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29 March 2014

It's SATURDAY!!! For those that don't know, I'm beyond excited today because I worked 10 straight days!

Speaking of work, yesterday was a doozy. Multiple phone calls and emails were required to accomplish me changing my schedule and being open and available for a slightly longer shift just so that I could accompany my client to a mandatory V.A. disability exam.

I have asked in the past to be notified if my client had an upcoming dental or medical visit because it seemed silly for her guardian to have to pay someone to be her chaperone and medical advocate when I am already there with her. Plus, I didn't feel the person they utilized for that role REALLY had my client's best interests in mind. She wouldn't even take any of my suggestions for items to take along to keep my client happy and occupied. As in, the medical advocate really didn't care to get to know my client AT ALL.

Well, no one took my request at face value and they continued to utilize this other person. Then, out of nowhere, the guardian called the facility and asked if they could provide someone. The charge nurse told them that I am not their employee, but that I come 5 days a week and would probably be perfectly happy to fill that role.

The nurse then asked me if I could do so for this V.A. disability exam. I called my work and asked that they take care of getting all necessary approvals so I would be covered for being "off site" and they would be able to bill for more than the normal length shift, in case the appointment and transportation both ways went over.

Bottom line, lots of communication and planning went into this whole thing. The letter from the V.A. insisted that they were doing these period "workshops" where they saw multiple clients in one day for the sole purpose of evaluation for disability, so we were asked to only request the appointment be rescheduled in cases of serious conflict. Needless to say, an 8 am appointment is not ideal for my client, as it really throws off her normal schedule. They have to get her up at like 5 am, shower her, dress her, feed her, and have her ready to be picked up by 6:45.

I got up at 4:45 to do my normal morning stuff. I put a lot of thought into what to bring with for me and my client, esp. since we could get stuck after the appt. waiting for return transportation to the facility.

I got to the facility at 6:30 a.m. I saw a medical transport vehicle parked in the far corner of the lot, obviously just hanging out waiting for the pick up time. That made me think everything was A-O-K.

I took care of my client, getting her ready to be outside in the elements. I stopped in the kitchen and got a brown-bag lunch and beverage for my client.

Since the van was already outside (or so I thought), I grabbed her envelope with medical chart info from the nurses station and headed outside to the covered porch. After 5 minutes of waiting, I went out in the rain and knocked on the van's drivers' side window. I asked if he was there to pick up my client. He said that it was another client.

I waited another 5 minutes and then when the driver came through the front door to go get HIS client, I asked him to tell the nurse inside that they needed to check on MY client's transport status.

Five minutes later I returned inside, only to be told that no one was answering at the V.A. and that they had NO idea what company was to have provided the transport. When the facility's social worker got in, she too tried to get to the bottom of things. Her role had been to fill out the form requesting transport, but because of the government bureaucracy, had been instructed to fax it to Medicaid for ultimate disposition. They apparently don't bother to send confirmation. She left messages for people at multiple offices and we did not hear back AT ALL on Friday.

I kept my client company as she slept to make up for her very early start. It was a little hard to switch gears, after having planned to be out and about. I felt bad that our day had taken such a dramatic turn, all for nothing. I would have rather kept my client company in the afternoon, as there was a facility birthday party and musical entertainment. Instead, she was only awake for 1 hour of my time with her.

I was ANGRY!!! It took me almost 2 hours before I wasn't LIVID over the screw-up. Now, my poor client will just have to go through all this AGAIN at some point in the next two months. I'm pissed that when it was the paid medical advocate (who gave next to no thought over all the details and how to make it better for the client), everything went off without a hitch. But, when it was me, who over thinks everything and worries about her client's happiness, THIS HAPPENS!!!

The only positive is that I insisted when they reschedule this stupid appointment, they request a later time. So, hopefully things will go smoother with less disruption to my client.

