A Communication Space for Jaeteuk and bestVase7265 only. (Please do not reply or respond, thank you)

So, I left work 2 hours earlier on Tuesday because I was having a really bad allergic reaction to a shampoo I used Monday evening. My face was had red bumps all over and it was very itchy. Normal over-the-counter allergy medication did not work. Got home, and found i had prescription medication. Took that before bed and stayed home on Wednesday. The allergies were getting better by the afternoon, but I started having abdominal pain since the morning. The pain is on and off, and sometimes it's a sudden sharp pain, or a very dull ache. It lasted into Thursday, where I went back to work. But once I completed my primary tasks, I checked myself into ER. Was there for nearly 4 hours. Bloodwork showed my white blood cells are high, which means there's some sort of inflammation going on.. was asked my the ER doctor to get an ultrasound done on Friday, then check back in with them for the results. I went over to the department to see if I could an appointment for tomorrow. They tell me the outpatient list is fully booked, asked me to call them 10am in the morning.

It's 2:20am now.. I'm having trouble sleeping.. too worried about the pain and what's causing it.. all day Thursday, I had a nurse help me check my vitals twice in my shift.. and my pulse and blood pressure is much higher than normal, so she suspects there's something definitely going on in my body. And with the bloodwork results, that seconds her guess. Now, I just hope there's a spot for me to do the ultrasound sometime on Friday. The only thing is, I need to be on an empty stomach.. and with whatever the results come out to be, if surgery is needed, I could do it there right away too. And will continue to be an empty stomach. When I went to ask about the appointment, they said there's a spot on Saturday at 3pm, but I was like, the ER Doctor told me to get it done on Friday, so I'll just call them in the morning.

And you know what, when I went to work on Thursday, one if my colleagues asked me how I was feeling, I said not feeling very well. Allergies are fine, but something else is bothering me. Her reply was "that's too bad". What kind of response is that? She might as well not ask me if she doesn't really care for my honest answer. They might hear about it this morning.. as the charge nurse last night said she left a note for the desk clerk that I went into Emergency.

So, I ended up staying overnight in the ER from Friday night. Was finally discharged Saturday around 1pm, but I'll need to return to the Outpatients Department for the next 4 days for IV therapy. So, continuously have an IV stuck in my arm, and return there daily for antibiotics fluids for 30mins until Wednesday. They will reassess my condition on Wednesday to see if further treatment is needed. So, I'll be calling in sick for the first 3 days of the week to begin with. As I can't really work with the discomfort of the IV wrapped up to my arm, and won't have the energy to do the work that is expected of me while on a clear fluid diet for 7 days. But I think, even if further treatment is not needed, I'll still call in sick for the rest of the week just so my body can recover from this diet and the lack of rest.

I haven't really slept much since Thursday night. As I only slept for about 2 hours Thurs night, then went to work Friday. Staying overnight in ER in a reclining chair.. with two other male patients in my area for the night.. where one snored and the other kept getting up to the washroom every hour.. the one that slept the most, poor guy.. he has sleep apnea, so he was woken up by nurses every 2 hours to check up on him. I was awake the entire night. As my sleeping environment at home.. is pitch black and the sound of my air purifier fan turned on (acts like a noise cancelation to other noises around the house my family makes).. but the nurses' conversations kept me entertained. I took my glasses off, closed my eyes and rested them. But couldn't sleep or nap at all.

When I got home this afternoon, I took a shower and went to bed. But couldn't really sleep. I'm not exactly sleepy for some reason. And it's uncomfortable no matter how I have my arm with that IV wrapped to it now. So, I think I'll just wake up and maybe sit around on a couch or something. Pay some bills before I forget. And maybe wait until nighttime before I try and sleep again. Since I can drink clear fluids.. maybe I'll drink some chamomile tea.. as it's known to suppose help with sleep.

I was discharged from the IV Therapy today. My arm was starting to bruise around the area of the IV, so it's good that it can be removed. Given a new antibiotic prescription to take at home for the next 2 weeks, and referred to the on-call General Surgeon to follow-up with a colonoscopy. Coincidentally, the on-call General Surgeon this morning is the same Dr that told me last Thursday that I don't need to go to Emergency to get my abdominal pain checked out. Going to surprise him. 

