Meet the Surgeon Day

See that tiny little organ lying beneath the liver?

Well, that little organ has been causing me so much pain and it's been ruled as cholelithiasis. In other words, Gallstones. (google gallstones and you can see how nasty it is, poor me).

My doctor suggested i meet with a surgeon to see about getting it removed as a means of a cure. Someone can have gallstones and not know it, but once symptoms arise and it turns to cholycystitis then it's bad news. The pain is not fun and it wakes me up in the middle of the night with a pain that i describe as : Someone pushing down on my URQ with both hands all the way through to my back.

Anyways, today i met my surgeon. I kept imagining him to look like this:

A sweet nerdy man who would make awkward jokes about something geeky that would go totally over my head. Then i imagined my surgeon to look like this:

awww yeeah!! McSteamy...who wouldn't want a studly surgeon like him? holler!!


Unfortunately for me, my surgeon was no mcsteamy, nor was he some nerdy looking awkward man.

I am blessed to have a tall older man who is so smart and made me feel very comfortable about my procedure. He knew exactly how to explain the surgery to me and did a good job in explaining all the pathophysiology behind my disorder. I have a really amazing surgeon, awarded as one of the top general surgeons in Arizona 2011. He was funny and I feel confident placing myself in his hands for the operation.


"I'm surprised that for all the junk i eat, I'm not morbidly obese"

that was what i always would say whenever i found myself eating fast food at 1am with a big fat cup of Dr.Pepper. Well self, i might not be morbidly obese but my habits earned me a spot in the Operating Room on July 12th. Prayers are appreciated.

Fear and Faith cannot exist in the same room, therefore i am letting go of my fears and putting my full faith in my Heavenly Father that everything will turn out well and that I will recover without complications. Gallbladder, buh bye!!

iStudy

Year Round Nursing School



It's awesome. While everyone's working and enjoying vacations...im working AND in school.

I had a huge midterm today. It's worth 30% of our final grade,and let me remind you...anything below a 77% is failing and an A is anything above a 94%. No pressure though ;)


Anyways, I sat down to finally study last night around 10 pm. Yes, i procrastinated because i HAD to watch my favorite show, SYTYCD!

It took me forever to figure out my perfect study habit and I found this to be my study area last night:

Aww yeeah,...gimme my music on blast, my notes, scratch paper and my book. I AM GOOD TO GO.


As i started to go over material and memorize in detail some of the pathology behind specific diseases, i started to see a trend in my notes.


I have a 3 hour lecture for pathophysiology and in the first 2 hours of class, my notes look like this:

Pretty organized, somewhat decent handwriting and eligible.


However, in the last hour of class from 10-11am...I begin to get hungry and antsy from sitting for 2 hours. I begin to day dream and my eye lids feel heavy. This is the point of my attention spand in which i begin to fantasize about a spicy boy sweeping me off my feet and having the courage to step up to the plate. hehe. By the time i snap back into reality, i look down at my notebook and find my notes to look a lot like this:

BAHAHA...awesome.


I got a 42/50 on my 30% weighted midterm. I'm awesome.

My first ultrasound

So long story short, I have digestive disorders but lots of time ill wake up at night with intense pain in my upper right quadrant. Went to the doctor and the doctor said, no more monkeys jumping on the bed! ...haha just kidding.

He ordered me a complete abdomen ultrasound.


Results?

I, Darlene Ines, am the sad owner of gallstones.
Yep, gallstones. Thankfully, it's not lodged in a bile duct so no surgery. But every once in a while i get really bad pain from it so it suggests that it does at one point interfere with my ducts. bleh.

Oh, that's not all.

I, Darlene Ines, am also the sad owner of kidney stones.
REALLY? ...wow. I suck. I'm terrified for when the time comes to pass them cause according to my patients and other Nurses, it's "like giving birth to a stone". And with my ZERO PAIN TOLERANCE, i can't imagine how ill be.


Treatment? No more soda. foreals this time. I have to break up with Dr.Pepper and Pepsi. I dont know that ill be able to. Im on day 2 without soda and already popped advil for my headache. No more fast food. I dont think i can break up with IN N' OUT. The thought itself makes me sick. No more chicken nuggets? WHYYYY PORQUE!!

this sucks.

Advice to you: If you have a DR.Pepper for breakfast, kfc for lunch and in n' out for dinner...you're heading down my path and i say STOP. eat better or you'll be the sad owner of stones in your body.

one love :)

I bit off more than i can chew

Two jobs & Nursing School.

1. i work at the bank. It sounds easy and when you go to your bank it looks easy, BUT HOLY HOT DOG it is the hardest challenge i've had so far. All the laws and memorizing and Do's and Dont's...it gets really overwhelming.

2. I'm a pediatric autistic habilitator. Have been with the same patient for the past 2 years, watched her grow and learn so much! Also, we do therapy with speech therapy. Challenging job to break through an autistic spectrum, but so rewarding and so so worth every bit of progress.

3. Nursing school. enough said.

I typically work 10-12 hours a day with literally NO break in between jobs and a 30 minute lunch in the day time. Go home, shower and eat only to do it again the next day. Then comes school, wake up extra early to get my learn on and after class, go to work again. (sometimes im lucky and have the rest of the day off from ONE of the jobs, but have to work with #2).

Weekends: I never wanna do something. My buddy shuts off and wants to rest. Not to mention, i work all of saturday from 8am-5pm. So really, come night time...i just want to sleep.

Thank goodness of Sundays cause it's my only day to rest.


HOW IM GETTING THROUGH THIS? i dont know.

