Many, many things

This new job is certainly taking a toll on my blogging. I am still adjusting to the schedule of working 4 9-10 hour days. I'm also forced to take a 30 minute lunch, so if I want a full payday I have to work 30 more minutes, despite the fact that I work through my lunch pretty much daily and that lunch breaks are not required in this state. My company is national and I'm sure the policy exists because some states do require it, but I hate it. I've never been subjected to it before. The time change also threw me for a loop, as did last week's blizzard; by the end I was snowed in until Monday and then only was out because I borrowed a truck for a few days. So, overall, things haven't been going all that smoothly.

On the other hand I am doing very, very well. I'm doing well at not absorbing other people's stress and making it mine. I know that this job is my last in longterm care, and quite possibly in therapy. I've been trading jobs on average once per year and that's not good (although better than once per day as that originally read!). I'm trying very hard to establish a routine and boundaries about how much I can handle. The job requires a good bit of paperwork and administrative stuff, so I have no desire for them to think I'm going to be superwoman.

I had a patient yesterday tell me that she wants ME specifically to treat her. I've had many patients I was really close to before. One of them would hide from anyone who tried to cover from me. I've had a number who preferred me because they did not want my assistant. But I've never really had enough of a caseload consisting of cognizant patients who had a choice (for a long time I was the sole OT where I worked) so that someone liked me best. It feels good.

I also won a game of Scrabble during the storm. That's 2 in a row. I think some of my cognition is back. Actually this is showing up more and more; I can concentrate with noise and even music around. I have a better memory. I can sit and write paperwork for 4 hours and be ok.

I found out today that my 24 hour urine test showed I am peeing far too much. But my bloodwork was fine, so I can take a full dose of the medicine to help. I've lost 10 lbs since starting this so I'm hoping the new dose will be as successful.

Hmm, what else? I had a weird moment the other day. I was evaluating a somewhat confused but very sweet lady. About 10 minutes into it she was looking into my eyes while we talked and she just suddenly said "there's something wrong with your eyes". I couldn't believe it. I DO have a couple problems with my eyes; my left eye drifts left and doesn't focus with the right. I don't see a ton out of my left eye and my right eye prescription overcorrects to help with this. It's mild, enough so that it wasn't diagnosed until I was an adult. I have problems with depth perception sometimes and am not good at reading across grids. I have no idea how she saw this. I can't wait to ask my eye doctor.

That's about it. I just dug through the closet and my desperate search turned up one last pair of pants. I'm having a big old party about that. Too tired for laundry.

More later.