Living with celiac

So, how goes the gluten free thing? Right now, I'm in a bad patch. Going out for drinks and dinners a few nights (okay three or four) a week didn't help. But I think the night I was doing Bailey's shots didn't seem to give me problems.

I am still very limited on what I can have at most bars. But since I don't do rum or tequilla, it's been vino, vino, vino. A guy bought me a shot of something that had Bailey's in it and after four glasses of wine, I was in the mood to try it and see.

Food is even worse. I don't know if it's the cross contamination issues or what, but it just sucks. That's why it's almost easier to go to places like the Elks because the food options are very limited it's easy to just forget about it. It's when it gets late, you do get hungry.

I haven't gone out since Friday night. I played "safe" and drank at home that Cinco de Mayo weekend. And my mom is good about catching what I eat at home. So I don't know why I'm still having problems.

All those problems aggravated my PLMD. It feels as if I was working out my lower legs all night when I get up. So I'm very thankful this job is a lot of seat warming. But when I've had to run out or down the hall, I feel it bad.

At least my plans for this Friday don't involve meeting someone at a bar or club. And so far I haven't been tempted to bring him to the dark side and get him drunk. I've decided it's good to have diverse friends.

and your previous job was where?

Since I've been in hospital environments since high school (as a worker, not a patient), I'm used to a couple things happening. Blood-bourne pathogens awareness training, TB skin tests, Hep B shots, tetnaus, etc. Heck, my first TB test was done when I was 17 and started working in the immunology lab.

Yes, when I started at the University, I got my Hep B shots, and my tetnaus shot.

But I started here, and was filling out the paperwork to get the file started. They asked when my last TB test was done. Do the math, and it was 1993.

"And your previous job didn't do one?"

"No. But I got a tetnaus shot."

"And they gave you the Hep B shots, but didn't titer you afterwards?"

"No. I was told that some people just don't titer, so there's not much point in doing them again."

I could see the look on her face of "Dear Lord, how did they allow such a lapse, and why is it my problem?"

So I got the TB test done. Was scared to know since I've been around people with TB (no active cough), and was working right next to the TB P3 room. But that all checked out fine.

Still haven't heard if they're going to titer me for Hep B or not. At least if they insist on another round of shots or such, I don't have to go far to get it done.

security?

For sure, I'm not naming names here. But this bugs enough I have to vent a second.

Girl training me/moving out of lab: "Don't you log out of your computer when you go lunch?"

Me: "Why, only lab workers can get in here anyway. Besides, my lunch time is 15-20 minutes anyway."

Then I thought about it. In their attempts to streamline things or prevent people from coming in and saying "I lost key to room *", so far every door on this floor has opened with the key I got on my first day.

This includes the stairwell. I started taking the stairs to work because the stairwell is right outside the locker area, and it feeds out right to the staff parking lot.

On the 5th floor, this specific stairwell is behind a magnetic lock door. It's designed to keep the general public/admitted clinic patients from getting in and mucking with lab stuff.

But I use my key to open the door. Is there someone that works on the floor with a key, but no magentic pass card? Probably.

Would they be so inclined to test this theory? Hopefully not. It's not a major deal because you wouldn't have the key in the first place if you weren't allowed to be on the floor.

Am I paranoid enough to want to log off my computer when I'm not here? No, I don't have the energy for that amount of paranoia.

living by the stopwatch

I love this lab in Phoenix. The people are very nice, the pay is awsome (just got paid for last week's work). Hate the drive time and the building heat - but Flagstaff weenies never returned my messages or emails, so I will take a hint and go away (for now; hopefully July will have some openings come up).

This lab lives and dies by the stopwatch. Most things are timed. But it's time paranoia. I can't use the nice digital timers, rather the old fashioned push button stopwatches and keep one eye on its clock. Oh, and I have to use certain clocks to determine time for records, but not others (and heaven forbid I use my NTS watch).

The worst part of the living by the stopwatch - the constant ticking. It's not the soothing "60 Minutes" kind of ticking, but more like a constat "tick-tick" noise. I'm scared to put in my pocket, so I hooked it up to my neckstring that was supposed to be for my ID badge.

And speaking of living by the stopwatch.....gotta run.