My last update here was early December. So much has happened during this time ^-^'
My neurologist wanted to wean me off of anticonvulsants due to the area the stroke damaged looked pretty much healed. It was going to be a 5 week process since weaning too fast could trigger seizures. However, on December 28th, I had two partial seizures back to back at home and a tonic clonic (grand mal) on the way to the hospital. I was only a day and a half into the weaning process. The hospital's neurologist told me that I had to stop the process and go back to taking my normal dose. I went to set up an appointment with my neuro, but they told me to just stay on the old dose and follow-up in ~6 months. The earliest they had was July 3rd. I went back to no driving due to my state's law, so life was rough again.
Back in November, my post went short-staffed. My Operations Manager (OM) hired a new guy and one of the previous came back from medical leave. This new person became a problem real quick and has honestly been the reason for my declining health, along with the OM's blatant negligence to listen to me and do something about it. Long story short, since November, I haven't had a single month without excessive overtime. Every time my coworker had medical issues (one time was a death in the family), my OM refused to find help and made me and the new hire work 12s...except the new hire often abandoned me and forced me to pull 16 hour shifts, once 19 hours. These weren't occasional call outs either, we would pull these extra hours for a week in a row. I have no qualms over the other worker, they had no control over their call-outs. However, the new hire refused to help me. He also would call-out for not getting enough sleep, but like 7 hours before his shift? None of it made sense. In April, I experienced a different partial seizure that was extremely weird. However, at the time, I didn't know what it was. I blamed it on the sleep deprivation after pulling 56 hours that week. It was a short seizure, lasting only 3 minutes, but I was completely unaware that it was one since all my other seizures, I would have strange behavior and blank spots in memory or go unconscious. This one, I was completely aware, I could talk, walk, move around, the only thing weird was that I couldn't read. I just suddenly lost the ability to read and trying to read aloud was like listening to a kindergartener trying to read. Then it passed and I was fine. This was a short period, so I didn't think anything of it. However, at the end of May, I had another partial seizure, this time much bigger and longer, at work. It started out the same way. I lost the ability to read, but this time I was struggling for about 15 minutes. I began to panic a bit and then I went to check in a truck. I could read the numbers, but not words. I told the driver something was wrong. Luckily, the HR lady for the place I guard walked up to me and helped me dismiss the driver. I told her something is wrong and it was right around then that I began to deteriorate faster. I eventually lost all control of my body, but I was still aware and conscious for it. It was like I was trapped in my brain. Someone would ask a question and I'd answer in my head but my mouth wouldn't say it. I was loaded up to an ambulance and spent a couple of hours post ictal in the ER. It was the CREEPIEST experience ever. Everyone's face was distorted, it was hard to answer questions because I would answer verbally and then trail off and continue in my head. I was eventually released after everything settled. I had my meds increased. I still won't be able to see my neuro until the 3rd, but looks like I have permanent damage and will be given an official epilepsy diagnosis.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, we found out that our client for the post we guard decided to change companies and I almost lost my job .-. That was a nightmare and a half to deal with. The only openings my company had were either places I couldn't work at due driving restrictions or places that had the same schedule as my partners. There was one offer in particular though that had 3 days at a post that is a walking distance from home, but had a secondary post for 1 day in a different town that overlapped my partner's hours that day. I told my OM that unless he dropped the second post, I couldn't do any of them. I spent a week with him taunting me saying "all the other offers are taken, this is the only one left" and I kept telling him (multiple times) I can't unless the second post was dropped. He kept ignoring me. Then he'd ask again, and I would repeat myself. It took an entire week for me, my partner, his supervisor to convince him to drop the second post so I can work there. He finally allowed it. My last day with my post is July 2nd and I start at my new post July 8th.
My new post has so many benefits. It's close by, has a bathroom inside the guard house, has two AC/heaters, a watercooler, microwave, minifridge, coffeemaker, and they provide coffee and utensils for us. My old post only provided a microwave and a single AC that didn't work between 1pm and sundown in the summers. No heater, no fridge, no water, and we had to walk quite a ways into the building to use the bathroom. We had to provide our own stuff like fans, heaters, fridge, etc. Not to mention, my old post was extremely toxic and contradicting, and this new post is very kind and will ban people from returning if we are mistreated. The biggest benefit though is that I am only working 3 days a week, totaling 28 hours. This will greatly improve my health. No more dealing with excessive hours. Less stress. More rest and sleep. Things that impact my seizure threshold greatly. I am hoping this means I'll have less problems. Also, this means I have more time to do my art/comic. Something I have been craving for years now. Having only a small window of time to do it was torture. I always had to choose between chores, art, or sleep on my two days off. Ever since my stroke, my energy has been zapped. I would get home, eat, maybe clean if I could, and then sleep and repeat. So, having FOUR days off a week will help so much...
Anyways, that's all that's happened since my last update! Sorry its a novel ^-^' Hope everyone is doing well!
