7 November 2005
I forgot to mention in my previous blog that there was an incident last week when Tim and I went to the cinema. We were waiting for Paul and Claudia so Tim suggested we go to the cafe and wait in there. As we were walking to our table, I noticed a lady from the next table was staring at me. I didn't actually take much notice on the way she was looking at me but she must have been pretty rude because Tim actually told her off. I think it must have been the first time that Tim has come to my defence. I must admit I didn't notice she was being particularly rude. Maybe I'm just used to people's stare now.
I had another landmark achievement on the weekend. I went to the grocery stores on Saturday and it was the first time I went without a trolley. I had a bag of scallops and prawns in my left hand and I had to carry a busket with my left hand so I could pick the fruit and vegies with my right hand. I then carried one bag in each hand to the car. This is the first time I've done it. I normally put everything in the trolley but I've already visited the supermarket on Friday night so I didn't bother getting a trolley. One thing I told Prema that I want to be able to do is be able to carry shopping bags and walk. I think this is just the first step.
I had a meeting at the office with Peter,my manager, Jo, my case manager of return to work program and Alana, an OT contracted by the ATO, this morning. It's the first time I had to wear my business suit since the operation. I thought about wearing my gym wear but then I thought it would make me look too unprofessional and a meeting like that I need people to take me seriously.
I was quite anxious this morning just trying to get ready and put on some makeup. I wasn't going to put on any foundation but for some strange reason I had rashes all over my face so i had to put on some foundation just to cover the rashes. My meeting was at 10 a.m. and by the time I was ready, it was already 9.35 a.m. Fortunately, there was not much traffic on the road so I got there just in time. I parked at the carpark right next to the office, somewhere I used to park when I went to work. I was quite surprised that the parking attendant still remembers me and he said when I start working again, he can reserve a spot for me right next to the entrance so I don't have to walk that far.
When I got to the entrace of the building I stopped at the revolving door for a moment and thought about how to step into the door in time without being hit or caught. I missed a couple of time but I caught the third one was in. I still have a buillding pass so the security guy at the front desk told me to put it on so he doesn't need to issue me a building pass. Alana, the OT, was already there. She said she's waiting for Peter and Jo. It's really strange being there after all this time. The place changed a lot from the renovation.
Jo turned up a few minutes later. She looks a lot different from what I expected. I thought she'd be younger. I know from the email she sent me that she'd booked a room on the ground floor but she doesn't know where the room is and she thought I might know.
Finally, Peter turned up. I haven't worked with Peter before. I know he specialises in motor vehicles and prior to GST came in, he used to work in Luxury Car Tax. They put me in Peter's team because apparently they go out a lot less than other teams.
The meeting went on for over an hour. Basically, Alana was running it. She was setting up plans for me such as the number of hours per day and the number of days per week. The first week I will work two days a week and 4 hours per day. This will go on for 3 weeks and then it will be increased to 3 days a week. I told them that I will need to fit in physio and gym as well. Alana doesn't think I need that much physio, I should know better, given that she used to work at MECRS. I told them that my phsio thinks I will still need treatment for at least another 12 months and i don't think I can go back full time in the short term. Jo said they cannot stretch out the program for so long, they are hoping I can return in 3 months. I asked Peter if it's a problem if I just want to work part-time. He said he doesn't know because there are procedures for this and he will need to consult with higher authority and apparently it's quite complicated. In the end, Jo suggested that I try it out first and see how I go. I felt really tired after the meeting and the thouht of going back to work sort of stresses me out. I think Tim is right. He said my life is cosy because I spend most of my time doing my hobby - cooking and reading recipes, and I do a little bit of exercises. The danger of having a cosy life is that I might become lazy.
I felt really tired and stressed when I got home. The thought of no time to do rehab stresses me out. I then thought life is too short to worry about this. I guess if I can't drag out the time to stay part-time, I could probably return on a full time basis and then ask to become permanent part-time. I guess it's their job to get me back to work but it's not their job to see I have a full recovery.
I had another landmark achievement on the weekend. I went to the grocery stores on Saturday and it was the first time I went without a trolley. I had a bag of scallops and prawns in my left hand and I had to carry a busket with my left hand so I could pick the fruit and vegies with my right hand. I then carried one bag in each hand to the car. This is the first time I've done it. I normally put everything in the trolley but I've already visited the supermarket on Friday night so I didn't bother getting a trolley. One thing I told Prema that I want to be able to do is be able to carry shopping bags and walk. I think this is just the first step.
I had a meeting at the office with Peter,my manager, Jo, my case manager of return to work program and Alana, an OT contracted by the ATO, this morning. It's the first time I had to wear my business suit since the operation. I thought about wearing my gym wear but then I thought it would make me look too unprofessional and a meeting like that I need people to take me seriously.
I was quite anxious this morning just trying to get ready and put on some makeup. I wasn't going to put on any foundation but for some strange reason I had rashes all over my face so i had to put on some foundation just to cover the rashes. My meeting was at 10 a.m. and by the time I was ready, it was already 9.35 a.m. Fortunately, there was not much traffic on the road so I got there just in time. I parked at the carpark right next to the office, somewhere I used to park when I went to work. I was quite surprised that the parking attendant still remembers me and he said when I start working again, he can reserve a spot for me right next to the entrance so I don't have to walk that far.
When I got to the entrace of the building I stopped at the revolving door for a moment and thought about how to step into the door in time without being hit or caught. I missed a couple of time but I caught the third one was in. I still have a buillding pass so the security guy at the front desk told me to put it on so he doesn't need to issue me a building pass. Alana, the OT, was already there. She said she's waiting for Peter and Jo. It's really strange being there after all this time. The place changed a lot from the renovation.
Jo turned up a few minutes later. She looks a lot different from what I expected. I thought she'd be younger. I know from the email she sent me that she'd booked a room on the ground floor but she doesn't know where the room is and she thought I might know.
Finally, Peter turned up. I haven't worked with Peter before. I know he specialises in motor vehicles and prior to GST came in, he used to work in Luxury Car Tax. They put me in Peter's team because apparently they go out a lot less than other teams.
The meeting went on for over an hour. Basically, Alana was running it. She was setting up plans for me such as the number of hours per day and the number of days per week. The first week I will work two days a week and 4 hours per day. This will go on for 3 weeks and then it will be increased to 3 days a week. I told them that I will need to fit in physio and gym as well. Alana doesn't think I need that much physio, I should know better, given that she used to work at MECRS. I told them that my phsio thinks I will still need treatment for at least another 12 months and i don't think I can go back full time in the short term. Jo said they cannot stretch out the program for so long, they are hoping I can return in 3 months. I asked Peter if it's a problem if I just want to work part-time. He said he doesn't know because there are procedures for this and he will need to consult with higher authority and apparently it's quite complicated. In the end, Jo suggested that I try it out first and see how I go. I felt really tired after the meeting and the thouht of going back to work sort of stresses me out. I think Tim is right. He said my life is cosy because I spend most of my time doing my hobby - cooking and reading recipes, and I do a little bit of exercises. The danger of having a cosy life is that I might become lazy.
I felt really tired and stressed when I got home. The thought of no time to do rehab stresses me out. I then thought life is too short to worry about this. I guess if I can't drag out the time to stay part-time, I could probably return on a full time basis and then ask to become permanent part-time. I guess it's their job to get me back to work but it's not their job to see I have a full recovery.
posted by Teresa Liu at 7:05 PM
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