After a bit of a rocky start at the new job - heart problems along with insurance problems, as well as an adjustment period of getting used to full-time overnight shifts, I am now in a much better place.

I passed the tests for my Home Care Assistant license and now have been hired permanently. My cardiologist is pleased with how my heart is ( Read more... )

I got home after an overnight to find my right leg/ankle massively swollen. I haven't had edema like this since my heart issues resurfaced six years ago. That time it was the left leg. Besides a weakened heart and my work putting some demands on me in terms of lifting people and such, I tried to figure out what could have triggered this.

One of the ( Read more... )

That went easier than I was expecting. I think the short of it is, that my co-workers and the clients are liking me, so my managers are happy to accommodate my needs. I went in for the Employee Appreciation Lunch, enjoyed a burrito and then was able to negotiate not only the insurance, but to adjust my schedule slightly so I get some additional ( Read more... )

After my last hospital stay, they implanted an internal defibrillator in me. I was resistant but they really pressed that it's important and helpful. It has two modes. The first is the one where it shocks me to get my heart beating again, which hopefully I will not experience. The second is the one where my heart gets out of rhythm and it sends out ( Read more... )

I worked in a second location and as I thought, this one is lot less demanding. Not that I'm lazy or don't want to do anything but the other gig is very demanding both when the shift starts and for the last hour, which is exhausting.

This one is out in the country near my old job. It was nice to step out and get some fresh air and look up at the ( Read more... )

So the one thing we're not supposed to do on overnight shift is fall asleep. Somewhere shortly after 5 a.m. I did, briefly. I really struggled from about 3 a.m. onward. Something about the first night on hitting harder. for instance, tonight is going much smoother.

I bought a sleep mask to help with daytime sleep, though I do a decent job without ( Read more... )

Two days off was nice - and needed. So now I'm working a 12 hour shift to start my 5 consecutive overnights. I have no idea how I'm going to hold up under these conditions. I filled the tank with gas, I have extra bottles of Coke in my car, and did my best to get plenty of sleep.

Last night I had company over and made dinner and we watched Strange ( Read more... )

Now I can look to renew my heart medication sooner than later. I've been through this twice this year and while I don't mind running out for short stretches, I'm still taking risks by doing so. But I've looked at every possible way to reduce costs, and it's just not feasible sans health insurance.

June is going to be busy. I have a 5 day stretch ( Read more... )

I still have a jammed fingers injury from the bakery (pans crushing my right hand fingers) and I am compounding it by straining my left arm. One of the tough parts of my job is transfers - a thing that when I applied looked like a minor aspect of my job, not something I would be doing multiple times per shift. But I am, and hurting from same.

Every ( Read more... )

I'm having to adapt to not only working different hours, but an entirely different way of working. It didn't take 6 months to realize I needed out of the bakery and now here I am - working overnight, sitting at a desk, typing away.

Slinging baking pans at 6 am and working 9 hour days under very uncomfortable conditions. Compared to listening to ( Read more... )