Friday wasn't any better.

I worked even more! she had me help with surgery! the first catheter I butt-scratched (that was hard enough in itself) but I held for the 2nd catheter. he was all of 6# and had crap veins so it was a 'no go' but I held off and restrained and did all those things. I held for blood pulls. I held for temperatures (on 2 mildly angry cats..)  I was back and forth several times so didn't start on "my" paperwork for many, many hours. all in all, I did 11.46 hours - not how I wanted my day to go. especially for a Friday, it was still only a "Thursday". at least I did get a break at lunch (extended time for lunch) to pick up my prescription. my head was hurting by the time I got home and was in such a crap mood.

then Saturday, up early again for work. R wasn't even awake. I was very careful to not wake him when I got up, I kept the pets quiet and left silently. I tried to stick to just my paperwork and keep my light off for longer. I still helped with appointments (doing the first appointment! an 8 month 79# doberman puppy!) but tried to hide in my office as much as possible. we ended up with another emergency so I helped with xrays and catheter, but he wasn't feeling well and was sedated making my life a little easier. I was able to focus more on my files and faxes and records. it was nice. I still did 11.41 hours because I had to find all the files. by the end of the night, I was missing 1 file because we had so many emergencies and surgery files. so, I worked 33 hours for the week. that would be a typical work when I'm not sick. so if I had worked Monday - if I'd not had an MRI - I would have had normal crazy insane work hours.. 

Sunday flew by.. a blur.. what did I do? I don't even remember.. what was it? I hardly slept. with my new meds, I can't take any antihistamines. I can't take any sleeping pills. I can't take any vitamins. so.. I can't breathe at night because apparently, I actually need my Zyrtec. and, I can't bend over, can't be lateral or the brain pain is extreme. my night med was changed from 25mg to 50mg. my day med is new. i take that every 5 hours if needed. i don't have many so at 4 hours it would last 3 days.. i've been waiting 5 hours to take a 2nd.. then that is iet. i only take 2 a day.. so they do last me - but they don't really work. not that i can tell. i am supposed to see the doctor again after a week so that would be this thursday. 

we went to the dmv today to get our Real IDs and go grocery shopping - and we bought him new shoes.
I was hoping to go to Cosco for an eye exam but there wasn't enough time.  

so the MRI went smoothly

I can't say the same for my insurance.. remind me in October to pick a different company! 

I had already planned out when to leave to be able to get there on time.. and yet I left kind of late. but there was no traffic.. so I made good time. the place was easy to find following Waze directions.  

I checked in with the girl. she was clickety clacking for awhile. she asked if I had any alternate insurance, because what they had was showing as inactive. I know the payment had just gone through the day before.. my monthly payment. it DID go through. she walked around the corner to ask another girl. 2 ladies walked up to help her. I pulled up the policy on my phone and she verified that it was the same policy. one of the ladies said perhaps their web site is down. I said I have had that issue recently that many times it will be down. she ran it through anyhow because they already had the approval from within the same month. 

she walked me back to the women's changing room to prep. I had a locker for my personal items and they gave me a gown and pants. I kept my undies, socks and shoes. first I got my IV (my catheter). that wasn't bad. I was imagining worse. then I went to the waiting room. from there a lady took me to a mobile unit outside where the MRI was done. I lay on the table and had a covering for my chest and abdomen. they put cushion at my temples and ears and then put the helmet around my head, and "loaded" me into the tunnel. I had the first MRI of noises and sounds, some table vibrations, then they pulled me out of the tunnel and I stayed completely still while he put contrast into my catheter IV and then he pushed me back into the tunnel for more noises and sounds and table vibrations. and that was it. I went back to the women's changing room to get dressed again. then I left.

on the way home, I remembered that I had seen a large box on the side of the road on my drive up, mental note that it was after the "David St" onramp. so on my way home, I got off at David St and circled back to look for the box. found it pretty quickly and walked to double check it. frequently people will abandon animals in boxes or plastic bags. I've seen quite a few boxes and bags but never stopped.. and the whole time this had been on my mind. I didn't have time on the way there because I was on a time limit. I opened the box flaps and there was a plastic pet crate inside!!! there was also a roll of bubble wrap, and a brand new blue tarp (in plastic packaging). I pulled out the crate and there was only a paper pee pad inside (*phew*)

as I was getting back in the car, it looked like my rear tire was low.. oh, no.. I'll have to inflate that next chance I get. I have a tiny tire air compressor in the car, but not about to do that on I-99 with big rigs flying by. and don't want to forget and get stranded. I put the crate and bubble wrap and tarp in the car and work on breaking down the box (with the gusty wind from I-99 big rigs and cars, mind you..). I climb back in through the passenger side, start the car, and my "check engine" light is on. jeez!!! 

