Showing posts with label psychology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psychology. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

I Was Hoping for Urgent Care – Not U-Wait While We Care for Everybody Behind You


WARNING:  Although I do not provide all the details, some of what I’ve written provides a gross picture

      What a glorious Mothers’ Day NOT – on top of the cough and leaky bladder I was having aches and pains all over my body.  I couldn’t get comfortable whereas I could sleep for very long.  I haven’t been restless before when I am sleeping in a reclining position.  At least not that I know of.  Sheets were pulled away from the mattress.  I’d have a pillow fort beneath my feet.  If I had been given the option to die, I would have taken it.

            I’d been scheduled to work both yesterday and today, but took myself out of the subbing position and left a message with the school.  Soon after I left my message, I received a call from another aid seeing if I can work her shift.  When I returned her call and she heard my voice introduce myself, she didn’t even need to explain.  It was obvious that I was not in a position to work for anyone – and yet I had had four opportunities and ended up saying “no” to all four.  I would have worked for free with the behavior challenged youth than to feel the way I was feeling.  I would have rather gone to the dentist or another tubular pregnancy.
           
            Yesterday I called a health center claiming to provide urgent care.  I don’t know what their definition of “urgent” is, but it is definitely NOT the same as mine.  They said they had a 9:40 cancellation.  Okay, that should get me home to attend the live lecture which starts at 11:00.  WRONG!  I would have been home at 10:20 if the appointment had meant anything.

            I counted eight people come in behind me.  Eight! They would come and go. One man came in and they greeted him with “Oh, you’re early.  Your appointment is not until 11:00.”  He was still seen before me!  Crimeny!

            It may not have been so bad nor may I have complained but I was feeling so awful.  There was a sign for coughers and sneezers to please wear a mask, which I did.  Only not fully at first.  I had come in early in order to fill out the paperwork – which actually had not taken that much time.  If I covered my nose, the air would fog up my glasses and I couldn’t see.  But when the paperwork was filled out and hande in, I covered my nose in addition to my mouth.  I had meant to bring in my puzzle book - I mean what person doesn’t have to wait at the doctor’s office?  At least six of the people behind me!  They even took the only other person wearing a mask before they took me.  What gives!  I just wanted a prescription for a Z pack. Why would they not want to take the masked patients first just to send them away all that much sooner?
 
            I went to the desk to ask if I had been forgotten about – I hadn’t.  Not everybody is seen by the same doctor and apparently, I was there for a specific person and not a “next-available” situation.  I visualized Tim Conway waiting on Harvey Korman in a skit that had done on the Carol Burnett show (here).  Meanwhile, I had a wall of mucus between my face and the stupid mask.  I needed to clean myself.  After the nurse had to my weight, height, pulse, etc. I asked if I could take off my mask and clean myself up.  

        She allowed me to do so, but immediately replaced my mucus-filled mask with a fresh one.  I liked the second one better.  I did not have to wait in the patient room near as long as I had in the foyer.  The doctor – who appeared as though he has already and did move a bit quicker than Tim Conway’s character – spent all of fifteen minutes with me – if that.  I have bronchitis, wasn’t breathing correctly (that’s a given.  I think my breathing gets harder as I age;  I think I have small pipes), high pulse rate (I honestly don’t know where that had come from unless it was rage from having had to wait) and a slight fever.

            He called in a prescription for a Z pack and small pills which resembles fish eggs and it’s supposed to suppress my cough – which I suppose it’s done somewhat.  At least the cough no longer seems to connect to my bladder.  Last night my fever broke and must still be breaking as it is less than 55 degrees outside and I feel like I’m in an over.  The clothes I had on this morning have been washed along with my bedding as everything was overly damp this morning.

            My last class started yesterday, but I have not participated in any of it until today.  The subject is the psychology of the brain – or at least our focus for this week’s discussion is on the brain.  Each part of the brain has a name and a function.  Trying to absorb it all is like learning a new language.  I don’t think it’s as complicated as accounting, but by the time I get it figured out, the course will be done. 

            So I am feeling a lot better today than the last three, but still not 100%.  I hope to by tomorrow.  I have two more sub days lined up for Thursday and Friday.  I hope that I will feel up to it.  Right now I do not.  But if I progress as quickly as yesterday versus today, I will be ready to return to work on Thursday.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Buying Time With Emotions.


                I have just completed and turned in my assignment for my psychology class.  I should be working on my discussion post for my other class.  I am at such a loss as to come up with a scenario or a situation that makes sense in my mind.  The lecture does not take place until tomorrow.  I HATE when the lecture is on Wednesday.  I would like all my lectures on Monday - but not on the day that the lecture is due. 

          There are pre-recorded lectures from another instructor.  I don't follow his instructions as well as I do my own.  And though I can tell from her post what it is that is expected for the discussion post, I am still at a loss.  Writing a post for my blog won't help the situation either.  Many emotions have been triggered since I started this psychology class. 

          I notice the longest entries in my journal display anger or sadness.  I'm anti-social at those times but feel the need to vent.  When I am happy, I am more social.  I would rather inter-act with family members than write about it.

          During the lecture one question asked about how we feel about change.  Change is good overall I think.  I am better with change than I used to be, although it depends on WHAT change.  When I stop by a store to pick something up, I generally want to just get in and get out.  I have not made it a secret that I don't like shopping.  It's especially annoying when I know exactly where a product is located and the merchandise has been rearranged - change has put my product on another shelf in another aisle.  That is one example of when I don't do well with change.

          Jenna is really horrible at trying to deal with change.  When the school discontinues one ritual and starts another, she gets bothered.  But then again, she is a dramatic teenage girl.  I remember being in her shoes.  I'm happy to say that I am a lot better at rolling with the punches.

          Last year we had rain.  Buckets and buckets of it.  This year we have fog.  Change. I think I prefer the rain to the fog.

          This week we're learning the difference between sympathy, empathy and compassion.  She showed us a video that I had seen before.  I found humor in the character that wanted to silver-line everything.  You can find the link here.