On July 11, 2010 the Bianco family will be expecting its newest member! I am 12 1/2 weeks along and finally feeling less nauseous. We are so excited and cannot wait!

It's that time of year again...

I know it's getting chilly outside with I find Emmy Lou on the sofa.

Guess this means we will have to break out the sweaters soon....

Our Second Wedding Day

In our church, we believe that couples can be married for not just time (until death do you part), but for all of eternity.  To have achieve this special denotation, you have to be married within a temple by someone with the authority to perform the sealing (or marriage for eternity).  This is done in a sacred ceremony.

This past weekend, Michael and I were finally able to be sealed for eternity.  We (last minute) picked a date (one when we were both off) and hoped that all of our friends would be able to make it.  Ted and Stefanie flew in from Arizona and really helped organize the entire weekend.  I worked on Thursday night and Mike worked on Friday night, so we may not have been as well rested as we would have liked, but we were awake enough to enjoy and appreciate the day.

We chose the Manhattan Temple, which we have never been to, but I am so glad we went there. It was small and very intimate.  It also only took us a little over an hour to get there.  We were lucky enough to have many friends join us for the ceremony; it was nice to look around the room and see all the faces of the people who have helped us get to this point.

After the ceremony, we ate gyros from a street vendor (Mike got sandwich juice all down the front of his suit) and then drove back home.  We were hoping to get some pictures taken in Central Park, but we ran out of time.

Last night we had a reception to celebrate.  Stefanie organized the whole thing and it turned out so beautiful.  We had italian food catered by one of our favorite restaurants and cupcakes for dessert from a local bakery.   Stef, Ted and I stayed up late Friday night putting up garland and getting the house organized for the next day.  It was all perfect and I loved having everyone over.

All in all, it was a beautiful day and we couldn't be happier.  I am so thankful that out of everyone in this entire world, I get to be the eternal companion of Michael.  We are so lucky!

H1N1 aka "swine flu"

I have been asked by a lot of patients and family recently about the flu vaccine.  I thought I would write a small bit about it in an effort to do my public health education duties.

1) Everyone should get a flu shot (the "regular" flu).  

2) Everyone should get the H1N1 vaccine when it is released in October.  

People most at risk for contracting the swine flu are individuals under the age of 30.  The group most at risk for becoming seriously ill and dying from complications from the flu are pregnant women!

Myths about the flu shot:

1) The flu shot can give you the flu 

FALSE: The flu vaccine is not a live vaccine, meaning that the virus is dead/denatured.   You can, however, get flu-like side effects from the vaccine.  These include fever, chills, muscle aches, sore throat.  These symptoms can be managed with tylenol and other over the counter remedies.

2) The flu shot is not safe

FALSE: The flu vaccine is safe in the sense that it does not infect you with the virus.   People who have an allergy to eggs should not get the shot since they could have an allergic reaction to the vaccine.

I got my flu vaccine today and am supposed to get the H1N1 vaccine when it is released next month.  I have been told many times how important it is to get vaccinated.  There are no exceptions for vaccination (unless you have above mentioned allergy) and everyone is at risk of getting sick.

Tips for flu season:

1) Wash your hands often

2) Sneeze into your elbow or kleenex and wash your hands immediately afterwards

3) Avoid heavily crowded public places as much as possible

4) Take care of your body; get enough sleep, eat well, and take your vitamins

Symptoms of the Swine Flu:

It is said to typically begin as a sore throat that is quickly followed (within 24 hours) by a high fever (greater than 102), headache, body aches/muscle pains.  If you feel you have these symptoms, don't go to work, school, etc.  Call your doctor and see if they want to you come in (they may tell you to stay home so you don't infect their office).  The treatment is Tamiflu (if caught within the first 36 hours of illness) and symptomatic treatment.  Remember, this is a virus and antibiotics will not be effective.

For more information, go to the CDC's website.

http://www.cdc.org

Our New Bikes

I am a little late in posting this, but better late than never, right?