I wait for a break in traffic and jump back onto the freeway, get off the next exit and circle around to go south again. the car is driving pretty normal but I'm still worried. I have the 'grapevine' to get up, no easy task.. many a car is discombobulated on the 'grapevine'. as I'm nearing Tejon Outlets my car starts to feel like it's driving kind of wonky. I get off the freeway and it seems to be driving fine again. but now I have to get back on the freeway through crazy mall traffic. goodness, gracious.. 

I get back on the freeway, praying to the car gods that we can do this! not a big deal! I know this is my local putt-putt commuter and I've just gone over 100 miles but we can do this! we can make it up the 'grapevine'. we can make it home. and we did! boy, did that worry me though..

after the MRI, I came home and rested a few hours.. but cabin fever got the better of me, and I needed to start cleaning. I haven't cleaned in months. 2 months? 3 months? 5 or 6 months? I started with bathrooms because I got up to pee, and - yeah - the bathroom NEEDED to be cleaned! so I cleaned the sink and the toilet.. then later I cleaned the floor. well, okay, I'll clean our master bathroom too then. so I did that too.
and I figured Tuesday I'd clean the cat bathroom. do boxes. and toss the trash. and clean the sink, and the tub, and that nasty toilet that hasn't been flushed in years (it never gets used..) and clean the floor. well, Tuesday I had major light sensitivity and dizziness. so, no. the cat bathroom did not get cleaned. 

I went to work on Wednesday and everyone asked about the MRI. what's to tell? I didn't know the results. it wasn't bad. it wasn't scary. it didn't hurt. it just "was".
I tried to stick to *paperwork only*. I tried to stay in a dark room with the lights off. I had left at a little after 8 hours on Friday, I didn't finish everything but it was 8 hours and I was done (physically, mentally, emotionally).
when I arrived at work the boss was coming out to her car and she told me how mad everyone was that I didn't communicate, that I just left everything, and they all had to find it, and they were there late, as well as dealing with it on Saturday. the longer she talked, it was more just one person who was mad, not 'everyone'. she also told me that the things I do, my tasks dealing with controlled substance drug logs - I now have to train someone else for the days I'm not there because *we* can't get behind, she has a business to run - I've been keeping up on them, so who's getting behind? and, the web site is my log-in, so.. it is sort of awkward to train someone else to be doing that with my log-in.
I also found out that one girl, the newest one who started last summer - she's leaving. her last day is July 25th. so I wouldn't train her.
I always offer to come in on the days we're closed to catch up, so the others aren't bombarded by doing their work as well as mine - but the boss doesn't let that happen. 
the other thing was that the one person I told about the only missing files I needed for Monday, the part where I was stuck - she was the one person who was maddest that I left. and yet, she didn't know I was going home? that was kind of the whole reason I was telling her. I said 'these are the last 2 files I am missing for Monday, and the doctor still has them'. uh.. okay.. 
but, anyway.. it was the day of 52 am dental hygienist appointments and 6 pm doctor appointments. most of the am appointments cancelled because we had a wonderful april fool spring snowstorm and people got snowed in. i helped with getting a temperature on 2 doctor appointments. tried to clear my desk of random nonsense and do my paperwork to not leave for anyone else. i finished all the files so there would be no confusion of anything missing.
then they started pulling out the food for the wednesday weekly staff meeting. ugh.
we need to prepare our charts of appointment logs and invoices & costs.. ugh.
so.. I'm in it for the long haul. I - did - a - LONG - day !!! 10.64 hours !!! that's my old typical !!!
I was mad that this point. 8 hours. where's my 8 hours? what happened to 8 hours? 
it gets me more hours.. more money.. but at what cost? what's the penalty?