I can also ease out of my fluid diet, starting with soft foods. I think I'll still take the remaining of the week off, just to let my body recover from the lack of sleep and energy in foods I eat. Health is definitely more important than the lack of staff at work. I bumped into one colleague in the hallway as she was bringing specimen to the lab, I gave her a heads-up that I'll most likely return next week, to allow my body to recover.

So, I called the office yesterday for the General Surgeon doing my Colonoscopy, left a message and received the call this morning. It has been booked 2 months from the admittance to the ER, so it will be for end of April. I asked about the antibiotics and diarrhea, the secretary says that it's common, and it's more severe because of my condition. So, since I have another 6 days of antibiotics, until next Tuesday. I probably won't be able to work my scheduled Mon-Wed of next week. I've emailed my Manager telling her this latest update, and said I'll return to work most likely the following week, to cover a colleague's vacation for the last 2 weeks of March instead. 

So, I went to see the Locum GP this morning. She was about to get up and leave, and I was like, "can I ask you 2 questions? Do you speak/understand Cantonese? Because my dad will come see you in an hour, and it'll be easier if he can use Cantonese." Then, I said, "I don't often bump into someone with the same first and last name of a person I once met, where you ever in Scouting? Sea Scouts? She said yes. She didn't recognize me, but when I mentioned my brother's name, she remembered him. When I was getting up to leave the little room, I was like, I'm glad I asked you, otherwise, I'd be thinking about it all day. So that was cool. I went home and told my brother before he left for work, that it is the same girl from Scouts. He was like, wow, can't believe she became a doctor. If I remember correctly, she a few years younger than I and it seems like she's married, as she has a ring. 

So, with this appointment, it was to follow up with asking why I still feel extreme fatigue during the duration of my period. Although starting this month, I'm only getting some spotting during the usual time, but the fatigue is still lingering. I told her, it's so severe, that I could fall asleep sitting. She was like, I see you have a Gynaecologist. I told her, I went to the Gynaecologist before and asked about the fatigueness, and it was that doctor who told me to see my GP, as it has nothing to do with the IUD. So, this Locum, ordered some bloodwork for me. I then asked her, to check off everything, like doing a physical exam, as I said, I don't think I've ever tested for cholesterol and such before. Since she ordered the fasting glucose, I've purposely booked the appointment for early April. I figured, the time my period comes is in the first week of the month; so I thought, maybe it'll be more accurate to check the Iron and the other things during that time. 

The fatigue was the first thing I wanted to ask her about, since this appointment was made before my ER visit. The second question was about my ER visit and what I was diagnosed with. I mentioned briefly that I work in the Hospital, and spoke with a General Surgeon briefly for a consult before I first checked myself into ER. The Surgeon mentioned something about Chronic Constipation. I asked the Locum about it. Told her that my mum says even as a baby, my stool had always been hard and dry. I said I searched online and said there was some sort of disease found in infancy that affects the colon. She said, if I did have the problem, it would've still be noticed when I was younger. I asked her, is there a way to test for it now, she says No. But, when I searched online, I saw that a General Surgeon while doing a colonoscopy, can take a biopsy to check for it. So, maybe I'll mention something about it when I go for my colonoscopy in end of April. For now, the Locum just suggested I take some laxatives, or try to have intake of more fibre and whole fruits & vegetables. I told my mum about it, she says, to try the fruits & vegetables first, before trying the other over-the-counter product. 

So, this morning, for breakfast, I had some toast with avocado. And after eating, I noticed the filling for a chipped tooth in January is gone. So, after my appointment with the Locum, I went to my dental office, walked in and asked if I can see the dentist today. Reception booked me in for 1.5 hours later. I went back at that time, and waited for like 45 minutes in the dental chair (apparently the receptionist squeezed me in at the dentist's lunch break). So, I was hoping that he could do the filling again, as the previous one was done by his son, thought it fell off because of the lack of experience. But after he looked at it, he says a crown is more ideal, because now, half of my tooth is missing, and every time a filling is needed, they need to shave off part of the tooth. So, there really isn't much tooth left if he puts another filling on. My parents have said that this dental office is a rip-off in price. So, we recently found out, that a family friend's daughter is a dentist. She will move back to our hometown, officially in May. But for now, is in a Dental Centre once a week. I just called the office, there is an opening March 28th at 10am. I just took the appointment, then, I realized, I have to work.. but my shift starts at noon, so even as an examination, the appointment will only take one hour, so I should still be able to make it work on time. If not, I'll just have to call them saying I'll be running late, as I probably should have lunch first before I head to work. Now, I'll just look like I have half a tooth missing, it's very noticeable, as it's the tooth on the left of my front teeth. People won't know at work, since we need to wear a mask. But I can feel the gap with my tongue, and I'll have to be more careful with the foods I eat until that crown is made, don't want more of the tooth to break, otherwise, it would be an implant that's needed and not just a crown.

