Along for the Ride

Today was a completely nutty day. I'm so far behind with grading at school, which is really stressing me. We just started a new unit, so there are a lot of very active teaching days. I don't know why movie and television directors depict teachers sitting behind their pristine desks quietly grading papers while the students work. In my experience, that's not anywhere close to reality. We have all of 50 minutes each day to try to catch our breath, return phone calls and emails, plan curriculum, make copies, and grade. Add in the fact that I've had to head to doctors' appointments nearly 10 times in the last month, as well as before/after school meetings, and it's no wonder I had to restart my blood pressure medication! So anyway... I've been a bit anxious lately because I feel like I'm drowning at work and just need a good 2-3 days of uninterrupted work time to catch up. That's the irony of education... so much of our job doesn't even inv...

Yesterday, I met with my regular nephrologist to discuss my recent health developments. During our discussion, there were several things that came to light. First of all, he explained that I will most likely lose all of my hair eventually. Apparently, this summer I had full-blown sepsis caused by cellulitis. That was what landed me in ICU for several days. It's very common to lose hair due to a process called telogen effluvium in which the normal cycle of hair growth and death is disrupted by severe illness, infection, or medication. He also let me know that I may lose my hair periodically throughout the rest of my life, even after it grows back this time. Any time my body goes through trauma, such as kidney transplant, I will likely lose my hair. Yea! :) I told him that I was tempted to shave it all, even though I would look like a cancer patient. His response was, "Well, Jennifer, you are a cancer patient. Just without the cancer." Good point, Doc! We also...