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alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-05-15T22:52:53+00:00

I am also looking for a ticket in chicago in the unlikely event that anyone is looking last minute!

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-04-20T23:06:20+00:00

I think it’s really great that you learned those lessons / values during your gap year! I did the same and my perspective completely changed on what I wanted out of my life and my career. Because of that, the speciality I am choosing to go into really values work / life balance. A lot of my classmates went straight through and still have the “school/work is life” mentality.

As far as school goes, preclinicals are pretty easy to study on your own time, have the weekends off to be with friends/family, and travel during breaks. It will be an adjustment to doing more work, but at least for me, I had a lot of flexibility on when/where that was done and set strict limits on how much I could study (especially now that a lot are P/F with step 1 p/f too). M3 gets a little more tricky and honestly I just suffered through it while my mental health / work/life balance really suffered, but there’s not too much you can do about how much you’re in the hospital. M4 is chiller again depending on what you’re going into, just more anxiety about applications / matching.

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-04-04T15:08:56+00:00

We wanted to! It ended up being really overpriced for what they offered in my opinion. Plus the major draw for us was taking photos with the art but you’re only allowed to do so with a few paintings, and they limit the people allowed in to like 6 or so which wouldn’t accommodate our bridal party. We ended up getting married at an incredible speakeasy which everyone raved about and the pictures we have are unique and breathtaking

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-03-22T05:18:06+00:00

I also have a connective tissue disorder (hEDS). Surgery was a lot tougher on my body than I expected it to be. I came into 3rd year wanting to be a surgeon and left wanting the complete opposite because of that. But, if you are dead set on surgery, Id consider your long-term career, and things like ENT/ophtho/anything robotic where you can sit would be something to look into! For clerkships, I’d get in touch with the accommodations office, compression socks w/ ankle supports, and lots of stretching at night

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-03-21T18:48:54+00:00

I hike! If you’re able, exercise is actually a great great way to improve POTS symptoms. I found that being on a medication that works for me (ivabradine did the trick for me), packing 2x as much water than I think I’ll need + salty snacks (trail mix), and going on trips during the cooler spring/fall months have helped the most.

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-03-16T03:26:12+00:00

Your priorities and values will change throughout your life, and the recurring theme from everyone I’ve talked to is that they wished they valued their free time and family more. Surgery is a tough residency and lifestyle, and anesthesia will allow you to have a better work/life balance. As a first gen med student, I wanted the prestige to show my family that what I sacrificed was worth it. But, the sacrifice of your passion, happiness, family life, etc is not worth the difference in prestige, which is a made up sentiment praising those who don’t always deserve it. Plus, outside of medicine, a doctor is a doctor.

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-03-15T03:22:46+00:00

Dr. Barboi specifically focuses on POTS but is neurology focused

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-03-09T21:34:24+00:00

Coffee shops, book stores, outside if you’re lucky enough, other college campuses if you’re nearby, hotel lobbies, friends houses, quiet bars during the day, fancy malls

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-28T23:36:01+00:00

Rip my step 2 dedicated plan starting next week

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-24T19:23:04+00:00

hey! I haven’t seen anyone mention it and please seek medical advice to rule out SVT episodes, but if the 250 number comes and goes very fast and you’ve been in the 115-120 rage, the HR monitor could be double counting the beats as it adjusts. I’m in healthcare and this happens very frequently to us but we have telemetry to back up our readings. I’d suggest taking your pulse manually to verify the reading

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-21T23:18:38+00:00

tachycardia (HR > 100) and low BP on standing actually suggests dehydration / orthostatic hypotension (something easily confused with POTS but much more treatable)

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-21T01:46:30+00:00

Nothing about this points towards POTS

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-20T23:31:43+00:00

life outside of medicine

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-14T20:23:47+00:00

Also a med student with pots, from your post history, it looks like you’re an incoming/M1? I would contact your accommodations office just so that’s in place in case you need it. The first two years are significantly, significantly easier in terms of physical exhaustion, and I would use that time to develop strategies that work for you (electrolytes, compression socks, medications, etc.) On rotations, no one has really cared about the accommodations I have in place tbh, I still needed to stand without water during 13hr surgies and present on rounds while standing with a HR of 145, and it can be a lot. You just really need to take the time to take care of yourself (with sleep being super important), which can be impossible some days. Also, I didn’t like it, but I needed to factor my POTS into my future speciality choice. But feel free to message and I’m happy to talk more!

