressed or regressed, follicles that were recruited but nothing ever came of them? Are you at more of a risk for diabetes if you have a family history of it? Why do I need a blood test? Can't I just pee on a stick like I make a dog do?

Of course, there is one other part of this getting pregnant plan that needs to come around...you know what I'm talking about...

Literature Review

I decided about a month ago to save some money by going to the library instead of purchasing books for my Nook. As I mentioned before, its difficult for me to get to the library while its open since its closed on my typical day off (Monday). Also, as I mentioned before, I want to take all the books with me!
I very reasonably (or so I thought) checked out three books for a two week period. And it took me three times of renewing them before I had them finished. Sigh. I know I was busy but I just don't read like I would like to.
The first book I read was Bones of The Lost by Kathy Reichs. Her books are the inspiration for the show Bones on Fox which you may remember I recently became obsessed with. Because of my obsession with the show, it was sort of hard to get into the book. The character of Temperance Brennan in the book was far different than the Temperance Brennan of the book. However, this book makes for a cheap thriller suitable for the beach or poolside. Anyway, in this book, Temperance is investigating the death of a girl found on the side of the road. She's also doing some work on the side for the feds involving some illegally imported dog mummies. And finally, she has to go to Afghanistan to investigate the death of some nationals that might have been killed by a US soldier. So yeah, there's a lot going on. I'll go ahead and give you a spoiler-all three events are related! But how? Well, that's for you to find out.

The next book I read was  Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss. This book chronicles the life of the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng. It is told by Eng. I stumbled across this book while looking for the one book I went to the library for. I decided to give it a try and if after 50 pages I didn't like it, I would quit. If it was still only okay, I would reevaluate at page 100. Well, at page 100, despite the book being a very, very slow read, I kept reading. Its a good book. Slow to get going but interesting.

The book I really went to the library for was An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor. This is the fifth book in the series and though it was a bit more dull than the previous books I still liked it. I may have mentioned this before but I these books are like the MDs of James Harriot. I recommended them to my mom who didn't like them though! I surely do. In this book, young Barry gets dumped by his girlfriend and in trying to forget it, throws himself into his work. Of course, there is a scheme that involves O'Reilly tricking Bertie Bishop. And finally, O'Reilly proposes to his nurse girlfriend.

I recently started reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and it is a tome! Seven hundred and seventy pages! The book won a Pulitzer Prize so hopefully it will be worth the $23 price I paid for the book... There is something to be said for a crisp, clean fresh book. I've surpassed the 50 page mark and am willing to continue...

After I finish my huge undertaking, I am going back to the library. I'll be working on the Patrick Taylor books as well as starting my quest to 'read the library'. By this, I mean I plan on reading one book from every shelf in the library. I was considering allowing so many skips per letter if a particular shelf didn't seem to hold anything promising but instead I think I will make myself read 50 pages. Then if that seems okay, I'll read 50 more. If I've made it that far, I'll have to continue and forge through. I figure that I'll find some diamonds in the rough this way.

