Doing What You Love

lifeThere is this paradox of thought that creeps in most days (if I allow it) and most of the time I will even ask a fellow coworker, "Do you love what you do?"  or "If you could go back in time, would you choose pharmacy again?" This article by Paul Graham found its way to my feed this morning through another reading, and though it took me all morning to read and digest the whole thing, I feel validated.  There are moments when I look at myself from another's point-of-view and think, "Is she happy?"  Happiness is the thing that I tend to search for... you see I couldn't tell you exactly how much money I make to the penny.  I have no idea to the hour how much PTO I have built up.  I can tell you I have been a drug expert since 1999 and only recently so feel I can use that term and MEAN it.

Would I do my job without pay?  That, according to the article, seems to be one of the qualifiers of finding and doing what you love.  Would I do right now for money for free?  Maybe.  I mean, I would definitely change the job.  First, I wouldn't sit in a room and just enter orders all day.  I would probably do more of a clinical job but not clinical that is defined in my current job today.

What would that look like?  More patient contact.  More ER contact.  More of a presence where knowledge is valued and needed in a moment's notice.  I have that to offer.  It would make me happy, even if momentarily in that the Sallie Mae bill I continue to pay monthly would see more worthy.

But, if I was really honest with myself I would stop and say I may find something else someday.  Even if it is something on the side.  Being in-demand was a lovely time when district managers valued your license (not so much your credentials) and would throw new cars, sign-on bonuses and time off your way.  They would appear like vultures outside the retail pharmacy with a suit on and ready to beg.

Today?  The students are graduating and learning the art of begging.

The creative life doesn't seem to coincide with making money.

"The most important thing a creative per­son can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.

Art suffers the moment other people start paying for it. The more you need the money, the more people will tell you what to do. The less control you will have. The more bullshit you will have to swallow. The less joy it will bring. Know this and plan accordingly.” - Hugh McLeod

And this one by him:

"The best way to get approval is not to need it.

This is equally true in art and business. And love. And sex. And just about everything else worth having.”

What about approval from myself because I am so excited to face the day and go to work because it is not work but my passion?  Is that possible?

Steve Jobs:

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

What if that looking takes more than 20 years because quite honestly I am THERE.  20 years and able to say apologetically I am still seeking.

The bottom line is start doing the things you love.  What do I love?  Well, I do love medicine.  I would be lying if I didn't admit that.  I do like how convoluted and complicated it can get.  Throw in another disease state and another medication and a genetic tendency to metabolize differently and weight changes.  Throw in some food or no food or grapefruit juice (though in some medications you would have to drink about a quart a day maybe?) and complicate the black and white definition.

Then give it some time because years ago hormone replacement therapy was all the rage and now it's not.  Thank you Women's Health Initiative for that one.

Back to the question at hand...

The realization:  A 21-year-old chose this career path for me.  She, in her silver spoon mentality felt it was prestigious but not to a fault.  She could forsee perhaps having a family and not being on call.  Oh, and Todd Gean's house was close to the biggest house in Adamsville, TN.  He owned and still owns his own drugstore.  Guess what?  I never spent ONE SINGLE DAY in his pharmacy prior to going to pharmacy school.  I am not even sure I was aware what went on except he put pills in a bottle all day.

“If one wanted to crush and destroy a man entirely, to mete out to him the most terrible punishment,”wrote Dostoevsky“all one would have to do would be to make him do work that was completely and utterly devoid of usefulness and meaning.”

Yes, I am searching.

 

23andMe: Knowledge is Power

In 2008, Time magazine called 23andme the invention of the year!

imagesCall me a skeptic. I would have been that prior to the results I received in the mail from 23andme. You see several weeks prior to my results, I received this ambiguous kit in the mail where I had to submit a copious amount of saliva in a cup provided and return back to 23andme. Needless to say, I was ready for my results.

Not only do you obtain insight into your own ancestral history but also medical history. Given the recent decision by many women to have a mastectomy after finding out they are testing positive for one of the breast cancer genes, I wanted to see if I had any increased risks compared to others.

The information received was and is (still combing through all the material) overwhelming. I found out there is a particular enzyme I am deficient in that could pose a problem with a certain class of medications. I am a fast metabolizer of caffeine!

An example of some of the medical conditions seen (compared risk to average):

Name Confidence Your Risk Avg. Risk Compared to Average
Coronary Heart Disease
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
29.3% 24.4% 1.20x
Age-related Macular Degeneration
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
22.2% 7.0% 3.16x
Atrial Fibrillation
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
20.5% 15.9% 1.29x
Venous Thromboembolism
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
14.3% 9.7% 1.47x
Restless Legs Syndrome
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
5.2% 4.2% 1.24x
Ulcerative Colitis
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
0.66% 0.51% 1.30x
Celiac Disease
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
0.42% 0.24% 1.77x
Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus)
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
0.31% 0.25% 1.26x
Bipolar Disorder
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
0.20% 0.14% 1.44x
Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC)
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
0.09% 0.07% 1.21x
Stomach Cancer (Gastric Cardia Adenocarcinoma)
Established Research: Multiple studies with 750+ participants
0.08% 0.07% 1.22x
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Alcohol Dependence
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Alopecia Areata
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Dupuytren's Disease
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Hay Fever (Allergic Rhinitis)
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Hodgkin Lymphoma
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Hypothyroidism
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Keloid
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Narcolepsy
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis: Preliminary Research
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Restless Legs Syndrome: Preliminary Research
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Sarcoidosis
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Sarcoma
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Stomach Cancer: Preliminary Research
Preliminary Research: A single study with 750+ participants
Elevated risk
Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
Preliminary Research: Fewer than 750 people studied
Elevated risk
Hypertriglyceridemia
Preliminary Research: Fewer than 750 people studied
Elevated risk
Tourette's Syndrome

Very insightful! And there are many more diseases covered.

