Well, technically, not at home -- at my family's, but same difference.
Several doctor's appointments after my last blog post, I may finally see the end of this thing. All right, not the end, but a light at the end of the tunnel.
First and foremost, my pneumonia, and cough, have cleared up, finally. My fever is not longer all over the place, but a very small low-grade one. My voice is back for casual conversations, but I can't project worth anything.
The biggest problem, are my headaches and fatigue. Both are lingering effects of the nasty sinus infection, and the complete body-battering given to me by the H1N1.
At my next appointment, on Tuesday, I'm finally going to discuss heading back to work, half-time, if the fever remnants are finally gone. Both my union and my health and wellness (and my family) don't want me any where near the petri dish of my workplace until the fever is gone. In all honesty, as frustrated as I am with not working, they're right. Anyone who has ever worked in a school knows exactly how unclean those places are. I don't think there's enough anti-baterial agent in the world just to get the second floor of mine clean.
Interestingly enough, after some examination, and frustation over losing a huge number of sick days, over something I picked up at work, there is no recompence for me. Doctors can't sign off that this was a workplace related illness, as it can't be conclusively proven that's where I picked it up. While there is a point in that argument, I bet if every ill child was kept at home, instead of sent to work, I bet absenteeism amongst staff would be way down. Of course, this goes for the staff as well.
When I do go back, everyone, from professional, to personal, to medical, want me to start back half-time. It'll be weird for me not just to jump back into work, but with the fatigue, I know I'm not capable of it. So, opnce back half-time, the debate will be when to head back full time.
I'm all for the traditional work ethic, but there comes a point that one person's desire not to miss work, (whether it be a staff member or parent not able to stay home) puts everyone else at risk.
I'm not one to usually comment on specific press stories, but there has been a slew of late with people suffering the way I am. We, as a nation, don't know what the long-term effects of something like this is. For most, it's the flu, and recovery time is standard, but for an increasing number of us, if the press is to be believed, it's more like SARS for some -- much more deadly and affecting than originally thought. Well, this isn't called a pandemic for nothing.
Just this Friday, I finally received a response from my parents' MPP, who I e-mailed back in October. Unfortunately, all he could do was espress his sympathies and say he'lll pass this along to my MPP, who also happens to be the health critic.
Thus, after all of this, I'm expecting nothing from the government. Not that I expected anything to be done about little old me, but now that the clinics are emptying, and no one has shockingly died of late, all the huge problems my province has had with this pandemic will be swept under the rug.
Besides, since I did send my initial complaint about how the government's dealt with this to my parents' MPP, and he can't do anything, passing it off to the woman I rejected sending it to, might, which is mathematically, if not practically possible, wind up with less than nothing being accomplished.
And I'm still just damned tired.
