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msparticularity
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« Reply #1200 on: December 03, 2009, 01:06:30 PM » |
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Welcome, alleyoxenfree! The consensus among Forumites about situations like yours is that they are best addressed by a referee. Is your field one where you submit letters of reference up front? If so, one of your letter-writers could talk about exactly what you have mentioned here: that you had a serious and disabling condition that has been completely addressed through your surgeries and no longer poses a challenge to you; and that your dedication is such that you persevered and kept teaching and researching through it, although your options were somewhat limited until it was all over. Failing that (if the norm is just to submit a list of references), you could insert a sentence or two near the end of your letter to explain that, although your ability to relocate was limited by personal circumstances for a period of time, that has now been addressed and you look forward to relocating in the near future--or something like that. (This phrasing could suggest anything from an ill family member that you needed to care for to being tied down by a spouse's job situation.)
Ms_T, I'm glad to hear that sessions with your new therapist are feeling constructive; that seems like a good sign to me.
And Lenniel, good to "see" you, and good to hear that you continue to do well. Like you, I'm going for long walks in the cold and doing some coughing and hacking (from my asthma). My joints are also achier again right now, so I probably just need to suck it up and take the Aleve twice a day again for awhile. Nothing major going on for me, though--just a big bunch of grading to finish today.
GM, we've taken turns at our house, too, but I must say it's gotten a bit easier since Daughter grew up since it's now possible to get a decent amount of rest. I've also found menopause a welcome event, since all the weird and irregular bleeding and pain I had through perimenopause (enlivened by occasional ovarian cysts) added just enough to my usual stuff to swamp my coping skills.
Shambelle, happy post-holiday wishes! I hope you're hanging in there and things are settling down for you again after the travel.
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"Once admit that the sole verifiable or fruitful object of knowledge is the particular set of changes that generate the object of study...and no intelligible question can be asked about what, by assumption, lies outside." John Dewey
"Be particular." Jill Conner Browne
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alleyoxenfree
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« Reply #1201 on: December 05, 2009, 09:53:16 PM » |
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This morning, I freaked out. I froze, and literally sat with the syringe held above my leg for 10 minutes.
If you give yourself injections, has this happened to you? It was so weird, and I'm nervous that it's going to happen again. I didn't give myself as good a shot this time, either - my leg hurts. I mean, I know I did it correctly because it's an IM injection, so it should hurt. I'm going to talk to my nurse when I go for my next infusion on the 21st... maybe when I give myself the happy new year shot, things will be different.
At a certain point in my surgeries, I freaked out over a single needle stick, and not even one I had to give myself. One of the things I think the medical profession never talks about is the way you can just get stuck too much from time to time. That, and even professionals give a bad shot here and there, so it would be more surprising if you didn't occasionally get a less good stick. |
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alleyoxenfree
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« Reply #1202 on: December 05, 2009, 10:01:09 PM » |
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Welcome, alleyoxenfree! The consensus among Forumites about situations like yours is that they are best addressed by a referee. Is your field one where you submit letters of reference up front? If so, one of your letter-writers could talk about exactly what you have mentioned here: that you had a serious and disabling condition that has been completely addressed through your surgeries and no longer poses a challenge to you; and that your dedication is such that you persevered and kept teaching and researching through it, although your options were somewhat limited until it was all over. Failing that (if the norm is just to submit a list of references), you could insert a sentence or two near the end of your letter to explain that, although your ability to relocate was limited by personal circumstances for a period of time, that has now been addressed and you look forward to relocating in the near future--or something like that. (This phrasing could suggest anything from an ill family member that you needed to care for to being tied down by a spouse's job situation.)
I appreciate everyone's thoughts. In my field, it's about half letter requests, half just requests for names of recommenders. Only one recommender knows the situation, since I taught there at the time. I like the sentence you suggest above, although the problem wasn't so much that I couldn't relocate, as it was that my publishing record looks insufficient unless and until I can publish the book - and academic presses have flatlined in my field (and others, I know). Light publishing record and need to be near medical care led me to take a job at a college that was a bad experience. And so it goes. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do - right now, I just don't mention anything and figure that does sort out the people who need a linear, snappy CV of a person just out of grad school. But I may market-test different lines in resumes and see if it makes any difference. At any rate, it is reassuring to see people here dealing with so many challenging health issues and managing to make their careers anyway. |
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,983
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #1203 on: December 08, 2009, 07:39:09 PM » |
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1st procedure done - phew! GD's no worse off than before. The doc found a few polyps in his stomach that he said never turns into cancer, but he took a few biopsies to be careful. He also took some biopsies in the esophagus to double check, but the doc said he didn't see anything to be concerned about.
Now on to test 2...
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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biomancer
trying to be the person my dog thinks I am
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 8,008
CHE Fora Hazmat Team
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« Reply #1204 on: December 08, 2009, 07:53:51 PM » |
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1st procedure done - phew! GD's no worse off than before. The doc found a few polyps in his stomach that he said never turns into cancer, but he took a few biopsies to be careful. He also took some biopsies in the esophagus to double check, but the doc said he didn't see anything to be concerned about.
Now on to test 2...
That's a relief! Tell GD we're thinking of him here on this thread, and hope that test #2 goes smoothly too! |
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Clueless people can be dangerous. The acidic environment they can spread often needs to be neutralized, and humor is basic. - Dellaroux
Viruses invented people so that people would invent airplanes so viruses could get around better. - R. Duda
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,983
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #1205 on: December 08, 2009, 09:03:31 PM » |
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1st procedure done - phew! GD's no worse off than before. The doc found a few polyps in his stomach that he said never turns into cancer, but he took a few biopsies to be careful. He also took some biopsies in the esophagus to double check, but the doc said he didn't see anything to be concerned about.