Wedding Bells

Earlier this month, Joe and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary. It was very low key. Apparently, we don't care much about wedding anniversaries. Joe was going to buy me some boots which were out of stock in my size. I got him a t-shirt that says 'driving my wife crazy one goat at a time' and a goat plate. The traditional and modern gifts are like cotton and china. If we did anything, it must of been very unexciting.
But our days of wedding bells past were not the only wedding bells this month! My BFF Martha got married in Missouri! She married long time friend, Brad! And I was in the wedding party which is good because when I found out about their engagement, I threatened to slit my wrists if I wasn't. (Maybe it wasn't that serious but I would have been terribly disappointed.)
Any who, proceeding the wedding there were some bridesmaids dress drama and some socialization drama as I perceived it but it was probably all in my easily to take offense mind.
Also the week before the wedding, I got food poisoning. Like seriously. Thursday night, I was on call and doing great. Ate dinner then started to feel bad. Then went in for a c-section and visited the bathroom like three times by the time the dog was on the table. At that point, the tech had called in TC. Which was good. I sat in the hall with Blaze the cat. I helped with puppies then ran to the bathroom and threw up. I literally never throw up. I felt a little better after that. I took some ondansetron that we had left over from a patient and felt really weird all night. I barely got any sleep. I considered the ER and for a brief minute having my boss place an IV. Friday, I soldered through calls then slept all night on the couch. I did loose four temporary pounds.
Then Saturday and Sunday, I decided I wasn't tan so wore tank tops outside all weekend. Saturday, I got a little burned but decided to follow it up on Sunday with the most painful of all sunburns. I peeled all during the wedding weekend leaving little shreds of DNA behind. Gross. I am now tan. I used a tanning lotion on my legs which looked pretty good.
Joe and I went into STL via plane (direct flight! Woo!) on Thursday and visited my parents and grandma. Then I went from the way far out county area to downtown for dinner and walking to Lacedes Landing for a beer. Twice I had to convince myself not to drive into Illinois from failed navigational skills.
Friday, we met up with Amberle for a clinic tour and lunch at an amazing Asian place. Seriously, missing Amy's Thai. Maybe some takeout from the place downtown this weekend? Then we had the rehearsal dinner. The wedding party hung out in a suite that night. I called it quits early.
Saturday (the big day!) was sort of rainy. Then as we got out of the car to get our hair done it was really rainy! Like I was soaked to my skin rainy! I hadn't anticipated doing my hair but was sat in a chair and had it done. I'm not saying I could have done it better but maybe...she did my makeup and while Joe thought it looked nice, it seemed a little bold for me. After that, we went to the winery to get dressed and then pictures. Of course, everything was soaked. Martha's dress hem was soaked and muddy. If it had been me, I would have cried. Like big hysterical tears.
As we were starting the wedding, we were literally lining up to walk down the aisle at this point, it started pouring. Mind you that the wedding is outdoors! We all huddled under a vine arbor and waited for it to pass. The ceremony was short and sweet. Dinner was good. No cake, but an ice cream bar which might be even better!
Both the maid of honor and best man had been friends of our group since undergrad so their speeches were really nostalgic which is great for me since I'm overly nostalgic to a fault. Also great, talking to Matt Ryan (best man) and Eric Lutzeier, an old friend, because it appears that they are also both tragically nostalgic. We laughed it up about Brad's failed pursuits of many a girl including myself and various other dorm fun events.
On a random note, it was pointed out that all the bridal party had advanced degrees with a Masters being the lowest one ! LOL
It was a beautiful wedding that was barely marred by the weather. I want another wedding (to Joe, of course!) but I'm still paying off the first one!
Best of luck to the happy couple!

PS-here are some pictures of me looking
fat and washed out in my bridesmaids dress.

TMI

So this blog is going to get a little personal...very personal perhaps.
Prepare for TMI.

Two years ago (or there about), I stopped taking birth control pills. I figured that Joe and I were now married, I would be turning 30 in six months and that I wouldn't get pregnant right away anyway so let's stop them and then at our leisure, I could get pregnant.

Now, I'm 31 and still not pregnant. Actually, in the time that I have not been on birth control, I have had ONE period without medication. ONE!! I've have like four or five on medications (progesterone). Its very frustrating.
So two weeks ago, I went to the OB/GYN (actually nurse practitioner) and she said that she could refer me to a specialist if needed. Or I could see an OB/GYN in the office but it would probably be a few months...actually, never mind, it could be in five days. So five days, I went and saw the doctor. She ordered me a bunch of blood tests to be taken on a particular day of my period, ordered me an ultrasound and plans on ordering me an x-ray of my uterus with contrast.
I decided it would probably be a good idea too to tell my boss that I was going to try to get pregnant and as part of that, was going to need to go to the doctor since it wasn't as easy as getting drunk and getting knocked up. (However, I haven't fully tried that method. Maybe I should. LOL) My boss was shocked. That's the easiest way to describe it. It was like I had never mentioned starting a family to her or every in general AND it was like having a family was an absurd step for someone in my position. She started to quiz me about my plans for working-would I still do emergencies? Large animal? Apparently, she learned too late with the last vet that wanted to start a family. I totally was like, 'yeah, I plan on working'. Granted as I told her, it might be absurd to expect me to pull a calf at 8 or 9 months pregnant but I understand that part of my job is actually working it. I then mentioned that I was going to have to go for some testing and call the insurance coverage. To this my boss, laughed and told me good luck. Great, thanks for the insurance you picked out for us. And then also, the other associate is worried that she's going to get screwed over if I have a baby. Sorry that my life plans don't make things easier for you...
Anyway, I called the insurance company to check out if these tests were covered. Well, that was easier said than done. I gave her the codes and she said it was covered. Turns out that all of my fertility testing is covered. My ultrasound however while being covered has a $1500 deductible. So I need to see how much an ultrasound costs because if its not too much (I'm thinking about $300 is my budget.) I'm going to obviously pay for it out of pocket. I need to actually find out how much the deductible for the various bloodwork is. Also if some of the random screening tests (cystic fibrosis and rubella) are covered. I don't understand insurance.
I ended up calling the hospital and I found out how much and ultrasound costs---$877 plus the fees for the radiologist to read it. While initially, I was going to cancel it, the hospital said I could set up a payment plan so we decided to go ahead. I still have to do some sorting out for insurance. (Its so very boring.)
I went for my ultrasound-pelvic and transvaginal on Wednesday. It was though and quick. Not 100% painless but okay. I watched the pelvic but couldn't see the screen from the transvaginal. I learned I know that I know absolutely nothing about ultrasounds. Though I did learn that ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries are surprising fluid filled? I don't know. I did know that my uterus falls forward (probably positional due to my bladder size) and that my left ovary sits way up high. The ovaries should have black fluid filled specks (follicles I assume from what they would look like in animals) but not mine. I guess I have to wait for the ultrasound to be read by the radiologist.

