Back to the ER

I'm starting to think the ER is becoming my second home. Work finally told me that I would not be allowed to return to work until the follow-up visit with the psychiatrist. That is assuming that he clears me to go back. I was concerned that since I had gone off the medication he might hold me back from returning. Plus no one was telling me when that appointment even was. So back to the ER I went. It wasn't how I wanted to spend my day but I didn't want to take any chances.

From the start I've said that all I needed was sleep. I took some Lorazapam that I had left over from an old prescription. Slept like a baby. I was finally alert and had more energy. The good news is that the finally listened. By the end of my 4 hours at the ER I had a prescription for a Benzodiazepine (think Valium if you're not familiar with the drug category). They may not help you fall asleep but they do knock you out. Sleep... glorious sleep. I am a little surprised that they didn't go with Ambien, Lunesta, or one of the other newer drug classes since they supposedly less likely to be habit forming.

The weird part though is that I went from being on an anti-depressant to a depressant. So now the only thing being treated is the lack of sleep. But they will not allow me to return to work. Maybe that's because each time I see the psychiatrist for under 5 minutes. This time around he did ask a few more questions. He didn't just write the prescription and then leave again. But he said he wasn't in a position to clear me for work. WTF? When I was forced to take time off work it was because they were concerned I might be a threat to myself or someone else. No one since then has indicated I am a potential threat. It all seems to surround my performance at work and whether or not that would improve.

Here's the problem... my appointment with the psychiatrist isn't until February 22. Azrael loves havingme home so I do get to spend plenty of time with him. And he does well for therapy. It also means that I can do some work with Chaord Studios... like more DVD projects... and some web site design. So there are some benefits. The biggest downside is the financial side of things. The first two weeks I am off I don't get paid for and work didn't even pay me my sick days. Then I need a medical certificate so that I can get EI for the remainder. I don't even have contact info for the doctor I saw. Even then I'll only make 55% of my wages.... so in total it's going to cost me about $2000 to be off work. And it takes 6-8 weeks for the money to get here. Needless to say that's going to leave me short. For now I am okay... but that's only going to last for so long. To think, I was actually planning on buying this laptop. I was about halfway there. Now, on the other hand, I'll be struggling to make sure all the bills are paid. *Sigh*

Well on the bright side it means that I still have 5 sick days to use and my vacation days... so plenty of time off this year. And I am doing okay, relativey speaking. I just wish they would allow me to go back to work. Or at least that I'd have money... Even better a vacation to a warm, tropical island. Now that would be therapy.