On Long-Term Sick Leave (long and involved)

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Well, I've been away from the Big Red Bullseye for 2 months now, and I just called 'em and said maybe 3 or 4 months more.

Back in June, I started to realize that I wasn't pulling my weight, exactly, at work. Well, I was a trooper, and busted my ass--little did I know I was actually working myself to death. I at least thought my experience and know-how would make up for my lack of speed, but anyone who works Logistics at the place knows that just doesn't cut it.

So I was working softlines unpack for the last time. I had a repack almost totally full of men's jeans, and I about lost it. It was when I'd started to push Men's Basics when my supervisor said I didn't have to stay if I didn't feel good. I told CW who'd been putting up with me that I was leaving and that "I hope I don't have to go into the hospital."

Damnit.

I ended up in the emergency room, and soon after I'd had some kind of EKG done they put me in an ambulance (800 dollars) (I've no insurance) and brought me to a rather swank hospital.

I'd had kidney failure. They gave me tons of blood, stayed for 5 days. They didn't know what was wrong, sent me home to outpatient care.

One week later, I was back for another 4 days. Diagnosis, after the big "C" word was thrown around: Sarcoidosis. BIG BIG relief.

Yeah, well, I'm in for about 15,000. And I've been really pressured, especially with these meds and my disease causing mental confusion, to fill out shitton of forms to get medicaid and disability.

So Bullseye is really taking care of me for some of my pay, which helps a lot. And they've been great.

But here I am at home, bored out of my skull, with blood sugar numbers in the 400's (it's been 600) due to the prednisone I'm taking--and that makes me sicker. But in order to treat the disease, it has to be done. And so I have to take diabetes class.

Which I had beaten (!) through, get this, a 50 pound weight loss I had incurred during my illness. People at Bullseye never noticed, never said a word. Friends, don't ignore your coworkers. Maybe they thought I was dieting--don't know. But you'd think someone would have remarked on it. My arms got stick thin, and my thighs have sagging skin in hidey-places. I really dropped a lot of weight! So the diabetes all but goes away! BUT then they put me on this drug, and bingo, I'm some kind of sugar fiend or something.

Anyway, it's been nice to be away from the SC's, I dream about work sometimes, but this is not my recommended way to vacation OR weight loss!

[Sapphire Silk]

Wow. That's a scary story. I'm happy to hear you are doing better.

Yes, you're right. We have to look out for each other. Most people tend to pull the "iron man" routine when they feel like crap . . . they don't want to be seen as slackers.

Well, we should speak up when someone really looks sick. It could save a life.

[Seshat]

Warning from experience: the 'iron man' routine can leave you permanently disabled. Don't do it.


CIHYA: good luck, I hope Sarcoidosis can be permanently cured. (I don't know, but I hope so, for your sake!)

Stick with the treatments. Get the disability, the medicaid, and all. Don't be all brave and 'oh, I don't need it, I'll muddle through': it's part of our civilisation. We look after our sick and injured.

Besides, if you don't take it up, then your costs (cost of living, cost of treatment, etc) still have to be paid by society somehow. It just becomes much harder to account for and trace. Using disability/medicaid/'the system' makes it easier for the economists.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Oh yeah--this disease is totally treatable and sometimes goes away all on its own. It's sort of a young person's disease. I got it a little old. It starts with a bad cough. And who doesn't get a cough sometimes? But this one persisted. Shoulda coulda woulda. But I waited.

[LillFilly]

Hope you're doing better. If you're having problems paying medical bills even if you're on a payment plan, there might be forms you can fill out to file for hardship status so they'll accept less as payment. In a pinch, depending on what you still owe, they may turn your account over to charity and clear it that way. I had the same issue, as much in bills as you, no insurance, and out sick from my new job for over a month. Check for representatives for that program in your hospital. Good luck!

[Akasa]

I hope you're doing better! I'm glad the Bullseye is taking care of you.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

I am on every program I can find. So yeah, I'm taking care of it. But I am a little mentally impaired, so dealing with the four or so financial aid institutions is really frustrating. I have enlisted help--that was the best thing I did. I am on "compassionate care" with the clinic and with the hospital. I am also in line for a medicaid card. And then there's Target.

It can't come soon enough. In the meantime I am still paying for the medications I must have. Yesterday I bought 50 test strips. It was 64 dollars.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

I have a permanent scar.

I have this bruise where my last IV went in, 2 weeks ago. It's absolutely purple. It went from light to dark. The IV was put in at my wrist, which has 0 body fat on it.

I also was careless with all those insulin shots I've been giving myself. It looks like I shot up in one small circle of an area on my stomach, and now I have a swollen raised black bruise there. I moved to a different part of my stomach this time. I don't have body fat on my thighs any more, so I'm not going there. It's pretty damned ugly. That's what a newbie gets when she shoots up 4 times a day.

But this bruise on my wrist is as visible as my own right hand. Hella annoying. I guess this comes with the high blood sugar. My dad has some awful discolorations on his body, but as far as I know his routine has been set in stone for a year at least. I'm sure to get a higher dosage prescribed on Wednesday. Hopefully that will be the day I receive my medicaid card! (Cross my bruised, pricked fingers).

[Seshat]

I can show nurses the exact spot where it's ideal to try to get blood from me. There's a tiny scar on the inside of my elbow, above that vein.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Today I actually called a phlebotomist off an area on the inside of my elbow. It bruises for weeks. I now have 2 tiny holes on the top of my left arm--we're going there from now on.