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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!
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Since I last posted, about two weeks ago, a lot has happened-- I had my interview at U of Regina, got a job offer, negotiated, and accepted. So it is now all official, pending approval by the university president (a formality), and pending successful application for a work permit (which involves a whole lot of paperwork, but shouldn't be a problem). The hard part is over-- we have jobs!-- and that feeling of being so unsettled is starting to settle. I am very glad we did not have to join the ranks of the growing number of PhD-holders on welfare.
Our to-do list is long: I also need to apply for Canadian permanent residency, and that is another ream of paperwork, FBI background check, medical exam, and many other hoops. We need to find a place to live, and we are perhaps not quite ready to buy a home in a place we've barely visited (we'd like to get more of a feel for the neighborhoods first), but the rental market is quite limited due to being a very high-growth city, so this will take some work. We are fortunate to have been offered a moving allowance, which means we can hire movers (hallelujah!), but we've never done that before so we have to figure out what that entails. All just details.
I also have sort of been putting off obtaining licensure as a psychologist over the past almost two years, and I absolutely need to complete the process now, because it is required for my new job. I have already done most of the paperwork for this in the state of Washington, and once I am licensed here, applying in Saskatchewan will be a much easier process. The one major last step for this is to take the national licensing exam (the EPPP), and I finally scheduled it for June 2nd. Things are starting to come together.
There is one more nagging issue that I have to get some resolution on before moving, and that is my health. While Saskatchewan is progressive in terms of health care (the birth place of medicare!), and seems to have a good health care system, what they do not have is neurosurgeons who specialize in my particular rare condition. I am in the process of obtaining and considering information from multiple doctors, and thinking through what my best options are. I will provide updates if any arise.
It is sunny today, and has been for most of the past week. All the mountains have been out (i.e., not rendered invisible by layers of clouds) and looking lovely. I'm happy that the weather has decided to be much nicer to us than it has the past two springs, so that we'll have the chance to enjoy the northwest at its best before we move away!
Our to-do list is long: I also need to apply for Canadian permanent residency, and that is another ream of paperwork, FBI background check, medical exam, and many other hoops. We need to find a place to live, and we are perhaps not quite ready to buy a home in a place we've barely visited (we'd like to get more of a feel for the neighborhoods first), but the rental market is quite limited due to being a very high-growth city, so this will take some work. We are fortunate to have been offered a moving allowance, which means we can hire movers (hallelujah!), but we've never done that before so we have to figure out what that entails. All just details.
I also have sort of been putting off obtaining licensure as a psychologist over the past almost two years, and I absolutely need to complete the process now, because it is required for my new job. I have already done most of the paperwork for this in the state of Washington, and once I am licensed here, applying in Saskatchewan will be a much easier process. The one major last step for this is to take the national licensing exam (the EPPP), and I finally scheduled it for June 2nd. Things are starting to come together.
There is one more nagging issue that I have to get some resolution on before moving, and that is my health. While Saskatchewan is progressive in terms of health care (the birth place of medicare!), and seems to have a good health care system, what they do not have is neurosurgeons who specialize in my particular rare condition. I am in the process of obtaining and considering information from multiple doctors, and thinking through what my best options are. I will provide updates if any arise.
It is sunny today, and has been for most of the past week. All the mountains have been out (i.e., not rendered invisible by layers of clouds) and looking lovely. I'm happy that the weather has decided to be much nicer to us than it has the past two springs, so that we'll have the chance to enjoy the northwest at its best before we move away!
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Prairie-bound
I am currently on a layover in the Denver airport, on my way to a job interview at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. It is a for a faculty position in the psychology department, and although last August/September I thought I had decided I wouldn't apply to faculty jobs, I'm actually pretty excited about this position.
In related news, Jeff has an official job offer for a faculty position in the psychology department at University of Regina, and is working on negotiating the terms. He recently turned down an offer for a faculty position at MSU Billings. I also have an offer for that position I applied to in Hawaii. Our fears of unemployment appear to be over.
So basically, when Jeff found out he had an interview, he asked about possible employment opportunities for me in Regina, and sent my CV to someone in the department. They immediately began encouraging me to apply for an open clinical psychology faculty position. In a sense, I chose not to pursue academia, but academia decided to pursue me. Not sure whether I'll get caught, but it's nice to be chased :)
And although my whole life I have sworn I would never move somewhere flat, or live far away from the ocean, it appears that we may be prairie-bound. The chances that Jeff will accept the offer in Regina are high, as this department seems to be exactly what we have been looking for in many ways. Not too big, not too small, communication and collaboration across areas within psychology (the clinical faculty and experimental faculty actually know each others' names!), what appears to be a supportive environment with fairly good organization, and apparent interest in faculty as people with interests and lives. So far, it seems to have many of the qualities we liked about University of Oregon.
The city of Regina, although cold in the winters, and very flat, also has many good qualities. Similarly not too big and not too small, community-oriented, lots of parks, progressive (it's in Canada, after all), and recently ranked as one of the best places to live in Canada. I had no idea where it was until Jeff showed me on a map, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure many of his Canadian friends and family weren't 100% sure exactly where it was before looking it up recently. But life on the prairie may be just the kind of slower pace we could use right now.
I'll be sure to give an update soon, after I return from my interview. Whether I get offered this job or not, I'm really hoping that my visit over the next couple of days leaves me with a positive impression of the city, because pretty soon I may be calling it home!
