I thought a 4 day weekend would give me time to rest, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I may have rested some but not enough to get ahead of the game.
My office closed early on Wednesday, which is nice. So I used the time to run errands and make dinner. Thursday we spent a lot of time cleaning up the house and then went to Thanksgiving dinner at my cousin's house. Friday was more cleaning, then babysitting my adorable nephew for a bit, then physical therapy (which left me with bruises, but that's another story!). Saturday was more of the same, except Megan ended up with a stomach virus. Thankfully that was short lived, but we chose to stay home today instead of running her ragged and exposing others to the germs. So far today I spent most of the morning cleaning out the fish tank. And now my back is paying for it.
Tomorrow starts the whole process over again. Back to work, then running out for an MRI at lunch, then back to work. I also have PT 2 days next week plus a follow up with my orthopedist. Too much running around! I honestly don't know how my body is supposed to handle this.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.
Today, I fold. I give in. I'm asking for mercy.
I had a great weekend. Sean and I had a date on Saturday night. I knew ahead of time that I would be exhausted afterwards, but I wanted to go anyway. We went out to see our friends' band. A great group of guys that we don't get to see very often, awesome musicians, and a lot of fun. I had a great time, but I forgot what it was like to stand in a loud bar all night. When we walked out of the bar, my ears were ringing louder than usual and they felt really full. I chalked it up to the loud music (next time I'll have to bring ear plugs!) and figured it would go away after a little while.
I don't think I got to sleep until around 3AM - on the floor at my parents' house (they babysat the kids while we went out). Obviously, waking up at 8 on Sunday morning left me a bit exhausted. My left ear was still ringing louder than usual, and with the fullness it was actually starting to hurt. But we went through the day as planned. Drove to NJ to visit my cousin and had a very nice "family day" at his house. By the time we left there, I was starting to get occasional sharp pain in my left ear. It would last for about 10 seconds and then be gone.
The drive home took a lot longer than usual thanks to traffic in Philly due to the Philadelphia Marathon. On the drive I started to get dizzy. At first I thought it was just because I was so tired, but I'm now realizing that it's related to my ear. The dizziness and stabbing pain got worse as the evening went on.
I went to sleep last night at a decent time, hoping that a good night's sleep would help everything go back to normal. I still had a lot of trouble getting out of bed this morning, and I realized as soon as I got up that the dizziness hasn't gone away. I went about my morning as usual and made it to PT in spite of being dizzy. But still, it continued. My PT actually wants to see the test results from Friday to see if there's any way she can help with the ear issues. Of course, there's only so much that can fit into one PT session when you're still trying to work full time! And today I needed to focus on my neck and upper back.
Toward the end of my PT session, the dizziness got even worse. I even had to stop doing some exercises because of it. Driving home was no picnic. Glad it's only about 5 minutes away. I took my time coming home. But that was it. I emailed my boss to tell him that I wasn't going to make it in today. I can't keep pushing myself through things like this. It's one thing to be dizzy when you turn your head, but an entirely different story when the waves come on for no reason when you are not moving. I can not see sitting at my desk all day feeling like this.
So that's it. Today I will let my body rest and try to heal itself. One day at a time is all I can do right now. The ringing is back down to the usual volume, so maybe that's a start for everything else to return to normal.
And for the record, I'm still glad we went out on Saturday night!
I had a great weekend. Sean and I had a date on Saturday night. I knew ahead of time that I would be exhausted afterwards, but I wanted to go anyway. We went out to see our friends' band. A great group of guys that we don't get to see very often, awesome musicians, and a lot of fun. I had a great time, but I forgot what it was like to stand in a loud bar all night. When we walked out of the bar, my ears were ringing louder than usual and they felt really full. I chalked it up to the loud music (next time I'll have to bring ear plugs!) and figured it would go away after a little while.
