CPR/First Aid

I took an amazingly long CPR/First Aid course today at the Red Cross. I am now officially certified in Adult CPR/AED, child and infant CPR, and First Aid. I’ll be faxing over copies of my cards as well as a letter outlining a service project that I participated in while I was in school. Hopefully, that’ll be all the PC needs from me for awhile. I know I have to send in another CBC in August, but besides that, the only other things I’ll want to send over are an updated resume and Aspiration Statement.

I’m tired. LOL.

Just more waiting

The placement assistant responded to my emails today to say that everything “looks great” and that she’s adding it to my file. I’ll be faxing her some additional things next week that might help. Maybe this will fast forward things a little bit? I sort of doubt it, seeing how some people with August departure dates are still waiting, but it doesn’t hurt to dream! I’m just dying to know where I’ll be going so that I can start putting together a “real” packing list and start buying some of the things I’ll need.

Sigh. Just another day in the life of a Nominee.

Small Update

A person at the placement office in D.C. emailed me asking for an update on what volunteer experience I’ve attained and what other things I’ve done since they first received my application. I wrote to them explaining a fundraising effort I participated in at school, that I’m volunteering in an area that is allowing me to gain educational experience about HIV/AIDS, and that I’m getting certified in First Aid/CPR the 12th. I hope that will be good enough for what I’m trying to do, but I’m sure if it isn’t they’ll just email me with other things I need to get done. I hope this means they are getting closer to committing me to a program. I’ll keep you updated.

Change

I called the placement office last week to see when I should start calling them if I haven’t heard anything. They told me that they are working on Q4 (quarter four) files right now and that I’m a Q1, so it’ll probably be until September. That’s fine, because that’s sort of what I expect, but then she said, “I see your program is slated for October.”

I was told when I was nominated it was for November.

So now everything is moving up a month, so I’m starting to pack up some stuff and move it to a friend’s house. PC or not, I’m moving out of this apartment, so there’s no better time than the present to start working on it.

Getting Closer

The legal hold has been taken off of my file. I’m pretty sure this doesn’t mean I have legal clearance yet, but at least now they can work on it. One of the guys in legal told me he sent my file to placement, so maybe an invitation will arrive in a couple of months?

Medically Qualified

I’ve been “Medically Qualified with Restriction”. I know that sounds bad, but it’s really good news! Basically it means that I’m cleared for service, but they have to assign me to a place that can deal with my known health issues. I’m not really sure what the restriction is, but I’ll be getting a letter about it within the next few days. I tried to call my PC nurse and talk to her about it, but she’s out of town until the 16th. I’m just glad I faxed everything before she went on vacay, or no telling how long it would have taken!

Now I have to work on getting my legal hold taken off of my file!!!

Yay, Happy Day!

The Letter

So I faxed over a letter from my hematologist stating that I definitely have iron deficiency anemia and that’s it’s being treated with iron supplementation. Good news is my iron total was 20 (minimal normal value is 40), and now it’s in the 50+ range which is pretty good. All of my red blood cell indices have improved. The only thing is the values are still out of normal range, but have improved significantly. Hopefully they can just clear me with restrictions. I have to get a CBC in August anyhow. I just don’t want to have to wait to get that CBC result because there is a good chance my program will be filled by then.

Wish me luck!

A little hopeful news…

I just called my PC nurse for the billionth time, and explained to her that it’s DEFINITELY iron deficiency anemia and she told me to send the last two lab reports showing an improvement and a letter from my doctor stating the course of treatment, etc. and hopefully she can get it pushed through.

She’s as aware as I am that I’m running out of time for getting medically cleared, so she’s trying to be super helpful. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Test, rinse, repeat

Today has been one of the most pathetic days yet. So the nurse from my general physician’s office called the other day and told me that my blood cells were still abnormal. I never saw the actual test results, so I figured they were about the same as last time. That wasn’t totally true.

I looked at the labs at the hematologist’s office today and my ferritin level has come up from a 9 to 16. To give you a reference range, 10 is the lowest level you can have that is considered normal. So although it isn’t high by any means, it’s almost doubled since the last test. Also, my red blood cell count has come up to normal (even though they are still small). My platelets are normal (they were one point over last time). So basically, my iron pills are starting to kick in. Even though my doctor cannot say for sure (after all, he’s not God), he believes my red blood cells should be back to normal in about two months.

That’s when the water works started. I’ve been going to doctor’s visit after doctor’s visit for the past six months and no one has been able to tell me. Today my hematologist said it is DEFINITELY just iron deficiency anemia and that as long as I stay on my iron pills it will improve. He explained that red blood cells have a life span of four months, so they are probably JUST NOW starting to build back up. I’m very frustrated, because for months I couldn’t get an answer out of anyone and now it’s finally starting to get better. One minute it was possible thalassemia, then it was possibly something with my bone marrow, and now it’s iron deficiency. I guess all of the stress has finally taken it’s toll on me, so I started crying like a baby. I felt like an idiot (like I always do when I cry in front of people). I told him that I’ve spent a considerable amount of money on something that is basically at this point a non-issue, and that I don’t have a lot of funds to throw away on multiple visits. He told me he would not charge me for this visit and that for the next visit he will discount all of my lab work so that the cost is minimal. He said that what matters to him is that I get better, and that I don’t need to worry about all of this other “stuff”.� He said that now I’m his patient and he’s going to take good care of me. It was nice to be treated like a human.

I still feel like a total ingrate even though I am truly thankful for all of the discounts, etc. doctors have given me recently. I know that I could have it much worse. In fact, there were people in the next room getting chemo and you don’t see them crying. It’s just the combination of not having a job (and trying to fight to get interviews for even the crappiest jobs), living on a pretty small paycheck (with additional expenses continually being added every month), and having to jump through hoops for the PC has gotten to me over the last week.

I have to let some of this go. My friend got me a gift card for a massage, so I really just need to take advantage of that soon.

I’ll let you know more in a couple of months!

Tired

My red blood cells are still small, my hemoglobin is normal, my iron is on the low-normal side, but still normal. ARGH!!!!! This is so frustrating. I’m going to my hematologist on Friday to have him fill out the additional paperwork PC has for blood disorders. My doctor told me yesterday that small blood cells just might be normal for me. They must be, because it’s been six months already, and I’ve had low red blood cell results since 2007.

I just hope that all of this is good enough for the PC.