What's Been Going On?

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog.  I've been a little busy.  Crazy summer is almost a cliché but it really has been one around the Vickery home.

You remember that in back on June 17^th I went under the knife for a second procedure on my right shoulder.  The ROM or range of motion just wasn't coming back so the doctor suggested that they could help it along

by doing what they call a "manipulation".   After that I was to do no travel for another two to three weeks so that I could use "the rack". (See previous post for a picture)

During those weeks I was going to PT everyday and trying to do what I could for work to keep my numbers up.  We were always under pressure to be "billable" as much as possible.  So even though I had a medical reason for not traveling I was still expected to stay billable.  It wasn't fun.  You end up having to take all of the 'garbage' assignments that no one else wants.  Anyway, it was during this time that I got a call from a recruiter that I had talked to back around the time when my mom passed away last December. 

The opportunity that I had originally talked to him about had basically fizzled into oblivion and I had all but forgot about him.  I had even interviewed for other positions that were local to Dallas since then so this recruiter and the organization that he was recruiting for was completely "off my radar" as they say.  Since things at the Big Orange hadn't really improved but rather gotten worse I was eager to see what he was presenting.  I learned that the same organization that I had talked to him about before was now going in a different direction but had come back across my resumé and were interested in talking to me again.  This was on June 28^th that I talked to him.

The very next day, June 29^th I had a phone interview with a new Director at the University of Mississippi Medical Center who was putting together a team to implement a HCIS or Health Care Information System called EPIC.  That interview went well and she said she wanted to have me come in for a face to face.  Well, I was due to go back on the road for the Big Orange so it was very tricky setting this up.  That same week on July 1^st I had a lunch interview with a former colleague of mine named Tom who was offering me a job as well.  I was very interested in what he was offering so the UMMC interview moved to the back of my mind.   Tom was aware of the Big Orange's reputation so he asked me to check into the non-compete that I had signed.  After some investigation it was determined that it would probably result in a fight if I took a job with Tom.  That pretty much killed that because Tom wasn't willing to pay court costs if it came to it and I couldn't afford to.  Needless to say, this really ticked me off.  I already felt like an indentured servant and now it was made plain that in fact I was.  It could have been the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back".

The next weekend I went on a vacation with my family to Camp Allen in Navasota, TX.  We attended a camp for special needs kids that we've been a part of for about four years.  Our kids really love this camp put on by Joni and Friends and so we wanted to go and have a good time and reconnect with some friends we hadn't seen in a year or two.  A few days into the camp my youngest who has Type I diabetes became ill.  Not being willing to chance the local ER we drove her back to Children's Medical Center in Dallas and she was admitted and stayed in the hospital for 5 days.  She's fine now, its just one of those things you go through when your kid has Type I.  This was the first week of July.  The next week I went back on the road and then on July 16^th went down to Jackson, MS for an all day interview process with UMMC.  

The next week I was back on the road and midway through that week I got the feedback that UMMC liked me and was probably going to make an offer.  Well as you can imagine my head was spinning and I had no idea what I wanted to do or what I should do.  It was all happening so fast.  So I talked to the wife and we decided we needed to get away and talk and think and pray.  So where else do you go when you need to do that but Longview,  TX.  My wife's sister and family live out there and our kids were missing their cousin's so we though a road trip sounded like fun.  We packed up the kids and took off for a the weekend.  I even left work early on Friday (don't tell my old boss, he he)  So its July 23^rd and we're driving the two hours out to east Texas from Dallas when the recruiter calls and conferences me in with his boss.  They think I'm about to get sent an offer and they want to know if I'll accept it.   I'm talking to them while driving down I-20 so I tell them this is not a good time.  They tried their best to press me for an answer (guess they wanted to protect their relationship with their client.  It's a big account for them).  But I stood firm and told them I needed the weekend to talk and pray with my wife about it.  I don't think they were expecting that answer.  But hey, that's how I roll.  Anyway, They reluctantly gave me the weekend to decide.   Apparently no one communicated this to UMMC because after spending the evening with my wife's sister's family playing games and having some fun I received an email with an offer letter in it.  Geesh….now the pressure is on.  They even had the nerve to give me exactly what I asked for in Salary and relocation benefits.  I wasn't prepared for that.  I mean I told them a big number I thought so that they wouldn't ask me if it wasn't right.  Did this mean it was right?  Did this mean it was God???

Suddenly our relaxing weekend away wasn't so relaxing.  We still had a good time and I'm glad we were there with family to discuss it and I certainly appreciate their wisdom and encouragement and them praying for us. 

We talked about it.  Prayed.  Then we talked some more. Then we prayed some more.  Finally I just said, "Let's sleep on it".  So we did.   We had been asking each other what percent we were each at.   75%....82%.....90%

It would appear we were going to actually do this crazy thing.  After praying one more time we decided to step out in faith.  Yes, that's what I said.  It was a step of faith.  

