April 10, 2008 7:10pm

My week in Lewisburg is nearly over.

I didn't even realize I could leave a day early until N- informed me that he was leaving tonight to go visit his girlfriend. Well sheesh! If I knew we could that, I would have made arrangements to leave! However, I know that if I skipped tomorrow's session and didn't get to see the feedback from my OSCE test, I would spend the next month in mental agony wondering if I passed.

Instead, I'm sitting in my hotel room in GI agony.

I think I am going to finally have to admit that I have an acid problem.

In fact, I have an acid problem so bad that I seem to spend most of the day feeling either nauseated or like there is a fire in my belly that is trying to escape through my mouth.

I'm also getting very tired of waking up in the morning with partially digested food in my mouth that I must have coughed up.

Gross. Super gross.

I ate one meal today and have been regretting it since noon. Two Zantac and four Tums aren't even beginning to take the edge off. Don't even think about asking me to lay down because that becomes another gastric nightmare.

I wish I was hungry. I really do. It's nearly 7:30pm and dinner would be the traditional activity, but even thinking about food makes me churn even more.

It is very true that medical professionals make the worst patients. This is because we try to manage a problem ourselves, but since nobody is an expert in everything we just get sicker and sicker until we get to a crisis point...and then seek the help of a colleague.

Help!

April 7, 2008 12:27am

Back in Lewisburg for a week of assorted nonsense required by school.

I'm happy to be back here because I really missed this town....I think. Maybe I just missed the routine of school. I know for sure that I missed the burgers at Jim's Drive-In, the organic steaks at Stardust and the vegan wraps at The Wild Bean.

Clearly, I am very food oriented.

I packed up everything from the house in Buckhannon and drove back down to where my life in WV began.

At the moment, I am in bed at the Hampton Inn. I love Hampton Inn hotels. Maybe it's all Hilton hotels, but I especially love Hampton Inns. I love it because there is a great big bed with fluffy blankets and a lap desk. I can get a hot breakfast in the morning and coffee all day.

Unfortunately, most of my class is also staying at this hotel. It is more like the WVSOM dorm than my beloved Hampton Inn hotel. People I know are everywhere, and I feel like a hermit in my room. I ran into a classmate at the elevator. He said something like, "This week won't be so bad. School all day and then we get to party all night."

Obviously, he doesn't know me very well. I didn't "party" at all my first two years of school here. I'm not about to start now.

I have an absurd amount of luggage in the room with me. I didn't plan for packing well, and I just threw everything into bags. I didn't bother to separate out what I would need for my week here versus what I need for the rest of my life in NJ. Basically, I have every toiletry item, every piece of underwear, and every sock I own in this room, along with various other unmatched clothing items.

But I am in a Hampton Inn, so life is good. I told Roger we should consider moving into one.

What I am most looking forward to for this week is knowing that I don't have to make breakfast. someone else is making it for me. someone else is putting out the yogurt and fruit and bagel or whatever else might be on the menu.

Yes, the Hampton Inn is just about the closest thing there is to heaven right here on earth.

Clearly, my standards for heaven are not set very high.