Slow Enough To Learn

     New procedures I had to learn.  If I didn't remember what the doctor wanted, I heard about it.  Sometimes he had a bad day and he said everything in front if the patient.  That would make me nervous.  Not good, I would start shaking thinking what else could go wrong.  After the procedure he explained everything to the patient and I had to show them the way out of the office.  While they were leaving I didn't want to look at them.

     Finally I got the protocol down.  He liked the pictures I took.  I earned his trust with my ultrasounds.

Whew!  Decrease in stress.  There was only one person in the office that would actually help me.  I didn't know if she had a department title.  She was great helping me find what I needed when it wasn't in the room, and the doctor was pitching a fit. (like a baby)  Everyone else complained about her work.  She's lazy, doesn't do what her job describes.  I kept my mouth closed.  

     I found out what type of boss this office had.

Who Is The Boss?

     Being at the new place for two weeks, I was finally getting everything in order.  Putting everything where it needed to go in the scan lab so that it would be easy to access.  The doctor and I were also figuring out each others personalities.  I would be on time and he would be late.  Running inside the door, you had to make sure everything was set up perfectly for him when he entered.  If things weren't then the rest of your day would be going downhill.  I learned quick.
     After those two weeks, there was a new face to me in the office.  Come to find out, she was the office manager.  What?  I report to someone that doesn't know anything about ultrasound.  I have to teach her how to order the supplies I need?  She was nice and easy to get along with.  So far things are still looking up.  I made the right choice.  More good news, less stress means less seizures.

FIRST DAY

     I didn't know what to expect on the first of my new job.  Was the Dr. told about my epilepsy and me not driving?   I was so nervous all I needed today was to have a seizure in front of him.  First thing that morning the doctor was already doing a procedure.   Was that how busy things were going to be?  Nobody was very helpful.  Let's see, where's the ultrasound machine?  I can at least see what kind the office has and where the buttons are.  I don't even have a schedule to know when my first patient is coming.  I guess I have to find my own way around the office.  Someone is going to have to teach me their protocol for ordering studies and computer codes.

     Finally I break the ice.  I have to find out what the schedule is like.  What my password is and which computer will I be working from.  Come to find out, the office manager is on vacation celebrating her honeymoon.  No wonder everyone is sitting around.  Finally the doctor came in and told me about what the schedule would be like.  He also told me that he knew I would not be driving.  He said that he worked things out with the other office that for now.  I would work with him for the whole day while I was being trained to perform the studies to his protocol.  I stayed with him for the rest of the day watching the procedures he performed.  Some of them I wouldn't.  I would just be assisting him.  I knew that this would not be boring.

Another Opportunity

     Very rare do I look at another company's web site for a job.  Now I am looking.  Getting tired of filing reports and folding laundry.  It was time to move on to another place to work.
     This must of been good luck or God's will.  There was an opening at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in ultrasound research!!  RESEARCH!!  What else could I want.  This was a great opportunity. Shoot!!  I'm not driving, what will they think when I tell them about my epilepsy?  There is not any call though, or weekends.  What will it hurt to apply?  There is always, "It never hurts to ask".
     They called me!! The doctor can meet you only after office hours.  Will that work for you?  That is fine with me (I won't have to ask for time off).  I only met the doctors.  I didn't meet the department manager or anyone in the hospital personnel department.
     I found out that I will not only work at the research department, but I will also work at another office just for high risk OB ultrasound.  The other office was a few miles away.  Not driving, how will I get to the other office?  Come to find out while I was waiting for my ride home, the hospital ran a shuttle service to all of the off site offices that were affiliated with the hospital.  Answer from God again to take the job.
     I was planning to tell the manager about my epilepsy.  A few days later, the office manager called me. The call wasn't to schedule an appointment to talk,  but to tell me I HAVE THE JOB!  What's he going to do when I tell him?  I don't have to.    I wanted to tell him about my epilepsy.  Well, I told him.  He couldn't withdraw the offer...
     Research here I come...

Becoming IMPATIENT

   After moving from Greensboro to my grandfather's house, he let us live there so we could save for our own house.  We had been paying rent for two years.  It was like throwing money out the window.  His trailer, yes I said trailer, was below my parents house.  My mom would see Kristina everyday.  Then we moved into our new house that was thirty minutes away.  She was not happy.  Kristina was two years old.

