This summer has been long, yet short. No classes for me this year, so one would think I would actually have some time. That answer is no. Medical appointments, therapies, play dates, errands and meetings (with a trip or two thrown in) have managed to take up my time and lead me back to classes.
School. I wanted to go get my BSN. Alas, the way a lot of schools are working, you test a year+ before you actually start taking actual nursing classes. Which leaves me at 3-5 years before I graduate and start working. That is too long for me.
What can I do, I want to be in the medical field and help people... Hey, what about the EMT-I program at the local 2 year? I go through the process, I apply. I get all the documents submitted. Crickets.
I finally get a message that I need to take the Math portion of the entrance exam, as I don't have the right type of math class on my transcript. Take that. Finally get my acceptance letter forever and a day later, too later for me to register in the regular registration period. I am required to go to final registration.
I arrange for child care for DD, as she is generally home with me. Drop the kids off and trek my way northward to the campus I am required to attend registration at. I had received no information other than this time at this location. No room number, no building. Just the campus. *boggle*
I finally get parked, after being sent back and forth between two buildings. Frustration is an understatement at this point. No signage on campus. No information on doors. I start questioning my decision to switch schools during this mess.
I finally get to the right building, and apparently bypassed the sign in line and ended up in the right room, where a woman talks down to me, claiming to understand my situation. "You don;t need to worry, things will be covered by financial aid" "Ma'am, I don't have financial aid" as one example.
I get through the most exasperating process of registering, as I just need to be in the system. Then, I get the heck out of there. I just couldn't leave fast enough. I go run an errand or two and get DD. I head home and just decompress. I had to wait for Saturday to actually log in and wait to see if enough people got booted for lack of payment to see if I could create a schedule that would work for me.
Thankfully there was. What are you taking? Thank you for asking!
ALHS 1040 – Introduction to Health Care : Introduces a grouping of fundamental principles, practices, and issues common in the health care profession. In addition to the essential skills, students explore various delivery systems and related issues. Topics include: basic life support/CPR, basic emergency care/first aid and triage, vital signs, infection control/blood and air-borne pathogens
ALHS 1060 – Diet and Nutrition for Allied Health Science : ) A study of the nutritional needs of the individual. Topics include: nutrients, standard and modified diets, nutrition throughout the lifespan, and client education
ALHS 1090 – Medical Terminology for Allied Health Science : Introduces the elements of medical terminology. Emphasis is placed on building familiarity with medical words through knowledge of roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Topics include: origins (roots, prefixes, and suffixes), word building, abbreviations and symbols, and terminology related to the human anatomy
These are all classes that work towards the Health Care Assistant Certificate, which is the program you must be admitted to in order to apply to the EMT Certificate program. All three classes should be interesting.
My books were a different story! I was smart an ordered all of my large textbooks from Amazon. I should have them in my hands on Wednesday (yay for Amazon Prime!). I had to go to campus for my American Heart Association BLS (basic life support) book and my "personal protection" kit (mask, booties, clothing cover, gloves and a hair cap... will be on all the runways next season, I swear!). It took me an hour+ to get into the store and purchase these two items that were less than $25.00. Sheer insanity. The school bookstore is smaller than my living room/dining room area! Thankfully, my DD was good, and folks smiled while she was singing and chattering in line. Again, no signage as to where the bookstore was, and the first sign I saw IN a building, had the wrong room number! Crazy!!!
I make it through and head home.
I've printed my syllabi, have started the online reading for the two classes and emailed my on campus instructor about me missing class next Friday (trip to see my family due to a memorial service for my aunt).
And now, I head off to get things done... Zumba, reading and child wrangling. Some cleaning and laundry, too! Need a time turner...
23 August, 2011
22 August, 2011
Trying to push forward.
And I have already derailed my promise to myself. I think of writing, often. I just don't follow through. Any other parents do that? Do you often fail to produce on promises for yourself? I find I do it more often than not. It is frustrating.
Here on out, I have to be better about this. Too much on my plate to drop any of it.
I admit, I am stressed and worried. A lot going on.
