Biscuits
It was a hard decision, but I gave my two weeks notice to my program manager this week. While there are aspects of my job as a program associate for an organization that works with the developmentally disabled, mentally retarded, and brain injured that I have enjoyed, I am just not physically fit for the job.
My back has had chronic problems over the past few years. It comes, it goes. Sometimes visiting my chiropractor helps and sometimes it helps to visit my family doctor for pain pills and muscle relaxants. Right now, I'm using both treatment methods and am experiencing relief. Though, a week ago this past Friday, I had x-rays taken of my back to see if there was a structural problem.
Yeah, I'm structurally challenged. I'm even curvier than I had previously thought. Granted, my chiropractor had previously mentioned that I appeared to have a little bit of scoliosis. The results from the x-rays stated that I have prominent rotoscoliosis with convexity of the thoracolumbar spine to the right side. That's my major issue. I lean to the right.
My chiropractor advised that I should be forever careful of how I bend and how I lift things. While my job does not require me to lift my persons served (my guys are able to transfer themselves in and out of their wheelchairs), I do find myself having to bend in the kitchen to reach items in drawers, bend to help the guys get dressed, lift the the empty wheelchairs into the back of the van, etc. It takes its toll. Prior to filling my prescription for pain pills and muscle relaxants, I was going home stooped over like Montgomery Burns.
Right, so for once...I have decided to protect myself rather than be a masochist and put up with the pain. I gave my notice. I'm scared. I feel weird about it.
Now, I hate coming home feeling positive about my job. It makes me feel guilty for throwing in the towel. I also feel a bit of guilt because I am actually pretty decent at my job. I follow the procedures to the best of my ability, I treat my persons served respectfully, I am punctual, etc. I have put a good bit of thoughtfulness into the job. Oscar needed to fulfill his requirement to do at least one chore per day, but he's sneaky about trying to get out of doing things (insists on going to the bathroom immediately after meals...it seems like he's trying to duck out of helping to clean up, but he does always produce on the toilet, though) or he just seems unwilling. I made taking out the trash his thing. I'd bag up the trash, he would carry it on his lap in his wheelchair, I would wheel him out to the dumpster and he'd throw the bag in. My manager seemed to think that this was a fairly inventive idea.
I hate today in particular. The morning was rough. I had my two guys and another staff member came over with her two guys. That would be fine, but she was working with one of the most difficult guys on our side. We'll call him "Pete." Pete was highly disruptive. At one point after breakfast, he starting hurling things around the kitchen. He broke some glass ornaments that were on the kitchen table, threw everything out of the kitchen sink, and threw a kitchen chair. Later in the day, he pushed the living room TV off of its stand. Yeah, the 7am-3pm shift was definitely interesting. The later part of my day was so smooth and went so well. The other staff member and her two guys eventually went back to their apartment. Oscar went on an outing with another staff member and I was left with just Felix. I was actually able to get some work done with him. I had to give him a survey on his recreational interests and do an inventory of his belongings. With Oscar gone, I had plenty of time. The rest of the day went well. I had things going just right. I was doing Oscar's laundry from the morning (he had repeatedly been incontinent). Dinner was cooking. I had my plates all in motion just right. Despite the shaky beginnings of my day and the fact that I had less than 2 hours of sleep, it still ended up being the sort of day that I go home feeling good about.
The staff member that relieved me at the end of my shift is a 10-year veteran of this organization, but doesn't usually work on the side where I work. She came in 15 minutes early to get up to speed on the apartment. I gave a her a thorough report on the needs of my guys, etc. and how the day had gone. She seemed appreciative of my thoroughness and said something to the effect that she was going to tell the night manager that she had gotten a really good and detailed report from me.
It makes me feel good and encourages me when I jump through the right hoops. I feel good knowing that I'm doing my job well. I just feel guilty for planning to leave when I am one of the "good"ones at the facility.
Anyway, this post is really about biscuits and something that I learned years ago from a former beau.
Grocery day for my apartment is tomorrow, so that meant that we were running low on supplies today. There was no bread in the apartment and I had to fix lunch for 3 persons served and have a little something for myself. The items that we had available for lunch were all things that you would put on bread or some bread derivative like rolls/buns/etc. We had hot dogs, deli meat, and tuna fish. I took stock of what we had and noticed that there were cans of biscuits in the fridge. A light went on in my head as I remembered how my ex Chris had used biscuits to wrap around hot dogs like over sized pigs in blankets. So, that's what I did. I wrapped each hot dog with a biscuit, baked them up and served them to the guys. They enjoyed them and the one that I tried was really good as well. Thanks to my ex Chris for this handy culinary idea. It helped to save the day.