Almost 2 months ago Mike and I decided to get new bikes.  In our town everyone seems to have a cruiser bike.  You can look out the window at any time of the day and see someone riding by the house on a bike.  I would look out the window in envy, wishing that I could cruise around the neighborhood on a bike.  I had these visions of me riding to the grocery store, the post office, etc, putting all my goodies into a basket on the front of my bike.

Everytime I saw these bikes, I would tell Mike how much I wanted one.  I would try to explain to him my daydreams, but I am sure I lost him shortly after I said I wanted a bike with a basket. Well, much to my surprise one Saturday in July Mike took me to the local bike shop and I got to pick out a new bike!

We both ended up getting cruiser bikes and have used them quite a bit this summer (when we are home).  I have ridden mine to the library, to get my nails done, to the store and then of course we have gone on many afternoon/evening bike rides together.  It's so much fun and reminds me of being a kid.  

Today the rain finally cleared up and the sun came out so after church we took our bikes out for a ride.  The weather is in the 70s and gorgeous and we had such a nice time.  This is the first weekend in a while that we have both been off and both been home the WHOLE weekend.  It was like a vacation, we loved it!  I am sad that the weekend has to end and that we have to go back to reality tomorrow.

We did get to go out on a date this weekend!  Mike took me out to dinner at this great diner (they had a juke box) and we ate really greasy food and then went to see Julie & Julia.  It was such a nice night!  It makes me so eager to finish this residency so we can have our lives back.  I miss date nights with my husband!  

Labor Day

Even though Michael had to work last night and started his Labor Day out laboring, we were still able to have a nice relaxing day off.

Mike got home from the hospital around 7:30 this morning and got into bed.  I got up about 8:30 and started breakfast. I made cinnamon swirl muffins and the smell of fresh-baked cinnamon got Mike up around 10:00.  After breakfast we went for a walk around the neighborhood with the girls. Would you believe that someone in our neighborhood already has Halloween decorations up?  I think they are a little premature, it's only September 7.

After our walk, we went to the farmer's market and got some produce.  Then we stopped by a nursery near the hospital to get some mums (3 for $15, what a deal).  We did our grocery shopping and I got a new rake at Home Depot (its the little things, you know).

I just finished doing a little raking and trying to figure out the best spot for my new mums. Mike and the girls did some playing and now we are all relaxing before dinner.  Mike is making eggplant and I am making a chocolate cake.  I wish we had more days off together, today has really been so nice!

She purposely wouldn't look at the camera

This year I grew cherry tomatoes on the porch

A (quick) trip to Ohio

Last weekend, Michael & I both were lucky enough to not have to work, so we decided to take a trip to Ohio.We left the animals at home under the watch of our 14-year old neighbor (she has been watching them for us when we work long hours or 24-hour shifts) and flew out late on Friday night.  

We were delayed (of course), but finally made it to Ohio around midnight.  We had a very fun and relaxing weekend with the Biancos.  It was so nice to see them and I think Mike and I both realized how much we have missed our families since we began working as slaves.  We talked about getting together with the Biancos for Thanksgiving and hopefully that will work out.  We are hoping to be able to see more of our families, despite our work schedule! 

Here are some highlights from the trip:

• We got to sleep in on Saturday! And after a very delicious breakfast of pancakes, we headed off to a local trail for some hiking.  The weather was very nice and we all really enjoyed walking in the woods.  Unfortunately, I think we enjoyed it a little too much because none of us really paid attention to where we were walking and ended up very lost. We finally came to a small parking lot and Mike and I decided to try and run back to a main road which we were sure would take us quickly back to the car.  Let's just say, it was not that easy.  We all ended up riding the almost 5 miles (!) back to the car in the back of a police car.  
  
