Okay, okay...so I've been really busy lately. But that's no excuse for a month without updates! I have to apologize, especially to the complete strangers that read these posts....I'm flattered by your interest and especially encouraged when you're in some way blessed. I'm still amazed to see multiple visits to this blog every day. I must thank all of you again for your prayers, without which none of the following would be possible.
But on to all the good news!
Firstly, I finished the foscarnet on March 5th. A couple days later the biopsies came back showing that the therapy had worked (I felt so much better I hardly saw how it couldn't have) and that I was free of any detectable CMV.
As the gut infection and inflammation subsided, my malabsorption issue also reversed course. This has allowed me to absorb the the thyroid medicine and vitamin D. I finally have the energy to put in a full day's work!
And it's a good thing, because that's exactly what I'm doing now. I officially started a postdoctoral research fellowship on February 25th here at Mayo. I love it. I have two outstanding mentors between whom I share my experiences and responsibilities--one heads up the Biomedical Ethics Research Unit, and the other the Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit. I'm also planning on getting a Master's in clinical and translational research methods and I am excited for those classes to start. All in all, it amounts to what will be a very comprehensive and well-rounded education in health services methodology--not to mention the fact I've already booked conferences in Denver and Lima, Peru!
(For those that are interested, my research is currently focusing on assessments of communication quality between cancer patients and providers, the usage of some shared decision-making quality metrics, and on increasing the patient-centeredness of hospital transition processes.)
With my new job, though, I've been thinking a lot lately about ambition, career advancement, recognition, and the like. I've always sort of been an "achiever" and that can get me into trouble when it comes to maintaining balance (at least, it did in medical school). Sometimes I do things or accept challenges purely for the sake of showing myself or others that I can pull it off. Ecclesiastes 4:4 says "And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
Right now I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing and I know it's important for me to be working, but I'm sure the time will come when considerations of getting a PhD or going back to residency or getting a faculty position or heading up my own unit or center or whatever, etc will come into play. King Solomon's words won't be any less true then than they are now, but I bet they'll seem like it!
I have met a lot of people that have chosen to forego more money, more recognition, more respect, etc in a deliberate attempt to glorify God through the simplification and re-centering of their lives. I hope that the past couple years have taught me enough about life and what matters in it that the same might be said of me one day. I'm going to work to the extent that I enjoy it, that I'm able, and that it doesn't interfere with my primary purpose. There's a lot to be said about resting in the Lord and if any earthly pursuit is interfering with that opportunity, it needs to go. Allow me to recommend Dr. Matthew Sleeth's book, "24/6." It's about the value of the Sabbath (I actually haven't got to start it yet, but it's next in my "to read pile").
Currently Reading: "Proof of Heaven" by Dr. Eben Alexander and Hudson Taylor's autobiography; both are good, but I can't give a full review until I've finished them. And, although there are a lot of great books on how we should live our lives, nobody can touch Ecclesiastes (note: if you think it's depressing, then you don't get it).
Until next time,
Aaron
