Recently (or since the new year), I have had SO much on my mind. Some days, I come home from work and just worry about things. To the point where I get upset! (Me, upset? Nahh)
What am I worried about right now? Ok, I'll start with one of the random ones. I feel very out of shape and unhealthy. Since I had surgery on my foot, I was given strict instructions to watch out for my physical activity for 9 months to a year. I thought that would be easy to do, but it turns out it was harder than I thought. 9 months hit in January so I'm hoping I can get back up to my normal activity level. I'd love to lose a few pounds and feel more energetic overall. Right now, by the time I get home from work, I HAVE to nap because I am so exhausted. That is not how I want to live my life!
Speaking of work... That's another thing I've got on my mind. I know for a fact I won't be staying here at ISU in the Housing Department for long. I am not happy here and I know that this is not the career path for me, like I once thought it was. So now what? Where do I go from here? Should I start looking for a new job now? Or should I go back to school? I am very stressed about finding a place for graduate school.
Graduate school. That was a good lead in. Do I want to go back to school? I can be honest with you all and say that I don't really want to go back to school. By the time I got to my senior year of college, I was done with the books and standard tests. I wanted to get out in the world and experience things rather than read about them. But now I wonder... is continuing my education the best thing for my career and future? Should I find a way to dig in and go back to school? Where in the heck am I going to go?
Another factor in this decision is the money. I am blessed by the generosity of my parents who decided to pay for both my 4 years of school as well as Doug's. So I am in great shape in the sense that I don't have 4 years of college student loans. But the cost of graduate school does worry me. I know, I know, there are ways to get assistance... Graduate Assistantships and what not. But I worry about my current experience with a job that is similar to an assistantship and balancing school.
Speaking of paying for it... the last thing on my mind is money. MONEY. Oh my gosh this is on my mind just about 24/7. When unexpected expenses come up (my car battery dieing, dropping my laptop, etc) I can take care of it, but I worry about all of things I am trying to save for... all of the dang time! I feel like my paychecks just aren't enough... and I can't even describe how worried I was around tax time. I want to pay for so much.... Graduate school? Buying my own car? An apartment?
Apartments! A place to live? Not only this summer, but beyond... where am I going? Should I move back in with my parents? Boy that'll be a tough adjustment after this past year of living on my own. But there's no way I cant afford my own place with the money I'm making now, let alone without a confirmed job this summer.... and most likely without a roommate. Where do I even look for apartments? Is there like a website? How do I know if the rates are good?
Whew. Well, you definitely got the full list of current concerns. It just keeps going! The end of February is approaching and I can't stop thinking about the immediate future. Oh boy! Well, it does feel good to have it all written down... it's just time to make some things happen!
February 23, 2011
February 19, 2011
New Years Resolutions
Just like I did last year, I wanted to make some resolutions and write them down. Now, as we know, I didn't do such a great job keeping to my resolutions last year as the summer started. That's not cool! So I made another list for this year and hope to stick to these and better myself!
**Disclaimer. This post was actually written in January, but a few things prevented it from being published.
- Get into shape - I had surgery on my foot back in May of last year. Woohoo! Except as a part of my recovery, I had to avoid using it until January. I understood why I had to be careful, but that also greatly reduced the amount of activity I could do. I pushed myself to the limit right after surgery until Stephanie's wedding so I would be in shape for that, but since then I have limited activity so I didn't reverse the surgery. Now, I am feeling quite out of shape and unhappy with how I feel. I'd like to get back into shape and feeling better! Losing a few pounds wouldn't hurt, either! And of course the appendectomy pushes things back a bit!
- Continue to work on not being late - I am doing a little bit better about being on time. As a matter of fact, the RAs today thanked me for being on-time to check-in since other pro-staff typically aren't. That made me feel better :) But overall, I'd love to stop stressing myself (and others) out because I'm late!
- Find more time to do things I love - Well, this also means.... find more things to do! I think this is mainly applying to living in Normal. I spend so much time working, coming home, and working from home. Example: it's the weekend and I brought home time cards to fill out.
**Disclaimer. This post was actually written in January, but a few things prevented it from being published.
February 14, 2011
Answering your questions
I have been getting very similar questions as I have been recovering. Incase you have been wondering them... here they are.
