A Very Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! Jonathan and I plan on going to a Christmas Eve service tonight then eating dinner at home while watching a movie and then opening presents to each other. I will be working tomorrow until Friday morning and then we will be headed to Dallas for Christmas with the family. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and enjoys time with their families. Please keep all the little ones and their families that are spending Christmas in the hospital in your thoughts and prayers. Merry Christmas everyone!

Until!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving and enjoys the time with family! Today Jonathan and I are spending Thanksgiving with just the two of us. We celebrated last Sunday with my family and enjoyed the time there. I have to work a lot this week so we didn't really have time to drive to Dallas for today. It's kinda nice to be at home with just the two of us. We are going to decorate for Christmas, watch the Cowboy game, eat snack food, and just hang out together. It seems the last few months we haven't got to spend much time with each other so it's nice when a few days come along where both of us don't have to work. I'm loving my job but I'm ready for intern year to be over so I don't have to work as many nights/weekends. I know Jonathan is ready for that too. I feel really bad for him having to stay home by himself and the fact that we haven't really made friends here yet, nor have we found a church home. Ok, now for the things I'm thankful for this year:
1) Jonathan is in Temple with me
2) I have today off
3) My mom is healthy again
4) God has provided so many things for us this year
5) we are trying to start a family
6) Jonathan still has a job

Happy Thanksgiving!
~until~

Life is Full and Busy!

Life has been so busy lately it's not even funny. The month of November I am working the night shift in the ER which means I have to be at work at 6:55pm and get off at 7am. One of the major problems with this is that Jonathan doesn't get home from work until 6 or a little after. This leaves just enough time to eat dinner together and me to leave for work. Bummer. On Thursday Jonathan had 2 wisdom teeth removed and had off work on Friday. My mom and grandma came to visit on Saturday and stayed the night, they left this morning. It was nice to spend time with them. The last time I saw my mom she was still in the hospital about to be discharged. It was so nice to spend time with her like we used to. Shopping, cooking, talking, planning. I shared with her something that Jonathan are excited about but don't want to share with everyone yet. It's so great to be able to tell her secrets again, listen to her talk, and just know she is ok. One of the hardest parts of her being in the hospital and on the ventilator was that she couldn't talk. When she was on the ventilator it was almost like she wasn't even there. I could see her, but she couldn't talk, couldn't smile, couldn't laugh, couldn't acknowledge that we were there or that we had just told her we love her. Today I got to hug her, make her laugh, have real converstaions, and enjoy being with my mom. She is truly an amazing women. Life this week is going to be just as busy as last week.

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My Take on Socialized Medicine

So, this is a common issue in politics/society right now. Since I'm a doctor it will be a huge impact on my life in more than one way. There are pros and cons to socialized medicine but overall, I'm against it. First of all, we already have more than one form of socialized medicine, it's called Medicaid, Medicare, and County Hospitals. Yes, patients with medicaid can usually get multiple health services with very little work, however the reimbursement rate for medicaid visits is incredibly low and if a physician only sees medicaid patients there is almost no way they can make a living and be an effective physician. This is because they have to see so many patients in one day they don't have the time to spend with each patient to figure out what is really wrong. Also, there are multiple other services to help promote health. Children and families can get vaccines at the County Health Department for very cheap without paying a co-pay for the doctor and it's the same vaccine. This isn't ok for babies because they need to be seen every few months to make sure they are growing ok, but it's perfectly fine for older children who are normal. There are other services for families that have special needs children that may not qualify for medicaid but don't make enough money for private health insurance. Most people just don't know about them. Social workers are way underpaid and are of great help when trying to get cheaper care/assistance for kids. Like I said before, there are always county hospitals. Plus if a child gets sick and needs to be hospitalized there is no prerequesite of having insurance. All children get care, doesn't matter their ability to pay. Also, most doctor's offices will make discounts for parents/patients that have to pay with cash and will work out payment plans if necessary. I may only be talking about kids, it's really what I know, but I also know that this pertains to adults as well. One of the pros of socialized medicine is all people get health insurance. Con, if everyone has health insurance it means everyone has to have a primary care physician and we don't have that many doctors in the United States. It also means that more people will be seeking health care and this will lead to a further shortage of hospitals/doctors/nurses. Yes, I think we should take care of people, but it isn't physically possible to care for all people in the United States. The wait list to be seen/have procedures would become astronomical. Also, it would become about the greater good for all and doing everything to save one patient would very likely quickly become the abnormal thing to do. This is already happening overseas in other very large/very westernized countries. They don't ressucitate extremely premature babies because the chance of them being productive members of society and let alone living is so low. They also don't let people live on ventilators for a long time like we do now. Some of these things may actually promote quality of life, but I think that the patient's family and the patient themselves should have the right to choose this, not the government.

Ok, I'm off my soap box for now. If anyone has their own opinion feel free to share. 

Until!

So it's been a while.....

Life has been crazy! The life of an intern is so busy. Add that to being married and it gets even more busy. I feel like I work constantly. I had this weekend off and it has been wonderful. Sleeping late, spending time with Jonathan, doing things I enjoy, has been a nice change. I love my job. The children are so incredibly sweet and it's so nice to watch them get better and go home from the hospital. I have a few patients in particular that I have become really attached to. They are patients that have chronic health problems and spend weeks to months at a time in the hospital. It amazes me how much joy they have for life when they endure multiple procedures, IV starts, blood draws and sick days. Some of these kids have spent more time in the hospital than they have at home. The fact that they are sick breaks my heart, but seeing them smile each day is such a joy. I love that I get to act silly, make faces, and dance around to make kids smile and laugh. We (the pediatric residents) get to dress up for Halloween and we have decided to be Superheros. I'm going to be Supergirl. I have been making my costume all weekend and after Halloween I will post pictures of all of us. Life is going well though. Jonathan is still looking for a job closer to home, the drive is getting old. Well, I must go finish my costume. 

Until!

Mom is home!

My mom went home from the rehab facility today! She still has a great deal of rehab to do but this is such a huge blessing. Thank you for all of the prayers.

Tribute and Praise!

My mom was taken off the ventilator at 9:30 last night and is doing well. They have her alternating between oxygen and a BiPap machine which provides constint pressure support for her lungs. She is talking today, and her mind is definitly doing well. Her funny/sarcastic/caring self is back. I have missed talking to her dearly and was so happy to see her awake last night and be able to hear her talk today. Please continue to pray for her recovery as there are still many obstacles in the way.

Her website is: www.caringbridge.com/visit/debbiecox

Tribute to my Mom: I decided to list a bunch of words that I believe describe my mom. Too bad I'm not a walking thesauras because I would have many more.
Here Goes: Mom, Grandma, Sister, Friend, Kind, Caring, Loyal, Trustworthy, Sarcastic, Empathetic, Selfless, Giving, Good, Big Heart, Worries, Smart, Strong, Proud, Passionate, Loving, Amazing, Beautiful, Talkative, Resourceful, active, and all around wonderful! She is the greatest woman I have ever known and I am so glad that God has been healing her.

Until!