 Joe's son will likely have to have open heart surgery this summer. They found a defect in his heart on a ultrasound though that's not what they were looking for. Its apparently pretty serious though I'm not sure what it is. I don't know if this changes how Joe feels about having kids. It doesn't really change it for me. I want a baby. My mom isn't being super supportive. She just keeps telling me that it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't get pregnant. Isn't it a little early to be so pessimistic? When Joe and I had initially talked about starting a family we talked about doing genetic testing because of some of the problems his son has but it was quickly tabled because of my disinterest and the arguments that it initiated. The fact of the matter is that I clinically and scientifically know that if I found that once of us had a problem that we could even potentially pass on, should we? NO! But the part of me that wants to have a family and wants to have a child with my husband that I dearly love and wants to be a mother says it wouldn't matter. Obviously, if I found out during my pregnancy that my child would never live though birth or infancy (maybe) I might consider otherwise about having it but for the most part, I would love any baby that I am given.

Speaking of insurance, because of some previous legal issues, we were being denied coverage on our cars. I sent Joe down to talk to the insurance agent and as part of it, we can get insurance but because we still owed on my Mercury (about $11000 when I finally looked it up) the insurance was going to be...prepare for it...over $13000!! We ended up getting a loan from a bank to pay for the loan on the car freeing us from a crazy high insurance payment to one that's only really high. (About twice what we pay now. Or maybe about the same, I honestly am not really sure what we pay. Fail.)

Work has a lot of drama going on right now. The simplest thing is that HP is going to be hired back to work part time. Also that we are going to go to late nights (7pm) four nights a week. This would give the vet working that night the morning off. Sweet! However, all of this is really just a rumor but probably most likely true. I just wish that 1) everything would become clear, 2) that I could have some input on some occasions and decisions and 3) that everything will be fair for myself and the techs.

I've had some exciting veterinary stuff going on. I did a C-section on a goat. Despite the generally poor prognosis of the dam during C-sections due to anesthesia, this goat did great. The kid (one giant doeling) was dead but the goat lived so I'm considering this a win! I saw a camel baby recently. It was really cute.

Books

I like to read. Maybe not as much as watching tv but I still really like to read.

Unfortunately, I run into two problems. 1) I don't like going to the library and 2) I don't like spending money. Let me explain.

The library here is closed Monday which is typically my day off. So it's inconvenient. Also, you only have books out for two weeks. I can not read all the books that I want to/check out in two weeks! I see books at the library the same way I see something I like at a store. If I really want it, I should get it now because it might not be there later. Silly I know. But that's how I end up with five books and late fees. I also owe like $5 in late fees which wouldn't be a big deal except the last time I owed money the librarian looked at me like I murdered a kitten. Or a child. Not that I was just a few days late on returning some romantic Amish fiction.

