Thread Drift

[DrBee]

I am really stressing about this today. I think it would be a good move for me and for my family. It would be nice for the kids to be near one set of grandparents. Right now, they are 5 and 17 hours away.

I just found out that the postdoc funding would be continued here for the remainder of the 2 years. So it wouldn't put her out too badly. She could also apply for my job. See - at first, I saw the job listing and thought about it. Talked it over briefly with Mr. Fish and then we decided "no". So, then I told my postdoc that I had thought about it and decided not to apply and suggested that she think about it. I told her I didn't think she'd qualify, but it might be worth a shot. After being with family over mother's day weekend and thinking about lots of other things, Mr. Fish and I discussed it again over the weekend and changed our minds. We would both love to get back to Louisiana. So - now I can apply and hope the postdoc doesn't qualify or pull my application if she qualifies orrrrrrr compete with her and win. See the quandry? Thanks for listening. What would you do? Bzzdoc - cute

Nanci - any new word about your friend?

MP - I just wish I could ride! I'm waiting for the replacement tubes to arrive. Should be here in a couple of days. I might have to take the hybrid out and go for a quick spin. There are always those new running shoes sitting here staring at me...

[Nanci]

Bzz/fishdoc- I think you should do what's right for you- not for the post doc student. Even if _you_ don't apply, some other person, more qualified than post doc might.

Friend has two more chamber rides tomorrow- he just called me, sounds ok. This is a person who moved to Florida specifically to do exploration diving, who has over a hundred thousand invested in equipment- we're hoping for further investigation to not find anything such as a patent foramen ovale that would have allowed bubbles to get through to his brain (causing the seizure)- hoping for it being "just" lungs that weren't functioning optimally to filter bubbles out, because of the pulmonary edema...

I was suspicious that I had a PFO and got it diagnosed before it hurt or killed me- but I know how he feels- it's like this huge portion of your life, your reason for everything you do, your connection to all your friends could potentially be lost.

[DrBee]

Thanks for the advice Nanci - I see your point. I've given her a job here that she's guaranteed to have for 2 years. That's not bad. The kicker is that she really wants to move to Baton Rouge. She currently commutes on the weekends to near there (in the Atchafalaya) where her husband and kids still live. But - I do have to look out for me, too. She's not coming in this week until Thursday - I'm going to talk to her about it then.

I don't know much about PFO - can you still dive with that condition? Maybe shallow dives? Wow. I hope it is "just" the lungs. Do keep us posted. Do they have any idea how long he'll have to be in the hospital? I'd imagine it would get pretty claustrophobic in the chamber. How long is each treatment?

[Nanci]

I think he gets out tomorrow. Chamber treatments are usually 2-6 hours. Some chambers are big enough for a hospital bed or two. I haven't seen the one he's at.

I have a PFO, and I don't get symptoms until I dive deeper than 110 feet. So, theoretically, I could still be doing shallow dives. But I also have AVMs in my lungs- arteriovenous malformations- where arteries go to veins with no capillaries in between, so bubbles that would normally get filtered out by the lungs go right through, potentially to cause trouble by lodging in the brain somewhere. If I only had the PFO, I would have had that fixed, which, for me, would have involved robot surgery and heart/lung bypass, but it would have been worth it- that's how much I loved diving.

[Trek420]

Fishdoc, I agree with Nanci, go for what feels right for you. I'm sure that Fish-post-doc-student will not take it personal, and in this line of work anything can happen. Neither of you are gauranteed the job, so why not go for it. But what do I know? I'm just a po' phone co. worker and the only one in my family WITHOUT a post grad degree or higher

So I'd be interested to hear what my sis "Bikeless in WI doc" & neice "UK Eliphant post doc student" say about this Fambly?

I'm off work today, just back from 2nd long walk with dog, puttering around the house and TV is running in the background with an infomercial for Pilates. "I've lost ___ lbs, I've lost ____ inches, I've lost ____ dress sizes..."

Need one of those for "get off the couch and onto your bike" ....maybe not

Nanci, hope your friend is ok. I've never done more than a little snorkeling. Scuba sounds so beautiful yet things can go wrong. I used to rock climb in my youth, and these sports where you are dependant on your equipment, one fall and you and your climb partner hanging by a piece of metal the size of a postage stamp....so what do I get into? cycling.

[Lise]

PFO--so interesting. What keeps you alive as a fetus can kill you when you're on the outside. Hope your friend is improving. Please keep us posted. L.