another day, another doctor

October 25, 2010 at 1:42pm
Yay!  I've found a new primary care doctor.
Boo!  I can't get in to see her until November 2.
Yay!  I am less short-of-breath.
Boo!  I am still coughing and having fever spikes and joint pain.
Yay!  I can concentrate on simple tasks without losing focus.
Boo!  I can only read 2-3 pages at a stretch without having to go back and re-read over and over to remember what I've just read.
Yay!  I am able to sleep for 4-5 hours at a stretch.
Boo!  That sleep is interrupted by coughing, girly issues, pain and longer bouts of insomnia.

The plan:
I cannot be cleared to return to school until I see the new doctor, November 2nd.  Therefore I will not be returning to Tallahassee until after that date.  Until then, I will continue to rest, even though the idleness is starting to drive me nuts.  I've found that I must continue being calm and quiet and not exert overly much - otherwise I am left weak and wrung-out, but unable to sleep - and therefore unable to adequately recover. When I see the new doctor, I will inquire about testing for immune system disorders.  If nothing else, that could eliminate those as a possibility. (See, I still have hope.)

I intend to seek "incomplete" status for my classes - allowing me time to finish them once I've recovered.  I am fairly confident that 2 of the 4 will be fine with this solution - 1 will most likely agree - but the final 1 will be tricky.  Therefore, I am also looking into a medical withdrawal from at least that 1 class.  If I have to do that, I will try to work out an independent study with an understanding instructor to take the place of the lost class.  This means I will not be graduating this December - but will hopefully only have to push that back one semester.  And, with luck, I'll be able to complete my classes from home, only commuting to Tallahassee periodically.

There are actually advantages to the later graduation date - I will be leaving school at the same time grad schools accept new students and at the time when secondary schools are looking for teachers to fill open positions.  Either way, it works out.

As always, life goes on.