Q: How did you get appendicitis?
A: According to the doctor and my own research, it just happens. Something got stuck in there and started to back things up. As that happened, it became more and more swollen, eventually leading to it rupturing. Luckily for me, I had it removed before that happened.
Q: What symptoms were there?
A: Besides the intense abdominal pain, I also had chills and a climbing fever. It started at 98.2 degrees at 5am and by 10am, I was at 102.5 degrees
Q: How did they remove it?
A: I had my first larthriscopic surgery!. I have 3 small scars. Two small ones where they sucked out the appendix and 1 larger one where the camera went in
Q: How has recovery been?
A: Well, the largest struggle has been my lack of appetite. It's a common recovery symptom. I literally have not been hungry for going on 14 days. It sucks, but soon it'll come back. Also, the large scar for the camera has been very painful. It's in a different spot that usual, so it's taking longer to heal. I'm also very tired and get winded easily, but that is partially because I haven't been eating.
Q: How long are you out of work?
A: I was told to avoid going to work for about a week, until I saw the surgeon again. He wrote me out for another few days because of the camera scar
Q: Does it feel different?
A: Ha. This one makes me laugh. No, I don't notice that I am missing an internal organ. I did lose 1.5 pounds the day after surgery from the lack of food and the appendix being removed. The only thing that feels different is the lack of energy.
Do you have any questions I didn't answer? Hit me up!
Q: How did you get appendicitis?
A: According to the doctor and my own research, it just happens. Something got stuck in there and started to back things up. As that happened, it became more and more swollen, eventually leading to it rupturing. Luckily for me, I had it removed before that happened.
Q: What symptoms were there?
A: Besides the intense abdominal pain, I also had chills and a climbing fever. It started at 98.2 degrees at 5am and by 10am, I was at 102.5 degrees
Q: How did they remove it?
A: I had my first larthriscopic surgery!. I have 3 small scars. Two small ones where they sucked out the appendix and 1 larger one where the camera went in
Q: How has recovery been?
A: Well, the largest struggle has been my lack of appetite. It's a common recovery symptom. I literally have not been hungry for going on 14 days. It sucks, but soon it'll come back. Also, the large scar for the camera has been very painful. It's in a different spot that usual, so it's taking longer to heal. I'm also very tired and get winded easily, but that is partially because I haven't been eating.
Q: How long are you out of work?
A: I was told to avoid going to work for about a week, until I saw the surgeon again. He wrote me out for another few days because of the camera scar
Q: Does it feel different?
A: Ha. This one makes me laugh. No, I don't notice that I am missing an internal organ. I did lose 1.5 pounds the day after surgery from the lack of food and the appendix being removed. The only thing that feels different is the lack of energy.
Do you have any questions I didn't answer? Hit me up!
February 12, 2011
I was bored...
... So I decided to get my appendix removed.
Wondering where I've been recently? Well, that would be recovering from major surgery! I know, I know, I can already hear most of you... "Really, Amy? Really?" Haha, well I have nothing to say back to that! Let me tell you about it... with pictures!
On Monday, January 31st I basically had an insane day at work. I was running around like crazy, everyone was freaking out about a potential blizzard, and I slipped and fell outside of Ham Whit. That was all in the morning! Want to see my knee? I thought so.
Ouch.
So it turns out, the puddle I slipped in was actually coming up from the sidewalk... because a water main burst outside of the residence hall. Really?! By the time I told my building mechanic about it, all of facilities arrived to survey the situation. Broken water main about side a residence hall? Never a good thing.
As the day progressed, we found out that they were going to have to turn off the water in the area to fix the problem. Yikes. No water for 1600 residents? Quickly, I learned that we were going to be under a boil order for a day or two, and we would have to get bottled water to each desk as soon as possible.
After three hours of hauling water, organizing the desks, and making announcements, I finally got home for the day. Of course, I burst into to tears, for a variety of reasons. First, I literally got nothing done all day. Second, I was exhausted. Third, I wore heals all day and my foot (see: bunion surgery) was killing me. I don't even remember the rest of the night, but I know I was tired and frustrated. I went to bed early, anticipating a hectic Tuesday because of the snow.