You can also connect with others who share DNA and are possible relatives. So far I see that I am matched with several 3rd-5th cousins.

There are a few videos you can investigate to obtain more information about this valuable service:

23andMe provides over 240 health reports

With over a quarter million members, 23andMe is the largest DNA-based ancestry service worldwide.

When 23andMe was founded, the price of the personal genetic service was $1,000 and over time they have been able to reduce it to $99, making it a widely available information tool

I cannot wait to see where these results take me. I have already been in touch with some potential relatives. I will update as to what knowledge is gained.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Pills, Thrills and Methadone Spills!

I have an exciting giveaway to mention!  A fellow twitter pharmacist has written a book available on amazon kindle!

Mr Dispenser is  a community pharmacist from England and has written a funny book about pharmacy called ‘Pills, Thrills and Methadone Spills: The Adventures of a Community Pharmacist’.
It’s a collection of the best blogs, tweets and anecdotes about the wonderful world of pharmacy.
There is a chapter of American anecdotes in there.

Get your Kindle version here: Paperback copy 

5% of sales are going to  Pharmacist Support which is a UK pharmacist charity.

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Retweet this post or share on Facebook for a chance to win a free copy!  Winner will be decided this coming Monday at noon!  Post a comment on THIS POST saying you retweeted or shared.  Drawing will be random!

 

The Best Health Blogs You Must Read in 2013

health blogs1.  Health Beat by Maggie Mahar - Maggie Mahar created HealthBeat in 2007. Earlier this year, she began posting regularly at the healthinsurance.org blog and she’ll continue to write on both websites. The author of Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much (Harper/Collins 2006), Mahar also served as the co-writer of the documentary, Money-Driven Medicine (2009), directed by Andrew Fredericks and produced by Alex Gibney.

Before she began writing about health care, Mahar was a financial journalist and wrote for Barron’s, Time Inc., The New York Times and other publications. (Her first book, Bull: A History of the Boom and Bust 1982-2003(Harper Collins, 2003) was recommended by Warren Buffet in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report. For more on her books, click here.

In an earlier career, Mahar was an English professor at Yale University where she taught 19th and 20th century literature.

2.  HealthBlawg  - David Harlow is a seasoned health care attorney and consultant recognized as an accomplished, innovative and resourceful thought leader in health care law, strategy and policy.  His experience in both the public and private sectors over the past twenty-five years affords him a unique perspective on legal, policy and business issues facing the health care community.

3.  But Doctor I Hate Pink - Breast Cancer? But Doctor, I hate pink is a brutally honest, laugh out loud funny, raw account of navigating life with metastatic breast cancer. Breast cancer is not all pink ribbons and fun runs and survivorship memorabilia, and Ann tells it like it is, what it's like to live life when you know you are going to die.

4.  The Health Care Blog - You can think of us as a little bit like the Huffington Post with a focus on medicine, science and the business of medicine.  Since passage of the Obama administration’s health reform law, we’ve paid close attention to the Affordable Care Act, tracking the implications of the landmark legislation for the industry and consumers, as well as the looming legal battle over the law’s future in Washington.

5.  Health Care Informatics - Mark Hagland's blog about informatics.

6.  Simply Healthy - Marta Montenegro has been inspiring people to live healthy lives by giving them the tools and strength to find one’s inner athlete. Inspired by her father’s last words to her, “Find your victory,” she dedicated herself to living a healthy lifestyle and sharing her personal journey with others. Her personal website MartaMontenegro.com combines health and fitness advice, first-person stories, and tips on nutrition, beauty and fashion.

7.  Runblogger - The best running blog out there (running is health right?) and you can read more about the author.

8.  Wall Street Journal Health Blog - Great resource from the WSJ.

9.  Jay Parkinson + MD + MPH - If I had gone to medical school instead of pharmacy school, THIS is the kind of doctor that I would want to be.  Love this blog.

After completing a residency in pediatrics and one in preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins, I started a practice for my neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in September 2007. People would visit my website; see my Google calendar; choose a time and input their symptoms; my iphone would alert me; I would make a house call; they'd pay me via Paypal; and we'd follow up by email, IM, videochat, or in person.

Fast Company calls me The Doctor of the Future. I've got a startup called Sherpaa. Read more about me here.

10.  NPR's Shots - fascinating daily information about health around the world

 

So there is my top ten list of blogs I enjoy at the moment.  Hope you enjoy!