I WANTED a second job. Working with #2 was perfect and I was able to cover all my bills but another job would just facilitate my lifestyle and make it easier to save. So I gratefully got a second job fairly quick and ever since i have not had time to just play. I'm such a grown up.



i just think sometimes, i bite off more than i can chew and all i need is....a break.

I'm a Convert:: This is my story

Did you know my parents and I are converts to the Church?

Here's my story,...a LONG one...made short :)


background info: At the age of 5 my family and I were blessed with residency visas to the US and moved to california where my mom's side already resided. Being Peruvian, everyone in the family is Catholic except for my aunt Maggie and her family. They were LDS and while in California, invited us to a few church activities but we were not knowledgeable at all.

December 1996::

Little darlene was 7 years old and my parents, brothers and I had just moved to Arizona from California. My brother humbly worked at a little Arbys located on Main and Hobson. It was December and my brother one day came home from work and said, "mom, there's a really cool park next to arbys and they have a LOT of beautiful lights. I think it's a park? I dont know but you should take darlene to see it". My parents took my brothers advise and took me that weekend.

I dont remember much of my trip to see the "cool park with pretty lights",...but there was a moment that night that i will never forget, and this moment...started my testimony of Temples.

At one point, I perfectly remember walking around with my parents and approaching the back side of the Visitors center by the reflection pool and being approached by two Spanish speaking missionaries. Within our own ignorance of what a Temple was, we asked them what this park was and why there were lights. The elders began to talk to my parents and of course, explained that we were not at a park,...that we were at the LDS Temple and then they began to share the Gospel.

While my parents talked to the Elders, i wondered off and walked along the sides of the reflection pool. I remember looking at the reflection of the beautiful temple and looking down at all the flowers. It was at that moment, that something that i never could explain came over me...i began to cry. I tear up just thinking about how i felt at that specific moment. I felt pure joy and I didnt know why i was crying. My mom worried and ran to me asking me why i was crying and all i could answer was "I feel so happy".

Every single time i walk by the reflection pool, that night when i was 7 years old comes to my mind. That feeling of overwhelming joy comes back to me and I give thanks for that moment i had. It was such a strong, beautiful moment and for being 7 years old it was really special.

The rest of my story goes without saying. My parents received lessons from amazing missionaries. Some with whom my family still keeps in touch with. One being the amazing sister Laubach who was from Hawaii. She left a strong testimony with us and we will never forget her. She even wrote about us in the Hawaiian sports magazine,...she was pretty amazing at volleyball and there was an article about her which included a picture of me and her :)

A year later, on January 11th, 1998...about one month after my 8th birthday, My Daddy baptized me and I remember that day like it was yesterday.


A long the road of life, things happen. There came a time where I wasn't as active as i should be and my dad found himself working Sundays. But with time, we overcame the work obstacle and all the other things that life threw our way. And finally, on May 8th, 2010...my parent's and i were sealed in the Mesa, AZ Temple for time and all eternity.

May 8th was so special, for we were able to go back to that "park with pretty lights" and be sealed as a family forever.

December 1996 changed our lives forever, in the most beautiful and joyous way, and for that...i am eternally grateful.

I am grateful that for the past 2 years, I have gone back to that beautiful "park with pretty lights" and danced through my testimony of my Savior during Christmas time, right in front of the same reflection pool that means so much to me. I love this Gospel. Forever and ever :)

I'm an angry mean person

Okay just kidding i'm not. I'm pretty nice all the time....Except for Monday, May 9th, 2011....



WORK WAS RIDICULOUS!!!


[[ background info: I only got 5.5 hours of sleep and I was pmsing. ]]

My background info may have played a big part in why Monday sucked. but anyways.


I work at a bank....and for some reason today was especially difficult.From the second the doors opened, I stopped breathing. It was customer after customer and they all were SO needy. I rarely had simple deposits. It was either "I wanna send money to a bank in mexico" or "here i have a gazillion ton of money and it's not in order. can you do it for me?". BAH!!

I felt like i had a line the entire day. My drawers quickly became a huge mess and when my work area is messy, i stress out. ESPECIALLY if i'm dealing with tons of money. HELLO. We were short 2 people so it was a one person show. starring ME. I am always smiling and love humans but today....i felt like this:

hehe. It's sadly true. I felt my face turning mean and i wasn't happy like i always am! I then thought to myself "self, these super cute customers aren't at fault for me having a hard day at work. Smile cause they need you to". So i pressed forward. It felt fake at first, but i had to put on a good face cause it wasn't their fault we were short and all the work was me plus one more. (i was mostly PO'd cause my drawers messy and it made me so anxious). Come closing time, i miraculously balanced! My feet felt like they weighed 29281 pounds and i couldn't feel my knees. YEP, i need better shoes. But who cares, i was OFF WORK!! ... except after the bank, i had to work my second job.

My Monday consisted of me working from 8am-7pm. AWESOME. i was dead tired. But I had Manic Monday and it was HIP HOP. What better way to release some stress? I pulled together every ounce of strength i could to go to dance. And it was AMAZING.

Stop! now lemme see your booty drop!



Phew, after dance...i was so happy :)

no more stressy meany poo poo darlene. im happy again!

Nursing School

My block picks up NEXT WEEK!!!

i wasn't expecting to start till late may/early June.


My . heart. just. fell. out. of. my. butt.


I'M NOT READY.



why am i scared?

4 months ago i was set on being an RN but now my desires have shifted??


(Conference made me reflect on things i hadn't thought about before, hence my confusion about my career path)



UUUAAAAHHHHHH.


breathe.