Post for Posterity

Just wanted to het into writing a few things that have been going on in my life lately. Yesterday I went to an endocrinologist for the first time. It didn't quite go as I had hoped. They sent me away with an order for a metabolic test in September, blood work that needed done yesterday and again in early September, an order for a 24 hr urine test, and a "recommended lifestyle change" for my dietary needs.
They called this afternoon saying everything looked okay with the results of my bloodwork. "Okay" is a relative term, not sure how I feel after seeing the results online. I don't think all of them were optimal, but I am not a doctor.
School has been getting pretty stressful lately. Took a quiz tonight for my Human Growth and Development class and got 100%. Pretty stoked because that has not happened yet.
My left ankle has been hurting since Tuesday evening. A lot. Not sure what is going on, but it hurts to stand and walk on it. Can't take any pain meds. Only relief is elevating it, yet it still aches and is stiff.
I want to be able to take pain meds, but all we have is ibuprofen and I shouldn't be taking that. Need to get regular strength tylenol. Since Monday evening/Tuesday (7/8) morning I have not been feeling well. Whenever I eat I get really bad pain in my abdomin, same goes for drinking water. The pain only goes away after food has been mostly digested or if I lie on my stomach. Drinks don't bother me if they are ice cold. My "chest" is really sensitive and hurts. I have been physically exhausted for a week. My temperature seems elevated even though I know I don't have any kind of infection. And I have been craving red meat. Last time this happened was 13 months ago. So either I am pregnant or I am about to have experienced THE WORST PMS in my life. Should I in fact be pregnant I will be happy yet terrified. This isn't exactly the best time in my life for this to happen. I will be terrified that if I am pregnant that it will not last past 8-12 weeks.

School is in Session

So almost 2 months have gone by since i last posted. Where has the time gone? What have I been up to? Well, as of May 9th, i am no longer employed. My job now is to go to school, study, and do the absolute best I can in my studies. You could also say that my job is to take care of the house. So, I have been pretty diligent about making sure the house is tidy. The last 24 hours I have slipped a bit. I need to do some laundry and dishes.

My classes have been pretty good, then again the first week isn't over yet. I made the huge mistake of calling my Anatomy and Physiology instructor MRS. Russo instead of DR. Russo. I won't make that mistake again. I had the lab yesterday. Talk about a long class...4.5 hours with just a 8 minute break so that the instructor could use the facilities. She ended up being pretty funny and was willing to take as much time as possible to walk anyone through the practical we were doing. We had a quiz and a practical our first class. I am pretty psyched to say that I have a 100% for class so far. Let's see how long that lasts!

I was a bit stressed Tuesday night because of an assignment I had due for my Medical Ethics class last night. The assignment was to write a journal for "What is Bioethics?" That was it. No other information was given. I had already emailed the instructor twice about other questions and didn't want to be "one of those students." I emailed them anyway. The response I got was "I am not a word counter. Just make it a page long." This is the same instructor that told me to call them "Terry" when I asked how to address him ( I only asked because Terry could be a male or female and didn't want to use the wrong title). Turns out, it is a man.

I am pretty excited about this whole adventure. Prayers would be appreciated though. Specifically that I would continue getting good grades, I absorb as much as possible, that my excitement doesn't wane, and that poor Scott doesn't burn out working so hard to pay for school and solely provide for us until I can find a part-time job.

Photo Bombs

I was going to take my niece and nephew to visit some family today. Unfortunately, one little sweetie was not feeling so well. Thus our plans were cancelled. We pray our dear cousin is feeling better!

My sister had already cancelled their day at the sitter's house, so I said I would keep them all day anyway. My niece, MJ, was being a ham so I pulled out my phone to take some pictures. Her brother kept photo bombing. Well it wasn't so much him bombing the pictures, more like taking over the WHOLE picture.  Here comes a photo purge. I think I deleted most of the "bad" ones.

The first photo bomb.

