Cliffhanger is over

I didn't realize where I left the last blog at. I hope no one was checking in every day holding their breath.  Well the changes happened.  We bought a house and I changed jobs.  Now you can all stop holding your breath.  More to come later.  By the way, that little puppy that was pictured in one of the earlier blogs, she's a year old and 65 lbs.  Anyways, there will be some before and after pictures of our house.  We've been hard at work for several months. 

The countdown is on

For about a month, there have been several changes looming. We are excited that within the next week, many of these changes will be finalized and we will be able to announce them to everyone. I haven't been blogging because all of my energy has been applied toward these things. You'll understand better in a week when all things are announced why we couldn't say anything for a long time. Stay tuned.

Our family is getting bigger!

No we aren't pregnant. Settle down. We are getting a puppy. We went to visit the puppy yesterday for the first time. She is about 4 1/2 weeks old this weekend. The breeder bred 2 champion goldens so that she could get a female for herself that would be one of her next show dogs. The litter had 2 females and 1 male. She is going to choose the best female for herself and then we will get the other one. After playing with them, we don't care which one it is. they are both adorable and both seem to have the same temperament. They were both cuddly and playful with both of us. Even the breeder said that she has no idea which one she will pick. She goes back and forth every week as to which one she will pick. For now, their names are "pink girl" and "purple girl". We had to apply to be able to buy a dog. She had a specific application that we had to fill out to see if we would be good owners. She feels very strongly that she has an idea of what type of home her dogs go to and that they are good ones. After passing the application phase, we were invited out to visit. Then after playing with them, seeing the parents, and talking it over, we put the deposit down to reserve our puppy. She will be coming home to us on July 9th. She will be 7 1/2 weeks old. I think I'm hoping we get "pink girl" and Natalie is hoping for "purple girl".

Purple Girl

Pink Girl

Paging Dr Google

Here's a tip for anyone that goes to the doctor. Don't ever tell a healthcare professional that you looked online and you think you know what's going on. It's more annoying than you can imagine...and it's also insulting to us. Let me give you an example. I had a patient just yesterday that did this to me.

What the patient said: "So I looked it up online, and I pretty much know what's going on. I just wanted to make sure you agree."

What I hear: "By reading a couple of random things online, I know as much as you do, even though you have your doctorate and hold multiple medical licenses."

Here's the thing about the internet - anyone can write anything and post it for the world to read. For example, this blog. The thing that the internet can't do is syphon through your individual situation, history, current symptoms, and evaluate symptom patterns.

Here's another thing that comes to mind when someone says something like that to me - this person already thinks they are right and they don't completely think that they need me and my expertise - therefore, they probably aren't going to be completely compliant with what I want them to do because they think their way is better.

Another thought when looking up medical issues online. The stories that make it online are usually the horror stories, because it's not worth posting the thousands of cases where everything goes as planned. It's far more interesting to post the 1 case out of a million that went completely wrong.

As for websites that list symptoms of different conditions - they just list symptoms. They don't explain the symptoms. In any given week I can have trouble sleeping, have stomach pains, experience nausea, and be very tired. All of these are symptoms of cancer. Does this mean I have stomach cancer? No. Each of my symptoms can be explained. People without medical training don't rationalize these things though. They just read them and freak out.

Take home message: be careful what you read. It's not a bad thing to learn all that you can, but think about what you're saying when you go see a medical professional. If you're seeing them for their expertise, trust their expertise unless something really tells you otherwise. If you think you know better, then don't waste our time. Stay home and hope you're right.

My inspiration has been lacking...

If you couldn't tell already, I've been a little absent. Not because i've forgotten about it, but because I really haven't been much inspired by anything, or at least not anything that I've been thinking of sharing. I have been staring at the tab in my internet explorer that shows my blogger dashboard. I also downloaded an app for my iphone where I can post blogs straight from my phone...ya know, for the small things. As you know from recent activity in my life, a lot of things have changed, including the type of things that I get to share my thoughts on. One of the fun things about working with people is that everyone is different. Sometimes that's a good thing...and sometimes it's one of the most annoying things you can imagine. As for the blog, it's a great thing, because there are new things to talk about every day. When it comes to people's health, they can get a little nutty. For instance, I've already had a patient tell me that he consulted a veterinarian about his therapy and his vet had some advice for how I should be treating the injury. You just can't make this stuff up. So more of these stories are yet to come. Don't worry, all HIPAA rules will be followed, and no patients will be harmed in the making of this blog.

Wait...I'm not in school anymore...

While being in vigorous programs like my doctorate program, you just kinda put your head down and charge through it, knowing that if you take the time to look up and try to figure out where you are, you'll either fall behind, or something will hit you in the head. Keep your head down! After doing that for so long, you get in the habit of keeping your head down, hoping it will all be over soon. After graduation, I don't think the habit had yet worn off. This past couple weeks I've finally stopped once in a while, looked around, and thought, "Hey, I'm not in school anymore. I'm actually working...for money. This is fun." It's been quite nice. Unfortunately I can't say that the process is complete and I've figured out this whole, being a grown up thing, but I'm getting closer all the time. When putting life on hold for 3 years to go through grad school, I've put everything else on hold. Since graduation, it's taken a few months to restart everything that was put on hold and figure out what plates are teetering helplessly in the air, about to fall, and need some lovin' to stay spinning. I think I've just about figured that out and things are working smoothly again. And you know something that's weird - I finally started sleeping full nights again for the first time in a long time. I'm falling into a nice little rhythm and currently loving life. As long as I don't look at my student loan balance, I think that this feeling might last.