Sorry for a very long post. It seems like many things happened in one day all of a sudden. The tooth was unexpected.

My dad's appointment, he went to get an x-ray of his lungs after seeing the Locum, as he mentioned he seemed to be more easily out of breath when walking uphill or playing sports. And doctor also booked him for a Stress Test with a Cardiologist. I got a call at home from the Cardiologist's office after my dental appointment. Dad's appointment isn't until end of June. He's also getting more bloodwork done, as the previous one did not test for the fasting glucose.

Since yesterday, the lump on my dad's neck is starting to hurt. He says, before, when he first went into Urgent Care to see the doctor, it did not hurt. He only felt that it's uncomfortable whenever he swallows. But starting yesterday afternoon, he says swallowing causes the lump to hurt, and that it also hurts when he presses on it. He had trouble sleeping last night, because he scared himself as he searched online that it may be thyroid cancer. Last night, I told my mum, that thyroid cancer is common in people 70+, as I see many patients every Friday at the hospital getting the cancer removed. I'm not sure if my mum told my dad about it though. 

So my mum said, if dad is still not feeling so well tonight and tomorrow morning, they will walk into Emergency. My dad is the type of person that doesn't have much patience. So when we went into Urgent Care the past Tuesday, and the doctor says that he will send the requisition for the ultrasound into the hospital.. that we should expect a call from them either end of this week or early next week.. My dad impatience kept questioning everyday, whether or not the call came from the hospital yet. At first, he was asking me to stop by Medical Imaging during my shift tomorrow, and ask if the ultrasound appointment has been booked yet. But, if my dad ends up going into Emergency tomorrow, then, maybe they'll do the ultrasound then. I heard from my mum, he had to take a pain medicine last night before bed.

So, I don't have work until April 22nd. Over this past Easter long weekend, my brother paid and upgraded a program where we will now work together on. Relaunching our business. We will have a designated coach for the next 12 months to help us through along the way. We have a Zoom meeting as a kickoff start this Thursday morning, which both my brother and I will attend. We are aiming only for success this time. Hopefully, it will help pay some bills and expenses for our household, and maybe earn enough to have a family vacation (we haven't gone on a real vacation as a family of four for more than a decade). I actually don't remember when was the last time the four of us went on vacation together. So that would be like a surprise for our parents. 

I'm waiting for a phone call appointment this morning from my GP, to discuss about my bloodwork results. Also, my dad is seeing an Endocrinologist tomorrow, which I will also go with him to. Hopefully they allow both my mum and I to go inside the office together with my dad. My parents understanding of English isn't that good, so, I'm almost like their translator or at least help them listen in on what the Doctor has to say to make sure they understand what is being said.

Oh, did I mention that another problematic colleague is joining our team? She starts the same week I return to work. Not looking forward to it, but just like how the current problematic colleague I have now, I avoid going into the same work space area, when she's there. So, I think for now, I'll have to avoid that area where she will be working in. The good news is, we only have 2.5hrs where our shifts overlap. And I'll also be training a new Casual on Tuesday and Wednesday of my work week. With more days of training in May. She is the daughter of one of our clerks, she just finished the course, so works as a Casual both in the department below us, and now, the OR too.

At the end of this month, after my week of work, I have the colonoscopy. A bit nervous about it, but I know my doctor is one of the best of the team of surgeons of General Surgery. So, I'm hoping things go smoothly. Aside from using sedation for dental appointments, this will be my first local anesthesia. Hopefully my body will react well to it.