Silly faces

Zombies

Snuggles with MJ

One last photo bomb

Walking on Eggshells

Since December, I am have been walking on eggshells. Keeping a secret from most people in my life. I feel confident that I can now share the big news with the world...well most of the world. My students don't know yet.

For a long time now (a few years) I have had this whisper in the back of my head to do something. I always ignored it and it would go away for a few months. Without fail, the whisper would come back every couple of months. Since about September, this has progressed slowly from a whisper to a voice booming from a bullhorn.

What has it been saying all these years? At first it  was just "you need a change". Over the past two year it has become more specific. It changed to "nursing". Nursing? What about it? Am I supposed to nurse my children, should I ever be blessed with them? "Okay Lord, will do! But you have to help me out with the whole getting pregnant thing." Oh, silly Melissa! God was not amused. For some reason, in August, I got the "brilliant" idea that I was supposed to take a STNA (State Tested Nurses Aide) course, so I could teach AND have a part time job "just for fun" on the weekends at a nursing home. Mind you, only a few family members and a friend or two knew about this AND they only found out about it AFTER I was almost finished with the course.

I took the course, had the best grades in the class. Then it came time for clinicals and a series of strange events popped up preventing me from completing them or making up the hours I missed. I was thinking, "Ok God. You tell me nursing. I tried to do it but obviously I wasn't supposed to become a STNA. Now what?" You know what He said? "Just wait."

So, I waited. Then over Christmas break the voice came back. Louder than ever. God directed me to several paths I could take. I did A LOT of research on programs. Contacted people at said programs to get more information. I really wanted to atttend my Alma Mater and complete their fast track program for people that already have a bachelor's degree of some sort. They had a ridiculous amount of pre-requisites which turned me off from the program. Then the girl I contacted was extremely rude to me, which was the nail in the coffin that I wouldn't be going back to KSU for this degree.

Somehow, I landed on a website of a local hospital and learned that they had their own School of Nursing and Radiography. They had very few pre-requisites and their application date was quickly approaching. Somehow (which I now give credit to God) I managed to get all my paperwork together and submitted by the deadline. I did all of this trusting that whatever happened as an end result would be of God's plans...and I hadn't exactly told anyone I was doing this. Only Scott.

A few days after submitting all of my paperwork, I had to tell my mom. I only told her at that point because one of her best friends works at my high school alma mater  as a secretary. She gave me my transcripts to mail off and she was asking my mom about what I was doing. Mom had no idea, so I told her. Then I told two of my closest work friends and my best friend. Late in the evening on February 26th, less than two months from my initial "investigations into nursing", I opened a thick envelope congratulating me on my acceptance into nursing school!

So that is my big news. I am going to nursing school and "retiring" from teaching. Time to go back to being the student. I have really enjoyed working at my current place of employment. The staff have been nothing but wonderful and supportive while Scott and I were trying to conceive. I told my boss at the beginning of the month (after I had officially been accepted into the program) and she was very supportive. I will miss my co-workers and the students, but I have NEVER been more sure and unwavering about a decision in my life.

Immune System Represent!

Most of my search for medical records was to find my immunization records. Part of my next chapter in life requires me to be up to date on all of my immunizations. Regardless of whether I have proof of every shot needed, I had to have current immunization levels a.k.a titers. Now don't be foolish and think this is pronounced a certain way. It is said like "tighters." Not titters. Like someone else thought. Who shall remain nameless.

The results were supposed to take like four days to get back. I had the blood drawn last Wednesday evening. So that put getting the results back on Sunday (my doctors office is open seven days a week). I thought nothing of the fact that I hadn't heard anything Sunday and Monday. This morning, my brain was starting to put the cart before the horse. I told myself not to worry about it. They will call when they know something. I accepted what the situation was instead of calling the office first thing in the morning (which is what I used to do).

The nurse called this afternoon and told me they got the results back. All my tests showed that I was still at an immunized level. No more polio, rubella, rubeola or varicella vaccines in my future! Woo hoo! Now I just have to go Thursday evening to get my second step of the tb test; Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon I can get it read and have my physical completed.