What a Month!

I can't believe it has already been a month since my last post! A few things have happened since then. Leland and I have started moving into our new apartment which I love. It has been a little difficult in doing that since he is working on his research or clinicals everyday and it has been left up to me to get it done. I understand he is busy, but I feel like I am in this by myself. I was able to go see my parents and my college buddies for a week. It was nice seeing all my EP friends. Jeanne got married and I finally got to meet her little 3 month old, Joshua (absolutely adorable!). Jeanne was so beautiful and happy and her new hubby, Eddie, was just beaming with joy and happiness. Erika, one of the funniest people I know, is about two weeks away from delivering her second (and last) baby, a girl. The rest of the gang is doing well and living the life. I miss those girls and we need a reunion with EVERYONE soon. There were a few that were missing that would have completed the entire thing. My other good college buddy, Kristi, is getting married this weekend. I so wish I could be in Hawaii right now for everything rather than SA doing work and moving everything, but it's all good. I wish her and her hubby the best. They are really the perfect match. Outside all that news, not much else is happening. . .or so I would like you to think.

These past two weeks have been really trying for the both of us. We found out that Leland has no funding to finish his research and has no job opportunity for another, at least, three months. Because congress could not pass a budget the Navy, who was funding his research, had to cut it out of the budget because they didn't know how much money they were going to have. Thanks congress and Obama. My husband was a month away from finishing and presenting his dissertation and now, he may have spent five years wasting his life because you couldn't get your act together. On top of that, we will have to pay upwards of $1800 just so Leland can present his dissertation. We will have to pay a full semester's worth of tuition for a couple of hours of work. Why? Because his advisors will be out of town until August 20, the day he would have to present by in order to not have to pay the tuition. Now, I know his advisors go out of town from July 15 ish to August 20 ish every year, it's a tradition. BUT, if you know you have someone who is about to finish their dissertation, has no more funding, and can't afford to pay another semester and has no job, you can cut your vacation short a couple of days. Leland has been working with these men for five years now and they can't cut him a little slack? On top of that, he has always had to wait on them and other people to do his research because the school doesn't have the equipment necessary. All in all, it's not his fault this has taken so long to complete. It's a whole chain reaction. Oh, the best news we found out about, UTHSCSA is the MOST expensive public university in the entire nation. Awesome. It is going to be a tight couple of months. I am still hoping that the school realizes they are being dee,dee,dees and will find some type of funding out there for him. Prayers and faith are being stretched at this point.

Now on to me. There is a reason I never go to the doctor, even if it is just for a wellness check. No matter what I go in for, the doc always finds something wrong or weird. I finally went to a doctor yesterday to do a routine physical. I was concerned about a couple of things, mainly thyroid/parathyroid issues and diabetes since those things are in my family. They did the normal blood tests and read the lab work. I get a call this morning saying the doctor wanted to see me to discuss my results. There is a litany of things going through my head at this point. I have thyroid problems or diabetes, he found something else, or he was just calling me in to praise me for such good results. Boy was I wrong! All my red blood cell readings were too high indicating that I may have sleep apnea so now I have to go through a diagnostic sleep study. The rest is a little weird and where the weirdness factor comes in. My bilirubin is really high indicating something could be seriously wrong with my liver. Which is weird because I don't drink alcohol nor do I smoke. Best case scenario is that I have a slow running liver and there is no issue. Worst case scenario is that I may have the beginnings if cirrhosis of the liver. Again weird because I don't do the things that would lead to cirrhosis of the liver. The other possibility is a fatty liver because of the extra weight that I have. The extra weight that I cannot get off no matter how much I work out and what type of diet I am on could be the effect of sleep apnea. If that is the case, then there is a simple solution to everything. If that's not the case then we have no idea what is going on. So, there is more stress to add to the piled high stress we already have. Hopefully I will know more tomorrow. Then the blood work showed my calcium levels are way too high which, due to my mom's parathyroid condition, is a concern for me because high calcium is a sign of parathyroid issues. Again, I should have more details in the coming days. The good thing is, my thyroid is perfect and so are the other tests, BP, cholesterol and other stuff. I always knew there was a reason I didn't like going to doctors.

The good thing is, these are little trials that we will get through. I know we have these trials for a reason. They are definitely faith trying. I know that we will both grow from this and learn some pretty cool things. I love that I have the gospel in my life and I know that these things will be for my good. I have the knowledge that these things are placed in my life for a reason and I decide how I am going to view them. When it rains, it pours. But I have the option as if I am going to only see the never-ending rain or if I can look to the extended forecast and see the sunshine ahead. I choose the latter. My Heavenly Father knows what I will be able to handle and he will never give me more than that. I have the responsibility to be faithful and do what I know is right. I see this as a little shower that will end. How long will take? I can't say, but I know I will be okay, that Leland and I will be blessed as long as we stay faithful.