This past week has been eventful.
I got to work on Tuesday to find a job opportunity in my email. They've created a new position at work, Training Coordinator.
I meet ALL of the qualifications, so, I tweaked my resume, and applied. It would be an .89c an hour raise, and it COULD mean that I would get an office, and not have to deal with sitting in the call center anymore.
The posting just closed on Friday, so I would imagine that interviews will start this coming week.
I know of one other person in my area who also applied, and who I also know meets NONE of the qualifications except that she graduated high school.
Then, my boss finally came back to work on Tuesday as well. We found out why she has been gone for 3 weeks. She has cancer.
Neuroendocrine carcinoma. It's in her abdomen. She started chemo on Wednesday.
I think maybe she needs to retire NOW.
Had my monthly visit to the clinic. It was supposed to be labs, doctor, and injection, but the doctor wasn't there, so it was a nurse visit... I just didn't KNOW it was going to be a nurse visit.
The experience itself was pretty awful!
I had to wait 30 minutes to get my port accessed, flushed, and labs drawn. My doctor appointment time came and went before anyone ever even acknowledged that I was sitting there.
Then another patient in the treatment room was in distress, and no one bothered to pull the curtain. This was upsetting to some others in the area, and was highly inappropriate. The curtains around each treatment chair are there for a reason... someone getting their first chemo treatment doesn't need to see another patient throw up and pass out in the next chair.
A nurse I had never seen before (there has been a rotating door in this department ever since the take over) finally arrived at my chair.
She asked if I was just there for my Xgeva injection.
I said no, and explained to her that she would need to do my port flush and draw my labs now, and that I would be back after my doctor appointment for the injection, if my labs showed that I was good to go.
First, she asked me a question about my port that I had NO idea how to answer... "Do you have a 3/4 inch?" I said "I have no idea, no one has ever asked me that before in 3 years of treatment It's a Power Port, if that helps."
She just grunted, and said "I bet it's a 3/4" without telling me what the HELL she meant.
It took her two tries to access the port (Actually, NONE of the nurses in the treatment room can access ports well except the ONLY ONE who is left from before the take over and she was off that day. I have learned to request her)
As if her difficulty with the port wasn't bad enough, she almost pulled out the access before she drew my labs.
When she said "Okay, done! Now take a deep breath..." I asked, in astonishment, "You drew my labs already?"
She looked at me blankly, and I reminded her that I had already told her I would need my labs drawn through the port.
She actually argued with me and said "you don't need your labs today."
I said "Yes, I do....that's why I have been sitting here for 30 minutes! I was supposed to see my doctor 10 minutes ago."
She walked away, talked to the nurse as the desk, came back, and apologized.
She put the syringe on the port access, and drew my blood.....
Then, she said "hold this."
I looked up at her, and said "Did you say you want me to hold something?"
And she had me HOLD THE SYRINGE FULL OF MY BLOOD that was attached to my port access, and she walked away again. I didn't have sterile hands or gloves on....
What the actual fuck? (I've since been told that she can lose her license for that)
She mumbled something about a cap or a tip or something....went back to the nurse at the desk, and had her come back over to my chair with her, where she took the syringe back from me and did whatever she needed to do.
Wow.
So, my labs were finally drawn, the port flushed, and I was ready for my doctor.
Found out it was a nurse visit, which is fine... that went fine, other than the fact that my labs weren't ready yet.
The nurse didn't really have an answer about my sudden and drastic weight gain, other than to say that the removal of the chemo probably is now allowing the latest hormone blocker to make me gain. These fucking hormone blockers have been the worst part of all of my treatment protocols.
Anyway, l later, when it was time for my injection, and I went back over to the treatment room, another nurse that I had never seen before (who was an LPN, not an RN) hit a bad spot with the needle, so that it burned all the way in, and then bled.
All in all, it was a pretty horrifying experience!
Unfortunately, I never saw either nurse's names, just their big RN and LPN badges... but I logged everything on my patient portal, and it will be seen by the doctor and others when he gets back from vacation.
SHEESH!!
Yesterday, Dave got his big tattoo worked on some more, and while we were there, I went ahead and got the 3rd piercing in each ear that I have been wanting.
Today, we had a break from the heat, and got the back yard done before he left to go meet his son for a beer.
I stayed home and watched part of the Cubs game, and will be doing a little bit of house work.
Sadly, it's already 3 pm.... I hate that our time off goes by so freaking fast. Those winning lottery tickets keep illuding us, though.
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