Quick update
Looks like my last update was in August and no I don't know what exactly happened other than and it's messiness. At the same time there is scheduling changes we are moving patients to other providers because some reduced their hours so can't see as many patients as they have been. And of course the ongoing trauma from the flood and now vaccine shortages -- people in my area have been having trouble finding the RSV and Covid booster vaccines which is making everyone cranky (distribution of vaccines and most medications is not determined by your doctor's office, its beyond us, we can order it but who knows if we can get it or when). No one is having a good time and I have finally had to tell my manager that hey our employees are about to loose it and we might end up with not just a skeleton staff but a ghost town. Being that we are a doctor's office we can't run on a skeleton staff nor can we say okay you people take these two weeks off and then you and then... Even taking a few days can be bad because of the volume of patients we have. You get back and your inbox is a mess. And your coworkers can't take on your work load while working on theirs because medical care runs on lean staffing and the expectation that all things can be done quick and easy forgetting that people are people and when it comes to their medical care they typically need more than "hey okay we're doing x,y, and z, I'll see you in a year." But that's how we are supposed to be doing medical care so lean staffing and fitting in patients like it's all gonna take 5 minutes that turns into 15 to 45. Our overtime is ridiculous right now and all the while we're fielding calls and patient messages with medical questions and prior auths and referrals that we don't get payment for and take up staff time that isn't related to your patient's scheduled for an actual appointment that day. I'm not clinical so I shouldn't get overtime, but I've gotten cleared for it because otherwise I can't do my job which has become weight bearing for the office work load, both clinical and not.
Anyway! All that aside..been reading good books, not done a lot of crafting, been trying to developed a good spiritual hobby whether it's actual spiritual stuff or just ya know floor time to make breathing room in my brain. Sister took me touristing for my birthday which was full of anxiety, but we had some good moments. Saw the Ben and Jerry's flavor graveyard, got a new book, enjoyed a lovely rainy fall day (I love them, okay?) and I adopted a new cat!
It wasn't the kitten I was supposed to get -- we've tried, but the person who was to give us a kitten hasn't returned any of our calls or messages so we went looking at shelters. I'm just getting really anxious about my 16 year old cat's (Casper) health not that you'd know it to be around him. But his appetite is still high so his thyroid is still off and when I mentioned some bathroom concerns, the vet said it's probably his kidneys. I am still not treating him for it nor am I doing anything like labs. He's still eating well, drinking well, getting to the bathroom fine and still running around like a loon. Sometimes he is slower, but that's more joint pain than anything else. And yes, he does have Old People Bowel problems, but 99% of the time it isn't a problem. Frankly, we knew about his thyroid and kidney last year and given he's lived this long without meds he might just surprise us all and live another four years.
But in the instance that he doesn't have that long, I want him to show a new cat what's what around here, especially as regards to me because he does a lot to care for me. It's why I was hoping for a kitten -- fresh and empty, ready to be trained. Alas, it seems it was not to be. Looking at the shelters and I was much disenheartened to see the adopted fees or requirements (like a home inspection), but then we found one of the humane societies who did a pay-as-you-can with a beautiful 3 year old all black male cat. I trundled myself out there (up and over a mountain with hair pin turns and RAIN) and he was all !! human I would like you to hold me. I was skeptical because the site said he was a large cat and in the past I've had people say that, but they mean like 8 pounds and I have a cat who's healthy weight is 13 pounds. But yes, this guy is big. 11 pounds and that's healthy for him, not over weight.
I've decided to call him Daeglan.
He is very people focused and has stuck by me pretty exclusively. I was much sads to hear him chirping through the closed bathroom door that first night so I took a risk and let him and Capser hang out in the same room way earlier than is probably okay, but it worked out. Casper was definitely wary and kind of growly-hissy, but they worked it out. Daeglan taught Capser how to play tag so they run around the apartment chasing each other. Claudia, my sister's cat, has not felt comfortable and her personal bubble is no longer just under the futon but the whole living room, lol. Luckily, Daeglan is much better at respecting that kind of space than Casper. There are still some kinks to work out and it takes the kind of juggling a zoo might need to feed everyone (three meals a day because of Casper and his thyroid, everyone gets much smaller meals than him obviously), but it is wonderfully working out.
Pictures under the cut!!
Anyway! All that aside..been reading good books, not done a lot of crafting, been trying to developed a good spiritual hobby whether it's actual spiritual stuff or just ya know floor time to make breathing room in my brain. Sister took me touristing for my birthday which was full of anxiety, but we had some good moments. Saw the Ben and Jerry's flavor graveyard, got a new book, enjoyed a lovely rainy fall day (I love them, okay?) and I adopted a new cat!
It wasn't the kitten I was supposed to get -- we've tried, but the person who was to give us a kitten hasn't returned any of our calls or messages so we went looking at shelters. I'm just getting really anxious about my 16 year old cat's (Casper) health not that you'd know it to be around him. But his appetite is still high so his thyroid is still off and when I mentioned some bathroom concerns, the vet said it's probably his kidneys. I am still not treating him for it nor am I doing anything like labs. He's still eating well, drinking well, getting to the bathroom fine and still running around like a loon. Sometimes he is slower, but that's more joint pain than anything else. And yes, he does have Old People Bowel problems, but 99% of the time it isn't a problem. Frankly, we knew about his thyroid and kidney last year and given he's lived this long without meds he might just surprise us all and live another four years.
But in the instance that he doesn't have that long, I want him to show a new cat what's what around here, especially as regards to me because he does a lot to care for me. It's why I was hoping for a kitten -- fresh and empty, ready to be trained. Alas, it seems it was not to be. Looking at the shelters and I was much disenheartened to see the adopted fees or requirements (like a home inspection), but then we found one of the humane societies who did a pay-as-you-can with a beautiful 3 year old all black male cat. I trundled myself out there (up and over a mountain with hair pin turns and RAIN) and he was all !! human I would like you to hold me. I was skeptical because the site said he was a large cat and in the past I've had people say that, but they mean like 8 pounds and I have a cat who's healthy weight is 13 pounds. But yes, this guy is big. 11 pounds and that's healthy for him, not over weight.
I've decided to call him Daeglan.
He is very people focused and has stuck by me pretty exclusively. I was much sads to hear him chirping through the closed bathroom door that first night so I took a risk and let him and Capser hang out in the same room way earlier than is probably okay, but it worked out. Casper was definitely wary and kind of growly-hissy, but they worked it out. Daeglan taught Capser how to play tag so they run around the apartment chasing each other. Claudia, my sister's cat, has not felt comfortable and her personal bubble is no longer just under the futon but the whole living room, lol. Luckily, Daeglan is much better at respecting that kind of space than Casper. There are still some kinks to work out and it takes the kind of juggling a zoo might need to feed everyone (three meals a day because of Casper and his thyroid, everyone gets much smaller meals than him obviously), but it is wonderfully working out.
Pictures under the cut!!