As far as not liking to spend money, I have had my Nook for about four years making it about four years outdated. I've been burned twice on buying books. I bought full price best sellers and absolutely hated them. So now I stick to books I know I'll like (Beverly Lewis Amish novels and Irish Doctor books by Patrick Taylor) or really cheap ones (less than $2.99).

In reading my cheap novels, I've discovered a new 'genre' cooking romances. Most of these come out of Britain and involve a single woman getting dumped, starting to cook, maybe quitting a job or being fired, maybe opening a bakery and ultimately finding love.
Unfortunately, these books make me wonder if I shouldn't take a clue from them and quit my job to open a bakery. I'm a very good baker. Maybe I could also have homemade dog and cat treats. Everyone likes those, right?

TV

I know its been a long time. Sorry. I was going to post a huge rant about work and my hatred of 'rescues' and so on but alas, I got over it.
Instead, I'm going to discuss the various TV shows which are my current obsessions.

I watch a lot of TV and if I'm not watching TV, I'm probably on my phone on Facebook. I'm honestly probably doing both. Also, Netflix.
If I was honest about it, if I had eliminated TV watching in vet school, I probably could have graduated towards the top of my class instead of the bottom. Would I be a better vet? Probably not. I have concluded that it was watching TV that kept me sane.
Often, I'm watching nothing in particular. I like Golden Girls and Chopped for mindless viewing. Crime shows like Bones is another favorite. I finished up the series on Netflix a month or two ago.

Recently, one of my coworkers (JH) and I have been sharing shows to watch on Netflix. We are both Downton Abbey fans and in our mutual love of period dramas, we have found several more shows we both enjoy.
These include:
Call The Midwife -Set in the late 1950s in a poor area of London, it focuses on a group of midwives/nurses and the midwives/nuns that serve the area. There is always some dramatic patient or medical issue at hand. The midwifes and nuns are all very endearing. I think Chummy is every viewer's favorite!
Bomb Girls -Unlike many of our favorite shows, this is a Canadian import. (The other favorites are all British shows.) This show focuses on a group of women working in a munitions factory in the 1940s during WWII. The main character is a rich girl that tries to support her country and show her family that money isn't everything. There is always some romantic drama as well as someone being accused of something unpatriotic. There are only two seasons and we were very disappointed when attempts to find the made-for-tv movie online resulted in only unwanted media players and possibly viruses.
While, I've barely started it, the next British invasion show is called Land Girls. Its about women moved from the city to the country side to help with farming in WWII. Its okay so far. It jumped right into excitement in the second episode. I'm three or four in.

I've been watching Bates Motel on A&E. Its good but I'm easily distracted by other things while watching it. The Walking Dead is rapidly losing my interest. Rick is consistently getting his ass handed to him. Its sort of like that in the comics but not nearly so often!
Finally, I watched all of the four episodes available of a show on Netflix called A Young Doctor's Notebook. (Apparently, four more episodes exist.) Anyway, its about a Russian doctor in 1917 that has just graduated from school and sent to the Russian tundra where he must learn about practicing medicine on his own. (NO MENTOR!) He is however mentored by his future self reflecting back on his mistakes in a morphine induced haze as he is being arrested. It stars oddly enough Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliff. Its good but sometimes difficult to watch.

See my obsession with TV.
   This is a sample of a project I am working on. An apron from a well worn pillowcase. The sheets were donated to the office and I cut up the pillowcases for an interesting apron. I got my ruffle attachment working on my machine and am making a very girly cowboy apron. Adding plenty of lace and trim to it, hence the pink bucking bronco.
Also did I mention, I got a hair cut?

Community Service

You probably know that I like being a veterinarian. You probably also know that I like to talk.
This makes for a poor combination when I am behind on appointments because I start talking. Somehow I figure since someone had to wait, everyone had to wait and they wait because I want to make sure everyone feels like they had their fair share of my time. The techs don't appreciate it when it makes them leave at 7:30 instead of 7...when they got off.
The two above things do provide a good combination of me liking to talk about being a veterinarian.
In addition, I like to teach. I like to teach clients about their animal's disease, about allergies, about pain management, etc. I like to type up handouts. I like to draw diagrams.
I also like kids.
So when you combine liking to talk, liking being a vet, liking to teach and liking kids...you're the one that gives clinic tours to boy scout groups.
Last year, I gave two tours to two different boy scout groups. One group was super excited-both kids and adults. The second group was not; the adults didn't tell me of their time constraints (baseball practice) beforehand and also seemed really creeped out about the various things we had as displays. Oh, and the adults were all men!

