Put on my Project Manager crown this week, whipping up a couple of project plans so we can coordinate with a project partner. Feel like I'm in one of those old Imperial Margarine ads -duh duh duh daaaa - fit for a project manager/King! Formal project management, which I have done in the past, is really not needed in a firm as small as the one I work for, but when working with other firms (especially ones that are being utlized by a mutual client for project management) I can brush off the old software and pull a project together. I just pray they don't want me to actually update the durn things.
On the road again this week, and probably all of next week. Big Sigh. All of a sudden way too many things to get done in the time it takes to do them. And of course deadlines changing daily, sometimes more than once a day, with all dependent deadlines shifting and changing too! Keeps life interesting that's for sure! The new trainer is learning so quickly it is scary - in a good way. Can't believe our luck in hiring her!
I turned in a request for unpaid time off this week for the CT scan, and my boss, The Big Guy, came over and said quit filling these out, don't worry about it - you're covered. Now coming from an accounting background and having been over payroll and benefits before, I appreciate this - but I'll keep filling time off requests because I like to keep my personal ledger straight. Doing the requests makes it easier to be honest with myself about how much time I'm missing.
Renee at Gypsy Shyaluna has a great post about chronic illness and marriage/relationships. She has some great tips and practical advice whether you are in an active relationship at the moment or not. Her post concerning the path she took to getting a diagnosis of Chiari Malformation and the treatment for it is very interesting also!
Renee's post reminded me of a presentation about the emotional aspects of dealing with chronic illness. This powerpoint was developed for the myositis.org website by Craig Travis, PhD, of Mount Carmel Famly Medicine (Director of Behavioral Sciences). He states that attitude about illness is something you can control when the illness itself is not something you can control. This is a struggle for me somedays because truthfully being chronically ill stinks. I try very hard to maintain an optimistic outlook, but sometimes I just get overwhelmed.
I think I need to come up with some type of mechanism to help me make decisions when the pain gets really bad, because I make stupid decisions like waiting too long to get medical assistance because I can't think clearly. I know if I have a decision making process already lined out I can just turn to that and follow the flow chart. I can use the part of my brain that is still functioning to get to the right decision, instead of just going into pain overload mode and stalling out. I need to get with my PCP about rescue medication so I can have that as part of the plan.
P.S. The link to the powerpoint presentation was provided by an RN who maintained a discussion group about pancreatitis and sphincter of Oddi disfunction. Thank you Michelle!