Well, I got woken up around 2am instead. Why? Oh, that would be because of the intense, searing, HORRIBLE pain in my abdomen. It started off mild, and I had more nausea than anything. I had a few friends who were recovering from the flu at the time, so I thought maybe I was coming down with that. I had serious chills and it was about 3am when my abdomen pain was taking over.
I got about 10 minutes of sleep at a time until about 5:00am.
At that point, I was in so much pain, I couldn't move. I had gotten to my couch somehow and I literally couldn't swing my legs to get off of it. I texted my mom to call me. What was she going to do? I don't know... but moms always make everything better, so I had to call her. She called me immediately. I couldn't even talk on the phone, it hurt so bad. She urged me to go to the hospital. We hung up and I texted a few people who I thought could drive me. Finally, a coworker and friend, Mike said he could bring me.
As he warmed up his car and got dressed, I managed to shove a few things into my purse and put some clothes on. He picked me up and dropped me off to the ER, which is just a few blocks from campus. I was in tears from moving from my apartment to a car to the ER. The lady in registration immediately got me checked in and I was in a room before I could process what was going on. By the time I was settled, it was about 7am.
After some blood and other tests, I was given an IV and pain meds. AMAZING. I felt really horrible for a few minutes and then it took away all my pain... and promptly knocked me out for hours. I took 3 hits of the stuff while I was in the ER.
I don't remember much while I was laying around, drugged up... until after the awkward CT scan. The ER doctor looked at it and came to tell me he wanted a surgeon consult on it. I was like... you want a WHAT? I started to panic, not going to lie. The nurse came into my room and started filling out paperwork with me. She gently told me that there was a 90% chance I was going into emergency surgery today.
Yeah, that would be because my appendix walls were swollen and were showing signs of appendicitis.
Of course. At this point, it was about 3pm and I was starting to think a little clearer. I was alone. I deseprately wanted someone with me. I started texting people and it became clear that there was the storm of the century. It was basically dangerous and impossible for someone to get to the ER to be with me.
At 5pm I went into surgery. I should spare you the details of me having anxiety attacks, and asking the male nurse in the OR to hold my hand. Oh, and that I had to be SEDATED because I refused to let them put the anesthesia mask on me. Yeah, I was basically repeating, "I wish my mom was here. I'm alone, I want my mom here."
I woke up about 3 hours later and was told everything went well. My pain was about a 3, which was fantastic!! The recovery nurse finally released me into my own room for the night, where I had to wear an oxygen mask because I was having some post operation anxiety. However, the oxygen mask was making me MORE anxious. AHHHH. The floor nurse had to put me back to sleep so I would keep it on for the whole mandatory hour.
Haha. Oh me.
The rest of my stay was laying in a bed, getting IV fluids, and being woken up at all hours of the night. I begged for food and was informed that I couldn't have the slab of ribs I desired. The nurse politely informed me that removing my appendix meant my digestive system was changed. Everything had a different route to take and it was going to take a few days for my body to adjust to fats, so I had to stay away from them.
I sucked down ice chips (because they're filling?) Oh, and because the breathing tube scratched up my throat. That was all I could eat for the night. Yum!
Luckily for me, the doctor released me at 12pm and Mike was able to pick me up after finding his car under the piles of snow. Him and Nicole were amazing for picking me up and returning me to my apartment!
So, were you really wondering where I've been? Well, like it or not, I just gave you MANY details about it!!! Haha well, for whatever reason, you read the whole thing! :P Hopefully I can get back on top of my other posts I was writing and get my strength back! It's been 13 days since surgery and I'm finally feeling better!
Wondering where I've been recently? Well, that would be recovering from major surgery! I know, I know, I can already hear most of you... "Really, Amy? Really?" Haha, well I have nothing to say back to that! Let me tell you about it... with pictures!
On Monday, January 31st I basically had an insane day at work. I was running around like crazy, everyone was freaking out about a potential blizzard, and I slipped and fell outside of Ham Whit. That was all in the morning! Want to see my knee? I thought so.
Ouch.
So it turns out, the puddle I slipped in was actually coming up from the sidewalk... because a water main burst outside of the residence hall. Really?! By the time I told my building mechanic about it, all of facilities arrived to survey the situation. Broken water main about side a residence hall? Never a good thing.
