thetwigster

The next stage for my Peace Corps application is gathering all my medical information in order to be medically cleared for service. So the past two weeks have been filled with one doctor appointment after the other, with a few road bumps along the way. As I had not yet graduated from my pediatrician to a big girl doctor, I thought this was the prime time to seek a new physician. Conveniently enough, I started seeing the doctor in my building. He is a little up there in age, probably 80 years old. He is also the sweetest, cutest little man, although a little forgetful.

Appointment 1 ran smoothly. I completed all of my blood work, began to fill out the millions of forms, and received a skin test for Tuberculosis. Feeling accomplished, I went home, arranged for some more doctors’ visits and gathered documents about my medical history. The next morning my face felt funny. I looked in the mirror and had Hitch face. Swollen face, swollen lips, the whole shabang. It was one of the most uncomfortable feelings I have experienced. A visit to the physician and allergist, some rest, and lots of meds deflated my balloon face and I was ready to continue on with my schedule of doctor appointments.

At another appointment with my physician he ran an EKG, which showed I had an incomplete right bundle branch block. Whatever that means.  Of course this all my mother needed to hear to begin her attempts of convincing me that I shouldn’t go to the Peace Corps. Mind you, we had no idea what the heart thing was all about at this point.  So today was doctor appointment #6, a stress test and echocardiogram. After running on a treadmill with millions of wires attached to me, the cardiologist deduced that my heart was perfectly healthy. Apparently my physician tends to be super cautious with his patients, a blessing and a curse.

I am almost done with this stage of my application! I have one appointment left to receive some immunizations and then I will mail in all my forms, and keep my fingers crossed that I will be medically cleared and move to the next stage of the process. So exciting! Let’s just hope I don’t hit any more road bumps along the way.

PS: I was majorly distracted from the initial prompt of this post. I wanted to show you the townhouse next to my doctor’s office today that is decorated oh so beautifully. Look at all the leaves and pine cones! The twigster could not just walk by this without stopping to admire and creepily photographing someone’s home. Enjoy.

The twigster,

Josephine