Doing as I say...

Today was my first day back at work after my most recent surgery. Yes, that's right, I went back to work 4 days after abdominal surgery. Let's just hope my doctor is not a fan of my BLOG.


As I was working, slowly, today at the office, I realized how naive modern medicine can still be. I was exhibiting the perfect exam. I know in my head that I was going back to work to early, but I had patients to see and a job to do. So, what is the difference in a patient choosing to stop a medicine after I tell them to take it.

Most patients don't understand the biochemical and enzymatic issues affecting their cells. For that matter, most patients have more problems after starting certain medicines than before the doctor gave them the prescription. Case in point, the 40 year old man that has no symptoms what so ever from his hypertension (elevated blood pressure) but has depression and impotence after starting the beta blocker written by the doctor (a specific type of blood pressure medicine).

So, I know that my body is still healing and yet there I was at work. So, how can I presume to comp ell my patients to listen to me....

I found this an interesting ironic humor...

And laughing helped me make it through today

Taking Time

Well, I have now made it through my fifth and hopefully final GYN surgery. I guess it is unusual to write about such personal type of surgery on the internet. But, these surgeries and dealing with my own human frailty has been a profound educational affect on my day to day outlook on life.

My Husband and I are both self employed and when one of us is sick there is significantly less income into our home. I have found that this economic crutch has had me going back to work sooner rather than latter. I, who starting again on Monday, will be telling patients to listen to the advice of doctors, will be going against my own MD's advice. I cannot seem to listen.

I have found that being sick is not the best thing I have ever done. I am so frustrated when I cannot lift a pot of water or pick up my three year old son. I hate hearing my kids talk about being easy with Mommy. But for the last year and a half, I have not had the best time. It seems like I am either getting surgery done or recovering from surgery.

I hope to be all better now, and am looking forward to better times. I am blessed to have been able to have my children before all my female troubles started.

I hope to have more interesting tales in the future.

Having fun in yard after the storm

Here are my two younger kids playing in the ya

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Home again, home again

Hello again,

This has been a rough week planning wise at the Diamond M Farm household. Brian had planned to go on a 4 night horse ride in the Smokey Mountains with some guy friends for a little male bonding time, and I needed to go to the Tennessee Farm Bureau Women's meeting in Columbia.

Sounds simple but we had three kids to juggle in this too. Plus I ended up getting a stomach virus and spent Wednesday night wishing I were dead in my Bathroom. (You would think that after 10 years of practicing medicine on a near daily basis, my guts would be immune to every stomach virus known to man - but we just aren't there yet... I keep hoping)

So, we managed, and we both had a good time on our respective trips. No bones broken on Brian or the horses, and Brie and I made it home from an excellent Women's meeting.

Cord had spent Friday night at my Grandfathers and Ella stayed with my mom. Taking business trips when you have three kids all under 8 gets entertaining.

To top off our planning, I had to break it to my mom that I have another trip coming up soon. To say I got a dirty look was an understatement...

But, we McLerran's are all home and safe. Looking forward to a happy father's day tomorrow.

Here's hoping a Blessed Father's Day to all the great hard-working Dads that I know.

Heres to a good nights sleep in my own bed.

Back in the Posting...

Well, despite a spring of technical difficulties, I finally have an iPad and keyboard that are working, so I can blog and share in family time. Dance recital has come and gone again, T-Ball/Softball is almost over, and it is time to put up some hay. Brian is having a time getting enough sunny days in a row to get our hay in for the stock at Diamond M Farms. It keeps raining and raining.

Today at work, my car took a beating in a hail storm. I am not sure that a tornado did not go over my office. I never ever heard strait line winds sound quit like that.

I hope to be posting more often now as my technical difficulties are getting resolved...

BUT does anyone know how to get twitter and Facebook to work right on the iPad

Thoughts for a Mother's Day

Over the last few days as I have been learning more about the AAFP, I have thought a lot about the various titles I have had in my life.

At the start of my life, I was everyone's little princess. I had the good fortune to be the first grandchild in both my Mom and Dad families. I was the apple of their eyes. Unlike a lot of children today, when I was born I had all four grandparents along with four great-grandparents. I knew who I was named for and why. I spent nearly weekend with first my Dad's Parents, then on Sunday I would go home with my Mom's parents. I even lived with my Mom's parents for four years while my Dad finished vet school.

