That Time I Was Beat By A Mouse

End of August, I was feeling pretty good and ready to get back to my normal routine. So, we found a babysitter, and got it all figured out. The doctor signed my release that I could do sit down work. All that's great, except my job is not sit down work. As an elementary school office manager, there is a lot of running around. The only two full time employees in the office are me and the principal. My main duty is to keep the school running and that can look like so many different things. Sometimes, it's covering a class, sometimes, subbing in as a health clerk, sometimes restraining a child in distress, sometimes, standing with a giant parrot on my arm or finding space for the traveling petting zoo. I don't sit very often in my job.

However, the beginning of the school year is crazy busy with all the new kindergarteners and new students registering. It's hard enough to keep up on that, let alone do any of the other start up things. So, my sub stayed in my spot, and I set up shop in the principal's office to work behind the scenes. I was plenty bust, at first. Once school started, I found myself asking for more work. It was surprising how quickly my reports and data entry side of the job could be done without interruption.  Even still, my pain kept creeping in. I would take some time off, flex my hours, but it didn't matter. After 8 hours of sitting in a chair, I needed the whole evening to recover for the next day. And that was what I promised myself I wouldn't do. I need time to be okay and present with my family. So, my doctor put me down to work 4 hours. It was working well. It seemed that the higher ups didn't really like the set up anymore.  They felt the principal needed her own space, which isn't unreasonable. So, I became displaced. They told me that there was no need for my skill set with my limitations. Ouch! That definitely hurt hearing that. I thought I could be helpful in so many ways, but.... apparently not.

So, what do they do with the displaced? Oh, let me tell you. I was sent to a health clinic in another city. There, I was given a computer and a horribly uncomfortable chair to "work" in room for 4 hours. For the first time in my entire working life, I had to punch a time clock. I got a tour of the health clinic and showed where the bathrooms were and signed a paper that said I wouldn't use my cell phone while I was at work. I felt like a twelve year old being put at the quiet table to do homework. Then I started "work". A list of lessons were on the computer that ranged from anal disorders to agoraphobia to ALS to angioplasty... as you can see, I only got through most of the A's. I clicked on a lesson and then had to click through each slide to learn about each medical condition and treatment. Each lesson ranges about 60-80 slides.

After day one, my right hand was in a lot if pain during the evening. It calmed down and I returned the next day. I used my left hand to click the mouse because it hurt to much to click with the right. After about 2 hours of clicking, I had to stop. The deep burning pain was horrific. When it gets this bad, I throw up, so I made it to the bathroom and went back to my desk. I popped a pain pill and decided to watch the video instead of the lessons. The video was made in the 1980's and topics were preventing back injury working in a warehouse and bloodborne pathogens, such as HIV and AIDS. While watching the video, I was breaking into a sweat from the pain. The people in the video kept going to their doctor with way less pain, so I figured I should go to mine. I saw my "supervisor" and he told me to go to my doctor. Of course, when I got there, my doctor was in surgery, and the ladies at the office told me to go to the hospital.

So there I was in the ER, with curled in and frozen stiff hands and when they asked what caused the pain... I had to answer that it was an effin computer mouse. Luckily the PA there was familiar with CRPS and got me in quickly. Once the muscle relaxers kicked in, I was much better. But, do you know how defeated I felt when I had to send a doctor note saying I cant work in a job in which all I did was click a mouse on the computer? How am I supposed to feel like I have a purpose in the workplace when I can't click a mouse? Let alone, when my employer of 7+ years has no need for my skill set. It is a low place. And I can sit here and let this spiral. I can tell myself that I can't provide for my family and it's only going to get worse.or I can lift my head and hobble my way to my daughter's first middle school volleyball game and remind myself that work isn't everything. I can be there for my child and that is something I CAN do.

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