Well, it's been an experience, working again. I come home absolutely exhausted. The day flies by, because I'm so busy. I like the people I work with, although some of them I really don't know very well. There are three secretaries, each doing different jobs. My job is mostly in the clinical side, which means I basically take care of anything to do with patients, like going to team meetings with the medical director, auditing charts, making sure our t's are crossed and our i's are dotted.
The other two girls are mostly in accounts receivable. Next week, the other two secretaries are going to Dallas to learn the AR stuff, so I'll be the only one in the office. My boss is getting prepared though. She has one Home Health Aide on light duty from a broken ankle, so she called her in to answer the phone that never stops ringing. She called in another girl to help do filing, which there are mountains of all the time. That leaves me to do everything else.
I started making my Monday to-do list before leaving the office today, and it was very depressing. I feel swamped and overwhelmed, but I guess that's no different than I've felt ever since I got there.
We don't have our computers yet, so eight people are sharing two very very slow ones, which is ridiculous, but the new ones come next week, along with a whole crew to move any software we want moved, to rewire the office for faster internet, to network them, and all that technical stuff. Then our trainers for the clinical part will be here the end of September, too far away for me. We need them now!
I thought today of something I really needed to blog about. It's something that happened to me a couple of months ago, when my balance problems from my ear surgery were very bad. I couldn't walk without stumbling. At home I managed ok, but out in the open, especially in parking lots or stores, I had no nearby point of reference and it was like I couldn't get my bearings enough to even stand.
My husband bought me a cane, which I had to admit really did help a lot. We went one morning to IHOP for breakfast. I didn't want to take the cane in, but he said that was what we bought it for, times like that, so I did. Everyone waiting in the lobby turned and stared at me when we went in. Then when the hostess came to seat us, she looked at me and spoke very deliberately and slowly, "I'll walk slow honey, we'll take our time." She said it in a voice like I was deaf and retarded as well as physically unbalanced.
Everyone throughout the restaurant turned around to look at me, or that's how it felt to me. Then the waitress made a big deal of saying loudly, "Can you manage in a booth or would you rather me seat you at a table?" I was so embarrassed. I mumbled something about the booth being fine and slid in and quickly hid the cane under the table. I've thought about that experience ever since. I knew the cane was a temporary thing, that I'd get better. Some people don't. And some have even more obvious aids than a cane. I think I got some glimpse of the way they must feel on a daily basis. I think the experience made me much more empathetic to physically challenged people.
I no longer need the cane. I only have some slight stumbling when I get up too fast. I jumped up too fast at the office the other day and almost fell over my chair. My boss laughed and asked how much I had to drink at lunch. I just laughed. I didn't explain about the surgery.
I think I'm going to like working. I know I'll like the money. My middle son still has a year and a half of college left, and his savings won't pay tuition that long. My youngest son just moved and has no furniture, and is tapped out from all the deposits, etc. This money will give me a chance to help some. Plus I'd like to be able to give to some causes I support, like Planned Parenthood.
So it will be nice to be able to do that, too. I won't be making that much, but I should have a little left over for things like that.
I'm so glad it's Friday. I'm going to sit on my butt and do nothing all weekend and enjoy every minute of it. A few writers I know, and I, started a blog. We have a continuous story going on there. Each of us takes turns writing a paragraph. I started it off, and have added a couple along the way. I think it's an intriguing story, and it's fun to see where it goes.
I miss having time for writing. I guess once I get my computer at work, I can do that some during slow times. I won't have any vacation or sick days until six months, which sucks royally, but I can take off a day now and then without pay.
Well that's about all the news on the home front for now.
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