I don't think I got to sleep until around 3AM - on the floor at my parents' house (they babysat the kids while we went out). Obviously, waking up at 8 on Sunday morning left me a bit exhausted. My left ear was still ringing louder than usual, and with the fullness it was actually starting to hurt. But we went through the day as planned. Drove to NJ to visit my cousin and had a very nice "family day" at his house. By the time we left there, I was starting to get occasional sharp pain in my left ear. It would last for about 10 seconds and then be gone.
The drive home took a lot longer than usual thanks to traffic in Philly due to the Philadelphia Marathon. On the drive I started to get dizzy. At first I thought it was just because I was so tired, but I'm now realizing that it's related to my ear. The dizziness and stabbing pain got worse as the evening went on.
I went to sleep last night at a decent time, hoping that a good night's sleep would help everything go back to normal. I still had a lot of trouble getting out of bed this morning, and I realized as soon as I got up that the dizziness hasn't gone away. I went about my morning as usual and made it to PT in spite of being dizzy. But still, it continued. My PT actually wants to see the test results from Friday to see if there's any way she can help with the ear issues. Of course, there's only so much that can fit into one PT session when you're still trying to work full time! And today I needed to focus on my neck and upper back.
Toward the end of my PT session, the dizziness got even worse. I even had to stop doing some exercises because of it. Driving home was no picnic. Glad it's only about 5 minutes away. I took my time coming home. But that was it. I emailed my boss to tell him that I wasn't going to make it in today. I can't keep pushing myself through things like this. It's one thing to be dizzy when you turn your head, but an entirely different story when the waves come on for no reason when you are not moving. I can not see sitting at my desk all day feeling like this.
So that's it. Today I will let my body rest and try to heal itself. One day at a time is all I can do right now. The ringing is back down to the usual volume, so maybe that's a start for everything else to return to normal.
And for the record, I'm still glad we went out on Saturday night!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Every day is something new
One of my more minor issues is tinnitus. For most people, it's just an occasional annoyance. I've had ringing in both ears for as long as I can remember. It was never a big deal, until about a year ago. The ringing in my left ear got a lot worse and became constant. That ear always feels full and occasionally it hurts. I've had my ears checked numerous times and there never appears to be a problem. In fact, doctors usually tell me that it's clear even when it feels full to me.
In the last few months, the left ear has gotten even worse. The pain comes more often and I can hear the ringing even in my loud office. In September, I went to my ENT for another reason (abnormalities on an MRI and CT scan - the scans were done for my neck problems but they found other stuff) and mentioned the tinnitus. He checked my hearing, which was near perfect (to my children's dismay) and didn't see anything else wrong. So he prescribed a steroid in case there was inflammation and told me to try some Ginkgo Biloba. He asked me to come back 6 weeks later.
6 weeks went by with absolutely no change in the ringing. At the next appointment he asked some questions about dizziness and vertigo, and watched me walk. I've always had dizziness upon standing (low blood pressure) but sometimes it's hard to separate that from true dizziness. He checked my hearing again, which still hadn't changed, and then suggested I come back for 2 tests. I've actually had these tests done before, probably about 13 years ago, and the results were normal.
Yesterday I went in for the tests. They are the VNG and AVR (I think). I don't know what those stand for, but they are some odd tests! For the first one, I wore special infrared goggles which measured how my eyes moved as I watched a dot move around on an electronic board. They also forced cool and warm air into my ears, which makes you dizzy, and measured my eyes' reaction to that. The 2nd test was even more strange. They put earphones IN my ears and electrodes on my forehead and earlobes. The earphones just played a series of clicks while the electrodes measured the response of my brain.
The doctor called me with the results within a few hours of completing the tests. Both tests were abnormal in the left ear. One of them could indicate an inner ear or a central problem, but the other one more specifically points to a central problem. So, he now wants me to go for another MRI (this time with contrast) and also some bloodwork. He said he likes to check for Lyme Disease since that could cause ear problems, even though I've been tested twice for it before and it came back negative both times.
