The Sniffles

A virus has infested our house. The cold virus, to be exact. Started out with the little man (who has since almost fully recovered), then my hubby, and now me. Thankfully it seems like it's quick cold since my husband's already on the mend. But me, right now, I'm in the full blown sick-mode. I called in sick too, which I rarely do, but I really hate exposing other people (especially if it's not necessary I'm there). Of course when I'm a actually a doctor, calling in sick is typically not an option. 

I have to admit, I really hate staying home sick. It's not exactly like it's a "day off". You can't do anything, you're miserable, and you feel useless (at least I do). I am not one to just sit around and be lazy. The more I have to do, the better. I'm more productive when I'm busy. So to sleep in or sit on the couch and do nothing is killing me right now. Hopefully I can kick this cold's butt and get back in action tomorrow for my last day of my rotation. Another four weeks done, and then I'm on to the next one. In the mean time I'll be slurping down some homemade soup and catching up on emails and paperwork. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I need to get a flu shot!

ee i ee i oooooo

Picking a child's halloween costume is a very stressful event. Ask any mother. I seriously cannot wait until Killian is old enough to just say, "Hey mom, I wanna be a red Power Ranger." Then Power Ranger it is! But until he's old enough to actually tell me that, I am burdened with the job of deciding on which embarrassing costume to dress my child in. 

Last year he was Tigger.....

 This year we were originally going to do family-themed costumes, but I think it's a bit ridiculous how much costumes actually cost (especially since you really only wear it once). So we nixed the adult costumes and just decided to find a really great one for the little man. Now if you've ever perused the internet for toddler costumes, you'd be bombarded with cuteness. How do you chose??? Well after narrowing it down to a few favorites we decided he would be a cow. The only problem is there was about forty different cow costumes. 

Well, as you know we've found the most perfect one from Pottery Barn Kids.....

"Moooooo"

I can't wait to pull him around in his wagon and go trick-or-treating! 

Back on Track

Despite running two 5k's this summer, I have sadly been slacking in the working-out department. I've been so busy with being on clinical rotations this fall and trying to spend more time with my family, that I haven't devoted much time to fitness. Usually I go for walks on the weekends with Killian and our dog after the hubby heads to works, but that hasn't really done much for my figure. So I decided I needed to start making some changes to get back on track.

First thing I did was sign my husband and I up for another 5k, since having a goal set in mind is always my best motivator. Then I decided that if I had enough time to sit in front of the TV at all, then the least I could do was some stretching or ab exercises. Also, this week I started hitting up the gym again and seeing how I did on the treadmill. My first day I ran a mile and a half, then walked another mile and a half. Today I got to two miles, then walked a mile. I was surprised at how easy it was to start to build up my endurance, especially since I haven't run since August. I'm also going to start doing some Itsy Bitsy Yoga classes with Killian on the weekends, and some hot yoga with the hubby.

And since losing weight and getting in shape isn't all about exercise, I've also been trying to focus on what I eat a little more. In the past I've noticed that just trying to eat "healthy" hasn't always worked for me. I definitely need more structure in my diet. So my husband has been making me healthy smoothies* twice a day, which is great for me because I absolutely hate thinking about what to eat and planning meals. I wish I was more interested in cooking, but when you work 10 hour days and have a toddler to take care of, study, prepare for residency interviews, and try to squeeze in a workout....... then there really isn't any time to cook.

Ultimately my goal is to get back in bikini body shape this summer. I had these delusions of grandeur thinking that I was going to bounce back so quickly after having a baby and be able to wear all my old clothes again (yes, even my bathing suits). Well, obviously that's not always the case. But now that I'm over a year post-baby belly, I need to get my butt in gear and start making a greater effort to regain my body! Not only just to look better, but to feel better and have more energy. I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes.

*If you have any good smoothie recipes, please share!!

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

I had another amazing day off with my family. Since it was a cold and rainy day, we wanted to do something fun indoors. So we trekked down to Boston to the New England Aquarium. Even though Killian's still a bit young, he had a great time watching all the fish, seeing the penguins, and yelling at the sea lions. It was awesome to see how amazed he was by all the sea-life, pressed up against the glass tanks. He wasn't even afraid of the giant shark that swam by! It took everything in my power not to try to take a penguin home with me, though I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it very far had I tried.

Afterwards, we went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory. And then we were on the hunt for the perfect halloween costume for Killian, which we found at Pottery Barn Kids! I'll leave you in suspense on what we picked until a later post, though. Overall, a wonderfully fun day with my boys.... couldn't ask for anything more.

Mam-o-mammogram!

I wonder why it always takes a celebrity diagnosed with some form of disease or cancer or something to bring awareness to medical issues. Yesterday news spread like wildfire that E! reporter and reality TV star Guiliana Rancic has been diagnosed with breast cancer. What's most shocking about the news is that she's only 36 years old, four years younger than the recommended age for women to even have a mammogram. Interestingly enough, it was found incidentally by mammogram that was recommended she get prior to her third IVF procedure. If her doctor had never insisted on getting a mammogram (since IVF treatment involves lots of hormones which could potentially speed up the growth of certain breast cancers), then it wouldn't have been discovered until she was 40. Who knows how much it would have grown and spread by then?

But what makes her any different from the 1 in 8 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer? Nothing really, except that she has the ability to make her diagnosis public and bring more awareness to the issue. It also once again opens up a public discussion and debate over cancer screening. Patients are more confused than ever about health screening and tests. How often to get PAP smears, at what age to get your first mammogram, should men have their PSA tested, do you really need a flu shot..... How do you know what's really necessary and what's not? And if it is necessary, when and how often do you need to be tested? Well, since I've started out talking about breast cancer, and it is breast cancer awareness month, I'll provide some information on screening guidelines per the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists.

If you visit the ACOG website, you can find their most recent statement and position on breast cancer screening and mammogram recommendations. They state, "Due to the high incidence of breast cancer in the US and the potential to reduce deaths from it when caught early, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College) today issued new breast cancer screening guidelines that recommend mammography screening be offered annually to women beginning at age 40." It goes on to say, "Although women in their 40s have a lower overall incidence of breast cancer compared with older women, the window to detect tumors before they become symptomatic is shorter, on average. The five-year survival rate is 98% for women whose breast cancer tumors are discovered at their earliest stage, before they are palpable and when they are small and confined to the breast. If women in their 40s have annual mammograms, there is a better chance of detecting and treating the cancer before it has time to spread than if they wait two years between mammograms."


Now for women with a family history of breast cancer, the rules are a bit different. You may need to start having mammograms at an earlier age. It depends on who in your family has had it and at what age. I recommend discussing this with your physician, and you can decide together at what age it's appropriate to have a mammogram, or if you need any genetic testing done to test for the breast cancer genes - BRCA1 & BRCA2. Please keep in mind though, that only 5-10% of breast cancers are hereditary. So even if you do have a family history, it doesn't necessarily mean you carry the genes. 


As a medical student, I've done a lot of family practice rotations. The best part of family practice and primary care is being able to practice preventative medicine, meaning making sure patients are up to date on their vaccines, scheduling everyone a colonoscopy once they turn 50, and encouraging women to get their mammograms. So needless to say I've had to field a lot of questions surrounding what's important for cancer screening, particularly breast cancer. And as an (almost) doctor I think it's important to be well educated on the subject and be open to making clinical decisions along with your patient, not just making them for your patient. I want my patients to feel empowered and knowledgable and know that by having their yearly mammogram, they have control over their bodies and facing cancer head on!