ouchie

So if you read this post, you'll know that I've had this weird rash for the last couple weeks. First the dermatologists thought it was eczema, but then it appeared on my inner wrists and they thought lichen planus and did two biopsies this week.

Being a patient is really tough. I feel like I should get expedited care because I work at the friggin hospital and my doctors are really my colleagues. But at the same time, I also feel that it's unfair for me to get any special treatment just because I'm a "doctor" too. Plus, it's a good experience for me to know what it feels like to be a patient, right...?

So the lidocaine numbing medicine REALLY REALLY hurt. I have medium-tolerance for pain, I'd say, and it was one of the more painful things I've had to endure. (The most painful experience being the time I got my tattoo). But it worked well because I didn't feel the actual scrape biopsy part at all. Even though it looked NASTY.

It's been two days and this is what they look like. One on each forearm. This one hurts like a motherfucker. I wanted answers though so as long as this gives us the diagnosis, I'll think it was worth it.

Fat Tuesday

This time of year reminds me of where I was last year. In Bolivia, right before the start of Lent.

This was taken at the Carnivale celebration in Oruro, reportedly the second largest, after the one in Brazil. It was a day-long parade of music and dancing. Not to mention the water-balloon throwing and white foam spraying. I was both exhausted and excited to be there. We all had to wear these ponchos and still got soaked through, multiple times during the day.

In between dancers and musicians, all the kids (and occasionally the drunk adults) would line up on either side, and start a "war" of water-balloon throwing. I had to use my umbrella to shield myself.

On a totally unrelated note, I got flowers from Armand for Valentines Day. I came home from my ER shift at 4am and found them next to my bed. I love tulips. I love basically any flower that isn't a rose. :) Plus he had done all my dishes!

Valentines Day Snowstorm

I'm working tonight so we celebrated Valentines Day last night at Topolobampo. It only took us 65 minutes to get downtown, which is only 6 miles away. They had closed Lake Shore Drive, one of the major thoroughfares in Chicago. Thank goodness for strong drinks. I started immediately with a peach Bellini and some warm sunchoke soup. They bring out complementary guacamole (THE BEST IN THE CITY) with cucumbers and jicama. YUM.

Everything on the menu looked so good; I could hardly decide between the duck, lamb, pork, and even the vegetarian enchiladas sounded tasty. I finally went with the lamb and though the mole sauce was a little tart/sour, it was exquisitely tender and the corn tortillas were AMAZING. I was so stuffed afterward that we had to skip dessert entirely.

The drive back was less harrowing because we knew what streets to avoid but right when we turned onto my street which is always always the last to get plowed, we almost got STUCK. It was a scary 5 minutes, as we tried to get out, and as I could hear the tires spinning and see the snow flying...

Finally, we decided to not go down my street at all and I got dropped off a slightly bigger street, which was only slightly more plowed.

In addition to the massive amounts of snow that fell from the sky yesterday, it was also windy enough to cause large snow banks. Like this one in front of my door. Think, sand dune-like Snow Dunes.

I googled myself

and found this!

when i used my middle initial, a lot more real stuff came up, mostly about my research in medical school.
but without the middle initial, a lot of random not-me stuff came up.

but a tribute to another Vivian, M.D.! who is this?!?

Afflictions of a peds resident

I have been sick a countless number of times since I started my pediatrics residency. I've had at least 4-5 colds and 2 bouts of the stomach flu.

I thought I had gone through January without being scathed but then I remembered that I did actually get sick last month with a sore throat, etc. And now I have this pesky rash that looks like Giannoti-Crosti. No, it's not scabies. I went to see a grown-up doctor about the rash and she didn't know what it was. Sadly, all the derm attendings were out of town for a national derm meeting. So now I have to wait until Monday to see someone and in the meantime, I'm dying from the Itch.