Moms of Medicine – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Keywords

cancer treatment, chemotherapy, motherhood, emotional support, personal journey, health challenges, parenting, medical experiences, resilience, community support


Summary

In this solo episode, Dr. Alison Trainor shares her personal journey through cancer treatment while balancing motherhood. She discusses the emotional and physical challenges of chemotherapy, the impact of hair loss, and the support she received from friends and family. Alison reflects on the complexities of navigating her health while being a parent and the importance of community support during difficult times.


Takeaways

The transition from work to medical leave was emotionally challenging.
Chemotherapy brought both physical and emotional struggles.
Hair loss was a significant emotional hurdle during treatment.
Support from friends and family was crucial during this journey.
The experience of being a patient gave insight into patient care.
Navigating treatment while pregnant added complexity to her situation.
The emotional toll of scan results can be overwhelming.
Community support, like meal trains, made a big difference.
It's important to communicate openly about what support is needed.
Finding joy in small moments with family helped cope with challenges.


Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Personal Update
01:28 Navigating Work and Cancer Diagnosis
05:41 Chemotherapy Regimen and Initial Experiences
12:27 Emotional and Physical Challenges of Treatment
16:03 Hair Loss and Its Impact
20:13 Adjusting to Public Perception and Normalcy
23:02 Additional Treatment Considerations and Reflections
26:20 Navigating the Emotional Landscape of Illness
34:07 The Impact of Community Support
47:39 Finding Meaning in Difficult Times

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Summary

In this conversation, Ali and Polly reflect on the past year since their last chat, discussing personal growth, work-life balance, and the challenges of parenting. Polly shares her experiences with returning to work, navigating childcare, and the impact of illness on their family. They delve into the pressures of the medical profession, the importance of mental health support, and the benefits of couples therapy. The discussion also touches on family planning and the considerations that come with it, particularly in light of Polly's husband's health. Overall, the conversation highlights the complexities of parenting, relationships, and self-care.

Takeaways

• Polly has experienced significant personal growth over the past year.
• Finding a balance between work and family life is crucial for well-being.
• Childcare can provide valuable socialization and learning opportunities for children.
• Illnesses in daycare can be challenging but are often part of the experience.
• The pressure to show up in the medical field can lead to neglecting personal health.
• Therapy and support systems have been vital for Polly's mental health journey.
• Communication is key in maintaining a healthy relationship, especially during stressful times.
• Considering family size involves weighing personal desires against practical realities.
• The experience of parenting can evoke nostalgia and a desire for more children.
• It's important to discuss and normalize the challenges of postpartum mental health.

Keywords
parenting, mental health, work-life balance, childcare, couples therapy, family planning, postpartum anxiety, child development, daycare challenges, personal growth

Chapters
00:00
Reflecting on Growth and Change

02:45
Finding Balance in Work and Family Life

05:44
Navigating Childcare and Developmental Milestones

08:50
The Challenges of Illness in Daycare

11:29
The Pressure to Show Up in Medicine

14:20
Mental Health Journey and Support Systems

17:28
Couples Therapy and Communication

20:36
Considering Family Size and Future Plans

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Solo episode today sharing a big secret I've been keeping (I promise this isn't click bait) and everything leading up to my cancer diagnosis.

Thank you for listening xoxo

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"It’s really just an extension of the general ethos in medicine which has existed for a very long time – generations, centuries - which says that in order to make other people well we have to make ourselves sick. That is only recently being questioned. "

This episode is with Dr. Suzanne Koven who was a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital for over 30 years, has had a prolific literaray career and now serves as the Writer in Residence of Massachusetts General Hospital full time.

In this episode we talk about:

- Her experience having a baby in residency 

- Pre-eclampsia

- Being asked to write her own maternity leave policy 

- Her feelings about going part time and what her primary care patients thought about this

- What it was like to retire from clinical medicine (spoiler alert - she doesn't miss it)

- How she got started in her literary career

- The importance of sharing stories

- Her book Letter to a Young Female Physician and how that came about

- The memoir that she is currently writing

 Connect with Moms of Medicine:
- Instagram @moms_of_medicine
- Momsofmedicine@gmail.com

Connect with Dr. Suzanne Koven:

- Instagram @kovensuzanne

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"I think we're so geared on the next step - what do I have to do next, I need to complete this before I get to the next step, then this will make me happy. I think we're constantly doing that to ourselves and we don't even know what happy means or what we wanted. My husband and I sat down, we were at Red Robins getting french firies and burgers, and we looked at each other and were like 'Is this what we worked our whole lives to be? This is not great. This is not that fun'."

This episode is with Dr. Nicole Basa who is a private practice general and bariatric surgeon in Austin , Texas.

