Quick Trip to Stanford & Piriformis Syndrome

Don't be jealous, but on Friday I got to drive the 466 miles from San Diego to Stanford to stay for one night.  After 3 hours of sleep, at the unsightly hour of 4AM, my road trip buddy, Dan and I embarked on our adventure from San Diego to San Fran.  Why on EARTH would someone drive so far for such a short trip?  Good question.  The truth is we were asked to give a speech at the White Coat Ceremony for the 2014 PA class.  8 hours later (what's a speed limit again?) we arrived at Stanford, quickly printed our speech, got all "done up" and arrived at the White Coat ceremony.

Ray Bans make anyone feel professional.

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life
as by the obstacles which s(he) has overcame white trying to succeed. 

The speech went really well, although I didn't know it was possible for my heart to beat as fast as it did for the first few minutes.  It was truly an honor to speak, and I hope I was able to impart to the 2014 class some wisdom from my one year of clinical rotations.  (Me?  Wisdom?  Don't know about that... haha).

Woo!

My amazing friend Liza and I enjoyed a delicious dinner and wine after the ceremony at TOWN restaurant in San Carlos.  If you're in the area, you must go.  Phenomenal.

The never-ending day continued with more wine, laughing, and cuddling with my two favorite Californian girls in the entire world.  Ashley and Marie Griffin.  I could think of no better way to end the longest day in history.

I got a few hours of sleep and I was up early for an enjoyable 5-hour study session.  Then Dan and I hit the road again back to San Diego.  I don't think I've ever had as much coffee as I did in the last 3 days.  One thing you must know about me is that I don't drink caffeine (Yes, I'm one of those weird people who likes coffee for the taste), but I did splurge and have a regular cup yesterday.  Living on the wild side.

~1000 miles in 36 hours.  

Today was another early morning that started in the BEST way possible.  A pain-free run!  Wahoo! I saw a Physical Therapist on Thursday after listening to the advice of my wise sister.

Diagnosis:  Strong quads/glutes with weak hamstrings leading too much extension in my low back and increased sciatic pain.  Coupled with classic Piriformis Syndrome = unhappy legs + running pain + sad, sad, Brittany.

I was given stretches & exercises to do 3 times a day.  Crossing my fingers that things are on the right track.  I'll take any pain free running I can get!

If you are ever plagued with this awful syndrome, do these exercises!

Now... back to my never-ending studying affair with my highlighter, pen, and online board prep review course.

Pay it Forward

One simple act of kindness this week changed my outlook and inspired me to get all philosophical on you.

In a culture frequently absent from selfless acts, this week I was pleasantly reminded that there are, in fact, generous people in this world.  I want to take this moment to thank the random stranger who paid for my coffee on Wednesday. You must have seen the gigantic bags under my grad student eyes and my disheveled afro curls and taken pity on me.  I am forever grateful for your random act of kindness.  May good karma come back to you ten times over.

This got me thinking about how such a simple act can make a difference in someone's day.  I find it amazing (and by amazing, I really mean tragic) how often Americans are so caught up in the day-to-day stressors and chaotic schedules that we get aggravated by that "annoying slow driver" or walk past someone struggling with a door, or are quick to judge another based on a preconceived stereotype we have. Life would be a lot more pleasant it we all just helped each other and got along.  Don't you think?

In my family practice clinic, it is easy at times to make assumptions instead of looking at the bigger picture.  Most of my patients are uninsured, unemployed Mexican Immigrants who speak only Spanish.  At times it can be frustrating to see that their medical conditions are not improving due to noncompliance, but it is important for me to step back and realize that taking a medication that costs $4-$10/month for an asymptomatic condition (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc) may be at the very bottom of their priority list.  It is not our job to make judgment, just to help and provide the best care we can.  Listen to people's story.  You learn a lot.

So why is it so hard to not pass a judgment?  It seems so simple:
1.) Don't judge.
2.) Be kind to everyone.
3.) Don't make assumptions.
4.) Let's all be friends

I wish I knew why it is so hard to not become jaded and adopt stereotypes towards others.  Our world has warped into a life of who has the most "likes" on their facebook status and equating our self worth with how much we weigh and how many nice _________ (fill in the blank here: cars, shoes, outfits, homes) we have.  Our culture tells us to strive to achieve the impossible - and somehow that promotes the feeling of being "better" than someone else.  I don't like it any more than you do, so let's just try to make a change.  Deal?  Good.

Last but not least, pay it forward. Give without expectations. Make someone's day. You won't regret it.