Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Blessings &/or Blessings in disguise?

It's been a while since I've written anything about my experiences at work and my migraine issues. In some ways, there have been big changes and other ways, there has been no change at all. Confusing, huh? Yeah, it is to me, too. Avoiding the deep narratives: Big changes = new doctors/meds/treatments. No changes = office attitudes/policies.
  • October 7th - Neurologist appointment where WorkComp was to have provided the air/fragrance test results. No show. When I asked the WorkComp girl about it two weeks later, she said that a letter would be sent to my doctor. I got a copy... no test results. Just a list of questions that she told me that she was sending to my doctor - BACK IN JUNE/JULY.
  • November 11th - New care provider. A remarkably nice and attentive woman who is willing to share information and insight. [She's a ARNP, not an MD.] Such a refreshing change. [She also discovered - right off the bat - that I have a significant Vitamin D deficiency. I've never EVER been tested for that. Now we are working on getting those levels balanced and getting my health into a holistic picture... and I am very interested to see how/if these changes will affect my migraine symptoms.]
  • My overall interpretation of the WorkComp and office attitudes is that it has all "gone underground". The office staff has gone completely silent on the topic and the WorkComp people will not even release the test results to my doctor(s). It's like the situation was swept under the rug and forcibly forgotten.
A new "big change' actually prompted this 'catch-up' and I got it yesterday, 12/1 (30 minutes before I left for the day): The department that absorbed my work area back in January/February... is doing it again. I and the two guys who are my work-neighbors were told that "six new employees" will be moving into our work areas next Monday. So, we have that long to get our work areas moved out... and the only place for us to go is slightly east of "perfume central".

Kicker: They are moving the three of us TONIGHT. It rather concerns me what we will find when we go to work tomorrow. I took some time today to box up some of the smaller things and my lamps, unplug all the computers & monitors and try to protect anything that might be in danger of easy breakage. [I still hope that nothing is lost or broken.]

In truth, I'm trying really hard to see these events and changes (or non-changes) as blessings &/or blessings in disguise. Some blessings are clear: They have allowed me to establish working relationships with two very good care providers. They have allowed me to see that an aspirin regimen is actually doing some good and that my body is healing and I am coping better. They have brought to my attention things that I can change and things that I can find ways to cope with.

The blessing in disguise is moving farther away from a handful of persistent fragrance sources... and returning closer to the ones I was escaping back with the July move. I don't know what will come of it. [However, it may prompt a letter to my doctors to update them on the new situation and my hopes that our work (i.e. treatments) will not be undone. It may also give them weight in getting the test results from WorkComp. I still want those test results.]

One thing is for certain... the next several days and weeks could be challenging in many ways.
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God Bless & Godspeed.

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