Sarah vs. Lame Turtles
By request (thank you Kurt, if Karen ever gives you the heave-ho, just let me know ;))
I went back to work last Monday. Without my doctors permission. I was only going to work 1/2 day, but due to an emotional breakdown on the only other knowledgable staff person there, I ended up working the entire day. I didn't feel too badly that night and figured I would be back the next day. So I got into work on Tuesday morning. The other worker was there and I even found something for the temp to do until I left at noon. Around 10 AM, I felt like I had been hit with a sledge hammer, so I left for the half day. I called my doctor and she and I played phone tag until Friday pm. But basically I stayed home the rest of the week, recovering from trying to do too much too soon. My bad! I know what I had was serious, but I keep thinking I can do more than I can. So I didn't work this Monday, calling in to work and telling them that I had an appt. with my doctor Tuesday morning and I was going to discuss working with her. My doctor gave me the go ahead to work 1/2 days for the next two weeks. I stayed home Tuesday, but went in today. I worked from 7:20 until 1:00PM and then sat outside in the sun waiting for my bus. I feel washed out, but that's my iron levels.
The doctor's office called about an hour ago. I need to up my warfarin/coumadin level another .5 mg so that I'm taking 13 mg of it a night. That's a very high level, but my blood just isn't in the mood to cooperate for some reason. Otherwise the doctor was ok with my progress. We are still keeping a watchful eye on other reasons that my blood clotted, but for the most part the Doctor and I are pretty happy (not happy, but satisfied) that the clotting is being done by antibodies in my system and not some undiagnosed malignancy that we haven't found. I try not to dwell on that last part too much, just like I try not to think how close I came to buying the farm. I have enough good close friends that are still berating me about driving the 50 miles to the UNC hospital. I don't want them scaring me about the rest. As it is, I get calls at odd hours of the day from people just checking.
It amazes me how many friends I have. When I was married, I didn't have this and it's a shame. It's nice to feel the love and share things.
Anyway, I am steadily getting better. I have no stamina whatsoever, but that will build back up again. I'm currently taking around 16 pills a day, but some of those are vitamins and several of them will be dispensed with (hopefully) in around another 5 months. So Christmas this year might be the reduction of meds in my life. I can cope with that.
Money concerns me. There is a chance that I may not get paid for the time I've been out of work due to my lack of vacation and sick time available. It's been a bad year for me. Although one of my goals this year was to not use my sick time and vacation time as I earned them, that hasn't happened. There is a possibility that I can get someone to farm their accumulated vacation and sick time to me, but someone said you had to do that in advance of your time out. So I may be faced with over a month without pay. I'll deal with it as it comes and if the worst happens, I'll bit the bullet and borrow from my uncle providing he will lend/give me the money. Normally I would have enough, but not only do I have a considerable hospital bill coming to me, I have about two doctors visits a week for 5 weeks, plus I had to call a plumber out on Memorial day and the a/c guy out last week. I won't discuss the cost of the meds. It's not like I can't NOT take them. My credit card is maxed out. My accounts are unfortunately down to the bone. The next month or so is going to be bad. But I'll muddle through.
My good news is that Michelle and her boyfriend are doing their best to move up here this summer. Yes, the boyo still has at least another year of school, but they practically have a place to live already that will only cost them $190 lot fee, and utilities. I would enjoy having her back home.
That's it for now. I'm going to www.battleon.com to kill monsters. It's so cathatic after working with the docs and other idiots I work with.
Y'all take care now. Y'hear!
I went back to work last Monday. Without my doctors permission. I was only going to work 1/2 day, but due to an emotional breakdown on the only other knowledgable staff person there, I ended up working the entire day. I didn't feel too badly that night and figured I would be back the next day. So I got into work on Tuesday morning. The other worker was there and I even found something for the temp to do until I left at noon. Around 10 AM, I felt like I had been hit with a sledge hammer, so I left for the half day. I called my doctor and she and I played phone tag until Friday pm. But basically I stayed home the rest of the week, recovering from trying to do too much too soon. My bad! I know what I had was serious, but I keep thinking I can do more than I can. So I didn't work this Monday, calling in to work and telling them that I had an appt. with my doctor Tuesday morning and I was going to discuss working with her. My doctor gave me the go ahead to work 1/2 days for the next two weeks. I stayed home Tuesday, but went in today. I worked from 7:20 until 1:00PM and then sat outside in the sun waiting for my bus. I feel washed out, but that's my iron levels.
The doctor's office called about an hour ago. I need to up my warfarin/coumadin level another .5 mg so that I'm taking 13 mg of it a night. That's a very high level, but my blood just isn't in the mood to cooperate for some reason. Otherwise the doctor was ok with my progress. We are still keeping a watchful eye on other reasons that my blood clotted, but for the most part the Doctor and I are pretty happy (not happy, but satisfied) that the clotting is being done by antibodies in my system and not some undiagnosed malignancy that we haven't found. I try not to dwell on that last part too much, just like I try not to think how close I came to buying the farm. I have enough good close friends that are still berating me about driving the 50 miles to the UNC hospital. I don't want them scaring me about the rest. As it is, I get calls at odd hours of the day from people just checking.
It amazes me how many friends I have. When I was married, I didn't have this and it's a shame. It's nice to feel the love and share things.
Anyway, I am steadily getting better. I have no stamina whatsoever, but that will build back up again. I'm currently taking around 16 pills a day, but some of those are vitamins and several of them will be dispensed with (hopefully) in around another 5 months. So Christmas this year might be the reduction of meds in my life. I can cope with that.
Money concerns me. There is a chance that I may not get paid for the time I've been out of work due to my lack of vacation and sick time available. It's been a bad year for me. Although one of my goals this year was to not use my sick time and vacation time as I earned them, that hasn't happened. There is a possibility that I can get someone to farm their accumulated vacation and sick time to me, but someone said you had to do that in advance of your time out. So I may be faced with over a month without pay. I'll deal with it as it comes and if the worst happens, I'll bit the bullet and borrow from my uncle providing he will lend/give me the money. Normally I would have enough, but not only do I have a considerable hospital bill coming to me, I have about two doctors visits a week for 5 weeks, plus I had to call a plumber out on Memorial day and the a/c guy out last week. I won't discuss the cost of the meds. It's not like I can't NOT take them. My credit card is maxed out. My accounts are unfortunately down to the bone. The next month or so is going to be bad. But I'll muddle through.
My good news is that Michelle and her boyfriend are doing their best to move up here this summer. Yes, the boyo still has at least another year of school, but they practically have a place to live already that will only cost them $190 lot fee, and utilities. I would enjoy having her back home.
That's it for now. I'm going to www.battleon.com to kill monsters. It's so cathatic after working with the docs and other idiots I work with.
Y'all take care now. Y'hear!