Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff

[Auspice]

Since they moved the other tenured guy to being a sort of "escalation path" which is kind of a Tier 2 role.... I feel like they wanted one of us tenured people to stay in the muck as it were.

But what's confusing is this week they had me do a training course. HR sent me a "Harassment and Discrimination" course to complete and the whole thing is structured for a managerial role. How to handle employees, hiring and interviews, how to handle situations if an employee comes to you with a complaint... None of it was from the employee POV.

So why make me take this course if they're not promoting me.

It's almost like mockery.

[Arkandel]

@auspice What did management say when you asked those same questions?

[mietze]

If your company has HR, and they're actually good at their jobs (by no means a given), then it might be worth taking some time with one of them to help coach you through asking about this. You have to be somewhat careful, since they are there first and foremost to serve the best interests of the company. But they can be really good at helping you navigate dealing with a difficult manager. And it does put you on record as having concerns.

[Auspice]

@mietze said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

If your company has HR, and they're actually good at their jobs (by no means a given), then it might be worth taking some time with one of them to help coach you through asking about this. You have to be somewhat careful, since they are there first and foremost to serve the best interests of the company. But they can be really good at helping you navigate dealing with a difficult manager. And it does put you on record as having concerns.

I've been trying to think about what to do there.

The one HR person in our office is the guy who I felt brushed off my concern about that one manager's behavior. In general, we contact HR through a catch-all email they have and they pull cases, etc., from there and will work with us. So I could email that...

...but they'd probably want to point me back to him. And I'm just not sure I feel 100% comfortable taking a concern to him now. But I'm also scared if I email that and go 'I don't feel entirely comfortable working with...'

...I'll end up causing problems for myself in the office because he will see it and be aware of it because he's on that list.

And the only other HR person I know personally is the woman who RUNS HR because I've been with the company long enough that I remember when she was one of TWO PEOPLE who ran HR all by themselves! Because it used to be a very small company and only needed the two of them. So I don't wanna be like 'Hey. so, I know you're like, insanely busy nowadays, but.......'

[TNP]

@auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

So I don't wanna be like 'Hey. so, I know you're like, insanely busy nowadays, but.......'

Which is why you should instead be like 'Hey, I need to talk to someone in HR but so-and-so is someone I'm not comfortable with so don't want to send an email about it that he can see. It could cause tension.'

[Macha]

So my fibromyalgia causes me a lot of pain. Usually I am lucky and it doesn’t trip over into super sensitivity to touch or clothing. I am lucky in my work dress code that lets me wear super soft shirts. But today everything hurts, my hands are swollen and even my softest sports bra is stinging me. And I can’t find a comfortable way to sit. I have the accommodation days to take, but..bills. So I am fighting myself, and worrying I will take spoons from tmw.

[Arkandel]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/magazine/placebo-effect-medicine.html

[Paris]

@arkandel Wow!

I'm not sure this would help me in particular (my immune disorder has been remarkably resistant to any kind of placebo-like anything, and I've had just about every kind of reiki, energy, faith, supplement, even traditional medicine, fail) but if they can somehow quantify and use COMT to help people who are genetically more primed to respond to it, that would be huuuuge for pain management. I myself am on five doses of oxy a day and have been for two years now (and may be indefinitely due to the damage from chemo and to my spine), and anything to lower that would be great.

I've tried every other class of painkiller/muscle relaxer/etc and get pretty much no effect, as I've got some weird hereditary genetic issues that affect my response to quite a few categories of drugs. On the plus side, I have been able to quit Oxy cold turkey before without much side-effects, so there are some benefits to being a unicorn.

[Paris]

Our aide is having to quit two weeks from now, and replacing her isn't really an option. I'm very daunted at the new workload facing me (I will have to take care of two people's physical needs and housecleaning) because Bot and I are both disabled but I have the mostly-working arms (as long as I take my meds), but I am looking forward to having $600 extra a month in order to drown my upcoming aches and pains in delicious delicious Vegas buffets.