Of course, I always have to self-diagnose. I do lots of research on the internet to figure out what is going on with me and what options I have. Since it was already late on Friday afternoon, I wasn't going to call to schedule the MRI until Monday. But I had to look up the diagnosis code on the paperwork. I HAD to. I shouldn't have. The diagnosis code indicates some kind of non-cancerous tumor behind the ear that presses on nerves and causes problems like tinnitus (check), headaches (check), dizziness (check), and fatigue (check). Small tumors typically aren't a problem, but as they grow, symptoms get worse. I immediately picked up the phone and called to schedule the MRI. Considering my last MRI showed other abnormalities, this scared me.
With Thanksgiving next week, I have to wait until the following week to have the MRI. Figures. In the mean time, I will call the doctor back on Monday and see if he wants to look at my last MRI and CT scan one more time to see if those will help him figure out what is going on. When I took them to him last time, we were focused on another hemangioma on my neck so I don't think he looked at anything else. He's the doctor who removed the hemangioma from my neck 2 years ago, and this new one seems to be in a similar place.
Fun stuff!
For now, I'm going to go enjoy a much needed night out. Sean and I are going to see our friends' band tonight. I think I could use a few drinks, even if they come with a migraine.
In the last few months, the left ear has gotten even worse. The pain comes more often and I can hear the ringing even in my loud office. In September, I went to my ENT for another reason (abnormalities on an MRI and CT scan - the scans were done for my neck problems but they found other stuff) and mentioned the tinnitus. He checked my hearing, which was near perfect (to my children's dismay) and didn't see anything else wrong. So he prescribed a steroid in case there was inflammation and told me to try some Ginkgo Biloba. He asked me to come back 6 weeks later.
6 weeks went by with absolutely no change in the ringing. At the next appointment he asked some questions about dizziness and vertigo, and watched me walk. I've always had dizziness upon standing (low blood pressure) but sometimes it's hard to separate that from true dizziness. He checked my hearing again, which still hadn't changed, and then suggested I come back for 2 tests. I've actually had these tests done before, probably about 13 years ago, and the results were normal.
Yesterday I went in for the tests. They are the VNG and AVR (I think). I don't know what those stand for, but they are some odd tests! For the first one, I wore special infrared goggles which measured how my eyes moved as I watched a dot move around on an electronic board. They also forced cool and warm air into my ears, which makes you dizzy, and measured my eyes' reaction to that. The 2nd test was even more strange. They put earphones IN my ears and electrodes on my forehead and earlobes. The earphones just played a series of clicks while the electrodes measured the response of my brain.
The doctor called me with the results within a few hours of completing the tests. Both tests were abnormal in the left ear. One of them could indicate an inner ear or a central problem, but the other one more specifically points to a central problem. So, he now wants me to go for another MRI (this time with contrast) and also some bloodwork. He said he likes to check for Lyme Disease since that could cause ear problems, even though I've been tested twice for it before and it came back negative both times.
Of course, I always have to self-diagnose. I do lots of research on the internet to figure out what is going on with me and what options I have. Since it was already late on Friday afternoon, I wasn't going to call to schedule the MRI until Monday. But I had to look up the diagnosis code on the paperwork. I HAD to. I shouldn't have. The diagnosis code indicates some kind of non-cancerous tumor behind the ear that presses on nerves and causes problems like tinnitus (check), headaches (check), dizziness (check), and fatigue (check). Small tumors typically aren't a problem, but as they grow, symptoms get worse. I immediately picked up the phone and called to schedule the MRI. Considering my last MRI showed other abnormalities, this scared me.
With Thanksgiving next week, I have to wait until the following week to have the MRI. Figures. In the mean time, I will call the doctor back on Monday and see if he wants to look at my last MRI and CT scan one more time to see if those will help him figure out what is going on. When I took them to him last time, we were focused on another hemangioma on my neck so I don't think he looked at anything else. He's the doctor who removed the hemangioma from my neck 2 years ago, and this new one seems to be in a similar place.
Fun stuff!
