General Surgery

I've had a wonderful experience in my surgery rotation so far and have been very fortunate to work with yet another group of amazing people! Everyone has been so welcoming, patient (even though I'm sure they're swearing at me in their head...Ha), and willing to teach me anything. While I would have never imagined myself doing surgery before this, I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed my time here and will be disappointed to leave! I have a feeling that I'm going to love so many specialties and have a hard time deciding when all this is said and done with!

There are a several things I've had the pleasure of doing in surgery... making incisions, retracting, holding the lap cameras, suctioning, cyst excision, wound closure, and a few others. As a student, it's a lot of "hold this" and "look here", but scrubbing in and being part of a surgery is so exciting! Being able to see the internal anatomy and getting to feel it with your own hands is absolutely AMAZING! One of my favorites is to see bowel peristalsis during an open abdominal surgery ~ so cool! The human body never ceases to amaze me! My first suturing experience was rather interesting, as I had to stitch up my preceptor's hand after a slip with the scalpel. Of all the times he could have cut his hand for the first time... of course I had to be there =)! His hand still seems to be functioning, so I guess that counts as a success?!

Most of being a student is trying to NOT look like a complete idiot, a daily goal of mine in which some days I succeed and others I do not! Ha... There have been so many times when I've thought "I wonder if I look as stupid as I feel" ~ which I've come to find out is a general consensus among many of my classmates. Throughout PA school, you basically lose every part of yourself in an attempt to become a (somewhat... Ha) competent medical provider in two years. During this time, we give up our normal lives and devote everything to our studies... we no longer eat or exercise like we should, little time for family/friends, we're mentally broken and numb to every ridiculous assignment (i.e. read 80 pages and only 2/18 quiz questions is actually from the reading), stress becomes the norm, sleep is a reward, and not mention the level of irritation you develop against the rest of the world. Thank goodness for supportive families and PA friends to suffer alongside! =) I have been blessed with a wonderful support system and amazing experiences so far... almost 2 rotations down, 5 more to go!  

In an attempt to maintain my sanity, I try to find time for laughter! If you don't work in medicine or haven't been a student of medicine, you may not find these quite as funny... When I need a good laugh, I visit this site and typically laugh until I cry! Enjoy...

whatshouldwecallmedschool:

HOLDING RETRACTORS

WHEN A PROFESSOR TELLS US TO HAVE FUN OVER THE WEEKEND...

I’m like:

WHEN MY PRECEPTOR SENDS ME HOME EARLY FOR THE DAY

I’m like:

WHEN A NON-MED FRIEND OR FAMILY ASKS ME TO HANG OUT DURING SURGERY ROTATION

I’m just like:

(the original video for this little clip is even more amusing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh7UgAprdpM&feature=related) 



CHECKING OUT THE WAITING ROOM AT THE DERM CLINIC
(frankly, I think this applies to most waiting rooms... LOL)

TRYING TO SCRUB OUT OF MY SURGICAL GEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME

I was like:

Bahahahaha.... I could go on forever ~ love that website! 2 weeks left and next up is Emergency Medicine...

~ Lacie

6 Weeks of Dermatology... Complete!

Where has the time gone?! I finished my first rotation in Dermatology last week and while I have not enjoyed being 4 hours from my home and loved ones, I LOVED Derm!

The staff at Hermitage Dermatology were amazing! Everyone was very welcoming and willing teach me whatever they could. I honestly dreaded moving so far from home, but everyone there made it a wonderful, worthwhile experience. Thank you! 

Most people believe that Dermatology is a boring specialty and that all you do is look at rashes. I can't lie... there were a lot of rashes!  But to our patients, that rash was keeping them from living the life they wanted. Imagine if your skin was constantly itchy and burning, and then imagine what that must feel like on a day like today (97 degrees here in Hermitage!). If you've ever had an itch like this, you know that it can drive you crazy! Not only is it irritating and painful, but some of these conditions can be unsightly and keep people from wearing comfortable clothing or even going out in public. The treatments these patients receive are life changing, and to me... that's not boring at all! Not everyone was a first time fix, but I loved seeing smiling patients come back in for their follow-up! 

In addition to the common "rashes" such as contact dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and acne, I also saw rarer conditions of Pemphigus Vulgaris (a blistering disorder) and Lupus. And then there was a lot of fungus, some scabies (eeee!) and sooooo many more... but I would bore you with a huge list of medical mumbo-jumbo and the teacher in me would feel the need to explain everything... ha! Needless to say I went home daily thinking I had a new skin condition and with the feeling of "itch"! lol... 

