So since today is all about how many movies I can watch in an almost 8 hour period, I moved on from Office Space to Waiting. I'm remembering vividly why I detest the food service industry. Well...at least I hate working for the food service industry. Specifically anything to do with management. Mostly because it is entirely full of lies. You do get a higher pay, hell even really good pay, however, they leave one very important fact out of the job description. The very intentional thievery of your soul. I'm pretty sure the last restaurant I managed at kept my soul and framed it. Probably show it to new managers as a cautionary tale. But hey, if you are happy with a thankless job then by all means, sign right up.
Hell, work is work...but should work feel like torture? We'll let you sit on that one for a bit.
Wow, they make working at a restaurant look like constant sarcasm and fun. Ok, so the description isn't completely inaccurate. I did have a lot of fun, sarcastic moments that I will treasure in my damaged, dark deep space nine I call my mind. It's a scary place, and here it's on absolute display.
"I hope you enjoy your stay, please turn in your boarding pass to the Cyclopes at the hangar door".
I do wonder why people in shitty moods think that they should go out and spread their utter hatred for the world by forcing themselves upon others, sitting down, bitching the entire time and then....just for fun, skipping out on the tip or the entire check. I hope they know...that when they do this, every restaurant worker wishes, at the exact same moment, that person would get struck by lightning, live, but randomly lick things for the rest of their lives.
Ok...maybe that's a bit extreme but the lesson is, don't be a dick to others if you can help it, and if you can't, just remember it may hurt later.
So here I sit in what is known as a Clavicle Brace. It swoops around both arms and connects and tightens in the back and front. It pulls the shoulders back. I'm using it for this obnoxious disorder called Costochondritis. If you've not heard of this, hang onto your seats. Ok, so it's not that fascinating but at least pretend for me and just keep reading. Or skip over and WebMD that shit and you'll get almost the same information, only not as cutely provided as I do here.
Costochondritis is this annoying little disorder that can occur more frequently in those with EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). With this disorder, inflammation occurs in the chest wall where your ribs meet your sternum.
SPOILER ALERT!!
It hurts like holy hell. It hurts like getting stabbed with a serrated knife right in the middle of your chest. Just for fun, I can feel my ribs popping in and out and for a really good time, while unconscious, I can roll over on my right side, completely sublux my sternum and not be able to move until anti inflammatory kick in.
How do you get rid of it, you ask?
Well, time is the most effective tool. It boils down to this brace I have on (which is mildly uncomfortable) to keep the ribs and sternum in alignment, anti-inflammatory medications, arthritis cream and heat. Most importantly is that term 'time' again. For EDS'ers the most irritating thing is that time is almost irrelevant in terms of healing. We don't heal right away in most cases and this is certainly the case with this Costo/sternum thing that is going on right now. There is also a surgery that can occur where damaged cartilage is removed but good luck depending on where you live getting easy access to a surgery you may need. Though I will say in most cases that surgery isn't necessary. The jury is still out on that as far as I'm concerned for this issue.
I'm not having much fun with the insurance either. I need this pelvic surgery that they should, but won't (so far), pay for. Total cost of the surgery climbs up to $18,000.00. Not as bad as some costs, but still bad enough to sweat and wonder which organ you're going to sell off on the Black Market. More on that one later.
It's a weird position to be in to want food, but be scared of consumption. Gastroparesis sucks. More on that later.
So what am I going to do with this day? Hang out with a friend, find comfort food I'll likely regret later, and binge watch some other classics. Other than that, SLEEP! Sleep is my most important, healing tool. Well it's that way for all EDS'ers I would presume. Without enough rest, you run into a lot of other issues that effect you more harshly if you have a complicated disorder like EDS.
I know I likely sound like... a bit of a bitch, but really I'm not. The way I see it, if I can't laugh about some of this, I would likely fall apart.
The chronically ill will understand. You don't fake being sick. You fake being well. All the time. All while being questioned by the ignorant populous who accuse you of having everything from MS to Munchhausen's. Because loading and unloading my wheelchair is what I call 'a good time', and taking the six medications I'm bound too like white on rice is 'the best time of my life. Almost as good as Disney'.
Mostly, I want to help people. Make them laugh or maybe they will just want to pass the time reading about all of this insanity. Either way...I'm game.
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