DS had his arena assessment with the local government school system. He turns 3 next month, and that ages him out of the EI services he has been receiving (if you are not familiar with EI, Early intervention services are concerned with all the basic and brand new skills that babies typically develop during the first three years of life: ie speech, listening or walking. DS has been receiving speech services since October. EI is available to qualifying children based on having or being at risk of serious developmental delays ).
DS hasn't had the easiest of roads. I have posted his birth story previously. It was not a good experience for me. He likely wasn't quite done baking. A lot of this is covered in that post. The first ear infection we caught was at 5 months. It took two rounds of oral antibiotics and three IM shots to break it. and that started our months of constant ear infections. Rounds upon rounds of anitbiotics and the probiotics to prevent thrush in him and me, as we are a breastfeeding household. Finally, at 18 months of age, we were sent to the ENT, because we were already seeing language issue due to DS not being able to hear.
The practice has 6 doctors on staff. One of them is a DO, and I prefer to be as conservative as possible, so we went with him. (note: I thought about chiropractic, but was worried had we spent another 3-6 months doing treatment that may or may not work, we would be ooking at further hearing/speech issues that we were already facing) DS was examined, audiology testing done and results given... my son was hearing the teacher from Peanuts while sitting under water. Considering he had had fluid in his ears nonstop for 13 months at that point, and we were seeing the manifesting of issues due to it, we went with PE tubes. Tube date was set, we did pre-surgery hearing test and got everything set up.
Ironically, April 1 was the date to have the placed. I was ~5 months pregnant with our DD. Thankfully, they allowed me to carry DS back to the OR, and stay with him until the "Vadar" mask worked to let him sleep. It is literally a 5 minute procedure, but it is the longest 5 minutes in the world. When the Dr. came back to the family room my MIL and I were, I was ready to jump out of my skin. We were able to go back and join him about 10 minutes later.
I held him, and once he was drinking we were able to head out. He was hungry, so we stopped for food. For the first time even, DS complained about the noise of a restaurant. From there, we headed home. About an hour later, I heard DS hum for the first time ever. I about cried! I heard 'Mama' about a month later. We went for his post-op appointment in May, where hearing showed normal! Set up a follow up appointment for November and continued forward.
We fast forward to August, and I give birth to DD. DS adores his baby sister. This is almost five months after the tubes, and DS's vocabulary was not growing. So I called the children's program in our state. September and October saw us going through intake assessment and his evaluation. The evaluation team had notes, these notes stated that DS was borderline for services. What they saw and what they gathered from us, pushed DS's need from 'wait and see', to 'needs services'.
The SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) who was on our evaluation team ended up as DS's ST (speech therapy). And it was obvious they clicked. Oh, not to say that DS would fight at times, but he trusted her, and he worked hard. We dealt not only with speech issues, but lack of oral awareness as well as handling the fact that my son is hypo-sensitive to touch. He needs heavy touch to give the right response. Sadly, we moved in February and had to switch areas. This meant a new SLP for DS. And we get things rolling there.
The summer saw us hit an OT assessment as well as his assessment with the school system, as he ages out of EI soon. Sensory issues are confirmed, and speech looks like it will be continued. I attended his IFSP meeting (goal setting) with his SLP and his case manager.
Now, we wait for the IEP meeting with the school that would be his, if he gets pre school services.
Challenges, we'll face you and overcome. I just want what is best for my little boy. We continue to work with him and move forward, ever forward.
Here on out, I have to be better about this. Too much on my plate to drop any of it.
I admit, I am stressed and worried. A lot going on.
DS had his arena assessment with the local government school system. He turns 3 next month, and that ages him out of the EI services he has been receiving (if you are not familiar with EI, Early intervention services are concerned with all the basic and brand new skills that babies typically develop during the first three years of life: ie speech, listening or walking. DS has been receiving speech services since October. EI is available to qualifying children based on having or being at risk of serious developmental delays ).
