Squeaky clean

So last night I took my first shower since JUNE 6th! I was about to hop in the bath (like usual) and thought I would give it a whirl. It was a little nerve wrecking being worried about slipping but I used the wall to brace myself and I seriously felt the most clean I have in over three weeks! This morning I straightened my hair for the first time - and although at the end I was regretting it (my leg was throbbing) - its showing progress and positivity that I even thought I would be able to stand in my bathroom that long. 

Baby steps (or hobbles or whatever) :) 

Time to get to it - as usual, I am almost 30 mins late to school from what I had planned on! Typical!

oxoxxoxo

51 days til I am home free :) 

by Marissa ♥

A good day at PT!

This is going to be the week from hell! Monday is the dreaded Mini 2 and I have random crap to do (and lots of it) all week long .. talk about crappy timing.

Today was the start of my 2nd week at PT. Last week my passive flexion of my knee (sitting on my butt and drapping my heel up towards by body as far as I can on my own) went from 85 to 115 ot 135 degrees :) PROGRESS!

Friday I rode the bike for the first time and today I did ALL my exercises against resistance and rode the bike on resistance 2 (Friday was 1) for 10 mins. I went 1 whole mile! :)

Cheap thrills but its progress and in the right direction. Today is 3 weeks since surgery. 3 more and I should be full weight bearing and off crutches and HOPEFULLY on my way to WA for Colby's reunion. I looked at flights this weekend and they were $200 more than when I looked a month ago :(

Pray they go down and I do well on Monday - I really want to go!

by Marissa ♥

5th semester

So, we finally got our application form to apply for our 5th semester locations. The default is Miami and Saginaw, Michigan and Dominica are both locations you have to apply to. OBVIOUSLY we are NOT heading back to the Rock but I DO want to head to Michigan! I know, I know - it sounds crazy .. Michigan or Miami and I am picking Michigan! I have a few reasons why - and although it would be way more fun and almost all of my friends are going to Miami, I am (pretty) confident in my Michigan decision. 

Wish me luck! I should know by July 10th! 

by Marissa  ♥

The best thing ever ...

http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf



by Marissa ♥

Birthday party!

Yayayaya!

So last night, I had a potluck at our apartment complex with most of my good friends from school (since I can't dance or bowl or run around, why not sit and eat!?!?!) for my birthday. Yes, yes - birthday isn't until Wednesday, but Mini 2 is coming up and I figured the way to get everyone to come - have it as far from the Mini as makes sense .. so I did!

Everyone made something delicious, Colby BBQ'd as always and I made a delicious dip and then we all pigged out! I don't even want to know how many calories I consumed yesterday!!

Today is the start of "crunch time" and I am going to try to get back into "Super-Marissa" mode and get going on my studying. There is so much added pressure since I missed Mini 1!

Wednesday is my real bday, but who knows what I will be doing then!? Something small and fun with the close friends, hopefully.

Mommy is coming July 10th! YAY! and I am OUTTA here in less than 2 months!

Marissa ♥

PT

Went to PT this morning and the facility was immaculate. The girls were great and helpful and seemed to know what they were doing (not to mention I am pretty sure they went to school in the States). I was SO worried after having seen another Clinic on the island and being in the hospital, but this place was in tip top shape, smelled clean and looked good. I will try and take a picture next time I am there.

This seems promising!

Flying FL tomorrow and will hopefully be all good news from Dr. Leo!


by Marissa ♥

Being a gimp sucks

Just wanted to write a quick post before bed to let you all know we are doing okay. It has been no cake walk (or walk of any kind, for that matter) since getting back to the Bahamas, but I think we are getting the hang of it. I am becoming more mobile but will be on my crutches until the week of July 20th. 

My 4th semester banquet is in the works (I am helping plan/organize) and is going to be July 11th. The current plan is that Colby will be in WA by then and Mom is going to come visit and be my date :) Hopefully all works out!

I fly to Florida on Tuesday for a post op visit with my surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. Unfortunately, Aetna won't pay for the plane ticket - so that is a whopping $315.00 out of pocket for a 15-20 min office visit. =( Totally sucks, but what else can I do? HOPEFULLY for my 6 week post op visit I can make a pit stop in FL on my way to Spokane for the reunion and leave my crutches behind :) Still trying to see if/how it will work, but I definitely still want to go - I already bought my ticket to the reunion (not my flight)!

Miss you all.. I move home for good TWO MONTHS FROM TODAY! Holy crap! Yayayayay!!

by Marissa ♥

Broken!

Don't have much to say besides this:

BROKEN LEG PICTURES (<--- click me!)

I slipped on tile out in front of my apartment on Saturday night trying to hop over/dodge a massive cockroach on my walk up to my apartment. I got ambulanced to the hospital in the Bahamas .. medi-vac'd to Cleveland Clinic in Florida on Sunday and had surgery on Monday afternoon. My mom's doctors looked at my films and I guess my surgeon was amazing and did a PERFECT job, which is the best news possible. Now I just have to fly back to Florida for check ups and am totally out of commission for now.

Updates to come.

by Marissa or Colby ♥

UPDATES!!!!!

Wow! 

It has been a while and TONS has happened. I finished 3rd semester, went home to CA (hit up Santa Barbara for Alumni weekend @ UCSB, visited Christina in Livermore and looked at wedding locations, saw Libby in San Francisco and hung out with Mom!). I came back to the Bahamas a bit early and soaked up the sun with Colby and relaxed before the start of a VERY hectic 4th semester. 

So that brings us to now .. FOURTH SEMESTER!

I am the SGA President and in my last semester of "basic sciences." I am taking the same classes as last semester for the most part (Pharmacology, Microbiology, Pathology and Introduction to Clinical Medicine). I am going to the local clinics and hospitals interviewing and examining patients, learning how to interpret labs and EKGs and starting to feel more and more knowledgeable about the whole thing :) I am still pretty sure I have my heart set on OB.GYN and was actually told this morning by one of my professors (who is an OB.GYN) that I would be a fantastic OB.GYN - which made my day. 

Applications for 5th semester are at the end of the month and I am still trying to head to Saginaw, Michigan. I would be there from early Sept thru early December and then take time off to study for my USMLE Step 1 (click for details). My goal is to take that exam at the end of March 2010, but only time will tell when I will feel ready. Basically, this is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT EXAM I will take. It will play a HUGE role in where I land a residency. So, obviously, taking as much time as I can/that is needed is the smartest thing to do. 

After I take the exam, I will have to a wait a month or so for my results and then off to rotations. Where that will be? WHO KNOWS! Ross is getting more hospital affiliations all the time and I really don't know where we will be - but that is part of the joy of being at a Caribbean Med School (please sense slight sarcasm). 

Colby and I are getting pumped for our return to America. He is leaving early to get organized, try and find a job and all that jazz. We talked last night and are thinking last week in June or first week in July.. which is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! I will be heading to Spokane July 22nd for his 10 year high school reunion (WOW!) and then coming back to Grand Bahama to finish my last 3 weeks of exams! I fly back to LAX on August 21st and will spend a few days at home playing with my soon-to-be-here nephew (Kim's bun in the oven, KADEN!!!) and shop/pack/etc. 

That is all I can write for now, MINI 1 is MONDAY! Sorry it has been so long, I think I have been bit by the blog bug - so hopefully I will keep this up :)

by Marissa ♥