What a week it's been

So - I got my results back from my biopsy and they weren't exactly the "it's all good" news we had all thought they would be.  Seems as though it's more of a "hmmm - this doesn't look so good" kind of news.

So - I need to go back to the US and get this taken care of.  And just when we were finally settling in to our new home in Brazil - the kids have started school and are making friends,  I was hitting my stride at work, I've got some interesting projects that I've been tasked with.  We thought - we finally will be able to be in one place for a while.

But (insert your favorite deity here) is a merry prankster!

First, we learned that my results weren't good and that set off a flurry of phone calls and information gathering to determine what the next steps needed to be.  Luckily, we had already made an appointment with the Health Practioner for Brazil who just happened to be visiting the Consulate that week.  The next day, when we met with her, we learned that the State Department would medevac me back to the US so that I could undergo surgery.  My family would stay here, and as soon as I got the all clear, I could return to Brazil.  If we were lucky, the whole process could be taken care of in about a week or so.  I am very lucky to be working for such a great employer and have such great health insurance!

We started another flurry of phone calls and emails to arrange all the necessary appointments.  I'm lucky in that I can go back to California to my regular doctors to have this taken care of.  And my parents will be able to be there to help.  But - as we learned more about what needed to be done - we learned that more often than not, people in my situation end up needing a course of radiation.  Hmmmm - that's 5-7 weeks more . . .  That's a long time to be away from my family!  And a long time to be out of work!

Luckily, the State Department is a big organization and has experience with people needing to leave one place and work in another for a short while.  It's called TDY - think "temporary duty".  It looks as though if I do need to do the radiation, I can do it back in Washington, DC and take a temporary job at Main State - also known as the Mothership.

I'm trying to focus on the silver linings here - I get to see my family again sooner than I thought, I could get to work at Main State for a bit and get a better understanding of what goes on there.

But it's also super hard to be leaving my husband and kids for so long.  I know it's the best thing for the kids - it's important that they get settled in to their new school and begin making friends so that they can really enjoy our time here.  I'm so lucky to have such a good partner who does such a great job with our kids.  And I'm so lucky to have such a great community of friends and family who are rallying around us all to support us in any way they can.

In the meantime, things are changing pretty fast.  Every day brings new information.  Soon I'll have my plane tickets - it looks as though I'll be leaving Brazil exactly one month after I arrived.