New news

I saw an infectious disease (ID) specialist today, and I'm looking at at least eight weeks of twice a day vancomycin by IV plus some other oral antibiotic. I go in next Wednesday to have a Hickman device inserted for the vanco IV. This medication is very harsh and can burn up the smaller peripheral veins (the ones in your arms). The Hickman is a device inserted into the jugular toward the vena cava (much bigger and tougher veins). The other good thing with this device is blood can be drawn from it to gauge my health without extra needle sticks.

Besides having IV vanco twice a day, I also see the ID every single week. If my orthopedic surgeon decides that the rod has to come out, then my eight weeks of vanco starts all over. I won't be able to call him until Monday because he's not in the office of Friday.

When we left, I went and got a chocolate Freddy's Frozen Custard. Screw my diet.

Here's a good schematic of how the device works.

This just keeps getting better and better

Happy day! My leg hole has MRSA!

Listen here you nasty, sneaky little bacterium of doom -- you will NOT prevent my graduation. You might delay it (what else is new?), but you will not prevent it.

*rather loud string of colorful metaphors*

Enough is enough

I would love to have a few days to work on this dissertation. On Feb. 2 and 3 I had a horrible muscle spasm that nearly made me throw up. On the 3rd, my doctor was out of the office, so I saw his partner who gave me 10mg of Valium to take three times a day -- with my 5mg Percocet. So, needless to say, I have done nothing but fall asleep in my chair for days. And I still have pains. Not as bad, but still enough that I can't concentrate on shit.

Oh, and it turns out the Valium and antidepressants (I've been on Zoloft since the Wreck) don't generally mix well. I literally bawled my eyes out Friday night because I was missing brisket and potentially chocolate creme pie at a church Valentine's banquet. Yes, I hate Valentine's Day, but I love brisket and chocolate pie! Mom and Dad, bless 'em, bought me Woodie's BBQ (nummy ribs and pulled pork) and a chocolate pie on Saturday. And on Monday, my doc told me to double my Zoloft.

AND I have a minor surgery on my leg tomorrow because one of my Wreck scars has been seeping goo for months.

FML.

I just want to freaking graduate! It's been EIGHT EFFING YEARS!!!

I miss you, Stacy

Eleven years ago, the first of two events occurred that I never thought I'd have to handle -- my younger sister died of respiratory distress related to spinal muscular atrophy.

I miss you, Stacy.

Is it really about to happen?

I just completed my "Application for Degree", a first step to graduating in May.

Now I just need to:

-- complete my application for a Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship by January 15th to work at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center -- assuming Dr. Denise Breitburg sponsors my application and accepts me as a contributing member of her lab

-- analyze a buttload of data and complete a rough draft of my dissertation by February 6th so my advisor can look it over for me to work more on it

-- defend said dissertation on April 6th and pass my dissertation exam

I can do it. I'm a rock star. *bites nails*

EDIT: Dr. B is interested! Now, just ten days to pull together a research proposal.

Words to the wise

I received an email yesterday from Nova Publishing asking me if I would like to contribute a chapter to a book they're putting together called Environmental Degradation: Causes, Issues and Management.

*squees*

A book chapter offer? And I haven't defended yet?

*squees more*

I sent an email to my advisor to ask his thoughts. I just hope it doesn't take him a month to write me back because the abstract deadline is January 10.

*squee to the 10th power*

A peek from under the pile

I've been absent lately -- not just from posting but also from reading on my flist. I want to graduate in the spring, so I need to defend my dissertation no later than April 9, which in turn means I must turn in a draft to my advisor no later than February 9.

Actually, as of last night, those deadlines will get moved up as I purchased tickets for the Celtic Woman concert being given on April 12.

My motivation has been nil. Once I start writing, I move right along. Fortunately, I also have a grant application that wasn't funded that helps me write my introductions, but the materials and methods still need work. I have analyzed data for my 2008 experiments, so I should be done with that damn chapter, but I'm not. I'm so annoyed with myself.

Dad has an appointment in Wichita this afternoon, and Mom is driving him. Ordinarily I would ride along, but I am opting to stay home and take full advantage of approximately three hours of alone time to write.

C'mon D -- let's get this thing banged out.