Holy bananas Batman. I am SO glad this semester is over! I thought I would give a quick update.
When the semester first started in January I quickly became overwhelmed. I'm not a quitter but I was really considering whether or not finishing the program was worth it! That first week I made a list of every assignment, project and test that I would be required to complete throughout the semester and tacked it to a wall in my bedroom. It brought a lot of satisfaction to cross each item off as I went! As silly as it seems, having that list really helped me make it through because I could always see that the end was in sight.
Pretty much everything in my life suffered from neglect the last four months so if you have been trying to get a hold of me I am so very sorry! In my whole academic career there has only been one other semester as difficult as this one, and I truly did not have time for anything in my life other than school and work. I didn't get to attend a single church activity outside of the regular Sunday meetings and I turned down most outings with friends. I even turned down many family activities. It has been insane.
On the plus side, I know much more about diagnosing and medicine than I knew at the beginning of the semester. Still not nearly enough, but yay for progress!
Now that the semester is finally over, I get a break for two weeks and I have been trying to relax but it has proven to be a difficult task. More than ever I realize how much I don't know and I feel a tremendous amount of pressure to spend this break doing more studying so I can be at the top of my game for clinical this summer. However, I really really need a break after the hell that was last semester, so I'm feeling some major conflict inside!
In that same train of thought, I'm having some major anxiety about clinical. To make a long story (and several misunderstandings) short, I may have to move very far away to complete my schooling. Not the plan, and I'm not happy about it. I'm not sure where I'm moving yet and I may not know until two weeks before I have to be there, but I'm trying to be positive. Key word: "trying" :)
I also had some health stuff come up towards the end of my semester that just added to the mix of craziness. I didn't really tell anyone about it at the time, but I was getting worked up to rule out cancer. After a few consults they decided to do a few months of "watchful waiting" then reevaluate if things get worse at any point in time. I'm really hoping for not worse because I literally can't afford to not finish this program. Being sick doesn't scare me nearly as much as the amount of debt I've accumulated does haha.
SOME GOOD NEWS:
I am going to be an aunt!! I seriously can hardly contain my excitement. I just want this little man to be born already but he's still got a few months of incubating. I've decided working in L&D has made me a nervous wreck when it comes to pregnancy, but it's fun to be able to feel where his little body is in my sister's belly!
I got started back on Metformin for my PCOS and it is not making me deathly sick like it used to. PRAISE THE HEAVENS. My body actually feels much better this time around so I'm hoping it will stay this way!
Summer is upon us. I am beyond ready for barbecues and shaved ice with custard (Karie Anne's, I'm lookin at you) and nights in the park and drives through the mountains. Unless of course I don't live here anymore, then I will just have to find summer adventures somewhere else.
Happy spring!
