HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
I really wish I was home today. All my siblings drove home from all over the place to spend the day with my parents. Unfortunately, I can't make it.
I love fall and Thanksgiving in America. I love pre-christmas season in Germany. But today, I am missing the Carmel apples, hot apple cider, apple pie, stuffing, mom's cookies and so much more. I would love to be sitting at the table with my family. Hear how college is going for my brother in Steven's Point and how med school is coming along for my sister in Erie and I want to know what's happening in High School as a pretty awesome senior from my little sister. I want to cuddle my puppy (he is 11 years old). I want to sit by the fireplace and chat for hours with my parents. All these things I want. But Thanksgiving is not about wanting, its about being thankful for what you have. And I have a whole lot to be thankful for!
I am SO very thankful for the support my parents give me through medschool (and through life). It's not always easy....okay, it's never really easy. But you learn to grow with your challenges.
My dad gives me the opportunity to focus on my studies and not have to work to pay off my student loans as well. He is always there when I have a question and loves to show me around work when I visit. He also reminds me that I need to let go every once in a while and go party. Believe me, if he were closer, I'm positive there would be more than one occasion that we would be partying together.
My mother is always there for me. We skype so much we could go 6 months without physically seeing each other but never having the feeling as though we lived so far away. She takes the time to listen to me and give me her point of view. Random letters and packages from the states brighten up my day. She makes sure that I stay balanced, reminds me not to over work myself and that I can do it all! She has helped me through some of the toughest times.
It is never easy being so far away from them but I am so thankful I have them (and skype!).
I've had quite my ups and downs the last year, emotionally and physically. I've laid in bed not wanting to move because of my stomach aches, I've gone days with eating the absolute minimum possible because everything I would eat would cause the pain to come back, I've woken up on days where the pain was there and wouldn't leave. I lost the excitement for cooking and eating good food. But I am thankful that that is really the biggest medical issue I have!
Working in the medical field grounds you (or so it should). I see patients on a daily basis dealing with illnesses that change their whole lives and the lives of the people around them. The have to spend their days in the hospital, I can leave at night (unless of course I've got the night shift like right now).
Dealing with these patients and listening to them, has made me not care about so many other insignificant things. I don't get involved in petty fights or get upset about little things. Not to say that I don't ever get upset, of course I do. But I can calm myself down fairly quickly. I don't appreciate it though when others try to make issues out of issues that don't actually exist. It just makes life stressful to do so. So today and every other day, I am thankful for my relatively good health.
Since Thanksgiving isn't a holiday in Germany, I had a normal college day.
We had a patient to see, take history on and examine. This morning we had a friendly old man who had a stroke. He was very chatty and I think enjoyed the break up of the daily routine and being interviewed by three female med students. We spent a fairly long time examining him as well because the others came to join us. Afterwards, we discussed various neurological topics and then had lunch. After lunch, we got to go to the video EEG department and see some footage. On this particular ward, patients are hooked up to EEG machines and video taped in their rooms. This way, when they have an epileptic seizure, it is on tap and we can see what is going on in the brain. We looked at various patients and it was interesting to see how what happens in the brain correlates with what the patient is doing. Sometimes their brain is freaking out but they are just sitting in bed saying they feel weird.
We discussed a few more points before we were done for the day.
I went and got my bank card back, did a quick grocery store stop and was off to bed to get some rest for my night shift :)
Enjoy the food and company of your family and friends!
Baci
V
No comments:
Post a Comment