As of 4:45pm yesterday I have been medically cleared to serve in the Peace Corps.
And suddenly a weight has been lifted off my chest....ahhh sweet sweet clearance...
November 29, 2006
November 28, 2006
And it continues
Long time no post!
I had my blood drawn a couple weeks ago for the titers, CBC, and hepatitis B antigen surface thingy. I'm all normal and immune. Always a positive thing to find out. It took the lab two weeks to get that to me. Two weeks! Okay...in real life I was much more patient. I typed up my symptoms to seasonal allergies in paragraph form explaining that the drastic temperature changes in the Midwest cause me to sneeze a lot in the morning and that some times I'll take a benadryl. Really thats all that happens but its called seasonal allergies? I'm fine with grass and pollen but by God change the temperature more than 20 degrees in one day and I look like hell.
Alas I sent out the remnants of the paperwork and hope that its enough for them. It should be seeing as everything is fine and sent in but who knows right?
There are rumblings going around about invitations coming for those due to leave in April and May. So I'd imagine by Christmas time (or January) I'll have my invite if all goes well. Yay?
I'm still excited about the Peace Corps but the paper work thats been bogging me down has well....bogged me down. Hard to imagine spending two years in another country when OMS keeps saying that they did the wrong hepatitis B antigen test. How many tests are there?! They say hepatitis B surface antigen and not the hepatitis B surface antigen envelope. My doctor says hepatitis B surface antigen core. Any idea folks? Oh well.
On a positive side of things after joining the Biggest Losers for the DOE (contest has 32 people and the pot for winning is $320) I've lost 4.6% of my body weight and can now do 30 pushups with ease. I don't think I've ever been able to do 15 with ease. So yay me and my new fangled biceps. Next goal, 50.
I had my blood drawn a couple weeks ago for the titers, CBC, and hepatitis B antigen surface thingy. I'm all normal and immune. Always a positive thing to find out. It took the lab two weeks to get that to me. Two weeks! Okay...in real life I was much more patient. I typed up my symptoms to seasonal allergies in paragraph form explaining that the drastic temperature changes in the Midwest cause me to sneeze a lot in the morning and that some times I'll take a benadryl. Really thats all that happens but its called seasonal allergies? I'm fine with grass and pollen but by God change the temperature more than 20 degrees in one day and I look like hell.
Alas I sent out the remnants of the paperwork and hope that its enough for them. It should be seeing as everything is fine and sent in but who knows right?
There are rumblings going around about invitations coming for those due to leave in April and May. So I'd imagine by Christmas time (or January) I'll have my invite if all goes well. Yay?
I'm still excited about the Peace Corps but the paper work thats been bogging me down has well....bogged me down. Hard to imagine spending two years in another country when OMS keeps saying that they did the wrong hepatitis B antigen test. How many tests are there?! They say hepatitis B surface antigen and not the hepatitis B surface antigen envelope. My doctor says hepatitis B surface antigen core. Any idea folks? Oh well.
On a positive side of things after joining the Biggest Losers for the DOE (contest has 32 people and the pot for winning is $320) I've lost 4.6% of my body weight and can now do 30 pushups with ease. I don't think I've ever been able to do 15 with ease. So yay me and my new fangled biceps. Next goal, 50.
November 15, 2006
Tubbs
So I went to the doctor yesterday to meet with good ol' Dr. Don Johnson. The nurse was a bit confuddled with all the paperwork I had. Which was by far a lot less than my previous amount. So in he came and looked at all my paperwork and his reaction was similar to mine "wow...they're picky". Two options came up...get another MMR or hope that the titer showed that I still was immune. You'd imagine I would still be but I didn't feel like having another shot so I went with the titer. Then he noticed that I need a polio titer and flat out said "I wonder if they do that anymore...wow..". Always comforting to hear that. All in all the doc agreed with me that they were picky. I mean hepatitis B surface antigen seems close enough to hepatitis B surface antigen core. Granted I've no idea what that means.
Somehow I have a feeling I'll have to get some shots and more blood taken. I'm praying that I don't have to.
Somehow I have a feeling I'll have to get some shots and more blood taken. I'm praying that I don't have to.
November 14, 2006
Update
Ahhh a real update. Its like finding an old pair of jeans and realizing that they still fit. The "letter", quotations used to add pizzaz if you will, arrived last Friday. Which meant that I couldn't get it until Saturday due to work. I have my doctor's appointment this afternoon to get the following (this is off my memory):
-complete blood count report....no idea
-hepatitis B antigen skin test....something about the original being a hepatitis B antigen envelope skin test...yeah..no idea
-titer test...doctors lost my MMR and polio vaccine forms...yeah more blood drawn..
-Doctor to put down whether he is an MD or DO...that was easy to miss
And at some point I need to write about what my seasonal allergy symptoms are. Extra mucus and phlegm. Almost seems a waste of paper to type that. I'll come up with something a bit longer I guess.
On another note I got a comment from an anonymous PCVer. Its always weird getting an email from blogger saying you have a comment. But they made note that not all the people I meet that write that blogs are all that cracked up to be. Kinda disappointing but to be honest the only one I think I'll really meet doesn't do blogs but sends emails. But whatever...just meeting other people in the PC is just fine with me. I'm easy to please. :-)
-complete blood count report....no idea
-hepatitis B antigen skin test....something about the original being a hepatitis B antigen envelope skin test...yeah..no idea
-titer test...doctors lost my MMR and polio vaccine forms...yeah more blood drawn..
-Doctor to put down whether he is an MD or DO...that was easy to miss
And at some point I need to write about what my seasonal allergy symptoms are. Extra mucus and phlegm. Almost seems a waste of paper to type that. I'll come up with something a bit longer I guess.