I also saw a lot of cosmetics throughout my rotation, including Botox injections and fillers. Who knew that a bottle of Botox in your armpits could keep you from sweating like a madwoman?! Sign me up =)!

The days moved quickly and it was a nice mixture of medical conditions, cosmetics, and procedures. Anyways... I survived the first rotation and added Dermatology to my list of possible specialties =).

Next up is General Surgery and somehow, I was lucky enough to have this rotation in Hermitage as well... Stay tuned to see how that goes and hopefully I can snag a few pictures of wound care to share... just kidding! I really spared you the gross details of some Derm procedures (like the cyst I&D)! haha

After my mom spent 1/2 a day in my baking apartment, she bought me another air conditioner... so I plan to stay cool this weekend. Thanks mom!! You're a life saver, as always!

Stay cool everyone!

~ Lacie

"Carp"e Diem

Here's a peek into our Sunday adventure! We started our drive with no plans, other than to find the carp. Then we made a few other stops and found the most adorable winery! Scott and I always talk about owning our own business one day, but we have too many ideas... cupcake boutique, outdoor adventure store, cafe, and now... a winery! I'll let you know if we ever take the leap! =)   

Linesville, PA - The Spillway

This is really something everyone needs to see! Haha... The Carp are so close together they flop all over each other trying to get food thrown by observers. The geese and ducks line up behind the Carp in hopes of catching a crumb or two!  

Purple Martin House near the Spillway

Linesville Fish Hatchery 

Lago Winery

Scott and I love to stop at wineries on our adventures, and Lago is the neatest winery we've been too so far! The brick oven is located in what used to be an old silo and there is seating inside and on a deck off the back of the barn. What a neat atmosphere!

And finally... 

We ended our Journey with a tour of the 444 Flags in Hermitage, PA and Bruster's Ice Cream! 

The 444 Flags were originally flown in honor of the American Hostages that were held in Iran between 1979 and 1981, and they continue to fly today as a symbol of American hope and pride. I drive past this every day on the way to my rotation site and finally stopped to see it!  

Chocolate Coconut Almond... Yum! 

So as you can see, we had a great weekend! When life takes you 4 hours from home... find something fun to do!


Happiness is...  going on adventures with your best friend. <3

National Get Outdoors Day - June 9th, 2012

Buhl Park 5K

My first rotation is going well so far, but I'm beyond busy with assignments and research! However, I made a bucket list of things to do on each rotation and I plan to stick to it!

Bucket List...  #1.  "Run" The Buhl Park 5K

Even though I haven't had time to train, or excise in general, for the past 3 weeks... I still decided to run the 5K.  I didn't have time to run the course beforehand, but after a few visits to the park I concluded that it was flat. Ha, I was mistaken! My goal was just to finish without dying, so I'll consider it a success! =)  

In this first picture, I was telling Scott that as long as these "old" guys didn't beat my time I would be happy. Those "old" guys took off in the beginning and I never saw them again! haha! There was yummy ice cream waiting for me at the end, so I just had to keep my eye on the prize!

Scott and I had such a great weekend! I'll be sharing pictures from our other weekend adventures soon!


~ Lacie

A Time for Everything, and Everything in It's Time

As many of you know, life is not always full of happy moments. I had an experience this past week that I would consider to be one of my lowest points. 

I have been anxiously waiting for a few months now to get my rotation assignments for my last year of PA school. The hard part, or so I thought, would finally come to an end in May and I would start one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Soon, I will be right alongside Doctors and PAs, using all the knowledge I've been collecting for the past 5 years. I could not wait any longer to see where I would be!

An announcement was made that assignments were out! I scanned my list and quickly realized that out of 7 sites, I only recognized 2 and only 1 near home. I frantically typed a few into mapquest and my heart sank. I felt frozen for a few seconds, thinking that this could not possibly be my assignments. Listening to the chatter around the classroom, I began to realize that most people had several placements in which they could live with friends and family. I immediately felt a sadness come over me and anger quickly set in. Had they gotten confused on the information I gave them? I had given the coordinator all the places I had possible housing (which was many), but for some reason she thought it would be appropriate to place me all over the state - far, very far, from my husband and family: 2 1/2 to 4 hours to be exact. These placements would change everything about our life for the next 8 months.

It's different being married and going to school. I'm sure others would beg to differ and argue that they will miss their loved ones just as much, but it's not just about missing a loved one. A marriage is a lifelong commitment that you make to another person and happily married people will probably agree that something changes after you say your vows. It's not simply moving in together and continuing on with life. It's now a responsibility to be there for that person and share everything in life with them. I lived with Scott before we were married and after the wedding and everything settled down, it was different - a wonderful kind of different. It's hard to explain, but you'll know when you get there. So I knew that Scott would be equally as saddened when he found out the news.

