Archive for October, 2007

Medical Clearance from PC

Hooray! I faxed my stress test report to Peace Corps on the afternoon of the 25th and got an email the next morning – medical clearance. And another email saying “We wanted to get in touch with you to congratulate you on receiving your medical clearance and therefore, for completing a very important part of the application process. Over the next few weeks, we will be conducting a final review of your application materials, and we will be in contact with you in the event that any additional information is needed. Once the application review is complete, we will update you on the next steps of the process.”

From what I’ve learned dental doesn’t delay the placement process, so I’m in the process and awaiting placement news. The great thing is the email was from a fellow from Inter-America Pacific Unit, so my nomination for Pacific is still under consideration. Yay.

I really want to go to Vanuatu, if I get that invite I’ll tell you why. But, no, it has nothing to do with “Survivor” being filmed there.

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NaNoWriMo

I did it! I signed up for http://www.nanowrimo.org/
It all began with the periodontist appointment. I decided I needed to have something to think about during the predicted three hours of scraping, rather than wonder what the hell the hygenist was up to.  So a story emerged and now I think the small story will emerge into a larger one. And why not just try to write 50,000 words in 30 days. It doesn’t have to be a marketable novel, it’s just about writing.

 I’m pumped.

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Peace Corps Update

Nothing is easy. After extensive medical and dental exams I sent off all the forms to PC on Sept. 26. On Oct. 9 I got a letter from the dental office - You need to visit a periodontist for evaluation and definitive treatment. Did that, have one more appointment on Nov. 19, and if I’ve been doing my flossing and gum massaging well I should be okay.

 Then on Oct.16 I got a call from Janet at Medical. The doctor is concerned about your heart palpitations, you need to have a Nuclear Stress Test and submit a personal statement addressing your occasional palpitations.  Had the test this morning. It wasn’t bad, everyone was nice. I was scared though, so PC will probably look at the test and require a heart transplant or some such.  No, I doubt that.

It’s just that when you think you are tooting along well, healthy and get slapped in the face it is disconcerting. The dental was not too surprising, but the heart – yipes. So here is my personal statement:

There are two occasions I felt palpitations of note. Each time I sat down, did some deep breathing, one time meditated on calming (I was driving and pulled off the road) and the other time read “The Diary of a Worm”. When my doctor asked me if I had palpitations, I said occasionaly. I only learned I had Mitrovalve Prolapse in 2000 and never thought about my heart function until then.  At the age of 54, those are occasional palpitations.

However my heart may race as I race to finish NaNoWriMo.

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