Thursday, June 19, 2008

Reverse Psychology

So blogging the sick is not like blogging the lost: my sore throat has blossomed into full-blown ickiness. On the other hand, practically right after I wrote about how sweet Absurdist Lover was, we began to have problems. It's as if writing it down and pressing publish puts an expiration date on whatever's going on. So maybe by saying that we're having problems and I'm sick and feel like crap, everything will get better.

In other news, today I'm not teaching my class but instead am going to a training in another part of town. It's actually kind of funny and kind of sad (yes, a Tears for Fears reference) because I'm going to a training so I can get certified to teach for SAT Company what I've already taught at the college level. That is, I'm going to a three-hour training to specialize in what I have a PhD in. Oy. What a strange world. Of course, techniques for a test are different. And I'm glad to get certified in something else. This way I can teach some specialized courses. Maybe I can also tutor in this field. But oy, I wish I didn't feel like crap nine ways to Sunday today.

The air conditioner people are here, and it sounds like they are ripping things out of the wall. Absurdist Lover is out there taking care of it, and I'm hiding in the back room, surrounded by used tissues. This is not good. I'm living for the weekend -- when I have to work on my article revisions, which, surprise surprise, I have not worked on since Monday. I want to sleep for a week. Or at least get summers off.

The doctor's office called me, I think because I cancelled my genetic counseling appointment. I thought it was the amnio -- in fact I'm still not sure! They also did not even tell me that they'd made an appointment for me specifically for genetic counseling nor did they say anything about why I would want genetic counseling. I hate the medical profession, where they just send you in for stuff without telling you a damn thing about it. Also, this particular office is really disorganized, hence the lovely birth center that I have not been able to fix the money for because I am tired and sick and working basically all the time. Yes, I'm grumbly. I want to just curl up like Mr. Tabby (on my suitcase, if you can believe it -- as if he's saying: you're not going anywhere without me!) and sleep through everything.

2 comments:

Sisyphus said...

Get well soon! (hey, and send some cooler weather our way --- it's hot!)

Is the genetic test a Jewish heritage Tay-Sachs type of thing? I confess I don't know much about that. But it might not be all invasive in a terrible and bad way.

Earnest English said...

The doctor's office called me yesterday and checked in about why I refused my amnio, but did not say anything about genetic counseling. My understanding is that one can speak with a geneticist about one's background, family history, and concerns and therefore appropriate tests. So if it was genetic counseling, it would just be figuring that out. There's no Tay-Sachs in my family history, so I'm not thinking about that. In fact, what really annoyed me was that when the doctor's office and I agreed that the first appointment they made (the one for yesterday) was way too late for me, they made another one without cancelling the first. Why? Who know!

Anyway, they can draw blood from the heel of the baby to do these tests, rather than going through me to get the baby's amniotic fluid so they can examine chromosomes. I confess that this whole obsession with genetics just smacks of too much Gattaca to me. Not that some people don't have real concerns and want to be prepared for abnormalities, but my age and background makes it so rare that it bothers me that there's this arbitrary age line I've crossed and now people think my eggs must be defunct. It makes me want to throw rotten eggs on the whole OB-GYN medical establishment! My child is more likely to have digestive problems, ADD, and mood problems than "chromosomal abnormalities." Though you watch -- I'll be wrong. Happens all the time.