Thyroid-less

They found cancer in my sister's left thyroid gland, which was removed last week. Unfortunately, this meant she had to return to the hospital for surgery #2, which took place yesterday. It went very well and now her thyroid is completely removed, hopefully taking the threat of cancer with it. I visited her after work and she was doing very well, even better than last time! :) It was very stressful for her, but hopefully now she'll get better every day!

I finished my rotation at HealthPlus today and it was bittersweet. I really, really enjoyed it. I can't believe how much I've enjoyed all my rotations! Anyway, everyone at HealthPlus was so friendly and helpful--it was hard to leave all that behind. I got a 98%! :D And my preceptors took me out for lunch. :) On to the next rotation--a compounding pharmacy up in Midland! Should be fun. My second-to-last month of pharm school! :D

Mike and I have a weekend off from social events for the first time in over a month. We're going to cook, watch Secret Life, and do nothing. I'm so excited! :D

Bizzy Bizzy

My sister's surgery went well! She's had a goiter-like mass on her left thyroid for a little over a year now, and her physician recently decided that it should be removed. I took Friday off to spend the day at the hospital with her, and luckily everything went well and there were no complications. She had to stay overnight but then was able to come home Saturday morning. She now has a 3-4 inch incision near her collar bone and no goiter! :D Unfortunately, due to the limited range of motion in her neck right now, she'll be unable to drive for up to two weeks. So, yesterday Mike and I drove she and her car down to Monroe (where she lives) so that she can recover while resting in her own bed. Hopefully from this point out she will get much healthier!

In other news, I've completed three of my four weeks at HealthPlus and next week I start my March rotation at a compounding pharmacy in Midland. Should be fun, because I love compounding! I can't even believe that in two months I'll be done with pharmacy school. It's so unreal. This week I'll be signing up for the NAPLEX, which is the pharmacy board exam graduates must take to get licensed. I also have to take the law exam and then pay (more) to actually get licensed. Ugggggh. This should pretty much wipe out my checking account, so hopefully I pass on my first try because I can't afford to do it again!

I've attended two of the five weddings taking place this year, which has made me all the more excited for mine and Mike's. I've got a bridal shower coming up in March! Can't wait!! :D

At Least It's Pretty

Last weekend one of my closest friends from pharmacy school, Sara, got married to her sweetie Nick! Naturally she looked fabulous and the reception was a ton of fun, but my favorite part was seeing so many of my P school friends again. Fourth year has been so isolated from my classmates and I've missed them more than I expected. I had a blast at dinner and got down with my bad self on the dance floor. Mike's cousin Mary gets married this weekend, so love is still in the air for a little while! Speaking of which, Mike was fitted for his tux this week and I can't wait to see how smokin' hot he and the boyz look when our day rolls around. ;)

Almost halfway through my rotation at Health Plus. Everyone loves working there. I have to say that I enjoy it a lot too, although it's not the best environment to fine-tune my counseling skills. I think to myself (almost on a daily basis) that if a patient could work one day in a pharmacy they could understand why it takes "so damn long" to get their drugs ready and just how insulting it is to suggest that I went to school for seven years to "slap a label" on a bottle. I think the same might be true for insurance companies like Health Plus. I curse them all the time, as they are what we pharmacists consider the "rate-limiting step" in prescription dispensing. However, I think to experience their side of the fence will be important for someone like myself, who will be dealing with them so often throughout my career. Just like I'd like the patient to understand my role better, I'd like to understand the role of the insurance company better.

My sister is having surgery coming up next week, so I'd ask that you keep your fingers crossed that it goes smoothly and very well. I'm taking the day off to spend at the hospital, so that will make me feel better. :) I got to see her briefly when she came home to meet with her surgeon and we got to wildly outrace the computer at Mariokart, as per the usual.

According to Mom, Flint got about nine inches of snow last night or something. Just about everything closed up, and I even got a delayed start until 10 AM. My car was very effectively buried in the driveway and it took me a good twenty minutes and two pairs of socks to free it from it's snowy prison. But, like the monster green machine it is, it tackled my always unpaved road like a champ and got me to work safely once again. I hate winter, btw, and eagerly anticipate March going out like a lamb ASAP.

FINALLY

From WebMD Health News

Study Linking Autism to Vaccine Retracted
Daniel J. DeNoon

February 2, 2010 — The venerable British medical journal The Lancet has retracted a 1998 study suggesting a link between autism and childhood vaccination with the measles-mumps-rubella MMR vaccine.

The Lancet tells WebMD that it has retracted "10 or 15" studies in its 186-year history. The retraction follows the finding of the U.K. General Medical Council (GMC) that says study leader Andrew Wakefield, MD, and two colleagues acted "dishonestly" and "irresponsibly" in conducing their research.

The Lancet specifically refers to claims made in the paper that the 12 children in the study were consecutive patients that appeared for treatment, when the GMC found that several had been selected especially for the study. The paper also claimed that the study was approved by the appropriate ethics committee, when the GMC found it had not been.

"We fully retract this paper from the published record," The Lancet editors say in a news release.

The retraction means the study will no longer be considered an official part of the scientific literature.

BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, has competed with The Lancet since 1840. BMJ editor Fiona Godlee says she welcomes the Lancet retraction.

"This will help to restore faith in this globally important vaccine and in the integrity of the scientific literature," Godlee says in a news release.

In 2004, 10 of Wakefield's 13 co-authors disavowed the findings of the 1998 study. Although the study never claimed to have definitively proven a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, sensational media reports ignited a public panic. MMR vaccinations fell dramatically.

More rigorous studies have found no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Last year, the U.S. "vaccine court" rejected U.S. lawsuits claiming that there was a plausible link between the vaccine and autism.

Wakefield continues to proclaim his innocence and defends his earlier work. He now resides in Texas, where he is executive director of an alternative medicine center for autism treatment and research.
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All I have to say about this is that it's about DAMN TIME. I can't even tell you how many people I've wanted to smack for not getting their kid vaccinated because the "news says it causes Autism." GUESS WHAT?? This was the ONLY study suggesting that (EVER), and now it's GONE. So go get the shots people, and protect your kids (and the rest of us) from dangerous, unnecessary disease. And for God's sake, stop believing everything you hear on the news.

Cube!!

Today was my first day of Managed Care at Health Plus, and I have my own cubicle! OMG *SQUEE* I've never had my own before!! I felt very important.

My first day went well! In other news, I can't wait to get out of the house.