It's been a few days since we found out and I wouldn't say that Scott or I have completely accepted it, but we're getting there. There is a lot to miss in 8 months, especially during our favorite times of the year (summer and fall). It's the little things that I will miss the most - gardening and landscaping together, eating dinners on our deck, having coffee on the porch by our pond, sleeping in on weekends with our little Ellie girl, etc. Emotionally, it's going to be a really tough 8 months for me. However, I'm not the type of person to crawl in a hole and be depressed the whole time I'm away. I'm starting a bucket list soon of all the things I want to do when I'm away - #1 being learn as much as I can. I threw myself out into the world during undergrad and experienced as much as I could. I thought I was ready to be home and to start settling into a routine life. Apparently God has other plans for me this year and I'm starting to feel some excitement again about what may lie ahead.

The day after my assignments came out, Scott and I both were given a message. My friend, Allison, brought in her devotional and said I needed to read the day's message, but I wasn't ready to hear it. She reminded me again at the end of the day.  Here is what it said...

Jesus Calling Devotional ~March 29th

Stop trying to work things out before their times have come.  Accept the limitations of living one day at a time.  When something comes to your attention, ask Me whether or not it is part of today’s agenda.  If it isn’t, release it into My care and go on about today’s duties.  When you follow this practice, there will be a beautiful simplicity about your life: a time for everything, and everything in its time.

A life lived close to Me is not complicated or cluttered.  When your focus is on My Presence, many things that once troubled you lose their power over you.  Thought the world around you is messy and confusing, remember that I have overcome the world.  I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have Peace.

 

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: ~John 16:33

When I came home, I told Scott that I think God sent me a message today that it's going to be ok. He looked at me and said "Hunny, I was sent a message today too!" The PSSAs are finally over, so Scott has been showing the kids some science documentaries. This one was about a man raising wild turkeys from eggs and having them imprint on him in the wild for a year. The man said that he learned an import lesson over that year - "Stop worrying about the past and what's to come in the future. Enjoy the moments of the day and be happy in the present."

All I can say is - thank you God, for showing your presence in my life in a time when I need you the most. There will be times when you might think he's not listening to the cries of your heart, but he is. Wait on the Lord and he will be there when you need him. 


So here's the line up... please feel free to comment on things I might want to do in these areas. I think I have Philly covered, but I'm still up for suggestions =)! 

Hermitage, PA (near the Ohio border) - Dermatology

Hermitage, PA - Surgery

Altoona, PA - Emergency

Kingston, PA - Pediatrics

Philly - Internal Med

Newport - Family Med

Life's moments are not always happy, but happiness is having people you love there to support you during difficult times. In these next two months before I leave, I plan to really enjoy my time with family, hug a little longer, and love a little stronger. Something I now realize I should have been doing all along...

 "It's going to be ok" flowers from my mom. She's the best <3

Thanks for reading!

~ Lacie

Fun with Casey

How to entertain a 2 year old - for a few minutes anyway! 

Growing a Pansy from a Ceramic Egg
(I found this at Lowes)

Step 1:  Lick the egg for good luck! Hehehe... This is not technically a reflex, but I think most people would agree how natural it is for little kids to put everything in their mouth =). Good thing the dirt was only on the inside at this point. 

Step 2:  Crack it open with a spoon

Step 3:  Clean up the mess! This wasn't included in the original directions... Casey knows the word mess and she reeeeeally thought this part was funny!  


Step 4:  Add a little water... with the help of Nana of course.

Step 5:  Place it in the sun and wait for it to grow!

Enjoy the last few days of March!

~ Lacie 

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Happiness is... cooking and baking! I haven't had a lot of time since I started PA school, but I'm on a wonderful spring break now and have been enjoying doing some things that I love! 

We had some yummy blueberries from Butcher's Farm Market that needed to be used - so I did a search for blueberry recipes and found Tyler Florence's Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars! I followed the recipe as it was written, but there were a few things I was unsure of. Of course I used lots of Pampered Chef tools (for those of you who don't know, I'm a consultant) and they really did the trick =)! I LOVE having a tool for everything!

 The crust was a simple graham cracker crust with a little cinnamon and sugar added in...

