Hello again.
I know, I've been negligent and have skipped the blog for a couple weeks. I have a great excuse - the dog ate my homework.....
Seriously, though, a lot has happened in the past few weeks. The most significant event was that we submitted our first paper for publication (well, not Dr. Redwine's first, but our first together). The paper is about the response of endometriosis to either surgical excision (what we do) or to Lupron. The bottom line is that Lupron does not cure endometriosis, and over 60% of those who go on it will have their pain recur within a year. Women who undergo surgical excision, on the other hand, have an 80% chance of NOT having endometriosis 5 years after their surgery. It's a pretty significant difference, and it flies in the face of what the drug reps and many doctors have been telling people (you). One of our missions here in Bend is to stamp out endometriosis any way we can, and since it would be impossible for us to operate on every woman with endo, the next best thing is to educate the world about the best ways to treat it. It's a big job, but somebody's got to do it....
The next most exciting thing involved going to Las Vegas for the AAGL annual meeting (that's the gathering for gynecological laparoscopists from all over the world). David taught several courses, and there was live surgery beamed in from various exotic places (France, Germany, Brazil, Atlanta..). It soon became obvious to me that I was one lucky girl, because Dr. Redwine is a far better surgeon than most of the surgeons being teleported in for viewing. The meeting was informative, and I met quite a few prominent endo surgeons from around the world, so now when I read their papers I can put a name with a face.
The Central Oregon Women's expo took place the weekend I arrived home from Vegas, and Deena and I spent the weekend talking to women about their bad bladders. We had more business than I would have guessed, and spread the word that incontinence can be cured (almost as heretical as curing endometriosis. Go figure). I met quite a few very nice people, did some "networking", as they say, and won an exercise ball, so now I have no excuses for not doing my situps (now called "core exercises").
This week my thoughts are ping-ponging between our next paper and the menu for Thanksgiving dinner. I need a good sweet potato recipe; everything else I've got down pretty well. The other exciting thing that happened last week was a patient told me she actually read my blog! She said it made us more human, and she felt like she knew me. Comments like that make the whole thing worthwhile. I think it will take a while before I learn all of what David can teach me, but I think the surgical aspects will come faster than all the knowledge he has stuffed into his brain. I'm doing more and more, and the main issue is the speed factor. It takes me longer than David to do things, but every case gets a little faster, so there's hope for me. I'm still having fun, and I definitely feel like I'm in the right place. Thanks for reading. More later....