This year, I gave a private tour to a 5th grader that had written us a letter for her school project. She was amazing. Super smart and asked great questions. She had her mom take some really crazy pictures-us in our white coats, us looking scholarly looking at a book, us in lead aprons, us high-fiving while wearing lead gloves...It was pretty awesome. We had a good time.

My original group of boy scout wanted to come back which meant that I needed to come up with new things. I decided instead of just touring the clinic and talking about various things, we would focus on parasites and organs. I had some pig organs from some dead piglets. We had a 'pin the organs on the puppy' game, I printed radiographs and we identified the organs after going over radiographs and we discussed what organs did.
Then for the parasites! I had printed off a couple dozen copies of parasite eggs, cut them out, laminated them and cut them out again. Then I mixed them into chocolate pudding. The goal was for the boy scouts to dig them out of the pudding to replicate our looking under the microscope at a fecal sample. They had a blast and I was really glad that I made them all put on scrub tops!
And randomly, Kinder, the grumpy old man of clinic cats, decided that he wanted to be involved. He was petted and I hoisted him up on the table for a check.

So the next day, I had a talk to give to a girl guard group at the Salvation Army. I was sort of excited because these were 5th through 8th graders as apposed to the 2nd and 3rd graders that make up the Boy Scout group. Then I was less excited because I had some very specific things that I needed to cover. I started out making a presentation, then decided that it was too advanced and then went back to wanting to use it. Then ended up not using it.
I arrived a little late for my presentation due to some problems with parking...as there wasn't any. When I went in, I was in the chapel and unfortunately, I didn't get any time to set up. I wanted my presentation to be thoughtful as well as enjoyable. And maybe it was enjoyable for the girls but it wasn't really for me. These girls were insane. For as well behaved and intelligent as my Boy Scouts were, these girls weren't. I was actually, no joke, asked if I thought that Justin Bieber was rabid. I also was ask/told multiple things about various family pets. It was not exactly how I had it planned. Sadly, there was one girl that I really thought was enjoying herself and wanted to learn but was distracted by the pajama clad girl with the KoolAid mustache dancing in front of her.

While I still love the idea of talking and teaching kids about veterinary medicine, I might need to screen my groups a little more carefully.  

Weekend on Call

Well, its been cold and snowy here. That's no big surprise. I live in Northwest Pennsylvania and its February 5th. We moved Hattie the Fattie Cattie inside early in January for half a week because it was negative temps overnight. She seemed to enjoy it but we moved her back outside when it warmed up. The next time that it got that cold, she came inside and after a few days we FIV tested her and she joined the household. When it warmed back up this past weekend, I said that she should go back outside to which Joe (who had originally adopted Hattie when she was outside and is responsible for her name-though not the fattie cattie part, that's all me) protested and she became our FOURTH housecat. Though she may go out in the spring. As part of this, because I'm awful at it, Joe also took over the litterpan duty! Double score-another nice cat and not having to do litter pans!

