O, Happy Days

Where shall I start? Let's get the medical stuff out of the way. Basically, no changes. I'm in the middle of my third cycle of chemo - three more to go after this. So far the side effects have been minimal. Keep in mind that I've become accustomed to a little mush brain and an inordinate urge to nap, but it's been that way since about half way through radiation. This chemo doesn't seem to be effecting me too dramatically. That's good. Next MRI is the last week of February.

No noticeable difference with the removal of Keppra from my regimen. That's good. So that's it for the medical stuff.

Back in November, I applied for Social Security Disability Insurance. I was advised that it usually takes 4-5 months before one gets a decision. This past Monday, I got a call letting me know I have been awarded benefits. By my calculation, that only took a little under 2.5 months. Score. I should get my first check the first week of March... 2 weeks after my short-term disability from work runs out. Not bad.

I also applied for medical insurance through SSI back in November. That is still pending, but it may not matter one way or the other because... I may be going back to work! I applied for a part-time position at the same company that still (nominally) employs me. I don't want to say too much about it until there's a decision, but it sure sounds like a perfect deal - for me and for the department.

Besides the fact that I think I can do spectacular work in this job, another major upside is that as long as I'm scheduled to work at least 20 hours a week, I get to keep my medical insurance benefit exactly the way it has been. This would be huge. This is why the SSI medical insurance may not matter.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the thought of returning to work makes me happy. I am tickled at the prospect of being useful again to the coop. More potential happy days.

There's been a situation in our lives that started not too long before I left on my big road trip to the West. I haven't talked about it because of it's sensitive nature. Today it was resolved in a most satisfactory fashion so I'm going to talk about it a little.

OK, maybe I won't say that much about it after all. Let's just say that Lori's world has been rather hellish since returning from a medical leave of absence earlier this month. In a horrible situation, Lori acquitted herself heroically. Next Monday she will return to her former position in the cheese room. Considering what she went through, I think there's no other way to describe the outcome than "victory". She still has a job at the coop, it's a job she'd rather be doing anyway, and she walks away with her integrity and self-esteem intact. I couldn't be more proud of or happy for her. My hero.