DS hasn't had the easiest of roads. I have posted his birth story previously. It was not a good experience for me. He likely wasn't quite done baking. A lot of this is covered in that post. The first ear infection we caught was at 5 months. It took two rounds of oral antibiotics and three IM shots to break it. and that started our months of constant ear infections. Rounds upon rounds of anitbiotics and the probiotics to prevent thrush in him and me, as we are a breastfeeding household. Finally, at 18 months of age, we were sent to the ENT, because we were already seeing language issue due to DS not being able to hear.
The practice has 6 doctors on staff. One of them is a DO, and I prefer to be as conservative as possible, so we went with him. (note: I thought about chiropractic, but was worried had we spent another 3-6 months doing treatment that may or may not work, we would be ooking at further hearing/speech issues that we were already facing) DS was examined, audiology testing done and results given... my son was hearing the teacher from Peanuts while sitting under water. Considering he had had fluid in his ears nonstop for 13 months at that point, and we were seeing the manifesting of issues due to it, we went with PE tubes. Tube date was set, we did pre-surgery hearing test and got everything set up.
Ironically, April 1 was the date to have the placed. I was ~5 months pregnant with our DD. Thankfully, they allowed me to carry DS back to the OR, and stay with him until the "Vadar" mask worked to let him sleep. It is literally a 5 minute procedure, but it is the longest 5 minutes in the world. When the Dr. came back to the family room my MIL and I were, I was ready to jump out of my skin. We were able to go back and join him about 10 minutes later.
I held him, and once he was drinking we were able to head out. He was hungry, so we stopped for food. For the first time even, DS complained about the noise of a restaurant. From there, we headed home. About an hour later, I heard DS hum for the first time ever. I about cried! I heard 'Mama' about a month later. We went for his post-op appointment in May, where hearing showed normal! Set up a follow up appointment for November and continued forward.
We fast forward to August, and I give birth to DD. DS adores his baby sister. This is almost five months after the tubes, and DS's vocabulary was not growing. So I called the children's program in our state. September and October saw us going through intake assessment and his evaluation. The evaluation team had notes, these notes stated that DS was borderline for services. What they saw and what they gathered from us, pushed DS's need from 'wait and see', to 'needs services'.
The SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) who was on our evaluation team ended up as DS's ST (speech therapy). And it was obvious they clicked. Oh, not to say that DS would fight at times, but he trusted her, and he worked hard. We dealt not only with speech issues, but lack of oral awareness as well as handling the fact that my son is hypo-sensitive to touch. He needs heavy touch to give the right response. Sadly, we moved in February and had to switch areas. This meant a new SLP for DS. And we get things rolling there.
The summer saw us hit an OT assessment as well as his assessment with the school system, as he ages out of EI soon. Sensory issues are confirmed, and speech looks like it will be continued. I attended his IFSP meeting (goal setting) with his SLP and his case manager.
Now, we wait for the IEP meeting with the school that would be his, if he gets pre school services.
Challenges, we'll face you and overcome. I just want what is best for my little boy. We continue to work with him and move forward, ever forward.
05 August, 2011
Scattered writings, mama brain and life
I keep saying I am going to update this thing. And then I "promise" to myself, I am going to update.
I just need to get off my arse and do it. How many mamas out there do this to themselves on a regular basis? it usually isn't reference to a blog. It is our hair, clothes, choice of activities or a book.
What do I want to write about?
Mom to two, tandem nursing, nursing in general, being a student. I am trying to reclaim myself in a way, as I got lost somewhere when motherhood took over. Mother is not everything I am, but it colors everything I do.
I am making a birthday promis to myself. I get 15 minutes everyday to write, no matter what. It is my gift to myself, and I hope I can find the balanced me in there, someplace :D
I just need to get off my arse and do it. How many mamas out there do this to themselves on a regular basis? it usually isn't reference to a blog. It is our hair, clothes, choice of activities or a book.
What do I want to write about?
Mom to two, tandem nursing, nursing in general, being a student. I am trying to reclaim myself in a way, as I got lost somewhere when motherhood took over. Mother is not everything I am, but it colors everything I do.
I am making a birthday promis to myself. I get 15 minutes everyday to write, no matter what. It is my gift to myself, and I hope I can find the balanced me in there, someplace :D
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