Life Issues Revealed!

Finally, I can talk about what’s been going on with us for the last few months. To simplify, let me put it in list form and in chronological order.

PAST:
1. Patrick matches in General Surgery and we move to Lex.
2. Patrick completes intern year of surgery residency.
3. I start medical school in Lex.
4. Patrick completes year two of surgery residency and I complete year one of med school.
5. Patrick is not sure that surgery is the right place for him, so decides to do a year of research to think things over.
6. I start my second year of medical school.
7. I find out that I’m pregnant. (Not a huge coincidence that I become pregnant while Patrick is taking a break from his crazy surgery schedule, I think!)
8. Patrick decides to do another year of research while I am pregnant and while our kiddo will be brand new.
9. I decide to take the fall semester off to be with the kiddo.

CURRENT and NEW:
1. Patrick decides not to go back to his surgery residency.
2. Patrick has an identity crisis, since he’s never considered anything outside of surgery.
3. Colin is born, adding immeasurable pressure to the “what are we doing with our lives/finish school and get a job already” situation.
4. Patrick decides to sign up for and take part in the match process again in order to pursue a career based in Internal Medicine (probably Nephrology, but we’ll see).
5. We travel all over the globe so he can interview at different programs and I look at the adjacent schools. (Not really all over the globe; it just feels that way.)
6. I decide to take the rest of the academic year off from school so that, in the event that Patrick matches elsewhere, I will be eligible to transfer. This is only possible between the 2nd and 3rd years of medical school, so this whole situation is actually rather serendipitous.
7. I find out about that we lost our health insurance (that was through my school), possibly necessitating my return to school. This situation might lead to me staying in school in Lex, Patrick leaving, and our family being separated.
8. Panic ensues.
9. We work out private health insurance. Expensive, but better than nothing or being separated.
10. I re-decide to take the spring off. All is well.


FUTURE:
1. I am working on finding a research job for the spring semester in order to ease back into life outside my living room and pay for the day care which will allow me to work.
2. Patrick will find out his placement in March. We might be leaving Lex and I might transfer to another medical school.

Now, dear Readers, we have no secrets. This has been a hugely stressful few months for us, as you might imagine, but I am very excited by the direction things are going. We might be moving, we might be staying – we’ll find out in March. But, whatever happens, we’ll be able to all be together, which was the goal and hope all along.