I have two great passions: my family and veterinary medicine. With three children, ages 12, 10, seven and a small animal veterinary practice, life is a juggling act trying to balance my two greatest loves. Sometimes I slip away from the clinic for an hour or two to help at a classroom party. You may… Read More
Wellness
We Define Us: How to Use Coping Mechanisms For Good
As a trauma survivor, I live with C-PTSD. It is a little different than PTSD but the impact on my daily life is similar. The C stands for complex or chronic and it gets put there when the traumatic event wasn’t singular, when it was long term, like growing up in a war zone. One… Read More
Yes, You Can Have It All, But…
For as long as I can remember, I have been an overachiever. It wasn’t enough to get an ‘A’ in a class, I wasn’t happy unless I had the top grade. In high school, I did a little bit of everything: student council, band, track, National Honor Society, church youth group, I tried it all… Read More
I Took a Sick Day and Survived
I wanted to share with you what I’m feeling because I’m pretty sure many others feel this way and many don’t do it because they feel this way. I took today off work because I’m sick. I have a nasty sore throat, I’m coughing up green mucous, I’ve got a nasty headache, and I’m exhausted…. Read More
The Moment All the Compassion Fatigue Drained Away
I’ll be the first to admit it: My clinic’s growing pains are beginning to give me compassion fatigue. The overbooking of appointments, the masses of overtime, the constant ring of the phone, the arguing with clients over protocols on prescription med refills and the necessity of heartworm testing and year-round prevention, the absence of… Read More
How Being Called an Athlete Changed How I See Myself
I work out a lot. I even work out with a trainer several days per week. I set goals for myself like being able to leg press 360 pounds, or run a 5K race (despite my asthma), or train for a half marathon on rollerblades (yes, they exist!). Despite all of this training, I never… Read More