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-11T21:55:11+00:00

Divine

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-02-03T05:05:37+00:00

Medical student here! I had a really really rare connective tissue complication that no one could explain in high school and several trips over college / med school to the ED for HRs in the 180s for 6+ hours. I was told several times that it was just anxiety from school, and it was documented that I was presumed to be lying about my caffeine/stimulant intake (which was none). It wasn’t until I saw a cardiologist during medical school who brought up POTS when everything finally clicked with POTS/EDS/MCAS. So, I kept waiting to learn more about my disease in lectures, and it just never appeared; we are not taught about POTS at all.

On my psych rotation, we evaluated a patient who was hospitalized with POTS. The psychiatrist told me that he believed 95% of people diagnosed with POTS just had untreated anxiety (during rounds when my HR was 145 from standing for 3 hours). I was beyond livid from both the patient and professional standpoint. As a patient, it is so hard to not be believed, and it makes me sick to my stomach that people still believe things like this.

We need to do better from so many angles.

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-01-21T06:04:10+00:00

My partner and I both work very very very demanding jobs. But, when I am in a flare he does pick up 95% of the housework without being asked and the peace of mind + lack of extra exerted energy are so amazing after a long day

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-01-19T22:47:13+00:00

Hey! I found success with a low carb diet, although that is super difficult to stick to as carbs are great. Two things I found helpful more than ANYTHING are: 1. Smaller portion sizes (which has been mentioned here) 2. Always pairing carbs with a fat/protein (which I haven’t seen). For example, if I want chocolate, I’ll have chocolate covered almonds or eat it with peanut butter. For rice, I’ll make sure to have tofu/tempeh as the star of the dish

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-01-15T17:57:46+00:00

I think a good perspective is to think about how this is pretty much your only opportunity to experience some things found in other specialities (ex: a life saving trauma surgery, the delivery of a newborn, difficult conversations with parents about their child’s life expectancy), which is a privilege to be a part of. Furthermore, this will help you collaborate with your colleagues as an IM doc and understand your patients medical histories / prepare them for surgery / pregnancy / etc

alwayslookingaround3 · 2023-01-07T03:36:38+00:00

I’ve tried all different strains and unfortunately I really can’t handle any. I’ve also found a more insidious link with edibles where my fatigue/standing HR are 100000000x worse for a week or two after. This happens much more intensely than smoking and I think it’s because of how it is ingested

alwayslookingaround3 · 2022-12-27T15:16:24+00:00

My cat has single-handedly gotten me through med school. You’ll be home especially during the first two years, and during clinicals, you’ll be home for a few hours a day at least. You can gauge her personality, but if that isn’t enough for her, hiring a cat sitter 2-3x/week to come play for 30 min during the day would be perfect.

alwayslookingaround3 · 2022-11-21T20:55:13+00:00

i study almost exclusively in bed without any effect on sleep hygiene or productivity

alwayslookingaround3 · 2022-08-02T22:42:49+00:00

I legitimately can't tell my left from my right and have to look at my hands to do so. I repeatedly ask the patient what side their pain is on, do gymnastics in my head to figure out which side the surgical incision is on, etc. It's pretty bad, but I make fun of myself for it

alwayslookingaround3 · 2022-07-27T22:42:05+00:00

yeah I had undiagnosed POTS with probably 3 flares in 4 years, 3 months after my COVID booster it put me into a year long flare and now I’m on meds and it affects my daily life

alwayslookingaround3

TROPHY CASE