Now on to test 2...
That's a relief! Tell GD we're thinking of him here on this thread, and hope that test #2 goes smoothly too! He said thank you in a tiny little voice (he's a little hoarse). |
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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alleyoxenfree
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« Reply #1206 on: December 08, 2009, 09:27:03 PM » |
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1st procedure done - phew! GD's no worse off than before. The doc found a few polyps in his stomach that he said never turns into cancer, but he took a few biopsies to be careful. He also took some biopsies in the esophagus to double check, but the doc said he didn't see anything to be concerned about.
Now on to test 2...
That's a relief! Tell GD we're thinking of him here on this thread, and hope that test #2 goes smoothly too! He said thank you in a tiny little voice (he's a little hoarse). Sending good wishes to you both - and glad that this test is done! |
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bibliothecula
Academic ronin
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 3,907
like Bunnicula, only with books
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« Reply #1207 on: December 09, 2009, 11:10:21 AM » |
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Glad to hear about GD's test results!
How is everyone else doing? I've been doing fairly well lately. Perhaps it's because my current schedule allows for sleep, and because I've been able to get in a little more exercise. My spouse has also agreed to keep the house warmer this winter--last year the joint pain was pretty bad and I think if the house had been 3-4 degrees warmer it might not have been, so I'm trying that. If he had his way, the house would be 50 degrees year-round.
About self-shots....I was an early tester for injectable Imitrex, and it came with a device in which you loaded the syringe and held against your leg. You then pressed a button to release a spring, which then popped the needle into your leg or whatever. I wonder if there is still something like that available for other medications, Shambelle. It took some of the trauma out of giving the injection. It may be outdated tech, though--the needles then for the drug were not small and it was a fairly hefty syringe of stuff.
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I came. I saw. I cited.
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ms_turtle
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« Reply #1208 on: December 11, 2009, 03:12:21 PM » |
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Good to hear GM.
I like winter, but I do not like:
- Skin so dry that it feels like needles picking me.
- Cold hands! Only in the hottest part of the summer do my hands feel normal to someone else. Today they feel like icicles. Hubby jokes that all my body temperature gets sucked into my core.
- I wash my hands quite a bit and that just exacerbates the first two problems.
bleh...
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'I get paid to think, and today I prefer to do my thinking lying down.' -- Inspector Morse
"Oh, PLANS, PLANS, PLANS -- how we make plans into the future, as if the future will most certainly be there!" -- John Irving
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,983
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #1209 on: December 11, 2009, 03:48:13 PM » |
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The first one is how people like you and me keep the skin moisturizer companies in business.
Okay, so does anybody have any ideas to help me keep GD from going crazy Monday while he is doing the prep for his next test? He never does well on an empty stomach!
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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alleyoxenfree
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« Reply #1210 on: December 11, 2009, 04:48:37 PM » |
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The first one is how people like you and me keep the skin moisturizer companies in business.
Okay, so does anybody have any ideas to help me keep GD from going crazy Monday while he is doing the prep for his next test? He never does well on an empty stomach!
How long does he prep - 24 hours? Usually it helps if you sleep at least 8 of it. Then I would recommend that he spend all of his time online, and getting foot massages, both guaranteed to divert him from anything else. |
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,983
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #1211 on: December 11, 2009, 09:29:04 PM » |
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Nothing but clear liquids, then that nasty jug of stuff. I hope to get him to sleep for 8 hours. Unfortunately I have to be at work for 8 as well. We'll probably watch movies, that is, if he can concentrate for more than 15 minutes. Another unfortunately, we won't be able to do anything else that day. Drat.
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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alleyoxenfree
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« Reply #1212 on: December 11, 2009, 09:34:39 PM » |
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Nothing but clear liquids, then that nasty jug of stuff. I hope to get him to sleep for 8 hours. Unfortunately I have to be at work for 8 as well. We'll probably watch movies, that is, if he can concentrate for more than 15 minutes. Another unfortunately, we won't be able to do anything else that day. Drat.
For me, the nasty jug of stuff goes better when it is very cold. Over ice. Chugged glass by glass as speedily as possible. Also, it helps to hold one's nose. The smell is half of what's awful. |
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msparticularity
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« Reply #1213 on: December 11, 2009, 09:49:32 PM » |
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Laptop with online access and/or DVDs in the bathroom?
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"Once admit that the sole verifiable or fruitful object of knowledge is the particular set of changes that generate the object of study...and no intelligible question can be asked about what, by assumption, lies outside." John Dewey
"Be particular." Jill Conner Browne
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,983
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #1214 on: December 11, 2009, 09:55:04 PM » |
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Nothing but clear liquids, then that nasty jug of stuff. I hope to get him to sleep for 8 hours. Unfortunately I have to be at work for 8 as well. We'll probably watch movies, that is, if he can concentrate for more than 15 minutes. Another unfortunately, we won't be able to do anything else that day. Drat.
For me, the nasty jug of stuff goes better when it is very cold. Over ice. Chugged glass by glass as speedily as possible. Also, it helps to hold one's nose. The smell is half of what's awful. Oh yes, this is the best way to do it. I don't know if I heard that tip here before my last trip through this procedure or not, but it works! Oh, and DON'T mix a packet of flavoring in! Laptop with online access and/or DVDs in the bathroom?
Heh heh. I think he's been trying this one out! I just thought of something. I think one of the best things would be for me to get Genni out of his hair for a few hours. She's been driving him bonkers today. |
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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