1 Week Until Panama!

I can't believe how fast the time has flown by.  We leave for Panama 1 week from today.  So much still to do!!  I am getting together all my medical records and prescriptions to take with me.  It is kind of tricky knowing which medical records they are going to want - if I brought them all it would seriously fill up an entire file box.  And that's just the stuff from the past year or 2.  Looking back, it is almost a little scary to think about how many doctor's I have seen for a variety of issues.  Sometimes I feel like it's a joke, and most of all, sometimes I feel like doctors aren't that necessary.  I think I just get burnt out from all the appointments.  Even though I'm not working, I stay incredibly busy with physical therapy appointments, counseling, neurology and immunology appointments, visits to my family practice doctor, etc.  Every day is so different!

Now that it is getting so close to the time to have the stem cell treatment, I am starting to look at what the next step might be in my life.  Maybe it's working again!  I would love so much to be able to work again, and I'm hoping this treatment would provide me with that opportunity again!  I'm thinking maybe I should start slowly though and volunteer for awhile first.  That will keep me busy but I can still control my hours based on how I feel.  I have already interviewed and made plans to volunteer for Essential Pregnancy Services here in Omaha, NE.  They are a crisis pregnancy center that provides services to pregnant moms, dads, and even the baby when he/she arrives.  I took a tour of their facility and it is really great!  They would like me to be a volunteer counselor, definitely similar to the pregnancy counseing position I had at Child Saving Institute.

16 days until Panama!

Well the fundraisers are over and I feel more blessed than ever!  I can't believe how generous people were - even those people that I've never met before.  Panama wouldn't even be possible without the support of everyone around me.

My dad and I are making the final plans to prepare for Panama.  We both got our tetanus shots, we booked the airline (awhile ago actually), and we booked the hotel.  It looks like we will be staying at the Marriott since it is close to the Stem Cell Institute and that is one place the Institute provides ground transportation to and from medical appointments.

As far as emotions go, I'm actually really excited!  People keep asking me if I am nervous and I'm really not...not yet anyways.  Not sure if I will get nervous closer to the date of the treatments, but right now I am the most worried about the logistics of travel.  I just have a good feeling about the treatment and that it will have a positive outcome.