This beautiful, warm weather makes me so hungry for fruit! It's still early, but I can't wait to get some fresh, local fruit. The recipe called for two lemons zested and juiced. What does that mean?!? I like to know measurements, so here is what I came up with: 1 tbs of lemon zest and 1/4 cup of lemon juice =). The bars were a little tangy, but I liked it! If you like something a little sweeter, you could try adding a little more sugar or less lemon to the batter.

Then, I washed and dried 1 cup of blueberries (someone ate the other 1/2 cup for breakfast) and scattered them on top. 

The recipe called for a dusting of powered sugar, but I forgot... oops! I choose not to line my pan with parchment paper, but afterwards I kinda wished that I did. I think they might have cut a little nicer. Either way, they were yummy! They might even make the list for an Easter dessert! 

You can find the full recipe here. Happy baking! 

Lacie

Spring... Please hurry!

Spring is right around the corner and we at the Sanderson household cannot wait! I got out of class early a few days last week and started our Spring cleaning and decorating! Here's a peek of last week... 

This glass candle holder was a housewarming gift from the Ventre's this past winter and I updated it to an Easter look... 

Pretty tulips to brighten the house... 

Ellie went to the groomer last week and got pretty pink bows in her hair. This was right before she came down with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. I was up all night with a very sick puppy - so scary and not a pretty site! Fortunately, she's almost back to herself!   

We also took a walk at the park last week. This might be where Ellie picked up the "bug" that made her so sick. How cute is she in her PSU sweatshirt?!

I found some time to make a Pinterest recipe - Pasta Pie. It was very yummy, but a little more time consuming than just tossing it all together in a bowl. I used store bought spaghetti sauce instead of making my own, but I'm sure it would be good either way. 

We're really looking forward to having warm weather again this week and hopefully we'll be seeing green soon! 

Lacie

Back to the Grind

It's only a week and a half into my Spring semester of PA school and I'm already exhausted! So far, we've already taken a Rheumatology and Pharmacology exam, and we're now knee deep into orthopedics. Everyone tells you before you start PA school that "it's like drinking water from a fire hose" and really there's no better analogy! We learn whole specialties a week at a time and I often find myself deciding on which lectures to just cut my losses and get a few hours of sleep before an exam. Not to mention, unlike most PA Programs, C's don't get degrees at LHU.  So there's the added stress of maintaining at least a B average. While it creates a complex of stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation for me, it's great for all of you out there that I might be treating someday (as long as I don't have a mental breakdown before then)! With all that being said, I must say that I love what being a PA has to offer and in the end it's going to be worth every minute of lost sleep and stress!

Thankfully, I have a lot of wonderful people on my side that keep me positive and pushing on! While my parents, Scott's parents, and some other friends and family have been great supporters - they haven't had to actually live with me during this process. So the biggest supporter award can only go my husband, Scott, and I'm so grateful to have him. He always seems to be able to put things into perspective and keep me focused on that end goal of reaching my dream and of course paying for my own gas =)! Not only is he there for emotional support, but he also gets to be my practice patient for physical exams, CPR, and whatnot. Last semester he showed the ultimate commitment (other than our marriage of course) when he helped me research for hours on health disparities in the Native American Indian population for a final paper. I had finished all my final exams and the last thing standing between me and that winter break was a 10 page paper. I finally broke down and cried, and he tried to stay very serious and bring me back but he couldn't help but laugh. After a few rebuttals of  "I can't do it", "I don't even know any American Indians", and "it's not funny," I couldn't help but join the laughter. 

Having someone to laugh with everyday - now that's happiness =)!   

Welcome to our new Blog!

Happiness means something different to everyone. To us, happiness is loving one another, laughing together, enjoying nature, spending time with family and friends, being married, and so much more. We are the Sanderson's and this blog is a way for us to share a piece of our happiness with our friends and family. Go to the Meet Us page to learn more about us!


Happiness is spending time with Ellie...

This is our little pup, Ellie. She's almost 2 years old and brings such joy to our family! She is also loved very much by our niece, Casey, and all her grandparents.

Ellie is a great traveler and likes to be wherever we are. So when we took a road trip to Virginia this past Summer, of course she went along! We drove down Skyline Drive and a part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, camping along the way. We also visited Luray Caverns and hiked several of the trails.

We had a lot of fun with Ellie this Christmas! However, she did try to get an early start on opening her presents in November. Scott came home to her bag of new toys opened and scattered all over the floor! Needless to say, she could hardly wait on Christmas morning!!

It would be misleading to say that training a puppy is always fun. Of course we have our frustrations, especially when she rolls in something stinky or wakes us up at 3 am to go potty. But honestly, it's all worth it! Spending time with Ellie brings us so much laughter, love, and pure happiness... 

Lacie