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View Full Version : What's going on and shift work?



NikkiNicole
01-26-2014, 04:36 AM
The left side of my nose feels like it's on fire. Like, the tissue on the septum side. It's worse when the air comes in. I keep getting sharp weird pains in my torso (stomach, left rib cage area, right rib cage area) my eyes are on fire (but I didn't sleep very much at all last night), I'm EXHAUSTED but again, I didn't sleep much.
I have a long break at work today and was hoping to get another two miles in, but right now all I want to do is curl into a ball and sleep.

Also ...

My doctor and I have decided that dayshift would be best for me and she is drafting up a letter for me. Honestly, I'm a little worried what my boss is going to say. Has anyone else had to give up working nights?
I honestly sleep horribly on my night shifts, I feel physically better on a regular sleep schedule.

UGH!!! I hate my life.

Dirty Don
01-26-2014, 06:12 AM
You seem to be in an ongoing flare, drugs aren't doing what they need to do for you evidently. No reason to hate one's life, it's all we got...but I understand the frustration...keep at it kiddo. A routine works very well for me and when it's upset I don't react well at first...going to days would help your life immensely...don't worry about boss, she/he should try to understand. You'll find out how valuable you are to them depending on how boss reacts...best to you.

windchime
01-26-2014, 07:08 AM
Nikki how did your last doc appt go? Did they change/up your meds? When is your next appt? Hope you get the day shift it will help a lot.

NikkiNicole
01-26-2014, 07:15 AM
I am doing a week of prednisone starting today to see if it helps me feel any better. If it does ... then my rheumy knows that I need a change of medications. She describes my situation as "smoldering". So ... we'll see what happens. I feel awful but I can't tell if it's Weg's or the constant germs swirling around me from all the sickies at work.
I will get the dayshift ... because she's ordering it. However ... it may be because they have me out on leave, or because work cooperates.

brettgrant99
01-26-2014, 07:51 AM
... Honestly, I'm a little worried what my boss is going to say. Has anyone else had to give up working nights?
I honestly sleep horribly on my night shifts, I feel physically better on a regular sleep schedule.
...


My wife used to work nights and loved it. However, she changed because she changed jobs, so I am not sure how applicable it is to your situation. She is a social worker. I think that read somewhere that you were a police dispatcher, maybe? My father was a firefighter, worked 24 hour shifts for 18 years, 3 on, 4 off. He loved it if he didn't get a call back. It was the regular schedule. He didn't like it when he had to go in off schedule. Actually, my mom loved the schedule, too. After 18 years he finally worked his way up to Battalion Chief, which was 9-5 weekdays. He hated that schedule. I don't know how much say he had in it, but it wasn't too long (maybe a year), and they changed how that chief's schedule to be the same as the firefighters, so he was happy for a number of years. Now he is retired (must be nice to retire at 56. I can't believe I said that, I'm 42 and 65 seems a long ways away, but 56 doesn't) and it took a while for Mom and Dad to re-sync with his schedules.

Anyway, that is a long, probably not relevant story, to say that I think that having a regular schedule is very important. For a while, my wife did PRN, which is coming in for people that either take vacation or call in sick. For that, her schedule was very irregular and it really wore her out. Both were night shifts. I think that night shift or day shift doesn't matter, it is the regularity. I know that one of the things that she liked night shift is that the comrade was better and they were a little more lax about the "silly" rules. That may or may not be true for your job. I know switching jobs can be really hard, but maybe another department does things differently. I used to live down in Sunnyvale, I'm sure that there are lots of opportunities down there, but I know its different north of the Bay.

I can understand the sentiment about hating your life. I hate your life too. Not all of it. Just the parts where you feel sick, can't get enough sleep, etc. I actually really enjoy your posts. I think this may be the first one that I commented on. I enjoy so many posts here, but the reason that we are all here I hate.

I think that last night I got 1.5 hours of sleep. I am currently in the hospital fighting pneumonia and yesterday they "gave" me a new roommate. My old one wasn't a peach, but this one is really sick. I have to remember that he hates being here as much as I do. Anyway, one of his machines was going off about ever 2 minutes all night long. Techs coming in all the time, they think they got the thing fixed, and then it would start to go off again and the whole process repeats. I hope that they get a handle on it today. He gets a lot of doctor visits, so hopefully they will figure it out for both of our sakes.

I would work really hard at getting a regular schedule even if it means switching jobs. One of the reasons we left the bay area was that it was so expensive to live there. It is a beautiful place, though.