In related news, Jeff has an official job offer for a faculty position in the psychology department at University of Regina, and is working on negotiating the terms. He recently turned down an offer for a faculty position at MSU Billings. I also have an offer for that position I applied to in Hawaii. Our fears of unemployment appear to be over.
So basically, when Jeff found out he had an interview, he asked about possible employment opportunities for me in Regina, and sent my CV to someone in the department. They immediately began encouraging me to apply for an open clinical psychology faculty position. In a sense, I chose not to pursue academia, but academia decided to pursue me. Not sure whether I'll get caught, but it's nice to be chased :)
And although my whole life I have sworn I would never move somewhere flat, or live far away from the ocean, it appears that we may be prairie-bound. The chances that Jeff will accept the offer in Regina are high, as this department seems to be exactly what we have been looking for in many ways. Not too big, not too small, communication and collaboration across areas within psychology (the clinical faculty and experimental faculty actually know each others' names!), what appears to be a supportive environment with fairly good organization, and apparent interest in faculty as people with interests and lives. So far, it seems to have many of the qualities we liked about University of Oregon.
The city of Regina, although cold in the winters, and very flat, also has many good qualities. Similarly not too big and not too small, community-oriented, lots of parks, progressive (it's in Canada, after all), and recently ranked as one of the best places to live in Canada. I had no idea where it was until Jeff showed me on a map, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure many of his Canadian friends and family weren't 100% sure exactly where it was before looking it up recently. But life on the prairie may be just the kind of slower pace we could use right now.
I'll be sure to give an update soon, after I return from my interview. Whether I get offered this job or not, I'm really hoping that my visit over the next couple of days leaves me with a positive impression of the city, because pretty soon I may be calling it home!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Feeling Good
It has now been over 6 weeks since my brain bleed, and I am happy to report that my symptoms are starting to improve. Over the past week especially, things seem to be getting better. I am hoping that I'm through the worst of it, and that recovery from this second bleed will end up being substantially easier and shorter than recovery from the first.
About a month ago, I had an MRI that confirmed the bleed. These are some pictures of my brain:
In this one (the most flattering MRI angle), the white splotch in the middle of my brainstem is the cavernous malformation/bleed location.
In this one, the cavernous malformation/bleed is the white thing surrounded by black.
Same for this one. And yes, my eyeballs look freaky from this angle! Clearly the least flattering from this photo shoot.
I like looking at these images. Somehow it helps to be able to see a somewhat tangible representation of this thing in my brain. It is also interesting to compare these with previous MRIs. It is clear that the cavernous malformation is currently taking up more space in this valuable tract of brain real estate than it was before.
When my neurosurgeon looked at these images, he saw that the cavernous malformation has worked it's way toward the surface of the pons, and there is now what is called a "surgical access point." Because of this, and because of the potential for future bleeds to occur, he is recommending surgery. When I look at these images, I see that it is still right in the middle of my brain. While there may be an access point, accessing it would be difficult and dangerous, with a relatively high likelihood of causing new deficits (due to accidental squishing of healthy neurons) in the process of removing unhealthy tissue.
I am in the process of pursuing second and third opinions about surgery. Given how good I feel right now, brain surgery seems kind of foolhardy. On the other hand, it would be nice to have this thing gone, and to not have to worry about when it might leak again, and whether the symptoms it causes will be worse next time. This decision will not occur quickly or without substantial deliberation.
For now, I am trying to focus on being happy to be feeling (relatively) good!
About a month ago, I had an MRI that confirmed the bleed. These are some pictures of my brain:
In this one (the most flattering MRI angle), the white splotch in the middle of my brainstem is the cavernous malformation/bleed location.
In this one, the cavernous malformation/bleed is the white thing surrounded by black.
Same for this one. And yes, my eyeballs look freaky from this angle! Clearly the least flattering from this photo shoot.
I like looking at these images. Somehow it helps to be able to see a somewhat tangible representation of this thing in my brain. It is also interesting to compare these with previous MRIs. It is clear that the cavernous malformation is currently taking up more space in this valuable tract of brain real estate than it was before.
When my neurosurgeon looked at these images, he saw that the cavernous malformation has worked it's way toward the surface of the pons, and there is now what is called a "surgical access point." Because of this, and because of the potential for future bleeds to occur, he is recommending surgery. When I look at these images, I see that it is still right in the middle of my brain. While there may be an access point, accessing it would be difficult and dangerous, with a relatively high likelihood of causing new deficits (due to accidental squishing of healthy neurons) in the process of removing unhealthy tissue.
I am in the process of pursuing second and third opinions about surgery. Given how good I feel right now, brain surgery seems kind of foolhardy. On the other hand, it would be nice to have this thing gone, and to not have to worry about when it might leak again, and whether the symptoms it causes will be worse next time. This decision will not occur quickly or without substantial deliberation.
For now, I am trying to focus on being happy to be feeling (relatively) good!
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Happy Spring!
Our Easter dinner:
Pierogies, red potatoes with butter and parsley, roasted asparagus, and red cabbage confit:
Our weather has been lovely and spring-like, and the weekend was happy and relaxing, which was much needed. Hope everyone else had a weekend just as good!
Pierogies, red potatoes with butter and parsley, roasted asparagus, and red cabbage confit:
Our weather has been lovely and spring-like, and the weekend was happy and relaxing, which was much needed. Hope everyone else had a weekend just as good!
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