For now, I'm going to go enjoy a much needed night out. Sean and I are going to see our friends' band tonight. I think I could use a few drinks, even if they come with a migraine.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Ouch!
I went to Physical Therapy this morning and, among other things, I let the therapist tape my back. We've done this before and I know the benefit, but I definitely need to ease into it. She puts an "X" of tape across my shoulders to my mid-back while my shoulder blades are pinched together. This holds my shoulder blades in the proper position, while giving my "cranky" upper traps a chance to relax in this position.
I knew it wouldn't last long. She taped me around 9:15 this morning, and by 12:45 I was almost in tears. I came home to rip the tape off (another ouch!) but it still hurts. I'm now icing my upper back. I wasn't planning to take a lunch break today since I was late to work, but I had no choice.
An update since my last entry... I knew with how achy I was on Wednesday that something wasn't right. I ended up leaving work a little early and coming home to sleep. The achiness continued on Thursday so I had to take a sick day. I napped off and on during the day and thankfully was feeling better by Friday. The aches were gone but I was still drained. Even today, from all of the running around this morning, I'm drained. I'm doing everything I can to be healthier. When will it all kick in?!
I knew it wouldn't last long. She taped me around 9:15 this morning, and by 12:45 I was almost in tears. I came home to rip the tape off (another ouch!) but it still hurts. I'm now icing my upper back. I wasn't planning to take a lunch break today since I was late to work, but I had no choice.
An update since my last entry... I knew with how achy I was on Wednesday that something wasn't right. I ended up leaving work a little early and coming home to sleep. The achiness continued on Thursday so I had to take a sick day. I napped off and on during the day and thankfully was feeling better by Friday. The aches were gone but I was still drained. Even today, from all of the running around this morning, I'm drained. I'm doing everything I can to be healthier. When will it all kick in?!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Not a great day
I'm thankful that I don't have a migraine yet today (the day is still young though, right?), but it sucks to feel like crap and still have to get up and go. For some reason, I had a lot of trouble waking up this morning when my alarm went off. I was really tired and dragging. Not a great start to the day.
At 9:00, I had a meeting at work and the conference room was really warm. The temperature in my office is so crazy. It's either freezing (with cold air blowing on my neck as I sit at my desk) or extremely hot, and the temperature varies as you move throughout the office. The warm conference room was making me feel uncomfortable, and even somewhat lightheaded. When I went back to my desk, I was still hot (even though I'm usually cold sitting there) and just felt all over yucky. Not to mention that the fatigue I had in the morning was still with me.
So I came home at lunch to put my feet up and relax for a bit. A nap right about now would be great, but I doubt I'd be able to get up and go back to work. In addition to all of this, my neck and shoulder muscles hurt from physical therapy yesterday. My regular pain is still there, but as the therapist was trying to work out the tight muscles, she was really digging in. I'm used to this because it's the only way to get my muscles to relax (not that it totally works). But the problem is that I'm always sore the next day. It literally feels like my muscles are bruised. It hurts to touch them, but of course I do touch them because they still hurt from being tight. A no-win situation.
Well, only a few more minutes to relax before I have to go back to the office. Boo!
At 9:00, I had a meeting at work and the conference room was really warm. The temperature in my office is so crazy. It's either freezing (with cold air blowing on my neck as I sit at my desk) or extremely hot, and the temperature varies as you move throughout the office. The warm conference room was making me feel uncomfortable, and even somewhat lightheaded. When I went back to my desk, I was still hot (even though I'm usually cold sitting there) and just felt all over yucky. Not to mention that the fatigue I had in the morning was still with me.
So I came home at lunch to put my feet up and relax for a bit. A nap right about now would be great, but I doubt I'd be able to get up and go back to work. In addition to all of this, my neck and shoulder muscles hurt from physical therapy yesterday. My regular pain is still there, but as the therapist was trying to work out the tight muscles, she was really digging in. I'm used to this because it's the only way to get my muscles to relax (not that it totally works). But the problem is that I'm always sore the next day. It literally feels like my muscles are bruised. It hurts to touch them, but of course I do touch them because they still hurt from being tight. A no-win situation.
