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TWS - Mind Dumping, Peptic Ulcers, and Sacrifices

Frank Simon • public
• 2 min read
TWS - Mind Dumping, Peptic Ulcers, and Sacrifices
Photo by cafeconcetto / Unsplash

📝 Rx

Hi team,

We're deep into hurricane season now.

Have some buddies in Tampa getting hit this week by Hurricane Milton, hoping it turns out all right. Getting two back to back storms head on is crazy.

On my end, I've been re-reading one of my favorite books called "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. Last week I mentioned trying for better time management and this has been my solution. Still getting through it, but I strongly recommend this book to anyone struggling with maintaining control of tasks and projects.

Biggest takeaway for me has been to mind dump everything onto my note-taking app to free up bandwidth. After that, I specify the first physical thing I can do for each goal to make some progress.

Just doing that is enough to completely get rid of 90% of your stress, kind of like brown bombing your brain.

Try it for yourself:

  • Sit down for 30 min.
  • Write out everything you want to do, need to do, or are even thinking about doing. If it's been on your mind, it goes on the paper no matter how big or small.
  • Anything that will take you less than 2 min, do it immediately after finishing the list.
  • Anything that will take you longer, specify later what your goal is and write down the first physical thing you need to do to make it happen.

Simple.

🩻 Diagnosis of the Week:

Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD)

What is it: Injuries to inside of the the stomach or small intestine (specifically the duodenum).

The stomach's job is to use acids and enzymes to break down food as much as it can so that the small intestine has an easy time absorbing nutrients.

The acids and enzymes the stomach uses to do this are so strong that they can eat through our own bodies as well, so why don't they?

Thankfully, the stomach uses a lot of mucous and bicarbonate (a base) to protect it's own interior walls from the acids/enzymes inside. Prostaglandins are also used to boost mucous/bicarbonate and reduce acid levels to provide protection.

In PUD, something throws off this fine balance of acids/enzymes to prostaglandins/mucous/bicarbonate, favoring the acids/enzymes.

This allows the acids/enzymes to damage the inside of the stomach wall, or even the duodenum since it's so close to the stomach, and eventually make an ulcer that can bleed.

Key signs:

  • Asymptomatic - can happen without you noticing
  • Stomach pain
  • Coffee-ground vomit (dark blood that's been digested by stomach acids)
  • Nausea

🤓 Dose of the Week

Sacrifices

Might sound obvious, but you can't "have it all."

I've been struggling (failing) for the last few weeks to maintain my regular gym, study, sleep schedule.

What's changed? I really love my rotation currently, but unfortunately I'm commuting for double the time and am in the hospital longer.

For now, priority 1 is to study, and because I won't budge on reducing my sleep habits, the (sad) solution is no gym and only take-out food for the rest of my rotation.

Seems like the obvious fix, but sacrificing health doesn't feel great.

Intentionally sacrificing things though, is an idea that I like. The alternative would be not doing things effectively while allowing habits/goals to slowly slide off, to me that's the worst outcome.

Be intentional.

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