Last week, DE was out of town and I was on call over the weekend. Friday, it was decided as large animal calls kept coming in that I should just stay on large animal all day. I started with an emergency way over in Ohio regarding a pig that was seizing. It was dead when I got there as sort of expected. Then I went and saw two sick cows, then to the office to eat. Then I saw a sick horse, vaccinated four horses and then saw a sick cow. The final cow was one of the meanest one that I have encountered in a long time. She kicked and kicked at me a I tried to cut her twisted stomach. I have a nasty bruise on my thigh. Luckily, I was able to come home and take a warm shower after my long day without much interruption.
Saturday morning was busy as usual but not excessively so. We were done by noon and I ran out to check on a horse belonging to a tech. The horse decided to lay down uphill and being rather old, couldn't get himself up. When I got there though, he was up and none the worse for wear. I stopped at the gas station then back the clinic for a HBC. He wasn't too bad but needed some stiches. I was going to come back when I had a tech to do this and that way I could make sure that he didn't seem less stable. I sat on the couch for less than an hour before going out on a calving. It was probably one of the messiest calvings every. Joe came with me since this was one of my favorite clients! Then after a much needed shower, we were back to the office for a dog that was acutely blind and then a dog in DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). I told the DKA dog that we either needed to euthanize or refer to Pittsburgh for more care than I could provide. Sunday morning, I euthanized the dog. It was sad but for the better. Then Saturday night, we finally saw a dog with fluid in her chest and abdomen. She was sweet and though she has a poor prognosis, I am optimistic for her. Her attitude is just too good to give up on!
Sunday, was my DKA dog, a dog that ate rat poison and a cat that was attacked by a dog. Not a bad weekend.
Monday, before even going into the clinic, I went out and castrated three bull calves and vaccinated a small group. It went amazingly well! I don't often get to do this work but I love it. Then I headed back into the office but on my way, I got a call about a sick horse. This horse is well known to us as a thin elderly man. He was very unsteady on his feet with a high heartrate. I wasn't sure what was going on but ultimately decided that it was likely severe colic. He responded well to banamine (a pain med) and I got him standing comfortably. I rectaled him and unfortunately felt that what I was feeling was not normal. I explained to the clients my concerns and that he was in no way a candidate for surgical correction. Because he responded so well to pain meds alone, I felt it was worth giving him warm water and oil. I left some sedative if he returned to how he was before. Sadly, that night he continued to get worse and CB went out. She euthanized him. It was sad but he was a painful boy.

I have a bowling party planned for my birthday on Friday. Its pretty exciting though I don't think that there is going to be very many people coming. :(

This Week

This week was fairly interesting.
Monday, I went out to see a sick cow and she turned out to have a twisted stomach (LDA). I haven't cut one for a couple of months at least; the summer transitioned into fall and then into winter very nicely. This one was in a heifer in a tie stall barn so she didn't have many reasons to have one but she did anyway. Monday, luckily was the warmest day of the week and luckily, this twist went very well.

Tuesday, I got in a very pissy mood as I was very busy in the morning, then more appointments got added on and none of the techs wanted to work. It just is so frustrating. You think you have everything all planned out then things go awry so very quickly.

Wednesday, I did surgery and had a high school student shadowing me in the morning. Everything went pretty well that day.

Thursday, it was sort of snowy.

Friday, I was called at 6:30am about a gilt farrowing. Unfortunately, the gilt had been farrowing since about noon the day before when DE pulled the first offending piglet. She hadn't managed to have any on her own. I worked for an hour and was making absolutely no progress so I told the owners to send her to slaughter. A tough choice that I felt bad about but sometimes things aren't going to work out. I absolutely hate farrowings (I always want to call them piggings, too.). I just can't figure them out.
As I was pulling into the pig place, one of our largest dairy clients called for a calving. I would head out there later with a high schooler tagging along. The calf was breech and nothing I did would bring the legs up. I ended up cutting off both rear legs then pulling the calf from around the middle. It was a tough pull and required an episiotomy but we got it out with minimum damage to the cow. I finished afternoon appointments before staying late to help CB cut a dog. Last week, I had cut this dog for a foreign body. The owner started freaking out about mid-week and worrying about it being painful. We later learned some interesting information about the owner. Anyway, when wen took the dog back to surgery on Friday night, her belly was a mess of adhesions and fluid. The surgical site had dehisted and leaked food into the belly. She then started to bleed and then she started to do poorly under anesthesia. We told the owner that euthanasia was probably the best option for her. It was a sad end but for the best. Its a shame these complications occur.

Today, I slept in late and it was fantastic. I woke up and it had snowed and snowed. It snowed on and off all day-probably like 6" total. I did the laundry but very little else. We had pizza day! When Joe and I were dating, we would occasionally have make your own pizza day where we would go to Wal-Mart for premade crusts and toppings. Never just pepperoni either but exciting stuff. This time I chose to make a Thai Chicken Pizza-I mixed rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sracha sauce, ground ginger and garlic powder and soaked some chicken strips for fajitas in it. On to the crust, I used peanut sauce as the sauce then topped with a couple handfuls of cheese. Then I added the seasoned chicken, red onion, broccoli slaw mix (carrots, red cabbage and broccoli), cilantro, green onion and peanuts. Then into the oven for 10-12 minutes. It was really yummy. Very spicy!

