WAITING FOR THE POT TO BOIL (PART II)

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Monday, March 28, 2005

Sorry About the "Cliff-Hanger"

Didn't mean to get y'all riled up with/for me and then leave you hanging for a week! I got real sick again. Today is the first day I feel remarkably better. To "V" you are awesome thank you! So, I called my union rep and she was great. After I explained everything, the first thing she said after along pause was, "....Shit." She told me my main boss---we'll call him "Mr. Limp handshake-no-eye-contact-pot-bellied-love-to-hear-himself-talk-a#%&hole ." Hmm... too long? How bout just "Limpy" got to protect the guilty now, don't we? Or I could call him what my union rep did--"A d&#k with legs!" But no, this is a PG rated blog. I digress, she told me that Limpy broke the law in this manner all the time, and that she had gone up against him before and she would love to tear him down again. I felt much better with her on my side. So I called back my boss and told him I wanted my Union Rep present and he went into a very long speech about how I had hurt his feelings, and how this was just an informal meeting, how we were family (what like Manson?) and how a union rep was inappropriate, blah blah blah. He back peddled on the whole note having to say no nausea/vomiting, just like my U.R. said he would. I have a feeling the meeting that took place after my doc appt. was very different than the one he had originally planned. I didn't take my U.R. with me after all, seems just the threat, did the trick. He told me he'd stand behind me no matter what the doc said, that I still had a job, etc. Nothing he couldn't have said over the phone. I can't go back to work at all until I have a "full release of duty." Which for my job still means the same thing as no puking, but it is legal. My doc doesn't seem to think I will necessarily ever be clear by their standards-full 12 hours any time of day/night. He officially diagnosed me with "Hyper-emmisis, moderately controlled with bed rest and medication." To be re-evaluated every two weeks. My next appt. is April 4th, trust me, full release, ain't happenin yet! So that's all I have to say about that!!!!! Whew!!!

K, lets see, update: Skin: still all broken out. Nausea: still in full effect most of the time. Cravings: Frosted Flakes and Butter Horn Dannishes. Tummy: not really showing too much yet, though I couldn't fit into my smaller end of the spectrum jeans (I am a yo-yo-er, I have a wide range of jean sizes). Perry's heartbeat as of last week: 152 BPM. Chris: still awesome; sometimes he shouts against my belly so he can talk with his "homie." Dreams: nothing weird. So far 2 dreams it's a girl and one that it's a boy. Purchases for Perry: Still nothing yet. Presents: totally flowing in. Family: really excited. Except my Grandpa, my dad tried to show him a picture of Perry and he wouldn't look at it. My dad handed him th U/S pick and he just handed it back. He said, "Poor, little babies, just don't have any privacy anymore." But when my dad went to leave he asked to keep it, to show my Uncle. He is excited too, I think he misunderstood and thought my dad was going to point out a willie or something!?! Well, I think that is everything. I will write more when something happens. Bye!

Monday, March 21, 2005

You Are Not Going to Believe This!

OK, first of all let me apologize for my absence. I still spend most of my time in bed. I feel MUCH better during the day, I rarely actually throw up between the hours of 8am-8pm any more, but that may be because I am usually in bed. I have just started attempting short journeys out, such as grocery store or book store, I make it, but it exhausts me. None of this post is a complaint, I feel very lucky, it's more of a thorough, update if you will. So I tried to go back to work this week, part time. The doctor's note said 6 hour days (half time) were fine, and IF they went OK I could return full-time. Well the first night- 6:30-midnight:30 was fine. I didn't throw up until I was in the car on the way home. The next night, I was working 1am-7am and I threw up the entire time. I couldn't eat anything and I am pretty sure, by the time I left, I was running a small temperature. It took me 10 hours of sleep before I could eat. I was very upset, but Chris and I decided I should not attempt the final day- 1am-7am. Obviously my body was not ready or willing to work those early morning hours. Well, when my boss found out, she called my at home that night (Sunday), furious. "But you said you were willing to work, even if you threw up!" she complained. "That is true," I replied, "but this was not just once or twice, which would have been workable. I pretty much threw up every single hour, and couldn't hold anything down." I wasn't comfortable saying I also had the runs and was becoming dehydrated. Then she said, "but I needed you to work Wed-Sat 7pm-7am!" I told, her I could guarantee, that wasn't going to happen but that I could work at least some of the first halves of those shifts, no problem. Sooooooooooo, here comes the part you are not going to believe:

This from the Commander of the Police Department and my boss:

I am not allowed to return to work AT ALL, until I can get a doctor's note that says, drumroll please...

"Becky, will no longer throw up. She is 100% nausea free."

Say what??????? Are these people insane???? Any pregnant woman MAY throw up ant ANY time?????? When I mentioned this, my boss said, well that is the note we need before you can come back. I told her, my doctor would NEVER give me a note like that--MAYBE he would say we could take it week by week. "Well, get a note that says that, then." Though she was obviously not pleased. Then my boss told me about my co-worker Jenna, who had hyper-emmis, was able to control her severe vomiting with steroids, seeming to suggest, maybe I could do that! Also that Jenna says she was able to not let it interfere with her job because she was able to wait until she was able to go to the restroom to vomit. Um, yeah, I love Jenna, but she works 9-5 Monday-Friday in the front office with 2-4 other people, with weekends off! I could do that! I work alone, weird/long hours, depending 100% on other people to give my bathroom breaks. I know I have written before about how horrible, my officers are about potty breaks. So, I have my mandatory doctor's appointment today at 1:50 pm, when I called and told the receptionist what my job wanted, we had a good laugh. I asked her if she had EVER heard of such a thing and she said, no. After my appointment, the Commander wants to meet with me. I can only imagine what that will be about, but if he asks me to resign, I will refuse. As a matter of fact, I have a call in to my Union Rep. because I think this is an ADA violation. Sigh. I am so mad. I am going to eat Fruit Loops and throw up a rainbow on the Commander's desk. Just kidding. I'll write the outcome later. Has anyone out there ever heard of such a thing? Does anyone out there agree that this may be a violation of rights? I'd love some feed back. Til later......