OK. Totally done venting. I got home yesterday afternoon and put on my walking outfit. I waited and waited for a break in the rain. When it came, I rushed out and managed to get in a 1 hour 10 minute walk with only 15 minutes of rain. It is pouring again today and this makes Day 5 of our NW March Mayhem Rain Storm. I am ready for the sun. You hear that, Mother Nature? I have an awesome 3-day anniversary trip in one week and my daughter has a photo session in 5 days (which she has put off multiple times and those kids just keep growing and changing!)

Please cross all fingers and toes for us! Heading off to do some crafting.

(2 comments)

26 March 2014

Ahhh, I'm almost through this week and I simply can't wait for Saturday. One more week until my husband and I go away. It is pouring outside right now, as it has been on and off since yesterday. Whenever I have a trip planned, I am encouraged when the sunshine is broken by some stormy weather, mostly because it means hopefully the rainy weather will run its course and we'll be blessed with some nice weather! Fingers and toes crossed!

Up until today, I have walked in many different types of weather and thought I had dealt bravely with inclement weather. Ha! Today tested my mettle, that is for sure! I brought my workout gear with me to work and changed when my shift was over. I drove most of the way home and parked in my town's downtown area. It wasn't raining at the time, but looked ominous. I got 15 minutes into my walk when the downpour hit. It was raining sideways and in no time flat my legs were drenched and my shoes and socks were soaking wet. I figured, since I'm this wet already and pretty far from my car, I might as well finish my walk. The rain let up somewhat, no longer a deluge but simply raining steadily. I made it back to my car an hour after I had parked it and had to strip off my rain jacket before getting into the car. I sorely wished I had a towel handy, but sat down with a squelch and drove home. I had to strip off my shoes and socks before walking in the house and wrung out my clothes in my bathroom, lol.

I am so proud of myself that I haven't let ANYTHING get in the way of sticking to my routine - not illness, back pain, pulled muscles, terrible weather, or opportunities to do something else instead. Yesterday was the only day that I honestly was just so tired from my long run of consecutive work days that I was unable to fit it in and still make it to my evening discussion group.

Onward ho! Not making myself and my workouts a priority in the past is what slowed my weight loss, so this time I am sticking with it come heck or high water (and let me tell you, I walked through some REALLY high water today!)

(3 comments)

25 March 2014

Today made 7 consecutive days working, with three more after today. Saturday can't come soon enough. Yesterday was beautiful. I took advantage by going for a long walk with my daughter and grandson (each one of us pushed a stroller). For the first time in my entire life, I had more endurance than my daughter!

Today I have a discussion group to go to after dinner, so exercise is out. Since I've been working out 6-7 times a week, I'm going to give myself a free pass tonight. In other news, the beautiful clock I ordered for me and my husband's 25th wedding anniversary, arrived today. I tried to post a picture of it with this journal entry, but didn't get anywhere using the icon for adding an image. Anyone know how to do it? I even copied the picture and tried to cut and paste. Stupid program, lol. It is a beautiful 12" square bamboo back and edge with embossed roman numerals on the glass cover and the hands contained underneath. It's a little noisier than I had hoped after reading reviews of similar Bulova clocks. Still, we looked long and hard for a clock that was unusual and almost a piece of art. Our old clock was substantial and lasted us for 27 years, so we wanted something comparable.

In my last journal post I commented about needing to really stand up for myself with my employer. Well, as I was typing this, the phone rang. Yup, it was them. She was asking me to work with the same "one time" clients again this coming weekend. I told her no. She said, "Oh, I know that you've been working a ton, so I understand." I corrected her and said that it wasn't just that I'd been working so many straight days, it was that my main client that I see 5 days a week is already more hours than my doctor recommends, so I just didn't want to work above and beyond that ANY time and that I would contact them when and if I was looking for additional hours. I was proud of myself for being so blunt.

Today is stormy, but I don't mind. Too many sunny days in a row makes me long for a change in weather. I guess that's why I'm a NW girl at heart, lol.

