Saturday, June 12, 2010
Visit #2 with the Rheumatologist. What can I say?? Welbutrin didn't work, however, all the crappy side effects are starting to go away, so perhaps there's a chance that it's effectiveness will kick in, too. Regardless, he gave me the choice to either keep taking it and add Cymbalta, or taper off of it while I start Cymbalta. Blah. And he bumped up the Trazadone. We'll see.
He was reluctant to fill out the FMLA papers. He told me he's had several patients who had them filled out and then the company used that information to fire them. i.e: "This proves you can't do your job." And here I thought that the whole reason for FMLA was so that you don't get fired for your medical condition. He encouraged me to be suspicious of the company asking for the papers, and said he'd fill them out as vaguely as possible, essentially saying that this disease causes flareups that are unpredictable in degree and duration, but it would be considered "normal" to have a flareup that would cause me to miss work 1-3 days about once every 3 months or so. And since I accumulate sick time at about that rate (and I have 65 hrs of sick time and one week of vacation saved up now), hopefully they won't see this as an issue. I am concerned that it might completely take me out of the running for a potential promotion.
So this damned condition is draining the life out of me. I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment all day long, then I finally crawl into bed and I can't go to sleep. I randomly feel the pain of a horrific UTI, nearly pee my pants a couple times a day, but tests are negative for infection, it's "just the Fibro". Same for my wonderful bowels. I spend one day on the computer and my mousing hand is buring like I have carpal tunnel. There is only so much of this bullshit I can take.
But there is good news: We picked up DD today from diabetes camp. She had a wonderful time. Her counselors told me she was awesome. She won "Camper of the Day" while she was there, and came home full of stories and handwritten notes from her bunkmates. She even did something she hadn't done in months: she sang along to the music. She's got such a beautiful voice, and my favorite part of our trips to and from her dads was singing in the car with them, but she just stopped. Not immediately after her diagnosis, but grandually she sang less and less until I can't even remember the last time I heard her sing. And today she sang! I knew this trip would be a blessing for her. I'm so happy for her!
He was reluctant to fill out the FMLA papers. He told me he's had several patients who had them filled out and then the company used that information to fire them. i.e: "This proves you can't do your job." And here I thought that the whole reason for FMLA was so that you don't get fired for your medical condition. He encouraged me to be suspicious of the company asking for the papers, and said he'd fill them out as vaguely as possible, essentially saying that this disease causes flareups that are unpredictable in degree and duration, but it would be considered "normal" to have a flareup that would cause me to miss work 1-3 days about once every 3 months or so. And since I accumulate sick time at about that rate (and I have 65 hrs of sick time and one week of vacation saved up now), hopefully they won't see this as an issue. I am concerned that it might completely take me out of the running for a potential promotion.
So this damned condition is draining the life out of me. I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment all day long, then I finally crawl into bed and I can't go to sleep. I randomly feel the pain of a horrific UTI, nearly pee my pants a couple times a day, but tests are negative for infection, it's "just the Fibro". Same for my wonderful bowels. I spend one day on the computer and my mousing hand is buring like I have carpal tunnel. There is only so much of this bullshit I can take.
But there is good news: We picked up DD today from diabetes camp. She had a wonderful time. Her counselors told me she was awesome. She won "Camper of the Day" while she was there, and came home full of stories and handwritten notes from her bunkmates. She even did something she hadn't done in months: she sang along to the music. She's got such a beautiful voice, and my favorite part of our trips to and from her dads was singing in the car with them, but she just stopped. Not immediately after her diagnosis, but grandually she sang less and less until I can't even remember the last time I heard her sing. And today she sang! I knew this trip would be a blessing for her. I'm so happy for her!
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