Well, only a few more minutes to relax before I have to go back to the office. Boo!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Back to Physical Therapy
When I saw the Orthopedist last week, he was happy to hear that the pain on the right side of my neck and shoulder had responded to the facet injection. But the problem was that now I was feeling more pain on the left. It's not new pain on the left - instead it's pain that's always been there but was overshadowed by the intense pain on the right. I wouldn't say that the right is pain-free, either, but definitely less intense than before. When he felt my upper traps (which have been extremely tight for YEARS), he called them "cranky." So, gave me an anti-inflammatory medication and told me to go back to physical therapy for a month and then we'll re-evaluate the situation.
The bad news is that I've been having another week of migraines. The good news is that I'm feeling them more on the left than on the right this time. They always start with intense pain in my neck, so maybe the facet injection helped ease them somewhat, since I typically feel them on the right more than the left.
Today was my first session of PT. I went back to the same therapist that treated me several months ago, since she knows my situation and what kind of treatment I can tolerate already. After a quick re-evaluation, she did some treatment. It seems that my muscles are worse off right now than they were before. I have been doing some of the exercises at home but I will have to get more regular with them. The PT session was good, but I wound up leaving there with a migraine. (I don't think it's from anything she did. I probably would have had it anyway, since I've had them daily for the last week.)
Michelle, my therapist, was surprised to find that although most of my pain seems to be coming from C-5/C-6 on my neck, my MRI showed the worst bulge at C-4. We're still trying to figure out how the torn rotator cuff on the right fits into all of this. Did the torn rotator cuff cause over-compensation with the muscles on the right side of my neck (which eventually led to over-compensation with the muscles on the left)? Or, did the bulging discs on the right cause additional strain on my shoulder, leading to the torn rotator cuff? The only thing that I know is that the rotator cuff tear is not a result of a specific injury. It happened over time, as a cumulative injury. And the pain in my neck has been going on for a long time, also.
Having Fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos doesn't help this situation. ED is a connective tissue disorder, causing increased elasticity in my body and hypermobility in my joints. And, of course, Fibromyalgia increases my pain. I would guess that the ED is probably the reason these issues came about in the first place. In general, it looks like I need to strengthen my whole body in order to stabilize everything and not ruin any more muscles! If only I had the energy for this.
Right now, I'm hoping that the migraine lessens so I can get to work today. I came home after PT and popped some Excedrin. I have no energy to get up and go. I thought doing PT in the morning would be better than going at night (when I already am out of energy) but it looks like it doesn't make much difference either way. I'll have to decide whether I want to stick with mornings so at least I have energy to do the exercises, or spend my energy at work and not have much left for PT in the evening.
The bad news is that I've been having another week of migraines. The good news is that I'm feeling them more on the left than on the right this time. They always start with intense pain in my neck, so maybe the facet injection helped ease them somewhat, since I typically feel them on the right more than the left.
Today was my first session of PT. I went back to the same therapist that treated me several months ago, since she knows my situation and what kind of treatment I can tolerate already. After a quick re-evaluation, she did some treatment. It seems that my muscles are worse off right now than they were before. I have been doing some of the exercises at home but I will have to get more regular with them. The PT session was good, but I wound up leaving there with a migraine. (I don't think it's from anything she did. I probably would have had it anyway, since I've had them daily for the last week.)
Michelle, my therapist, was surprised to find that although most of my pain seems to be coming from C-5/C-6 on my neck, my MRI showed the worst bulge at C-4. We're still trying to figure out how the torn rotator cuff on the right fits into all of this. Did the torn rotator cuff cause over-compensation with the muscles on the right side of my neck (which eventually led to over-compensation with the muscles on the left)? Or, did the bulging discs on the right cause additional strain on my shoulder, leading to the torn rotator cuff? The only thing that I know is that the rotator cuff tear is not a result of a specific injury. It happened over time, as a cumulative injury. And the pain in my neck has been going on for a long time, also.