   Now since the auras came back and my mother-in-law was getting to see Kristina more, my mom kept saying you should have not moved.  You should not have moved, you should have not moved.......over and over.   My answer was "mom, my seizures haven't come back then.".  Then it was, "I know".  (Well why did you say that again?)  Becoming IMPATIENT!

   Starting to Have more "spells".  Working more weekends, but still no call overnight.  The outpatient office that was affiliated with the hospital needed a full time ultrasound technician.  No weekend work or weeknight work at all.  Not even any Holidays.  WOW!  The patient numbers were high.  It kept us busy.  I didn't like standing around.   

     What's happening?  Where are the patient's?  The supervisor comes through.  Why are you standing around?  Get busy!  Check the other departments.  I didn't know how to do x-rays.  My co-worker did. She had to help them.  I just did ultrasound.  So I had to stock laundry in the dressing rooms.  I had to put reports with the x-ray folder.  Becoming IMPATIENT!!!  

     The file room is where all of the patient's x-rays reports are.  Some places have them on disks as back up and aren't as old time as this place.  You have to sit and staple new reports to the old reports.  The two that worked in that area were so S..L..O..W..  They knew how to walk fast to their cars when it was time to leave though.  When I had to help them because I wasn't busy, they would disappear.  POOF!!  This wasn't what I was hired for!  Be glad I'm here to help you.  Becoming IMPATIENT!!!!

MORE AURAS WHILE DRIVING

     I was able to hide my seizures while I worked.  They weren't that often.  Only having six or so a month. You know, where for a few seconds I shake my hand and hope nobody talks to me.  If I respond to you then I'll drool.  Trying to respond with excess saliva in my mouth is so embarrassing.  I can hide it from patients though.

     Another fender bender.  This was at a stop light.  It was red.  I had one of my "spells".  My foot slipped off of the break pedal and I hit the lady in front of me.  The good news is that we were stopped and I just tapped her bumper.  Bad news is ticket and higher insurance.  

     I took a break from driving.  No more freedom.  Since my husband was with the fire department, he could pick me up and take me to work the days he was off.  My mother-in-law helped with the days he couldn't. She didn't mind, getting to see her granddaughter more.  We had started going to church and now we would miss one to two Sundays a month.  Three sometimes depending on if my husband had a horrible night at the fire station.  

     I hated not driving.  I lost my freedom.  I prayed to God and said I would go to church more if I could drive.  Everyday, especially Saturday and Sunday morning, I would pray.

     

Work is Getting Wierd

     After training with the traveler.  Finally everyone new learned what we needed to know about echo.  We had to tell the travelers goodbye.  Since they left, I had the pleasure of going to the other outpatient office.  I had no idea of what was happening at the hospital.  I finally found out that the previous supervisor went out on leave.  Another person took over supervisor position while she was gone.  They gave her the office job where I was when she come back. (Oh MAN!!).  Back to the hospital to push the heavy machine on the carpet.
     When I came back to the hospital the air was thick.  The boss hired a nurse from upstairs that knew how to scan.  She didn't get along with anyone.  The daily schedule was made by her, and she did not like me.  I was portable, I had to push the machine to the patient's rooms to do the scan everyday.
     The nurse and boss were dating.  There was boss in another department that we worked with, the cath lab.  My boss was sneaky and told lies about her.  Everyone believed him and so she was told to leave or get fired.  He should have been fired then because come to find out he was using another person's name.  He was stealing from the hospital.  Police came and escorted him out.  WHAT?  The next week his girlfriend didn't show up for work.
     We needed a supervisor and a tech.  The hospital asked a lady that worked at another outpatient office to take over.  Before she could do that she had to train someone to do carotid ultrasounds.  ME,ME,ME!
I was taught another ultrasound specialty without going to school. LUCKY ME!  Since I worked at the other office,  I started filling in for the other general ultrasound tech when she was off.  Now I got to do all three specialties.  The only one I wasn't doing that I loved was OB scans.  Oh well, everything else was going my way now.  NO CALL again.  I was able to DRIVE again.  The only thing was my daughter finding new friends at her new daycare.  My husband was a full time fireman now.  HALLELUJAH!