It's gonna be a good day

Check that...it will be a good few days.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm back...and employed.

Ok, I know I've been away quite a while. Hopefully I am now back to regularly posting. So to catch up, I graduated with my Doctorate (you probably knew that), I passed my board exam for physical therapy and my law exam (practice laws) and I am now a licensed physical therapist.

On Spetember 30th I accepted a job and signed a contract with Foothills Sports Medicine. It's a great company that has 12 clinics around Phoenix. I am currently working in their Ahwatukee clinic, which was the first clinic in the company and is still the corporate headquarters. The owner of the whole company and the billing department is at this location. The opportunity with this clinic came quite unexpectedly. I was actually planning on working for a different clinic. When that one fell through, the Arizona Diamondbacks' medical staff pointed me towards this company. After observing in their South Gilbert clinic for a day and working a couple of athletic training side jobs for them, I decided to send my resume to their owner. Less than a week later, I was signing my job acceptance letter.

It has been 3 fun and interesting months since I started. It has been interesting in that I have learned a lot about myself, my job and about different injuries. I'm starting to truly believe that experience accounts for a lot. I hate to admit it, but these first few months have kinda been blindly going by instinct with some cases. Over time I've learned to trust these instincts and fit all the pieces together, connecting the dots from learning in grad school to now treating a patient. I've made my mistakes so far, and I will continue to do so, but I'm getting better with every patient and picking out more things that I missed before.

With this new job, Natalie and I are learning new schedules and bracing ourselves for more schedule changes as the possibility of a better job for her lingers. I think with all the schedule changes, this last 3 months have gone faster than any time period before it. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 3 days away. So since I have more Christmas preparations to complete, I will get back to that and I will update you more after this whirlwind of an approaching holiday is over.

Doctor Shaun Palmer

I have to admit, I got tears in my eyes a few times during the graduation ceremony. I still get teary-eyed when I watch the videos, both of me walking across the stage to get hooded and when the president of the school confers the degree of Doctors of Physical Therapy on my class. You would get teary-eyed too if you went through what I did. To tell you that those 3 years were no big deal would be an outright lie. During those 3 years: I was almost set back a year in the program, I was diagnosed with a cyst in my brain, I struggled with light-headedness, difficulty concentrating, and on-going flu-like symptoms, I spent more than a year trying to figure out medical issues that are still being looked into, I worked sometimes up to 25 or 30 hours on the weekends and attended class full-time during the week, one restaurant that I worked for was shut down and I had to transfer to another location, I volunteered with the Milwaukee Brewers, I moved...twice, I lived in Oakland, CA for 6 weeks, I failed one class and had to retake it, and then I was newly married and had all the other normal stresses of life to deal with. On the scales that measure the most stressful life events, I think I covered most of them...some of them multiple times.

So to hear my name called and to have the degree and title of Doctor of Physical Therapy conferred upon me is something that, at times, I didn't think would ever happen. As I sat up in the front of the auditorium watching the graduation proceedings, my mind wasn't completely on what was happening. I was thinking about the last 3 years. I was thinking about all of those events that took place. I was thinking of all the times when I thought I wouldn't make it - including the times I didn't think I would be alive to make it through.

It still doesn't seem completely real that it's over. It mostly seems that way because I still have things to accomplish before I can practice as a physical therapist. I still have two exams to take and pass in order to become licensed to be able to practice in this state. Then comes the problem of finding a job. Until all of that hits, I will continue to savor the moment and remember what I accomplished and what I went through to finish it.

The Inspiration of Our Nation

As political battles have been heating up over the last couple years, the morality behind the issues that face our nation has come into the spotlight. One side will say that this country was founded on Christian principles. The other side refutes this and is offended by it. I will let the words of our founding fathers speak for themselves.

"Having undertaken for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith."
-The Mayflower Compact

"This nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
-Patrick Henry

"We recognize no sovereign but God, and no king but Jesus."
-John Adams and John Hancock

"The constitution - a system which, without the finger of God, never could have been suggested."
-Alexander Hamilton

"God, who gave us life, gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their basis?"
-Thomas Jefferson

"To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."
-George Washington

"The birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior."
-John Quincy Adams

The inscription on the Liberty Bell says:
"Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants therof." Leviticus 25:10

James Madison said that he conceived the three branches of government by inspiration from Isaiah 33:22:

"For the Lord is our Judge [Judicial]. The Lord is our Lawgiver [Legislative]. The Lord is our King [Executive]."

Seeing these quotes from the founders of this country, how can anyone say that this country was founded on anything other than the principles of the Bible? I find it especially interesting to read Thomas Jefferson's quote in light of what's going on in the nation right now. Our liberties are being taken away at the same time that the country is trying to disown the principles we were founded on. Our founders understood this. In the wake of immorality and the struggle for power and control, our current leadership has ignored this.

What will it take for this country as a whole to return to our values that made us great?