On another note I got a comment from an anonymous PCVer. Its always weird getting an email from blogger saying you have a comment. But they made note that not all the people I meet that write that blogs are all that cracked up to be. Kinda disappointing but to be honest the only one I think I'll really meet doesn't do blogs but sends emails. But whatever...just meeting other people in the PC is just fine with me. I'm easy to please. :-)
November 9, 2006
Going Postal
Three months! I hit the three months marker. So to celebrate this joyous experience I called OMS. Could you think of any better way of celebrating?! Me either. I got ahold of my screening assistant, lets call them D for the sake of this post. (Couldn't use Q cause it sounds awesome, X is over used, Z is typical, Y comes off mean, M is in use to Bond.) So D gets my social and asks "didn't you get our letter?" and pauses. I HATE pauses. It can mean so much! D continues with "well we sent you a letter asking for more information. We need verification that you got your MMR, follow up about your seasonal allergies...etc". But the important part was "this is pretty easy stuff for you to do so it shouldn't take long after we get it to put you through the process".
So now I wait...I hate you postal service...with a passion. Not really hate but a general dislike that burns like a giant supernova. Whatever works right?
Well yay for knowing something!
So now I wait...I hate you postal service...with a passion. Not really hate but a general dislike that burns like a giant supernova. Whatever works right?
Well yay for knowing something!
November 8, 2006
Future thoughts
It occured to me awhile ago that I may not be able to keep this blog up and going for several reasons. Whether its due to security reasons (I doubt people in the Caucus region would really care about what I told America about their food...but whatever...they may), lack of internet, or even little time to update. Rest assured faithful readers, whomever you are, I'll keep my blog alive and well.
Besides I think reading blogs goes along with one of the tenets of the PC, sharing another culture with America (or for Borat fans...U S and A!). I've learned a fair amount from reading other blogs about their adventures, let downs, fall outs, foibles, and joys. Heck I even have personal favorites. For me they are like rock stars, they may not have the whole sex drugs and rock n' roll bit but whatever works right? The teacher traveler guy cracks me up and yet I'm intimidated by his mad skills to climb stuff. I'm afraid of heights so naturally he intimidates me. Brian Herbert is a good read, and he responds well. Matt from One Revolution updates a LOT so its enjoyable to see the somewhat mundane life of a PCV. I also enjoy Julia from Thailand because of her flat out honesty with her short comings.
Yeah I don't know any of them and probably never will but they are giving me hope that I can and will do a decent job. Heck someone may one day read my post about how I've counted how many times I've had rice pilaf*. That may in turn give them a laugh or give them an idea of what life is like for me. And that is a great cycle. It shows the human side of serving and allows you to think "oh wow I wonder what they are like in person". Maybe I'm just in awe of PCVs. No idea...but probably.
I saved another volunteer for last because well there is a chance of meeting her. She's the one that told me that there's a good shot I'd probably end up in Azerbaijan. I can just imagine meeting her and saying "wow reading about your life has been amazing and its so great to finally meet you". That'd be creepy AND weird. So lets hope I don't meet her.
On a PC frustrated note on Sunday, Monday maybe, I was so irritated that I was going to say some unlikeable things on Myspace about the PC taking FOREVER with my medical clearance. But the first post I saw was someone with the same issue...but theirs was 6 months long. Couldn't complain after reading her post. I hadn't had rude people talk to me. I hadn't had to wait six months to go and serve (only 3...and yes I'm counting). So I couldn't complain and I lost that infuriating desire to say ill-will. I realize all the prioritizing and everything I really do. But you'd imagine they would hire more people AND would be up front about waiting periods. Oh well. My patience is being tested and so far I've been pretty good.
Besides I think reading blogs goes along with one of the tenets of the PC, sharing another culture with America (or for Borat fans...U S and A!). I've learned a fair amount from reading other blogs about their adventures, let downs, fall outs, foibles, and joys. Heck I even have personal favorites. For me they are like rock stars, they may not have the whole sex drugs and rock n' roll bit but whatever works right? The teacher traveler guy cracks me up and yet I'm intimidated by his mad skills to climb stuff. I'm afraid of heights so naturally he intimidates me. Brian Herbert is a good read, and he responds well. Matt from One Revolution updates a LOT so its enjoyable to see the somewhat mundane life of a PCV. I also enjoy Julia from Thailand because of her flat out honesty with her short comings.
Yeah I don't know any of them and probably never will but they are giving me hope that I can and will do a decent job. Heck someone may one day read my post about how I've counted how many times I've had rice pilaf*. That may in turn give them a laugh or give them an idea of what life is like for me. And that is a great cycle. It shows the human side of serving and allows you to think "oh wow I wonder what they are like in person". Maybe I'm just in awe of PCVs. No idea...but probably.
I saved another volunteer for last because well there is a chance of meeting her. She's the one that told me that there's a good shot I'd probably end up in Azerbaijan. I can just imagine meeting her and saying "wow reading about your life has been amazing and its so great to finally meet you". That'd be creepy AND weird. So lets hope I don't meet her.
On a PC frustrated note on Sunday, Monday maybe, I was so irritated that I was going to say some unlikeable things on Myspace about the PC taking FOREVER with my medical clearance. But the first post I saw was someone with the same issue...but theirs was 6 months long. Couldn't complain after reading her post. I hadn't had rude people talk to me. I hadn't had to wait six months to go and serve (only 3...and yes I'm counting). So I couldn't complain and I lost that infuriating desire to say ill-will. I realize all the prioritizing and everything I really do. But you'd imagine they would hire more people AND would be up front about waiting periods. Oh well. My patience is being tested and so far I've been pretty good.
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