  
• Saturday night we celebrated our med school graduation with Mike's Grandpa by having dinner at an Italian restaurant in Little Italy.  The food was great, the decorations of the restaurant not so much.  The restaurant was Italian, but decorated in a victorian theme complete with lots of lace, bows, and dolls.  It was very eclectic!  The best part of the night was a stop at Prestie's, an Italian bakery that makes the best cookies.  Mike and I brought home a box of assorted cookies, but they didn't last too long.
• Sunday was a lazy day.  It was cold (59 degrees) and rainy, so we hung out at home before our flight.  We did venture out in the morning to see the Kurtland Temple.  We have been trying to get there for a while now and we finally made it.  Unfortunately, the visitors center did not open until 1:00pm, so we were only able to walk around the outside.  Even being able to walk around the grounds was special.  It was very neat to see this place that I had heard so much about.   There was just a special spirit about the place and I can't wait to get back there and go on the tour.
• 

A Month of Work

Just in case you are wondering....

Mike and I worked >300 hours (each) for the month of July!

Here is the tally:

• 10 years of post-high school education
• $200,000 of medical school debt (each) -thankfully we don't have undergraduate loans 
• Currently working 80+ hour weeks, with 2-3 nights of overnight call
• Salary divided by hours worked equals around $10/hour (I made $14/hour as a secretary in college)

The stats are sad, thinking about Obamacare is even sadder.  Lucky for us, we love our profession, we are just hoping that we have a profession and a choice in how we practice by the time we finish this ordeal.

And the public thinks doctors don't know how to sacrifice.

Sorry for the mini-rant, I have been listening to talk radio to and from work this week and the healthcare debate is really starting to get to me.  I may have to institute my old rule of not listening to the radio or I may need blood pressure medication.

What We Have Been Doing

It has been a whirlwind since graduation!  We started our our internship on June 15; both of us on the surgery service, just at different hospitals.  It was very scary those first few weeks; it was hard to adjust to being called doctor, to having nurses call us for orders, and for patients' families asking to speak to the doctor and realizing that that was us!  Our typical workday during surgery was 6:00 am until 7:00 pm (that was a short day).  We did this 5 days a week, as well as working 1-2 nights a week on call and 2-3 weekends a month on call.  

Here is what our call is like:  we and 1-2 other interns cover the ENTIRE hospital.  This means we do all admissions from the emergency room, handle anything that happens on the floor (patients who need pain meds, have chest pain, have high blood sugars, etc), and respond to any codes (when people either become unresponsive, their heart stops beating, or they stop breathing we all run there to start CPR and other life-saving measures).  We are lucky and have a resident who covers the ICU to call as back-up, but for the most part we are on our own.  When we work these calls we work 5pm-7am during the week (plus work a half-day the next day) and 7am-7am on the weekends.  Things are VERY busy usually and we are lucky to get to sit down.  I don't think either of us has really slept while on call.  It usually works out that just as you have made it to the call room to lay down, the pager goes off and we are walking back to the emergency department or heading to the floors.  It's non-stop fun!

Needless to say, working these kinds of hours make us very tired, so when we are not working, we spend a lot of time sleeping and relaxing.  Working as a doctor is scary and I have definitely had my moments where I thought I was going to cry; its very overwhelming to feel the responsibility of the patients' lives in your hands.  But as the time has passed and we have gotten more experienced, it has gotten easier.  It still is scary at times and I still get butterflies in my stomach when I walk into the hospital, but its getting better.  Its hard to believe that this is really my job now.

Currently, Mike is working days in the emergency department and I am working at an ob/gyn clinic.  He is mostly doing admissions and I am mostly doing annual exams and pregnancy checks.  Neither of us care very much for these rotations, but they are easy and the hours are a lot nicer (7a-5p).  We are hoping to have Labor Day weekend off, so keep your fingers crossed for us.

Other than working, we have not been up to much else.  We finally got our basement organized (it only took 2 months) and we have been trying to learn our way around our new town.  We love living in NJ and love the community we live in.  There are so many cute restaurants and everything is walkable.  Mike and I have been riding our bikes a lot too.  I took mine to the library the other day; it was so nice.  We have met some of our neighbors (one of the girls who lives 2 doors down dogsits for us when we are on call) and have met some great people through our new church.  All things considered, we are doing well and are pretty happy.

