An Update on Jeff

Jeff has had a very eventful few weeks (that is saying it mildly).

He has been lucky enough to preform his first minor surgery, at least it was on himself. It all started when I asked him to try and fix our kitchen table. The thing was so wobbly and unstable I thought someone would get hurt. Unfortunately while trying to fix the table Jeff ended up getting a HUGE sliver of wood in his finger. It looked so painful.

Luckily he was able to work at it for awhile and eventually cut it out. OUCH!

I also asked Jeff if he would cut the grass in our backyard. It was starting to look like a forest back there. There must have been some poison ivy in the yard, because both him and Logan came down with an incredibly painful and awful rash and itch. Jeff went into the free clinic on campus and one of the doctors/professors told him it was a stress induced rash. Luckily we live by some amazing people and our neighbor came and looked at him and prescribed some steroids.

The poor guy was absolutely miserable his first week of school. He was taking Benadryl because he was in pain and itching so bad. Unfortunately the Benadryl then made him incredibly drowsy, which would cause him to fall asleep in class. It was an extremely hard beginning, but just like everything in life Jeff made it through and became stronger for it.

For our anniversary gift I begged Jeff to write down some of his thoughts and feelings of how the first month of medical school has gone for him. It has been one of the hardest things he has ever done, and I wanted to make sure that we remembered what we are going through at this time in our lives. There is a good quote by Nicholas Sparks that says, "...classes were taught and information passed on with all the delicacy of a fire hose opened to maximum velocity." I think that is a good way of describing how Jeff's classes are going.

I remember when we were going through our fertility issues, for me that was the hardest thing I had ever had to face. I honestly don't know how I could have made it past that trial without the help of the Lord and Jeff by my side. I'm eternally grateful that Heavenly Father realizes how much a strength and support an eternal companion can be. It really is true what the Lord said,

It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

So here is Jeff's thoughts on his first month of medical school:

So, I just finished my first subject in medical school, Foundations of Medicine. I want to reflect on some of my thoughts and feelings of the first month or so.

The first subject in medical school

Medical school is hard! I am sorely disappointed that I had to spend $50K on an undergraduate degree that grossly underprepared me for the task at hand. I haven’t ever felt a pace of life so fast, that I never, ever felt like I was even remotely close to catching up.

It didn’t help that I figured out the hard way that I am deathly allergic to poison ivy. I have never been allergic to poison oak, so this revelation took me by surprise. It also messed up the first week of school and got me behind. That led to me only passing the midterm with the help of the curve. I am not used to relying on curves to pass, and so it has been somewhat of an adjustment.

Another thing that has been an adjustment has been my reliance on the Lord. I don’t even think I relied on the Lord as much on my mission (which sounds bad, but it’s true). There have been times in my life where I have needed his help, but felt like if I studied on Sunday, that I could make the difference in my overall grade. Here in medical school, I don’t feel that at all. It is almost liberating though, because I know for a surety that I will in nowise pass medical school (or do well for that matter) without the help of the Lord. It is easy to make the decision not to study on Sunday because it really wouldn’t do me any good. I also have been super good about reading my scriptures every morning and saying my prayers. This is the first time in my life (or at least since my mission) where I have felt like I have needed to rely on the promises made to us in the scriptures. Sure you want to live the gospel, but this is the first task I have ever been tasked with where I am not sure how I am going to make it, I just know, through the spirit, that we are supposed to be here at this time.

Through my scripture study each morning for this first subject, I have been reminded that it is not mete that we should run faster than we have strength, but that we should be diligent. I have gained a testimony of this. There is no way to cover all of the material that is given to us, and so it is a huge faith tester to do all that I can, and then have to rely on the Lord for the rest.

I have also never felt closer to my beautiful wife than I do right now. We have gone through our share of trials together, and with the Lord’s help we have made it through, but this trial I feel is kind of making us apply all of the lessons that we have learned throughout our time together each day to make it work. We are a team, and I know that together we will be able to get through this. One of the nice things about trials is that it brings you together. Every week, school is so overwhelming that the one thing I am looking forward to is date night. Sometimes we go out, and sometimes, because of finances or time constraints, we just relax and watch a movie. Having that time to reconnect, and decompress from the week is something that I cherish. It also helps me to be able to do the 12+ hours the next day that culminates in finishing right at midnight and then going to bed for the Sabbath. I know that she is my eternal companion, and I only love her more and more each day.

I have also learned how much my kids mean to me. Having to prioritize time has taught me what is important. Having dinner with my kids is an event that I look forward to each and every day. When something comes up at school and I can’t make it home, I am genuinely bummed. They are growing up fast, and I hope that the amount of time I am able to spend with them is enough, I hope it is.

Having learned all of these life lessons has made medical school worth it. I am happy to report that I am tentatively scheduled to squeak out of Foundations of Medicine with a B/B-. That is icing on the cake. I believe that all of the sections of medical school will be hard, but it seems like we have figured out the schedule that works for our family. I am appreciative of all of the wonderful families in our ward and neighborhood that have lent us their insight, and their experience so that we could avoid a lot of the pitfalls that they went through. Hopefully musculoskeletal doesn’t do me in, we shall see.