Brain Drain

A lot is happening these days, and fast. It is a bit of a challenge for me to keep up with it all.

The big news is that I am having brain surgery. It is scheduled for June 13th. After multiple consultations with multiple neurosurgeons, it seems like removing the cavernous malformation from my brain stem is the right option for me at this point. If all goes well, I will be done with it after that, forever. I can expect to have symptoms of numbness and vertigo after the surgery, like I have had after each bleed, and might also have other new neurological symptoms as a result of surgery. Only time will tell whether those wind up being permanent or temporary-- I obviously have my fingers crossed for temporary. Post surgery I will likely have a lot of fatigue, and have been told I shouldn't expect to be back to normal in that department for about 3-6 months. Assuming everything goes well, I have been told that I could be in "back to work" condition after about a month, even though I won't be "back to normal" at that point.

We will be moving to Regina right around August 7th, so I will have about 8 weeks to recover before moving. Since I can't predict exactly how recovery will go, I have been working hard to get lots of important things done pre-surgery.

This Friday will be my last day at my current job. I've been tying up loose ends here, saying goodbye to all my patients and co-workers. I am actually very sad to leave, as I have enjoyed this job quite a bit. But, I'm also really looking forward to my new job. I now know my teaching assignments for next year-- a graduate level psychotherapy skills course in the fall, and an undergraduate personality course (with a clinical bent)  for winter semester-- and I'm really excited about teaching again.

Last Saturday I took the EPPP (psychology licensing exam), and I think it went okay. I just have to pass with a 70%, and while I was very uncertain of the answers on about 1/3 of the questions (and somewhat uncertain about a lot more), probability dictates that enough of my random guesses should be right that I will pass. I should find out within the next few weeks.

This weekend I apply for my Canadian work permit. So far, things are going faster and more smoothly than expected with this process, and I have my fingers crossed that things will continue that way. I was told my FBI background check would take at least 8 weeks to process, and it only took about 3 weeks. I was told that obtaining a "labour market opinion," necessary for the work permit, would take 2 weeks and it only actually took 2 days. I think working for the VA has led me to be very pessimistic about paperwork processing, and I'm amazed to find that there are at least some instances where things can be fast and easy.

So a lot going on, especially this big deal surgery, which makes me very anxious. But at the same time, a lot is going really well, and it helps me to keep that longer-term perspective. I think that one year from now my life is going to be in a very calm, stable, and good place!