I'm off Monday and have to go see the insurance agent again. I'm not looking forward to it. Insurance makes my head hurt. I'm probably also going to get the oil changed in the car and go shopping.

Holidays

Hello 2014!
I'm sorry for the dreadful lack in updates. I've been busy working and while I wanted to do lots of blogging, my blogs were intended on being long and having lots of links so I couldn't easily do them on my phone.

I think I will concentrate on the holidays for this blog.

First, Thanksgiving.
I hate Thanksgiving. I always have. I always will. I went back to Missouri solo this year. Joe couldn't get any time off and I promised my Grandma that I would go. She's 91. You can't go back on promises to her.
It snowed the night before I was due to leave. Not just a little, like six inches. And I was on call and had my vet truck that had to be returned to the office before leaving. I talked to my mom and she wasn't sure she wanted me to come home with the weather. I woke up an hour earlier than intended and it took that long for me to decide what I was doing. It was no longer snowing, ODOT deemed the roads in Ohio to be clear and I could actually hear that the road in front of our house was clear too. I finally decided to get out of bed, pack and take the truck back. When I was ready to leave, Joe was only about 15 minutes from getting home so I waited for him. Then finally, Riley and I were on our way. We stopped at a rest area in Ohio and then for an hour after that we had some bad roads and snow to contend with. It significantly slowed us down.
So Thanksgiving, I had offered to make something providing that my mom would get the ingredients needed but she declined saying that my sister-in-law was bringing some things and they had plenty of stuff. Mom had made mention that they had gotten a Thanksgiving package from a local grocery store. I didn't realize this included pre-cooked turkey. Seriously. Then we also had mashed potatoes (they were okay). Microwaved stuffing-because boiling the water on the stovetop would have been too hard. Yams from a can. My mom isn't a good cook. While, I've made this vow before, I'm making it again-never home for Thanksgiving again unless I get to cook. Even my dad, the typical turkey maker, rolled his eyes at it being precooked.
I went through some stuff with my grandma and ended up bringing tons of stuff home. Too much stuff.

Christmas
Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I like decorations, presents, food, everything!
Joe went home to St. Joe and I was on call so it wasn't going to be the best Christmas but still a nice one.
Joe and I cut down our own Christmas tree. It was a snowy cold day but we had so much fun doing it. We bought so many nice decorations for it too. It was beautiful.
We opened various presents throughout the month because the perk of being adults without kids is that you can open presents whenever you want! No need to wait till Christmas!
I took Joe to the airport on Christmas Eve morning (his birthday) and came back to go to work. I had two emergencies that night and diagnosed three bad diseases during appointments that morning-pyometra (I did surgery in the afternoon.), mast cell tumor and immune mediated thrombocytopenia. Christmas Day was pretty quiet until late in the evening when I had to see the IMTP dog again. She was very pale and I suspected bleeding into her abdomen. I couldn't get her to calm down enough to radiograph so elected to give her a blood transfusion. Enter Mary! With some major trouble, I managed to give this pug a blood transfusion from Mary all by myself. This is a pretty big deal. I'm very proud of myself.
When Joe got back, we opened the remainder of the Christmas presents. I'm always sort of disappointed when the presents are done. Also because invariably there are presents I hate. I'll be returning some stuff.

New Year's
New Year's is the next most hated holiday for me. I can't stay up late, I don't really drink and being on my couch isn't thrilling. Until I go out and finally watch one of the many exotic things that Pennsylvania drops, New Year's Eve sucks.
And as usual, I plan on making resolutions that I don't intend on keeping...
-Weight loss
-Run a 5K
-Save $5000
-Have a baby/at least get pregnant-as part of this, I think we're facing months of doctors and fertility testing. Boo.
-Vacation?
-Write a novel during NaNoWriMo, spending the rest of the year doing research


In a couple of other, non holiday related areas, when I went Christmas shopping several weeks ago, I went to buy my bridesmaids dress for Martha's wedding. Well, the day before, it was revealed that XS, S and Medium dresses were in short supply. Luckily, I needed an XL. So there was some trouble about was this the dress we were going to wear or what? I risked it and bought the dress and luckily my gamble paid off.
Apparently, I might have forgotten what else I was going to say.