One of my fondest memories of this time in my life is my memories of my Pa Doc (my Dad's father) stopping work at his busy vet office nearly every Saturday... No matter how many people and pets were needing him, unless they were critical, to take me to the Blue Circle to get a grill cheese sandwich and a chocolate donut. I also got treats like being able to order an entire adult salad just so I could eat crouton's and thousand island,or just eat hot fudge cake for lunch.

Then, I grew as we all do, and became (at least it felt that way at the time) quite the little Cinderella. My beloved Pa Doc died from cancer. My family ran three to four businesses at a time. I learned how to run a video store, a motel, a pet store, and raised exotic parrots. In addition, at this point in my life my Mother became critically Ill with systemic lupus errythematosis. She went from a go getter, never stopping nurse to an invalid overnight. I can remember sleeping on the floor in our living room just to be able to help her to and from the bathroom. That time was spent in turmoil cause no boy seemed to like me and fear that my Mom would die. Fear became my constant companion. My teen years finished up when I found my parents had never put any money away for college and with the death my Mom's mom to the same cancer that I lost my grandfather too.

So, now off to college, and I did go. A scholarship, federal work study, and part time jobs sent me through. I was in such a hurry to grow up and move on that I never seemed to have time to stop and smell the roses. I was a lot ruder and quick tempered than I am now, and as I remember it I had people skills to rival Temperance Brennan. I managed to get a biochem degree, EMT license, and a wonderful husband from Tennessee Tech.

Next, thing I knew, Brian and I were married and off to medical school. I was fortunate again in finding an excellent school and great friends. And at this time I worked on wearing the hats of student and wife. Learning more and more about life and myself as I went along.

Time passes and now I wear my favorite hat/title - mom. As, my family and I prepare to celebrate Mother's day for myself, my Mom (yes, despite severe illness and many complications, she is still here), my mother-in-law, and some very special aunts, I have grown up enough to finally realize that no matter how many titles, honors, and accolades I achieve in my work they are nothing in comparison to the sound of three little voices saying "I love you Mom".

I am blessed by many things in life. I have a great practice with wonderful patients. I work in a great office with amazing staff. I never want for food or shelter. I am earning new relationships in my medical communities. I get to provide medical care for a community for that has known and cared for me since my Princess days.

But, I am proud that nothing has ever come close to the honor I feel over my children's love. I am also thrilled to have so many special women to spend a special day with.

May you take time to reflect on your own joys and blessings, and may you all have a blessed Mother's Day.

Samantha Easterly McLerran, MD FAAFP

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:McGee St,Kansas City,United States

Learning about my academy

Well, for those of you that know me, you should be aware that most of my days are spent as a rural family physician. I am proud of this. It is all that I ever wanted to do. I remember my Mom asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up (she was a critical care RN and my Dad and paternal GF were veterinarians) and she thought I would be a nurse like her. I replied, "no mom, you take orders, I want to give them."

Even at that young age, all I wanted to do was be a country doc in my home town. Even now my county has a population of around 18,000 people, and yes that is for the entire county. Not that that is a bad thing. At least my kids can go outside and play and the only thing I worry about is snakes and coyotes.

So, fast forward a few years and here I am at my first American Academy of Family Physicians meeting for special constituents. I am loving this. It's like a Farm Bureau meeting for doctors. See, not going thru state schools, I never met a lot of the people that I am meeting now. And I am proud to say that my experiences in social media have put me ahead of the curve here. I know how and what to tweet, and both Brian and I are comfortable in our skins.

So, in the last two days, I have met some of the nicest people in medicine. I am please to know that I will have the same opportunity for leadership in medicine that I have been blessed to have in agriculture. I am truly blessed to live in both worlds and be a mom to kids being raised in both.

My oldest daughter tells everyone that she wants to grow up and be a doctor like her mom, and I hope that she can grow and come to be as proud of our simple country life as I am.

For years, I was uncomfortable at medical meetings. I mean all I was was a small town country MD, but I have grown to love being at meetings at telling people about all aspects of my life. I have been blessed and I thank God every day for my blessing.

I look forward to meeting and learning more about the organization of family medicine and I hope to be as much of an asset to them as they are to medicine.

Samantha Easterly McLerran, MD FAAFP

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Kansas City, MO