As the day progressed, we found out that they were going to have to turn off the water in the area to fix the problem. Yikes. No water for 1600 residents? Quickly, I learned that we were going to be under a boil order for a day or two, and we would have to get bottled water to each desk as soon as possible.
After three hours of hauling water, organizing the desks, and making announcements, I finally got home for the day. Of course, I burst into to tears, for a variety of reasons. First, I literally got nothing done all day. Second, I was exhausted. Third, I wore heals all day and my foot (see: bunion surgery) was killing me. I don't even remember the rest of the night, but I know I was tired and frustrated. I went to bed early, anticipating a hectic Tuesday because of the snow.
Well, I got woken up around 2am instead. Why? Oh, that would be because of the intense, searing, HORRIBLE pain in my abdomen. It started off mild, and I had more nausea than anything. I had a few friends who were recovering from the flu at the time, so I thought maybe I was coming down with that. I had serious chills and it was about 3am when my abdomen pain was taking over.
I got about 10 minutes of sleep at a time until about 5:00am.
At that point, I was in so much pain, I couldn't move. I had gotten to my couch somehow and I literally couldn't swing my legs to get off of it. I texted my mom to call me. What was she going to do? I don't know... but moms always make everything better, so I had to call her. She called me immediately. I couldn't even talk on the phone, it hurt so bad. She urged me to go to the hospital. We hung up and I texted a few people who I thought could drive me. Finally, a coworker and friend, Mike said he could bring me.As he warmed up his car and got dressed, I managed to shove a few things into my purse and put some clothes on. He picked me up and dropped me off to the ER, which is just a few blocks from campus. I was in tears from moving from my apartment to a car to the ER. The lady in registration immediately got me checked in and I was in a room before I could process what was going on. By the time I was settled, it was about 7am.
After some blood and other tests, I was given an IV and pain meds. AMAZING. I felt really horrible for a few minutes and then it took away all my pain... and promptly knocked me out for hours. I took 3 hits of the stuff while I was in the ER.
I don't remember much while I was laying around, drugged up... until after the awkward CT scan. The ER doctor looked at it and came to tell me he wanted a surgeon consult on it. I was like... you want a WHAT? I started to panic, not going to lie. The nurse came into my room and started filling out paperwork with me. She gently told me that there was a 90% chance I was going into emergency surgery today.
Yeah, that would be because my appendix walls were swollen and were showing signs of appendicitis.
Of course. At this point, it was about 3pm and I was starting to think a little clearer. I was alone. I deseprately wanted someone with me. I started texting people and it became clear that there was the storm of the century. It was basically dangerous and impossible for someone to get to the ER to be with me.
At 5pm I went into surgery. I should spare you the details of me having anxiety attacks, and asking the male nurse in the OR to hold my hand. Oh, and that I had to be SEDATED because I refused to let them put the anesthesia mask on me. Yeah, I was basically repeating, "I wish my mom was here. I'm alone, I want my mom here."
I woke up about 3 hours later and was told everything went well. My pain was about a 3, which was fantastic!! The recovery nurse finally released me into my own room for the night, where I had to wear an oxygen mask because I was having some post operation anxiety. However, the oxygen mask was making me MORE anxious. AHHHH. The floor nurse had to put me back to sleep so I would keep it on for the whole mandatory hour.
Haha. Oh me.
The rest of my stay was laying in a bed, getting IV fluids, and being woken up at all hours of the night. I begged for food and was informed that I couldn't have the slab of ribs I desired. The nurse politely informed me that removing my appendix meant my digestive system was changed. Everything had a different route to take and it was going to take a few days for my body to adjust to fats, so I had to stay away from them.
I sucked down ice chips (because they're filling?) Oh, and because the breathing tube scratched up my throat. That was all I could eat for the night. Yum!
Luckily for me, the doctor released me at 12pm and Mike was able to pick me up after finding his car under the piles of snow. Him and Nicole were amazing for picking me up and returning me to my apartment!
So, were you really wondering where I've been? Well, like it or not, I just gave you MANY details about it!!! Haha well, for whatever reason, you read the whole thing! :P Hopefully I can get back on top of my other posts I was writing and get my strength back! It's been 13 days since surgery and I'm finally feeling better!
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