Merry Christmas

So I'm off work for the next 11 days.  The company is still open between Christmas & New Years, I'm just taking unpaid vacation.  I put in for the time off after I collapsed thinking I need more recovery time but I'm doing well.  Tailbone still hurts if I sit too long on it, like slouching, so I've been more conscious of my posture.  It hurts less every day.  At this point, the daily change is miniscule.   I'm still like Princess & the Pea, if there's a cloth fold or anything extra under my tailbone, it gets uncomfortable.  Today, it was my sweater while I was sitting in the office chair.

I'm going to visit family this weekend, but only this weekend.  I have to be home at night for treatment. If I were to stay over night, I have to bring dialysis stuff: 2 bags of dialysate, the 40 lb machine, a cassette (tubes), stuff to clean the exit site, and stuff for connecting & disconnecting.  Bah Humbug!  I don't care how late I get home.  I'll sleep in on Christmas day while I finish the treatment that will run late.

Damn, it's almost 8pm now.  I was going to cook something to bring but I have to connect around 9pm so I don't have time to cook.  Back up plan is to pick something up on the way.  I hope the restaurants I want to go to will be open tomorrow before noon.

The bonus was more than usual, but no mention of meeting goals in June's project push, so I think they pro-rated that portion and added to the usual.  They didn't mention my attendance, not making 40 hrs/wk.  

Next week I'm going to pretend like I'm retired for a week.  I'm going to do stuff that I want to do that I can't do when I have to go to work.  If I like it, I'll announce my retirement.  If I'm bored or bouncing off the walls, I'll do another wait & see.  My auntie's cousin called me (I don't know what level cousin that makes to me) and we had a little chat.  He told me to retire--this, the man who was still working at 75yo.

I got old overnight! What?

It was a tough week.  Started out really itchy all over, I think my phosphorus was really high from a couple days of large peppermint mocha.  Mmmm, so good, but not worth the intensity (and now mini scabs from scratching), so not going to do that ever again.  I thought I could get away with it as long as I took a binder.  

Wednesday I went to clinic for monthly lab draw.  My blood pressure was really low while I was there, worse when I stood up.  As I  drove to work, at my exit I was getting that tense feeling in the back of my neck and my vision was starting to change (things look overexposed) and my ears were plugging up (like being under water).  I made it to the company parking lot but I think I fell asleep for 5-10 minutes.  I looked at the time.   Damn, I better get inside!  I only made it to the back of my car before I collapsed to the ground.  I think this is when I landed on my tailbone.

Fortunately there was a guy in the parking lot on a phone call.  He saw me on the ground and helped me walk into the company lobby.  I just needed a hand to get off the ground.  So I sat in the lobby for a few minutes & was given a bottle of water until I felt up to walking to my desk.  I only made it half way before I collapsed forward and landed on my knee.  I was made to lay back but it wasn't comfortable.  Someone grabbed my office chair and wheeled me the rest of the way.  I drank water & nibbled on salty pretzels to get my blood pressure up.  When I felt better, I had a can of soup (more salt) from my desk.  I hadn't touched that since starting dialysis because of the sodium & potassium content but on this day it was a good thing.

When I got hold of the clinic nurse, she confirmed we did everything right re: water & salt and that taking the (next) day off was a good idea.  I thought I might catch up on paperwork but I couldn't be on my butt for long.  I survived Friday.  I can find comfortable sitting positions now but I have to move slowly when I walk around the house.  OMG, I walk like Mom!  She used to call me copycat, in response.