I handed in my resignation at work the following day while I was on the road at a client.  My boss called me later that day to introduce herself and ask my why I was leaving.   Yeah, you read that right.  She had been my manager for well over a month by this time.  I'll refrain from throwing them under the bus.  Mostly because I'd be tempted to run over them in it and back up a few times.

The new job wanted me Aug 9^th.  I asked if I could wait one more week because I had a brand new client that I didn't want to leave in a bad place.  They agreed.

So, fast forward to now.  Aug 24^th and I've been here in Jackson working while Shelly and the girls get everything packed up at home.  I'm going back and forth on the weekends to help of course.   Next week we close on our new house in Jackson and move our stuff and our family here.

Like I said, its been a crazy summer!   But we're excited to see what adventure lies ahead.  Who knows what God has in store here.   Sure its going to be a great career move.  Sure its more money which will be good for my family.  And yes I won't be traveling anymore for work so I'll be here for Shelly and the girls every night.  These are all blessings for sure.   But I wonder what God is really up to?  There's always a reason behind his moves…..we just have to make sure we pay attention and listen to figure out what that is.

Carpet cleaning...and other general craziness at our house

So last week I had a second "surgery" on my right shoulder.  It was more like a procedure really.  I had not gotten all of my ROM (That's Range of Motion for you lay people out there) back and had hit a wall in physical therapy. Now I'm recovering from a procedure and on narcotics for pain, albeit not taking them that much. And I'm supposed to be working from home this week because we are always "encouraged" to keep our billable utilization as high as possible.  So remote phone training sessions and other services are what I'm trying to provide while I'm rehabbing my bum shoulder.  PT appointments every day as well.

Well, it just so happens that we have been trying (not very hard) to get a bid for someone to come fix the walls and ceiling in our master bedroom from water damage that occurred during last years spring storms.  We got a bid we liked and the guy could start right away so we decided to do that at the same time.  This meant taking all the furniture out of the master bedroom and filling the rest of the house with it.  Which of course made the house unlivable for the week so we all moved to Grandma's house. 
Phew.....    We had a lot going on I guess you could say.   Well, when you clear a room of its furniture you really get a good look at the carpet in the room.  Underneath all the dust-bunnies it needed help.  So we thought, let's clean the carpets too.

Those carpet cleaning machines that you can rent from Albertson's are great.  Maybe too great... It did such a good job on our master bedroom that we thought we'd move a bunch of furniture around in the other rooms and clean all the carpets. We have a blond dog, a snow white cat and forest green carpets in all the bedrooms, living room and dining room.

Picture all of this with me crammed up in the corner of the dining room trying to work with furniture from the master bedroom all around me. Nothing like a little last minute home improvement project!   Of course, I forgot to mention that my daughter was attending a diabetes day camp put on my the ADA across town so we had to ferry her back and forth every morning and afternoon as well.  The funny thing is, it didn't really seem that abnormal for us.

Yes, my life really is a bruehaha.  And not just sometimes.

P.S.  The doctor wanted to really make sure we're getting the most out of our PT this time so he sent me home with my own personal torture rack to stretch my shoulder. 
See picture below taken at Grandma's house.

Going the extra mile at work...,Or learning is its own reward "In The End"

This last week I took a day off of work so that I could get a second procedure done on my right shoulder.  I've been nursing it back to health since dislocating it badly last October while mowing the lawn.  It's a long story that maybe I'll tell on here soon. It suffices to say that I think twice now before I do any yard work.  Anyway, since I'm convalescing this week and off of the road I thought I should share a recent story from work.

A few weeks ago I was at a Gastroenterology group in Kentucky.  This group had recently gone through a conversion of systems and was in need of someone to help them navigate the pitfalls of the new system and its alien workflows.  So I was chosen to go up there and be the hero.  They were a nice group of doctors and staff and things were going very well.  I hit it off with one of the doctors that was from South Africa and was showing him all the wonders of his new system.  To my surprise this doctor said that where he really needed my help was tomorrow when he was doing procedures in the GI Suite over at the local hospital.  I remarked that I could do that.  "Sure, no problem." I said.  "You just let me know where it is and what time and I'll be there".   Of course I had no idea what I was really getting myself into at this point.  I thought it would just mean me sitting with him in the doctor's lounge after he'd finished a procedure and then helping him to document it.  Easy as pie.  I mean some of these types of things I've done so many times I could probably do them with my eyes shut. 