Having Fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos doesn't help this situation. ED is a connective tissue disorder, causing increased elasticity in my body and hypermobility in my joints. And, of course, Fibromyalgia increases my pain. I would guess that the ED is probably the reason these issues came about in the first place. In general, it looks like I need to strengthen my whole body in order to stabilize everything and not ruin any more muscles! If only I had the energy for this.
Right now, I'm hoping that the migraine lessens so I can get to work today. I came home after PT and popped some Excedrin. I have no energy to get up and go. I thought doing PT in the morning would be better than going at night (when I already am out of energy) but it looks like it doesn't make much difference either way. I'll have to decide whether I want to stick with mornings so at least I have energy to do the exercises, or spend my energy at work and not have much left for PT in the evening.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
A few of my favorites
Since a lot of people have asked, I thought I would highlight some of my new favorite products. 
One thing that we've been using for a while is Method
Cleaner. We have a glass table in the kitchen, and ever since we bought it we've been using this cleaner. I had always figured that I didn't want to put chemicals on the surfact that my kids eat off of. So this cleaner replaces using Windex on the glass table. It smells great and doesn't leave any streaks.
My new favorite shampoo and conditioner is from Trader Joes. Megan loves it, too. It's called Tea Tree Tingle, and it really does tingle! It took a few days for me to get used to a different kind of clean for my hair, but now I love it. I can go 2 days without washing my hair and it doesn't feel oily on the 2nd day like it used to.
I also have been using Trader Joes Tea Tree Oil soap. It smells and feels great.
Also for my hair, I've been using Abba Pure Thermal Protect before drying and straightening my hair. With no other products in my hair, this still helps hold the style all day. Even the 2nd day, I only have to do minor touch-ups with the straightener.
As for make-up, I have found a few new products that I now can't live without. I never used to wear eyeshadow because of how oily my skin is. Eyeshadow would slide into the creases, and the color would disappear after a few hours, so why bother? Recently I was given a gift card to Ulta, so I treated myself to some new mineral make-up. I bought a set of eyeshadow by Tarte (had never tried that brand before) that came with a sample of their eye primer. I love the shadow set. It came with instructions for application, and looks awesome when applied. But the real miracle is the Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer. The first time I used the primer and shadow was for a special event. I put it on around 8:00 in the morning, and figured I'd have to touch up the eyeshadow by lunch time. Somehow, the shadow was perfect throughout the day, and into the night! Now, I've been using it for work every day and am amazed that I put it on at 7 AM, and it's still on at 10 PM. I am almost out of the sample size primer, so I went out and bought the full size product yesterday. I'm hooked.
Some of the other make-up that I've been using is Pur Minerals pressed powder, mascara and primer (the primer was also a free gift that works well). I use Bare Minerals all over face colors for blush. I like Ulta Minerals loose powder for quick touch ups during the day. For a while now, I've been using Rare Minerals facial cleanser. It leaves my skin clean and soft. I'm a little disappointed that this product is being discontinued/replaced, but I bought 2 bottles yesterday to stock up.
Another day I'll highlight some other favorites. Enjoy these for now.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Something's gotta give
Before I took a break from work, I had an informal agreement with my boss allowing me to telecommute on days where I felt less than perfect. For example, if I woke up with a migraine and took my meds in the morning, it would take about an hour before they would kick in. Rather than being an hour late for work (I would still have to shower and get dressed), I could work from home and get my work done. Or, if I knew I was extra fatigued and on the verge of coming down with something, I could get some extra sleep, take a nap if I needed to, and work later in the evening if needed. When I returned to work, I figured I would at least have the same agreement.
I set up a meeting with my boss and the department head last week to discuss my work schedule. I thought that if I could telecommute on a more regular basis, I could avoid getting sick so often and being so fatigued. The other option that I presented was to reduce my hours (and workload), maybe just by 8 hours a week, to preserve my health. What I didn't expect was that the department head would be completely against any sort of telecommuting now.
