It's been one crazy couple of weeks. (I could say that anytime though...) Lets see last time I posted was just after getting back from my trip to Atlanta, with the harrowing brake loss on top of a mountain... came back just in time to go to class the following monday am at 7:30. That week I had my cervical technique practical. The practicals are the students opportunity to show the instructor your setup and adjustment for a specific listing. In cervicals we're working just in the head and neck, next tri thoracolumbar, followed by pelvic, then extremities. So each region of the spine has its own unique anatomy and common subluxation patterns, so Palmer Package adjusting is broken into seperate classes that way. Within each class we learn a variety of techniques...Gonstead, Knee Chest Upper Cervical, Diversified (which is really a whole bunch of random techniques thrown together) and so on... all of this together is Palmer Package. In cervicals class we average about 4 or 5 new listings per class, so you really can't aford to miss any classes if you don't want to fall behind. Today's setups were especially hard on my low back, as I had to sqaut way down to get a line of correction lower than my patient laying on a bench just 20 inches off the floor. I'm 6'2", and have a herniated disc in my low back that I've had the fun experience of aggravating several times since starting Palmer. Not fun. At it's worst I can't walk unassisted, and am pretty much confined to bed for several days. I don't want to let that happen again, so I'm moving around rather gingerly lately.Didn't help to ditch the car a couple weeks ago. I think I suffered from a mild case of whiplash. My intern in the student clinic has been working very hard at perfecting my listing on the Atlas Orthogonal table. He's about got it I think, and I'm starting to feel a lot better.
The family, however, is rather sick. Laney was sick when Dartagnan and I were gone to Atlanta, with a fever around 102 off and on (mostly on) for about 7 days. We were warned a few weeks earlier when she had her last immunization that this could happen. Since it was a fever unaccompanied by any other obvious signs or symptoms we attributed it to that. She was well for about a week, then we got a call from daycare that she had a fever and wasn't being her normal rambunkshous self. She stayed home again for the rest of that week, which is a major challenge with Kristi and I at Palmer. We have to weigh whose classes are more important to not skip, taking into account mandatory attendance in the technique courses, tests and quizes, and really a genuine desire to not miss anything. This is never fun. I had to cancel out on taking the SPEAK program last weekend. I'm really bummed out about that one. I was looking forward to it, and it's only offered once or twice a tri so I'll have to wait til next tri to take it now. Last weekend I was under the weather too, as well as D. Laney was still kind of sick, mostly winey and klingy, which is a lot to deal with if you're sick too, believe me!
Kristi's had it the worst this last week. Areally severe cold, with fever and horrible body aches everywhere. Her and Dartagnan are now on an antibiotic and have been into the clinic every other day or so for adjustments. She stayed home yesterday, opting to postpone her radiology II exam. She had a pretty high fever and was up most the night before. She really didnt want to miss that test because the makeup is all fill in and short answer whereas the regular test is multiple choice. She's been studying very hard though so I'm sure she'll do fine on it.
Dartagnan broke his finger at school, while goofing around ninja style with a friend. It's a very minor break, and they've put it in a splint. He's pretty sick too, on an antibiotic as well. He still wants to stay up late, and eat junkfood. It's challenging to coax him into a healthier lifestyle. He's really wanting to stay fit, and he is fit looking. I don't think there's an ounce of fat on him. But he eats horrible food. Processed meats, cheese, and mountain dew. It takes a pair of vice grips and a plumbers helper to get any vegetables or fruit into him! We're concerned because we think his dad is diabetic, and Kristi had cancer. We want to instill heathy habits in him now so maybe he can avoid health problems later, rather than dealing with them after the fact. Typical teenager though, invincable and living for now only. Oh well. We won't give up.
Just got through a barrage of tests and practicals this last week, five in total. At least one a day the last half of last week and the first half of this week. Did well on all of them despite the challenges at home. I was about pulling my hair out by the end of it. I don't actually hardly ever get stressed out. Annoys and amazes Kristi how level I always am. But I've been stressed lately, I won't lie. Next week is boards, thank God I'm not taking them this time around! And it gives me a week off of school! Yeah!!!
I'll get Dartagnan's bedroon done in the basement, catch up on my studies, maybe read a non-academic book, preferably about some foreign land, far from Iowa. Going to visit family this weekend in Peoria. It's been too long, and I'm looking forward to that emensely.
Well, time to go register for next tri's courses. Gotta get in line and hope I get the sections I want. More on that later. Wish me luck. Peace.
