Last Day of Work

[Rerun]

Sniff   

Today is my last day of work.  All the stress, constant pressure and learning new things will be gone and I will be lost without it. 

My disability was approved, and once you get notification you are done at the end of that pay period. 

Everyone is saying "Congratulations."      FOR WHAT??  I'm leaving because I'm sick for God Sake! 

I'm sad, but I'm not crying.  I did that a long time ago when I applied for disability. 

Now, I will put my house up for sale and plan on moving back up to Spokane.  I really HATE dialysis!

[ginger cookie]

I am so sorry for you. I think that our disability system is one of the most unfair aspects of our government. When I am named medical-czar of our country I will make an edict allowing folks on disability to earn as much as they want to and still receive benefits because some times (between dialysis, access problems and just feeling crappy) you just can't work.
After your move do you have any plans? I only ask because you seem to be a witty focused writer and I think that you could write a good short novel .
My prayers are with you,
maryann

[Hephs-little-lady]

Just to let you know I am thinking of you.  Keep ya chin up & keep going!

My prayers and very best wishes are hurrying your way. 

[Rerun]

You guys will crack up at what I'm planning to do!!!  

Two people that I work with (or use to work with) have "Bounce Houses" they rent out on the weekends.  Those big blow up houses (Castle, Spiderman) that kids climb in and jump until they are dead tired?  Parents love them!  Anyway, I'm buying 2 used ones and taking them up to Spokane.  I will arrange where they go and my brother-in-law said he would deliver them and pick them up.  

It is a small investment and I will have fun with it.  We have enough little kids in our family to use them if I NEVER rent them out.

[ginger cookie]

You go girl! I've rented those for son's birthday party.I love them,too.Woman that I rented from was the wife of a patient in the ICU that I used to work for, she left a stack of business cards in the nurses breakrooms on each of the units between visiting hours and she said that's where she'd get her most business from.
So, does this mean that you'll write your novel in between times?

[Hephs-little-lady]

Cool, sounds like great fun.

And when they are not rented out, you can play! 

[jdat]

It must feel like a disheartening thing to have to live through.

My last day of work tuesday 25th of january 2005 in Cleveland and I haven't been able to get any work here in France since my return end of january 2005 . It is mostly due to the fact I just haven't found anything but also because I really haven't been in shape.

But I REFUSE to be declared as a handicapped. Sure I would get a couple hundred bucks a month but I want to work dang it!


On the plus side I hope you will be able to use this time ( is it temporary or not ?) to do things you always wanted to do but never had the time for in your busy everyday life.
That's the way I saw it when I left the US and knew I might not be working for a while and unfortunately it's much easier said than done. You get stuck with your self and your own emotions and it can drag you down. Be very very careful!
I know I said in another thread how much I loved the contact I had at the hospital with the other transplanted patients in the last weeks but that was also due to the fact I live in a bubble right now with little to no contact with outside people and being with these people at the hospital was so enriching.
On a regular week I have a face to face conversation with 2 at the most 3 people ( 2 of them being my parents ). It's been very hard for me who used to be the social butterfly always going out.

My thoughts are with you.

[Bajanne]

Rerun, I must confess to a slight disappointment concerning the "Bounce Houses".  I thought you were about to tell us that this was how you were going to spend your non-dialysis time!!!  Oh, well!  Hope you get lots of renters.
Well, today is my last day too, but only until school restarts in Aug/Sept.
I know that this is not what you wanted for yourself, but when life hands us lemons (we renal patients get handed huge ones), just make lemonade, AND SELL!!!

[Black]

Please be sure you have good liability insurance, or have the renter sign a form in which they assume all liability.  Also be sure you find someone locally to do maintenance and repairs.  It really sucks to have to return a huge deposit because your "bounce" is out of service.

Many, many years ago a group of us, probably 7 or 8, including my little sister and her boyfriend went to a small carnival.  There was the first bounce we had ever seen.  It was completely enclosed including a flap over the door.  It had several large clear plastic windows where people were gathered to watch the people inside.

We were actually too tall and too heavy to go in it with a full group so my little sister's boyfriend paid the guy extra to let us go in as a small group.  Since I was the oldest and heaviest, they ganged up on me and they found that if they all jumped at the same time I would fly into the air and then when I came down I would hit my fanny on the ground!  As the onlookers figured out what was happening the shrieks of laughter drew even a bigger crowd.

Well, this was during the time when I decided I was sick of my very short dark brown hair and had decided to buy a blond wig to wear when I went out.  Naturally just as the windows were packed with onlookers the boyfriend's ring got caught in my wig -- off it came, flying around, attached to his hand.  The shrieks of laughter were almost deafening.  All of us inside were rolling in laughter.  We composed ourselves enough for him to try to put it back on my head.  As I was straightening it, he stood up and it was still tangled in his ring -- off it came again.  The crowd was in hysterics!  There were so many people pushing to see in the windows the guy made us get out.  I told the boyfriend to carry the wig, I ran my fingers through my own hair, fingercombing it and laughing so hard I could hardly walk.  My ribs hurt the next day from laughing so hard.  Every time I see or hear of a bounce I remember that and can't help but smile, I'll bet a lot of the crowd remember it too, and I'll bet that bounce guy had one of his best nights ever.

[Rerun]

My niece is an attorney so I'll bring the form from here that my friend used and have my niece look at it and maybe revise it.  Thanks for the advise.

Black -  Maybe I could hire you for entertainment??  HA  I have a blond wig too and so I can imagine how easy that could happen.

Ginger Cookie - You've got me thinking about writing a book.  Hmmmmm

[Riki]

You have my sympathies.. I think I'd go a little nutty if I didn't have my job.. I'll be working from home soon, which I think will be ok.. but I might go nutty there too.. just seeing my dad and the cats all day.. *L*

[Rerun]

It is Monday and it just feels like I'm on vacation without being in the hospital or recuperating from some dumb surgery.  I'm actually home and enjoying it.  For now.

[goofynina]

YOU GO GIRL,  any more thoughts on writing a book???   I got this email from someone in Australia who is writing a book and she is taking stories from people on dialysis.  I'll give you info too if you need it, well, what little i know that is

[angieskidney]

I feel for you. I haven't worked since last year (July 9th 2005 was my last day) but I was supposed to go back by the 9th of this year but they must train me for a new position because I can't lift 50 lbs with one arm. They tell me not to lift more than 10lbs with my fistula arm. Before my transplant failed I was working 9 years at a 12-hr shift job and was just about to get a promotion when my transplant failed and I ended up having to claim bankruptcy and a lady totalled my car and left me reliant on cab service to dialysis. I was on PD but got peritonitis so now I am on HD. But when I had to give up my 12-hr shift job for a part time store clerk (hot deli) job where I must be able to lift 50lbs of chicken I felt like everything I had worked for just went down the drain. Man was I ever depressed.

I am still waiting on job training for the new position but it looks like the lost the paper work ... typical.

[goofynina]

I ran a daycare for 13 years before i got sick in '03.  I miss my kids so much,  i still keep in contact with them but it seems like when i was watching them, i was also watching them grow, now i only see them once in awhile and they are growing faster than weeds,  they are changing and i cant enjoy it anymore,  but hey,  at least i am alive to see them grow and they all invite me to their birthday parties and graduations and award ceremonies and stuff.  So i am still grateful for that...