Turns out there is some "stuff" going on in the company and - to avoid the boring details - the department head appears to be scared for her job (and maybe the rest of our jobs). While she initially seemed agreeable to the reduced schedule, when she took it to her boss he vetoed it. He says that they can't afford to lose a "full time position" right now.
In the mean time, I had a follow up with the orthopedist yesterday and he wants me to go back to physical therapy. That's two to three sessions a week, 1.5 to 2 hours each time. I let my boss know about this, and he tried to help. His suggestion was that since my sick days are protected by FMLA, I could take 1 sick day a week (or there about) but spread the hours out throughout the week as needed for my appointments.
I appreciate that he was trying to help. But really, that's just not going to work. The equivalent of 1 day a week out of the office equals a 20% reduction in work time. However, I will still have 100% of the workload. The only thing I see in this situation is increased stress on me to get the job done (without the flexibility to work at home) or risk a bad performance review. I've been back to work for 6 days and already have 2 migraines (yesterday and today) and increased pain in my neck and back. I am completely exhausted, once again back to having nothing to give to my family at the end of the day. I can't keep it up.
I set up a meeting with my boss and the department head last week to discuss my work schedule. I thought that if I could telecommute on a more regular basis, I could avoid getting sick so often and being so fatigued. The other option that I presented was to reduce my hours (and workload), maybe just by 8 hours a week, to preserve my health. What I didn't expect was that the department head would be completely against any sort of telecommuting now.
Turns out there is some "stuff" going on in the company and - to avoid the boring details - the department head appears to be scared for her job (and maybe the rest of our jobs). While she initially seemed agreeable to the reduced schedule, when she took it to her boss he vetoed it. He says that they can't afford to lose a "full time position" right now.
In the mean time, I had a follow up with the orthopedist yesterday and he wants me to go back to physical therapy. That's two to three sessions a week, 1.5 to 2 hours each time. I let my boss know about this, and he tried to help. His suggestion was that since my sick days are protected by FMLA, I could take 1 sick day a week (or there about) but spread the hours out throughout the week as needed for my appointments.
I appreciate that he was trying to help. But really, that's just not going to work. The equivalent of 1 day a week out of the office equals a 20% reduction in work time. However, I will still have 100% of the workload. The only thing I see in this situation is increased stress on me to get the job done (without the flexibility to work at home) or risk a bad performance review. I've been back to work for 6 days and already have 2 migraines (yesterday and today) and increased pain in my neck and back. I am completely exhausted, once again back to having nothing to give to my family at the end of the day. I can't keep it up.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Oops!
Two mistakes...
To start with, before I took a break from work I was taking a prescription medication called Nuvigil. It's supposed to help me not feel so tired throughout the day. When I wasn't working, the doctor suggested that I stop taking it so I could rest and also so I could see if there was any improvement. Well, today is my 5th day back at work and the first day that I remembered to take the medicine!
Another oops... as I was dropping Megan off at school this morning, a reminder went off on my phone telling me that I had a doctor's appointment in 15 minutes! Thankfully the appointment was close by and I got there in time, but my boss didn't sound too happy when I called to tell him I'd be late. Oh well! It's Just a follow up with the orthopedist so it shouldn't take long but he's always running late.
To start with, before I took a break from work I was taking a prescription medication called Nuvigil. It's supposed to help me not feel so tired throughout the day. When I wasn't working, the doctor suggested that I stop taking it so I could rest and also so I could see if there was any improvement. Well, today is my 5th day back at work and the first day that I remembered to take the medicine!
Another oops... as I was dropping Megan off at school this morning, a reminder went off on my phone telling me that I had a doctor's appointment in 15 minutes! Thankfully the appointment was close by and I got there in time, but my boss didn't sound too happy when I called to tell him I'd be late. Oh well! It's Just a follow up with the orthopedist so it shouldn't take long but he's always running late.
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