That’s right, I’m in Dubya’s territory, not too far from his ranch in Crawford, but far enough, thank you.
I’m attending the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society. Smart planning, to put a meeting about hot flashes in the middle of Texas in late summer – the temperature today was 92. That way, we physician meeting attendees can truly identify with our patients…
The meeting is being held at the Gaylord Texan, a resort somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but fortunately very close to the airport. And there’s lots to do, although the highlight seems to be the trolley to the outlet mall…
But I’m really just being a persnickedy New Yorker, because the truth is, this hotel is fabulous. Just look how nice my room is!
The hotel has everything a person could want, save perhaps, any resemblence to the real world. But I’m not complaining.
I just got back from a nice long swim in the lap pool at the spa here, took a hot shower and ordered in room service (crab cakes, mostly all crab with very little filler, and a wonderfully light mango salad). Add some San Pellegrino, excellent Internet access, and a remarkable grand rounds by Dr Rob, and I am one happy camper.
Tomorrow I plan to rent a bike and ride around the trails lakeside, study for and take the menopause practitioner exam (have to keep up my certification), and get a haircut at the spa. Then the meetings start tomorrow evening.
I don’t know that there is really much new in menopause these days – lots and lots of talk and theories, but not a lot of hard clinical data to support them yet. We’ll see.
NAMS has not a few ties to Big Pharma, and there are a number of symposia funded by them. Not to mention every lunch, which will make it very hard for me to keep to my No-Pharma-Lunch policy.
I’ll let y’all know what I learn. Meanwhile, Dubya and I got some brush to clear…
Have a good trip!
I appreciate your comments on your daughter … I am an ambivarian myself! I have a question that may be covered at your meeting: Are most gynecologists who treat menopause now using the low-dose estrogens in patients with a known thrombophilia? I am not on Coumadin (had a PE while on OC, have 20210 mutation) but my gynecologist says I should be using the Vagifem if my hematologist says OK. The hematologist hasn’t answered me, and there are apparently no guidelines on this. Thanks, love your blog.
Howdy! I hope you’re having a great trip! As a Texan (and as a pre-med who enjoys med blogs, yours included) I had to chuckle when I read your impression of the Gaylord Texan. Anywhere “very close to the airport,” especially DFW airport, and the Texas-sized outlet mall in Grapevine, by Texas definition cannot be “somewhere in the middle of nowhere.” Usually the phrase is reserved for places where the tallest structure on the flat horizon is an oil pump, and there are traffic signs warning “caution, wind currents.” But you’re right–as for fantasy Texas, the Gaylord does it magnificently! Enjoy your conference and the Lone Star state!
Congrats on your no pharma policy – I find myself getting so pissed at every grand rounds my dept has when I have to encounter one of these Pharmatrons. And it annoys me how they fund so many “networking” things and I just refuse to go based on that, which doesn’t seem very fair…
Hmm, should we send out a search party? Has the VP been miscalculating on hunts lately? You’re a little close to danger there in that last picture!
Hi,
My name is Ramprekash, I have a blog for acupressure.http://my-acupressure.blogspot.com which has google page rank 4. I like your site. I would like to have a link exchange with your site which helps both of us.you can paste the code of my site which is given in the left side of my site.if interested please mail me to sree1280@yahoo.com. Thank You.
I like your no-free-lunch policy as well. Does this include free pens though?
I made your mushroom barley soup about 6 weeks ago (with dried shiitake and fresh honey brown shrooms) and it was fantastic. Have always been a barley fan (makes a great cheapo breakfast cereal when cooked up with some sliced apple and a cinnamon stick as well).
Love the recipes.
RL- thanks, I did!
a texan: Howdy yourself! Wish I had had time to see some of the real Texas…
Jen – Don’t worry about the networking stuff. Real networking comes from your work.
Dragonfly – SO glad your soup turned out well. Like the idea of shitakes. Thanks for reading.
Bardiac 🙂