Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Personality Assessment




Today I had a phone interview with a psychologist to review the results of my personality assessment. Chris and I actually conferenced in together. We passed. Whew......






Of note, I am very tolerant, Chris, not so much - shocker. I am very social, Chris, not so much. Chris is a risk taker, me, not so much. Psych man though those points were very interesting that we were so dichotomous on those particular scales. I explained to him that we took the tests individually, and had we taken them as a team our answers would have met in the middle somewhere (likely after much heated discussion). I guess after 14 years of marriage, 2 kids, Medical School, Residency, an MBA and Hurricane Ike - you figure out we are pretty much bomb proof; or just too tired to look elsewhere?




We have that out of the way at least. Our medical exams are next week on Wednesday. We fly out on Friday for our "Look and See" tour. We have a whole itenerary! - and nearly every minute is accounted for. Very "The Firm-ish." More details to follow.



Thursday, April 16, 2009

Passport Photos and Paperwork and P90X




My kids are so cute. We had to do "passport type" photos - which meant a head shot on a white background for their visas. In our home, we don't have "white" walls, so "buttermilk" will have to do. The color is above the wainscoting in the kitchen, so we had to stand Madeline on a chair to get the right background. I am still in post-peel mode, so my picture leaves much to be desired, but remains a lesson learned.
The whole moving overseas process is so much more detailed than I expected. The medical documentation is brutal. I have had to do a 7 page medical history form, which included a page for the physical exam (including pelvic - oh joy, a stranger doing my GYN exam). Chris and I and both kids have exams scheduled for April 29th. Chris and I have to see Chevron physicians (how do you get THAT job????) and the kids go to a "Chevron approved" pediatrician at Texas Children's. I also had to fill out mental health form for both kids, and pulmonary functional assessment and mental health forms for myself.
In addition to medical information and exams, I had to perform a two hour online personality assessment. I just found out today that Chris and I have a two day orientation in June at Chevron in Houston. We also have to meet with a counselor to review our personality assessments for an hour each. Impressive.
On one hand, I am pleased that Chevron is investing so much time and energy to make sure we are going to be happy and healthy on our new adventure. They do not seem to be leaving any stone unturned before we relocate. On the other hand, it feels a little invasive and creepy. It reminds me a little of when I almost joined the Navy. It also makes me realize that some people must have REALLY freaked out overseas. I realize that the company is investing a small fortune to send us over and ensure our safety and happiness - I guess this is just a way to protect their investment.
The Navy comment is relative because I almost signed on the dotted line to join as an officer before medical school so they would pay for it. It is a pretty good financial deal for me and the opportunity came highly recommended. I went to New Orleans for my physical exam and testing. The nurses who were checking me in and administering tests kept whispering to me "don't do it, just take out student loans" or "its not worth it." Hmmm, I began to think. Maybe they are right. When it came time for my physical exam, the "doctor" walked into the exam room. There I sat in a paper gown, face to face with the scariest looking man I had ever seen. He was at least 7 feet tall (no kidding), he had exopthalmus (googly-eyes for the uneducated), and long skinny fingers. All 12 of the hairs left on his head were sticking straight up and the rest had relocated to his eyebrows. His lab coat was dirty and he did not introduce himself. I had not even started medical school yet, but I knew something was very wrong. I had an epiphany. The Navy was not for me. NO WAY was I going to let this man examine me and no scholarship was worth that. I jumped off the table, grabbed my clothes and with as much dignity as I could ran out of the room to the bathroom with my paper gown flapping in the breeze. The Admiral was very upset and called me repeatedly, but I just could not tell him why I could not go through with the exam and sign on the dotted line. So I am a little nervous about who is going to do my exam in a couple of weeks.... Having some insight into the medical field makes me think that anyone working for an oil company as a physician is either a genius or a total reject? I'll keep you posted. I'll also do my best not to jump off of the exam table and ruin my husband's career - especially after I just ruined mine.
P90X came today. Off Ebay. From China. I bet Tony Horton is so happy about that. I did Chest/Back and Ab Ripper X today. I did not take the "before pictures" as recommended and need to get the journal/calander to keep track of my progress, but I am commited to it and will keep you posted. I realistically don't expect to be able to lift my arms tomorrow. Thank God speculums don't weigh much.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I really think I may have gone too far.






Yesterday was a very very bad day.


It is just too gruesome. And let me tell you, I just took this picture and I look about 1,000 times better than I did yesterday.

What on earth was I thinking? I am sure in three weeks, I will be glowing like tween who just swallowed kryptonite, but for now, I suffer....... Yesterday it was horrible. I could only put Vaseline on it and it made it slick and shiny. People stared at me - but tried not to look like they were - all day long. My kids were truly embarrassed to be seen with me (so I took them to NASA as a learning experience). Today, it was better, but I coated it in base makeup to cover the redness. It itched, flaked, and peeled all day. By the afternoon, I was scaring my clinic patients and having to explain - Oh, I just had a chemical peel.........

Vanity.

It is so sad.
It drives me to exercise, cleanse, botox, exfoliate, peel, paint, primp, dye.


Yesterday, I had to take a morbidly obese patient to the OR for drainage of a 21 centimeter wide pus pocket that had formed in 12 days under her skin from a cesarean section. We had to cut through 6 inches of fat to get to the abscess so we could drain it.

I had gone to Wendy's for dinner and ordered a #1 meal deal (burger, fries, diet coke). That is something I rarely do, but I was so depressed and in pain because of my face I thought it would cheer me up. After cutting into a smelly abscess, through about 327 #1 meals (super sized), and draining 600 cc of pus, I thought I was going to die. Then we had to jet lavage the whole thing and debride the necrotic tissue, but I digress. It was so sad actually. She is a nice person, and she just had her fourth child, and she could barely move herself from one bed to another for surgery.
What am I teaching my children?

Monday, April 13, 2009

The Farewell Tour Begins......

After much debate, we decided to go to Lafayette for a long weekend during Spring Break. We left after Mom got off of work and headed to the ferry. Two hours later we were crossing onto Bolivar Peninsula. W-O-W. I had not been there since the hurricane. I was disoriented as most of the landmarks (and structures) after Crystal Beach are gone. When I got to Rollover Pass and realized where I was, I started crying. There was nothing nothing nothing there. No buildings, no real roads - just sand and water. Katherine and Madeline had no idea where we were.


The rest of the trip was uneventful and fun. We took my parents dancing and out to dinner and spent lots of time with Isabella and Juliana our cousins. It was good to see Gee-gee and Pappa. We made it home no problem.