I hope things will look better for you after you get some sleep.

Brett

pberggren1
01-26-2014, 07:56 AM
Nikkie, your nose problem could be sinusitis. But overall it sounds like a flare.

I hated working nights. I don't think man was meant to work shift work.

NikkiNicole
01-26-2014, 08:19 AM
I've been on nights for 12 years now, and I maintained a night time schedule even on my days off for a very long time. NOT anymore. I collapse into bed at 9pm on my days off and am out like a light. When I do sleep through the night and operate on normal hours, I am fantastic. Not 100% but able to function more, I can think clearer, and I don't feel so down on myself about everything.

Brett, I am so sorry that you are currently posting from the hospital!!! I am doing everything I can to stay out of there. I think I am worry TOO much about the H1N1 bug but, with people so nonchalant about coming to work brimming with germs, I get a little uneasy. OK ... I get a LOT uneasy. I just don't want to be a statistic of a flu death. Not that being a statistic Weg's death would be any better but at least it would be because I fought a valiant battle or whatever ... not because I got the flu from a inconsiderate co-worker!

Yes, I do work for the Sheriff, I am in dispatch. A room closed up and filled with recycled air just going around and around and around. Using community desks, keyboards, phones, chairs, mice ... everything!!! AHHHH! I'm gonna wear a can of Lysol in a holster around my waist.

I have been ready to work days for awhile. I am next in line for dayshift should we hire enough people to offer up the 3 dayshifts that sit open and unoccupied. The supervisors don't want a night shift to be vacant because they said the hours are "harder to cover" which translates to "they will have to help cover them". So ... it's to their benefit that they don't offer dayshift, while I continue to suffer away.

Well not anymore. My doctor is willing to give them any documentation they need to make this happen.

I hope you are able to get some rest even with such roommates. I have only been blessed with spending the night in the hospital once. The nurses were rather giggly in the nighttime and I didn't mind so much because I understood the night shift scenario, you laugh and have fun to stay awake! As for me with rules, I'm at a point in my career where I want to be around the people who do this job right and take it seriously. The night shift crew is a bunch of people who either don't want to be around supervisors or are brand new and don't give a crap. I take my job seriously. I am responsible for a team of deputies going home every night.

Anyway, I am really hoping the rest of this shift goes fast so I can go home, put on my sweats and flop into bed. I don't care if I sleep the rest of the day.

brettgrant99
01-26-2014, 10:25 AM
Awesome post. Hopefully with ammo from the doctor you can make the shift. I've been stuck in a number of jobs because I do them "too" well. So I get that. I hadn't considered a Lysol holster, but not a bad idea. I work in a restricted environment. Everyone has to swipe and pin into the closed area cubical area. We aren't allowed to let people tailgate, so everyone touches the door. And so many people come to work sick to save they vacation, because we don't get sick time, we get an extra week of vacation. I hate that policy. Another company that I worked for had the same exact rules, but instituted sick time, made it unlimited, and you only got called on it if you were abusing it. Such a better way to implement it. People actually stayed home when they were sick.

Right now where I am, I don't warrant a desk, so I have to use the community area. I will probably be able to finagle a desk out this disease, so that is a good thing. I have been considering changing careers to one where I can limit my interactions with others. I don't mind others, but to be honest I am a little freaked out by getting pneumonia so easily.

Is is amazing how much sleep helps. Hopefully you can get a good bunch of it soon.

NikkiNicole
01-26-2014, 11:32 AM
My throat pain is intensifying, my eyes are on fire, my voice is fading away. What the hell ...

mishb
01-26-2014, 02:55 PM
I think it's time to get home Nikki.

Finish work for the night and go get into a nice warm bed.

I hope you get to work on the day shifts, very soon. I also hope the pred increase starts working, however, I'm thinking that you probably need something more :crying:

brettgrant99
01-27-2014, 01:43 AM
Hopefully, "Good Night, Moon. Good Night, Room. ... Goodnight noises, everywhere." by Margret Wise Brown

windchime
01-27-2014, 06:38 AM
My throat pain is intensifying, my eyes are on fire, my voice is fading away. What the hell ...


Any chance it's an allergic reaction to something at work? Just a thought.

annekat
01-27-2014, 09:52 AM
Nikki, your doctor needs to make your supervisor understand the seriousness of what you have. There you are, with nothing anyone can catch, but actually risking your life and health from those sickies who keep coming in to work. And the stress of your current hours will make you sicker. I hope the letter from your doc will make this person sit up and take notice that to keep pushing you to be like everyone else there is negligent. You have worked there a very long time, have done a good job, and deserve better.