Sorry for writing such a long post.  I have felt bad about the time I have let pass without updating this and I know that many friends and family members have been curious about our new jobs.  Hope this helps fill in the gaps that emails and text messages leave out!

Picnic Island Dogbeach

When Mike and I lived in Florida, we would regularly take our dog Daisy to the beach to swim.  It was her absolute favorite thing to do! After she died and we got Emmy, we tried taking her to the beach as well.  Emmy was still a puppy and was not too sure about the water.  She has not seen the beach since we moved and Mike has been really wanting to take our girls to the beach on this trip.

There are a couple of dog beaches in Tampa and we decided yesterday to try the Picnic Island one, hoping it wouldn't be quite as crowded as the others.  We loaded all 4 dogs up and headed out. Mom's dogs LOVED the water; they ran right in and swam their hearts out.  Charlie was particularly playful in the water, jumping in the waves and swimming circles rather than coming onto the beach.

Our dogs on the other hand, were not quite so keen on this experience.  We had to drag both of them in and then once in, they both quickly tried to make it back to shore.  Emmy was much more interested in rolling in the sand and seaweed.  Mocha just wanted to chase the other dogs. In the end, we all had a great time.  Maybe with some time, our girls will become beachbums!

More Pictures from Disney

These are some of pictures Mom took at Disney:

Hotel Lobby

Mike & Me in our room

View from our balcony

Mom & Mike with the Snow White & the 7 dwarves

A 9 lb lemon!

(Epcot Greenhouse)

Hanging pumpkins

Mike eating ice cream in Downtown Disney

Orlando Temple

On our way home from Disney, we decided to stop at the Orlando Temple.  This Temple is very special to Michael because this is the temple he visited the most after becoming a member.  Its a very beautiful temple; I loved the palm trees and tropical landscaping.  

We were lucky and able to join a large group of YM/YW and help with baptisms and confirmations.  We had a great time and I am so happy that we were able to attend.

Our Trip to Disney World

As one of my birthday presents, Michael bought tickets for Disney (one of my most favorite places).  My parents decided to give us two nights at the Grand Floridian (a Disney Hotel) as a graduation gift.  So, last Wednesday thru Friday we were in Orlando getting our fill of DisneyWorld.

The first day Mom came over and we went to Epcot.  The Flower & Garden festival was going on and we were hoping to see some pretty plants, but really only saw some interesting topiaries (pruned into the shapes of princesses, dwarfs, Mickey, etc).  We think there might have been more elaborate displays in the countries section of the park, but we never made it over there.

We rode some rides, I chickened out on a couple.  Mom had to endure the embarrassment of me asking to be let off Mission Space at the absolute last minute.  In my defense, the ride kept announcing if you have issues with motion sickness or being in small enclosed spaces, this ride is not for you (both of which I have).  I kept telling myself, "I can do this, I won't be such a baby".  But then we got on the ride, I saw how small the little compartment was and then saw the vomit bags and I knew I just couldn't do it. The worst part was an 8-year-old boy was on it with us and his father and HE stayed on no problems.  So, yes I am 27 years old and a bigger baby than an 8-year-old.

That evening, we met my sister Becca in Downtown Disney for dinner.  We ate at an Irish pub and then explored the Lego shop (Mike bought a kit for a Ferrari) and indulged ourselves in the Ghiradeli shop.  My mom drove home that evening and Mike and went to Hollywood Studios to ride the Aerosmith rollercoaster and Tower of Terror (Mike only, I chickened out).

A Lego dragon

Becca & me at dinner

The next day we did Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom and had a great time.  We also spent some time at the hotel pool, which was so nice.  We had to endure a lot of summer rain showers, but it was worth it for the trip.  

On Main Street

At Animal Kingdom

We were really hoping to take a trip to celebrate graduation and have some downtime before we start our internship, but our budget just couldn't afford much of anything.  We are so happy that we were able to get away, even if it was just a couple of days at Disney!