Thank goodness that there are household products that make things more convenient.

[Cupcake]

So not only do I have De Quervain's in my dominant hand, but it's also compounded with wrist tendonitis.

I'm just....ngggggh.

[Arkandel]

Tore my left hand's middle finger extensor tendon grabbing a rebound in garbage time. I developed what's apparently called a mallet finger, so it had to be splinted full time for two months.

Other annoyances aside - my typing speed is down 30% and I type a lot - it does mean I now have a doctor's note allowing me to give people the finger 24/7. In fact I when give a thumbs up they also get the bird as a bonus action!

But... no basketball for two months. That's the worst part.

[mietze]

@Arkandel I know that's not funny to you but the image is pretty freaking adorable.

[Auspice]

Sometime in September, the migraine meds stopped working. Went from that wonderful 'only 1 or 2 a month' back up to the '4 to 6 days a week' schedule.

Saw doctor sometime in early October. Had my meds doubled.
I was hopeful by the time the adaptation/initial flood of med-symptoms wore off that they would help.

Nope.
Seems I've become immune to topiramate.

I've been just struggling through work most days , but I had to stay home today. The vertigo has been too bad to be able to drive. I've just been napping off and on. Downside is the earliest appt with my doctor that fits with my schedule (thanks to holidays) isn't until the first week of December.

[Sparks]

@auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

I've been just struggling through work most days , but I had to stay home today. The vertigo has been too bad to be able to drive. I've just been napping off and on. Downside is the earliest appt with my doctor that fits with my schedule (thanks to holidays) isn't until the first week of December.

My doctor finally got tired of throwing medication after medication at my migraines, and prescribed me aimovig (a once-a-month injection in an auto-injector like an EpiPen). I'm five weeks in, and that shit has been life-changing.

I went from pretty much having a constant low-grade migraine interspersed with crippling agony to having like two migraines a month, and those much reduced in intensity.

If your doctor is willing I highly recommend it. And if your insurance won't cover it, the manufacturer has their own "aimovig ally" program where they'll give you a year for free.

[Ganymede]

Not eating carbs or sugars is pretty damn awesome.

Except when you're hungry.

Because, then, it feels like you're dying.

An odd feeling.

oddly arousing

[Auspice]

@sparks

I've heard good things about it.

How it is uh, injecting yourself?

[Sparks]

@auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

@sparks

I've heard good things about it.

How it is uh, injecting yourself?

Very easy, only hurts a little. (On the migraine sufferer pain scale, the pain doesn't even register.)

[Auspice]

@sparks said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

@auspice said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

@sparks

I've heard good things about it.

How it is uh, injecting yourself?

Very easy, only hurts a little. (On the migraine sufferer pain scale, the pain doesn't even register.)

I am admittedly not a fan of needles, so I'm always antsy about things where I have to stab myself. >.>

But if it helps the migraines and the doctor is willing to try it (I'm gonna be very pushy to try a new medication and not just bump the topiramate since doubling the dosage didn't work)......I'll give it a go for sure.

[Auspice]

I hate fibro.

I will sometimes get a day where I wake up feeling rested, energetic, etc...but it pretty much always means the following day will be hell.

That was yesterday and today. I just want to sleep. All I want is sleep. I would call out of work if I could justify it in my budget.

[Auspice]

I got to say: Walmart's grocery pickup is amazing for my bad leg days.

And based on the times I've gone in to shop vs. the two times I've used it so far... there does not appear to be a markup. So I'm paying what I would be, but... less chance of impulse buys (which I am terrible about), I can make sure I get everything on my list (and tweak and tweak and tweak.....and tweak), and I'm not going all over the whole store (which is so good on days my legs are not doing well).

It feels weird having someone load groceries in my car, but. Iunno. It's jobs? And I mean when they usually have only 1-2 people on registers anyway. The people so far have been really nice and awesome. I haven't yet had anything missing from an order and they let you review it before you sign off, etc.

I'm digging it.