So, during my dinner break at work today. A nurse came in halfway, suddenly asked if I've ever raised dogs before. She was wondering if I'd be interested to house-sit her Frenchie when she goes on vacation with her family. I told her I'll have to ask my mum and see if she'd let me stay at her place. She said she had her dog at her sister's over the Spring Break for 2.5 weeks, and her dog was very stressed. At 6 months only, being in an unfamiliar environment. She would rather someone stay over at her place and take care of her puppy while she's away for vacation.

The nurse says she trusts me. That's why she asked if I'd be up for it. She says her next family vacation will be in August. I can treat it like my own vacation. Staying in an all inclusive condo, she said she'd pay me and have the fridge full of food. It would be an interesting experience. Her place is close to mine, I pass by it every time before, when I went to my dentist.

So, a colleague messaged me early yesterday (Sunday) morning, asking if I could work for her today. Her Co-op at a fire in 3:15am the past Saturday. She asked me to call her at the beginning of my dinner break tonight. Saying that she at first was told she was able to go back into her suite today, but was told they aren't allowed back yet. As restorations are needed for the building, she's no longer sure if she can come to work for the remaining of the week. She wanted to talk to me to see what my schedule is like and if I could cover for her. She says if she's not allowed back in her unit, she will have to find a place to stay.. and she doesn't know how long it would take before they tell her it's okay to move back. Her cat is stressed and she almost had a breakdown while talking on the phone with me. She stayed at her daughter's over the weekend, but if it takes months before they can live in the suite, she's going to have to find a temporary place to stay.

I have plans of my own this week, with appointments on Wed and Thurs.. and I have to check my schedule for tomorrow and Friday. Plus, I know that even if I can't work, the staff will be able to work things out. They have before and since I originally had this week and next week off, my schedule is kind of packed already.

My brother and I are giving it another go in re-launching our business. He paid extra money so that we get a one-on-one coach for 6 months. So, there are live courses that I can attend everyday Monday to Friday to learn the material, as a refresher. We are aiming for success only this time. That's what I'm spending the majority of my days without work doing. So, like today, I wasted a day of working on the business as I agreed to fill in for the absence for my colleague.

So, I ended up attending 2 workshops today. One in the morning, and one at 3pm. The lunch went well, I was actually a bit worried that my bowels will act up because I haven't eaten out much, or that was my first time in that restaurant. But luckily, nothing happened afterwards. It was nice to see my Aunt, all healthy, not exactly very happy though. I chatted with her more, as I walked with her in the mall, as she made her way to the Skytrain station. While we parted ways with my parents after walking out from the restaurant as they needed to go make a return of a cupboard somewhere. It was nice to have a short chat with my Aunt. I just asked her random questions about her daily life, like how many times she ate out with friends for lunch, or if over the weekends, she'd go out for dinner with my cousin. My cousin (her daughter), they all live under the same roof. Before COVID, I knew they went out to eat either on the Saturday or Sunday. So, when I asked my Aunt, she says they now order take-out and they would go pick up the order, rather than have it delivered to save money. I asked her about her grandkids, how they were doing in school. Since she had to hurry back to pick them up from school, I asked her how long it takes for her to use transit to get back home. As she'll need to go home first, then use her car to get the kids.

People at work asked me to work again today, and I got a shift call-out for tomorrow.. but I told one colleague this morning, I'm busy today and tomorrow with appointments. Which is true.. The workshops I attended today, and the "appointment" of meeting my Aunt for lunch.. Then, tomorrow, I've got a dentist appointment, and I could attend more workshops. Knowing that people at work can accommodate to my absence, along with the other lady that had a fire in her area, I'm not sweating it too much to agree to work the hours. I was asked by one colleague this morning if I could just pop in for 4 hours.. but the thing is, to me.. it's not worth it to work just 4 hours. Since I pay for parking for every shift, it's $4 for 14hrs, if I just work for 4 hours and not the full 8-hour shift, that's like paying $1/hour. I know it's not much money, but it just doesn't seem worth it. 

Plus, right now, I'd rather focus on making progress in relaunching my business than to pick up extra shifts aside from what has already been pre-booked for me. My brother paid a lot of money to upgrade our program, and I'll need to use all the available resources to my advantage as it's offered with this upgraded version.