So, early the next morning with my tummy full from a bagel at the hotel breakfast bar and the caffeine from at least one diet coke coursing through my veins I showed up at the GI suite and promptly presented my business card and asked for Dr so and so.  The charge nurse took one look at me and smiled wryly and said "follow me".  I did as was told and we wondered down a long hall with rooms on either side marked "Procedure 1" and so on. She took me to an open procedure room and showed me a desk in the corner of the room and said the doctor was in a procedure but would be with me in a few minutes.  As I made myself comfortable at the small desk crowded with hospital bulletins and various pieces and parts of medical machinery not currently in use I thought to myself that they must not have a doctor's lounge.  "Hmmm, low budget I guess.  Times are tight" I mused. 

After a few minutes the door adjoining to the suite next to this one opened and a nurse said "You can come in here now.  We've got a few minutes before the next one"  I gathered my laptop bag and walked through the door she was in, dodging gurneys and medical devices until I saw the doctor dressed in scrubs with his surgical mask still on the top of his head.  He was sitting at a desk in the corner just like the one that I had just left.  He was already logged into our software and was ready to document what he had just done.  "Splendid" I thought.  "This guy is on the ball.  I'll be outta here and back on my way to the office in no time".

We went through how to document a colonoscopy and EGD, making sure to mention the correct form of anesthesia and the technical names of the instruments used.  It was a very neat and tidy note.  Any specialist would have been proud to send it back to a referring doctor.  

About this time, I happen to look over my right shoulder and I notice a new gurney with a patient laying on it.  She was awake and looking around and her eyes caught my eyes for a brief moment.  That moment seemed like it took about 60 seconds.  It was like everything froze in time.  The doctor must have seen the dazed and confused look on my face because as he rose and put on new gloves and surgical mask he said, "Have you ever seen a colonoscopy before?"......  He then said hello to the patient and asked if she minded if I was in there to observe and help him with his new computer system.   To my surprise and horror she said no, she didn't mind.   I was suddenly struck dumb for the next 5 minutes.  It was as if I lost all ability to produce speech.  I didn't know what to say even if I could have spoken. 

I immediately turned and faced the computer screen in the corner. Thoughts raced through my mind of what was about to happen and why am I here and is this all a big joke.  I wondered if Ashton Kutcher was in the next room with a television crew secretly tapping this.  Or perhaps "Candid Camera" was back on the air again.   Then reality hit and I realized I wasn't a celebrity and didn't know anyone capable of pulling such an elaborate hoax.  No, this was exactly what I thought it was.  I was going to be here for a while. And with that the procedure started and sounds and smells and experiences that I never in my life expected to endure started happening to me against my will.   I fought hard to keep my eyes and ears focused on the tiny computer desk and not think about what was going on a foot and a half behind me.  Some patients would cry out during the middle of their tests as if they were in pain.  "Oh it hurts" one lady said crying in a loud voice. (Someone told me later that they couldn't really feel anything, they were just acting out.  Conscious sedation they called it)  It scared the heck out of me sure enough. The doctors and nurses would engage in mundane conversations while they performed their duties as if nothing of note was happening at all.  Add to that the occasional irruptions of flatulence and the constant background of vacuuming sounds, all of which was being put on a DVD for the lucky patient to watch at home.  Now there's some quality entertainment I tell ya......"Hey honey, wanna watch my colonoscopy tonight after the kids are in bed?"

I sat through it all. The doc would finish procedure after procedure and then come sit down with me and make small talk while we documented what was just done.  At least while he was sitting there working the mouse, it was safe for me to look around.  So I would stretch my neck and back while he was working the software because I knew in the next few minutes I would be stiff as a board again.   This went on for the better part of 2 hours and I endured it all.  An assault on my senses like none I've ever had before or hope to have ever again.  And as we were starting the last procedure I felt like I had accomplished something.  I had made it.  The evil GI Suite had not stolen my innocence.  Nay....I was about to immerge victorious!

And then it happened.  Almost involuntarily I turned to the right and my eyes caught the site of some poor soul sitting there on their side all prepped and ready to go.   Yes, the moon was out and shinning in all its fullness.  My neck snapped back around with the velocity of a sling-shot.   Suddenly my victory had been stolen from me and I was defeated. 

Well, all I can say was that the doctor was very appreciative and gave me rave reviews back to my superiors at work.  I got several "Atta boys" from important people.  Of course none of them had any idea what I went through to please this physician.  But that is the way that the world works.  We are asked to fight our battles and no one cares much what it was like.  They just want to know if you won the war.   I guess I came out better than the people who were in the gurneys.  Perhaps.  At least they know the state of their colons.

Anyway, I found myself laughing out loud on the way back to the hotel that night.  As a matter of fact, I laughed so hard that I had tears coming to my eyes and it was hard to see to drive.

So as they say....."All's well that Ends well"

Editors note: No fannys were harmed in the making of this blog post.  The picture is a stock photo from Google Images.  Did you really think I would've taken a picture?