Saturday, December 22, 2012

Just five more minutes

I went to World Market last night.

"I have a bag," I told the cashier.

"Oh, how eco-friendly of you!" she exclaimed.

Really? Nobody brings their own bags in there? But they sell earthy things! I guess it's just a pseudo-earthy place.

I haven't gotten up yet, but at least I slept in some. It's almost 8! Riley sounds like she's brewing coffee. It looks like it's just rainy outside for now, so I may try to get the car in early for the oil change. I got a good number of errands in last night until the snow started to stick. We have a winter storm warning on until 10:00 Sunday night which is, of course, all the time I have to prepare. I got the tire cables and an ice scraper last night, plus some road food and pet food. Getting ready to go!

Or getting another half hour of rest. Either way.

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Surprise!

I walk in this morning to find a little Christmas merriment on my desk. Baked goodies from one of the nurses and the little light-up USB Christmas tree that has been making the rounds, spending each day on a different person's desk. How nice! :D

Then I open my email and find a nastygram from one of the providers. He was barking at me for scheduling new patients the way I was taught to... and the way I've been doing it for the last 10 months without hearing a word. He sent a copy to my boss and his boss.

"Good morning!" I wrote back.

There was more to my email, but I killed him with kindness and his response was a little sheepish and a lot nicer, even if he did completely contradict himself. It's not his job or mine to change protocol, so copying both our bosses is exactly what's in order. I'll let them duke it out, but in the meantime, go pee on someone else's parade.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Stupid phone


Hopefully you already know everything's fine.

Nice that the update posted, but not the original blog.  Stupid phone.

I wasn't planning on going to the ER (known as the ED for Emergency Department, but that makes me think Erectile Dysfunction, so I can't call it that), but my counselor told me I needed to make sure everything was fine rather than assume.

I started having what I think are migraine headaches Thursday, and assumed it was from staring at the computer.  I had another on Sunday, then one more on Monday.  Three of those in five days made me think it was something to go back to my doctor for.  I tried to have a coworker send a note letting him know I would swing through Urgent Care after my appointment with my counselor on Tuesday, but my coworker said it was a symptom and made me go talk to the nurse.  She said to go to the ER, but she has to tell me that, so I'd try to see my doctor after the counselor appt.

She came out to the waiting room to get me and said I was in trouble.  She'd seen the note and told me that sudden symptoms that are not normal should be checked out, and asked if I knew the warning signs for strokes.  Uhhhhhhh...

She asked me questions about the headaches, then went to consult the nurse.  No dice, said the nurse.  ER.  So off I went.

It feels horrible to go to the ER and have the nurses look at you like you're retarded.  I explained why I was there to three different people and got weird looks from all of them.

"Are you having a headache now?"

"No."

They would purse their lips.  It's understandable.  They see lots of people who don't really need to be there.  And they rolled their eyes when I said I had been sent from Primary Care.  There doesn't seem to be much love between those two departments.  It was fun when the nurse came in and asked why I was there (in my gown.  Why did I get a gown?  I didn't have to wear one when I broke my hand, and I was out of there much sooner!).  When I told her it was for migraines and back pain, trying to eliminate stroke symptoms, you could just FEEL her restraining herself.  The doctors didn't make me feel like an idiot, though.  There was a very nice doctor who felt they were tension headaches, not migraines, but the other doctor, the head honcho, said they were probably migraines.  Headaches, whatever.  They checked my blood sugar before giving me the muscle relaxer, and I let the tech (?) stab my finger.  Why?  When will I learn my lesson?  I even told him that some nurse stabbed the tip of my pinkie finger years ago, and it took MONTHS to heal.  That is a terrible place to stab, by the way.  There's bone and nerve endings up there.  OUCH.  This guy assured me that that nurse was retarded and he knew where the padding was, so I let him.  He got the right spot, but pushed that damn spring-loaded stabber into my finger so far that it didn't stop bleeding for a while.  This is why I would never let Chris stab my finger, even if I was driving.  He pushed the stabber too far into my finger, because that's how hard he had to do it to his own finger to get any blood.  Yeah, you with the man hands.  Duh- of course you'll need more pressure.  So never again.

You should have seen me in there, trying to get a picture of myself.  The nurses must have really thought I was retarded.  But I got cleared- no neurological problems here- and as an added bonus, they gave me some help for my back.  Whew.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Update

Got a visit from the attending doctor- what a great guy! He was on board with the migraine diagnosis and we talked some about that, but he is sure it is not stroke related at all, so my counselor will be happy that we ruled that out. This guy spent most of the time on my back pain, which I am very grateful for. He was thrilled to hear that I am doing a little yoga and said I am doing all the right things. He is giving me more muscle relaxers to take along with the Aleve, and said I should do that for a few days until I feel better, then phase it out so I don't stay hooked on anything. But I'll have muscle relaxers on hand for when it kicks up again ("Welcome to middle age," he said.), and my back feels much better! Yay!

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Well, SOME people would find it amusing.

Somebody called to cancel their appointment on Friday, joking, "You know, the day the world's gonna end?"

I asked if he was staying home to make preparations and we giggled.

Then I asked if he wanted to reschedule, expecting him to say that would be futile.

When I went to cancel the appointment, I SERIOUSLY had to restrain myself from putting the reason as:

"Weather, world ending"

Hee hee hee!

Sigh.  VA, you are no fun.