NikkiNicole
01-27-2014, 04:45 PM
I was quite out like a light after dinner last night. Today is worse. The sore throat is gone, but my eyes and my sinuses are unhappy. We were at Whole Foods earlier and my husband said I looked like a sad basset hound because my eyes were all droopy and glazed over. My nose is just burning and it had a quick mini-nose bleed earlier.
I talk to my big boss tomorrow. Hopefully the note will be here by then so I'll have back up. I would think that this would be a no brainer, note from doc equals results.

windchime
01-28-2014, 03:21 AM
Good luck Nikki I hope they listen to your doc. Hugs to you. :hug2:

NikkiNicole
01-28-2014, 07:31 AM
Well, the big boss wasn't in today. Oh that was frustrating! I came in early to talk to her and her office was dark. She's at a conference all week. I was thinking "fantastic!" but ... my regular floor supervisor said he could help me with what I needed and honestly, he's a much easier person to talk to. He was receptive and is emailing the big boss, and the Human Resources. The ball is rolling.
He even mentioned modifying my current shift so that my night shifts are now ending at 9 pm .... so basically I'd be on dayshift right away on a split shift until they can figure out a more permanent arrangement.
A weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

mishb
01-28-2014, 07:34 AM
That's excellent news

........Now, to get you all better :thumbsup:

MikeG-2012
01-28-2014, 08:33 AM
Good news! I hope the ball keeps rolling in the right direction for you!!!

Lilly
01-31-2014, 03:25 AM
Nikki, I keep wondering as I have read through this thread, that your nose issues and throat......Is it wegeners? Or is it sinusitis and symptoms caused from flu, or cold. Has an EENT looked in your nose to see if there are small tumors or growths in there? I am concerned because my nose has completely disinigrated over the years, and I have plastic in my nose just to make it stick out of my face. I dont want your nose issues to end up like mine! :( It took me a long time to get used to my nose going away, as you can see from my avitar, I used to have a large nose. I really miss it now.
I am really glad you are having good luck with your job! Our being tired is so difficult to fight! People dont understand unless they have our dz. I think it comes from our bodies constantly fighting itself! CRAZY!!! But Im thinking about you. My nose issues started out with infections, sinusitis, nose bleeds, etc. The drs were totally confused. Stay strong! You sound like a person who gets things done! Take care, and I will be looking to see how things are going for you!

annekat
01-31-2014, 04:02 AM
Lilly, I love your avatar and seeing the beautiful, large nose that you used to have. It really added to your character and I can see how it would be very hard to lose it and have it replaced with something not quite the same. Best to you in your continuing journey with WG.

NikkiNicole
02-01-2014, 04:34 AM
I spoke with my supervisor on Monday, and he got the ball rolling by emailing Human Resources. Thursday morning, I met with HR and discussed my options. I had to look over a list of my "essential functions" to do my job and see if there are any I am limited on. There really isn't ... it's just working at night that is the problem. So, I am going to have my doctor revise the note for that.
I left the meeting feeling a little depressed. This just isn't what I want to do ... but it's what I have to do.

annekat
02-01-2014, 02:26 PM
I'm sorry you felt depressed after the meeting but glad the ball got rolling. Sometimes changes can cause depression, I've noticed. I hope it works out for the best so you can get the rest you need every day to recover from your Wegs issues.

Pete
02-01-2014, 03:41 PM
my "essential functions" to do my job and see if there are any I am limited on.

I would disagree with your assessment of essential functions. Since the job must be covered 24/7/365, and you are covering the night shift, that's essential. If you're having difficulty/health issues related to it, a reasonable accommodation could be transferring you to day shift. Might want to run that by HR and see what they have to say...

NikkiNicole
02-02-2014, 02:06 AM
Exactly. I've gone through this whole list. I'm gonna fax it to my doctor to make notes on it if she feels the need but ... for the most part, all I am asking for is a change of shift, and my note says that I regular a regular sleep schedule. I am having the doc revise it with "except in the event of an emergency" because we sometimes have major situations that require all of us to remain here.
This is just adding more stress to me instead of making me feel better at the moment.

windchime
02-02-2014, 03:52 AM
Sorry you are going thru this Nikki. Hopefully you can get it all ironed in the next week. Sending some hugs your way sweetie. :hug1::hug1: