Leaving Mayo and the Cursed Research

purple handHey, blog readers, thanks for hanging out with me this week! We’re sitting in our hotel room tonight and John just gave me a thumbs up and said “Good week!” and he’s so right. It’s been quite an experience in many ways, and I’ll never again baste a turkey without thinking of “the oven” (I’m still finding splotches of purple on my skin).  I fell in love with Rochester and the Minnesotans I’ve met and I’m so impressed with the Mayo Clinic.   Best of all, of course, was getting good news–a diagnosis I can most definitely live with and one that hadn’t before been mentioned to me as a possibility, despite the various docs I’ve seen for the symptoms. I’m very, very glad we made this trip.

On another note, I’ve been working on a difficult and crucial chapter in The Midwife’s Confession while we’ve been here. My concentration’s been a little off (understatement!) and it’s been slow going, but I’ve had this scene beautifully rendered in my mind for weeks. Tonight, though, I did a bit of research to help me flesh out the scene and learned something that totally destroyed my plans for the action. It has to do with how maternity units have changed since I worked in one. I keep picturing the unit I worked in back in the day. For the sake of moms and babies, I’m delighted so much progress has been made in supporting that post partum bond. For the sake of my story, though, bring back the old days! 

But every setback has a silver lining and the research opened up another approach to the scene–one that I think will be even better. So now I’m rewriting. Or re-re-rewriting. This is the book that just doesn’t want to end!

Have a great weekend, everyone. I can’t wait to get home to my pups!

7 Comments

  1. Ann on August 7, 2010 at 1:36 am

    I am so happy for you. I know your pups will be glad to see you and John when you get home. So glad the news is good!!

  2. Margo on August 7, 2010 at 11:39 am

    This is a happy day for you Diane!…I’ve worried about you all week and am so glad the news is good…I think I speak for all of us that we were glad to follow this journey with you…I’m so glad John & The Midwife were right there as you went thru these tests…now you can hug Keeper & Jet as you go home. (-O:
    P.S….every Thanksgiving when I baste my turkey I’ll think of you in that oven…you were brave beyond words.

  3. Debbie hearne on August 7, 2010 at 2:28 pm

    I agree with Margo. Thank you for taking us on the journey with you. Also, I will never look at a turkey the same way!

  4. Brenda on August 9, 2010 at 3:52 pm

    Good news
    Am enjoying beach
    Hope midwife comes to closure for you soon

  5. Patricia McLinn on August 9, 2010 at 5:33 pm

    So very glad to hear the trip was a positive experience. . . . And happy you should be safe at home now.

  6. Diane Chamberlain on August 9, 2010 at 11:03 pm

    Thanks everyone!

  7. Ann H on August 10, 2010 at 10:29 am

    I’ve loved all your book and can’t wait until the next one is published. Just finished The Courage Tree when I was on vacation in northern Minnesota. Glad the news at Mayo was positive for you!

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