In this episode we talk about:

- Female mentorship in surgery (spoiler alert, it wasn't always positive)

- How she thought about having a child in surgical residency vs not

- Getting pregnant with her first child while she was in the thick of starting a private surgical practice with her husband

- Starting a private practice with her husband and what it's like working with your husband

- The logistics of owning a practice with your spouse when you have to deal with the unpredictability of childcare (daycare illnesses...)

- and so much more!

 Connect with Moms of Medicine:
- Instagram @moms_of_medicine
- Momsofmedicine@gmail.com

Connect with Dr. Nicole Basa:

- Instagram @nicolebasamd

- Her practice B+A Medical Center

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"That was the moment where I almost quit. That was my pivotal moment. We saw so many people die as a level 1 trauma center so there was so much emotional baggage that we carry as doctors through that, but I never faltered. It was always 'this is what I want to do, this is what I was born to do,' and that moment when I was verbally attacked at this grand rounds, that questioned everything to me about my choices in neurosurgery."

This episode is with Dr. Sheri Dewan, a board certified neurosurgeon practicing in Chicago. 

In this episode we talk about:

- Sheri's inspiration behind becoming a neurosurgeon

- Talking with her husband while they were dating about what it would look like for the two of them to get married and her have a career in neurosurgery

- How she dealt with the numerous people who told her she couldn't be a neurosurgeon

- Having her children in residency training

- The pivotal moment in which an attending clearly didn't want her in the residency program, publicly humiliated her and how that was the first time she thought about quitting

- The support of her parents, husband and mentors that carried her through

- The times in training when she might go several days where she only saw her children while they were asleep

- Writing her memoir, Cutting A Path

- Doing pro-bono surgeries in India, another thing people told her she couldn't do or would no longer have the desire to do after finishing her training

- And so much more!

 Connect with Moms of Medicine:
- Instagram @moms_of_medicine
- Momsofmedicine@gmail.com

Connect with Dr. Dewan:

- Instagram  @drsheridewan

- drsheridewan.com

- Grab a copy of her book, Cutting A Path

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"I got in a lot of trouble and so I will never forget my attending said you will never keep the lights on if you practice like that."

This episode is with Dr. Lauren Hughes who is a primary care pediatrician in Kansas City.

In this episode we talk about:

- Having kids in residency and how this might have been the worst time to have kids but there's also no good time

- Having a baby intern year and then having twins in March 2020, a few months before she was going to finish residency and start her own practice

- Her breastfeeding story and how it inspired her to get extra training in lactation medicine

- Being a physician and caring for a child with a rare disease (her son has MCAD where he is missing an enzyme that converts fat to sugar)

- The inspiration behind opening her own direct primary care practice

- Operationally what it looks like to run a direct care practice and how this differs from a concierge practice

- How she got started on social media and what she uses it for today

- and so much more!

 Connect with Moms of Medicine:
- Instagram @moms_of_medicine
- Momsofmedicine@gmail.com

Connect with Dr. Hughes:

- Instagram @bloomdpc

- drlaurenhughes.com

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" I remember I was working a morning shift and it was 7 or 730 and I remember exactly where I am because I have a spatial memory and I was in between these two rooms. One had a STEMI and I was trying to get him to the cath lab, the other had a stroke I was trying to administer tpa and I get a phone call and the nanny is calling out."

This episode is with Dr. Camie Sorenson who is an Emergency Medicine physician in Fresno, California. 

In this episode we talk about:

- Meeting her husband and the decision not to factor in where he was living when she made her rank list

- Making a long distance relationship work

- Infertility and how she thinks her job contributed to this

- How she managed to undergo fertility treatments

- Being the first woman at her job to take maternity leave

- Going on to have 4 children and what that looks like today now that they are a little older

- Quitting her job when it wasn't working for her

- Advocating for yourself and knowing your worth

and so much more!

 Connect with Moms of Medicine:
- Instagram @moms_of_medicine
- Momsofmedicine@gmail.com

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I answer some listener questions in this episode including:

- My journey through med school, residenc, fellowship into being an attending
- The specifics of my current job
- What it's like training and raising a family in Boston
- If I ever feel guilty about choosing medicine as a mom
- Expectations vs reality - what I hold onto and what I let go
- Best time to have a baby
- Using a financial planner
- Self doubt as a new attending
- Dealing with childhood illness
- Balancing things with spouse
- Setting boundaries with work
and more!

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"I had Ethan when I was a fourth year resident and then my younger son, Lane, I had as a first year attending. Both of them were NICU babies. They were both preterm delivieries, both had quite a number of complications and even more prominent a memory than the experience in the ICU was that desire to avoid being a burden to your colleagues."

This episode is with Dr. Erika Rangel, who is a trauma and critical care surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.

We discuss:
- Parental leave policies and how these effect birth and non-birth parents
- Health outcomes for pregnant surgical trainees
- Culture change
- Her own story with having a child in training and another child later through IVF, both of whom spent time in the NICU

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