My back has had chronic problems over the past few years. It comes, it goes. Sometimes visiting my chiropractor helps and sometimes it helps to visit my family doctor for pain pills and muscle relaxants. Right now, I'm using both treatment methods and am experiencing relief. Though, a week ago this past Friday, I had x-rays taken of my back to see if there was a structural problem.
Yeah, I'm structurally challenged. I'm even curvier than I had previously thought. Granted, my chiropractor had previously mentioned that I appeared to have a little bit of scoliosis. The results from the x-rays stated that I have prominent rotoscoliosis with convexity of the thoracolumbar spine to the right side. That's my major issue. I lean to the right.
My chiropractor advised that I should be forever careful of how I bend and how I lift things. While my job does not require me to lift my persons served (my guys are able to transfer themselves in and out of their wheelchairs), I do find myself having to bend in the kitchen to reach items in drawers, bend to help the guys get dressed, lift the the empty wheelchairs into the back of the van, etc. It takes its toll. Prior to filling my prescription for pain pills and muscle relaxants, I was going home stooped over like Montgomery Burns.
Right, so for once...I have decided to protect myself rather than be a masochist and put up with the pain. I gave my notice. I'm scared. I feel weird about it.
Now, I hate coming home feeling positive about my job. It makes me feel guilty for throwing in the towel. I also feel a bit of guilt because I am actually pretty decent at my job. I follow the procedures to the best of my ability, I treat my persons served respectfully, I am punctual, etc. I have put a good bit of thoughtfulness into the job. Oscar needed to fulfill his requirement to do at least one chore per day, but he's sneaky about trying to get out of doing things (insists on going to the bathroom immediately after meals...it seems like he's trying to duck out of helping to clean up, but he does always produce on the toilet, though) or he just seems unwilling. I made taking out the trash his thing. I'd bag up the trash, he would carry it on his lap in his wheelchair, I would wheel him out to the dumpster and he'd throw the bag in. My manager seemed to think that this was a fairly inventive idea.
I hate today in particular. The morning was rough. I had my two guys and another staff member came over with her two guys. That would be fine, but she was working with one of the most difficult guys on our side. We'll call him "Pete." Pete was highly disruptive. At one point after breakfast, he starting hurling things around the kitchen. He broke some glass ornaments that were on the kitchen table, threw everything out of the kitchen sink, and threw a kitchen chair. Later in the day, he pushed the living room TV off of its stand. Yeah, the 7am-3pm shift was definitely interesting. The later part of my day was so smooth and went so well. The other staff member and her two guys eventually went back to their apartment. Oscar went on an outing with another staff member and I was left with just Felix. I was actually able to get some work done with him. I had to give him a survey on his recreational interests and do an inventory of his belongings. With Oscar gone, I had plenty of time. The rest of the day went well. I had things going just right. I was doing Oscar's laundry from the morning (he had repeatedly been incontinent). Dinner was cooking. I had my plates all in motion just right. Despite the shaky beginnings of my day and the fact that I had less than 2 hours of sleep, it still ended up being the sort of day that I go home feeling good about.
The staff member that relieved me at the end of my shift is a 10-year veteran of this organization, but doesn't usually work on the side where I work. She came in 15 minutes early to get up to speed on the apartment. I gave a her a thorough report on the needs of my guys, etc. and how the day had gone. She seemed appreciative of my thoroughness and said something to the effect that she was going to tell the night manager that she had gotten a really good and detailed report from me.
It makes me feel good and encourages me when I jump through the right hoops. I feel good knowing that I'm doing my job well. I just feel guilty for planning to leave when I am one of the "good"ones at the facility.
Anyway, this post is really about biscuits and something that I learned years ago from a former beau.
Grocery day for my apartment is tomorrow, so that meant that we were running low on supplies today. There was no bread in the apartment and I had to fix lunch for 3 persons served and have a little something for myself. The items that we had available for lunch were all things that you would put on bread or some bread derivative like rolls/buns/etc. We had hot dogs, deli meat, and tuna fish. I took stock of what we had and noticed that there were cans of biscuits in the fridge. A light went on in my head as I remembered how my ex Chris had used biscuits to wrap around hot dogs like over sized pigs in blankets. So, that's what I did. I wrapped each hot dog with a biscuit, baked them up and served them to the guys. They enjoyed them and the one that I tried was really good as well. Thanks to my ex Chris for this handy culinary idea. It helped to save the day.