(11 comments)

23 March 2014

I'm so glad Sunday is here. I've pushed through the pain and discomfort all week, exercising even when I didn't want to. I have felt sort of like the "old" me, in that I wonder if this is going to be my lot (having back and leg pain whenever I commit to an exercise regimen if I add in ANYTHING else, like life/work/you name it!) I had a long day yesterday, working from 9-1 and then accompanying my son's girlfriend (and her mom) shopping for a prom dress. It has been YEARS since I've shopped that way, for good reason. I park close to the store I'm planning to shop in or order online (my preferred method). Not only did the young lady's mom park far from the store, but no one told me there were multiple stores she wanted to check out. I just had to grin and bear it. Thankfully, she found a lovely dress at the second store and bought it.

We met up with my daughter and infant grandson for lunch at Baja Fresh. For the second time in a row (eating Mexican, that is), I ordered two tacos, but dumped the contents out of the second one to avoid another tortilla. I had TWO, count them TWO tortilla chips with salsa, lol. Even my daughter, who doesn't have to worry about her weight, commented that it was stupid how you just keep eating when something is in front of you and that was the case with those tortilla chips (for her, anyway!)

We sat outside and enjoyed the mild temperatures and sunshine. We played with the baby and just talked and cracked jokes. It was a lot of fun. Once we got home, I headed off to the high school track and walked for an hour. Then, off to the grocery store to stock up on lots of vegetables. I even bought sweet potatoes to make a recipe I found on this site (sweet potato baked fries).

I was pretty exhausted by the time I had prepared the sweet potato fries and headed upstairs with my salad and fries. I slept like a rock last night and somehow managed to turn OFF my alarm instead of turn it on. Thank goodness I have a pretty good internal clock, but I was still 20 minutes behind getting ready. At least this one-time client lives closer to me, so the drive is pretty short.

Alright, I'm done complaining and I will just try to be happy with my consistent downward trend. I just worry that I'm going to have to slow down on the exercise and then my weight loss will slow down. Sigh. My cross to bear, so to speak.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Weigh-in: 181.0 lb

lost so far: 9.0 lb

still to go: 21.0 lb

Diet followed 100%

(6 comments) losing 1.5 lb a week

18 March 2014

So, yesterday I got to work and I had deep muscular pain and/or nerve pain in my right glut and thigh (the opposite side of where I usually suffer from nerve pain). I also had spasms and pain between my shoulder blades. It was difficult to perform every one of my work tasks (caring for my client, pushing her in an unwieldy chair).

It had been four days since I did a new yoga routine, two days since my last strength training (in which I didn't overdo it at all or change the routine at all). My walking had been pretty basic, except for walking about 10 minutes extra one day, with a little more hills than normal.

I got home from work, after hitting the grocery store, and proceeded to cook for St. Patrick's Day. When my daughter arrived with her two boys, I had planned on telling her to take over with dishes, etc. due to my injury. That isn't how it went down. It always seems to be that either SHE isn't feeling well or has other errands, etc. to do, so I end up helping care for her boys on top of everything else. I ended up calling out for my Tuesday shift in the hopes that a day off would help me heal faster.

I skipped my workout on Monday, obviously, but was feeling pretty stir crazy today. Sitting around too much gives me other aches and pains, so by about 1:00 pm I headed out for a walk. I took a very flat route and walk at a more leisurely pace as compared to my norm.

It was a beautiful day and the first half of the walk was going SO well that I probably walked a bit further than I should have. When I decided to turn around and head home, I was shocked to find that I immediately felt different. I don't understand this psychological thing I go through where I immediately feel panic that I won't feel well enough to make it home. I was walking INTO the sun on the way back and not walking on the same side of the road as the creek this time (which makes the walk SO much more pleasant), but that doesn't fully explain it.

I don't want to have to switch to a gym membership just to be able to walk on a treadmill, where there isn't the issue of plotting out the perfect halfway point in your walk.

Does anyone else go through this?

(5 comments)

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