Can I be a person not a patient?

I often feel I spend a good portion of my life going from medical appointment to medical appointment. My calendar is full of doctor appointments, reminders to call different doctors, or notes on prescriptions.

My schedule is set for the rest of my life by medical appointments. Yesterday I wanted to go to the gym in the morning but had to wait until after the eye doctor for my dry eyes, which force me there twice a year. Those dry eyes, along with dry mouth, are a 'benefit' of my rheumatoid. Which is followed by a dentist appointment on Friday morning, which will also delay my getting to the gym. Or force me to get up early to go to the gym first.

I used to work with a woman who scheduled all her doctor appointments for the year in one week. I'm so jealous.

Normal people don't go to the doctor as often as I do. Their calendars are filled with friends, fun, and adventures. I get to go to the doctor.

My time span

These days, every day I have an expiration time. This means at no point past that point in time should I attempt to do anything more than knit, read, or watch TV. This time frame means that every day I need to plan out  my day and not spend more time than I should at any point. Every week I sit down and plan out my little time periods so I can get through my days and what I need to get done..

Today my day is planned. Being lazy until 10 am when we will go get the last necessary items for Christmas dinner, make two pies, precook the squash, sort out dishes to use tomorrow, and take a nap while my husband sets the table and cleans up the kitchen.

Tomorrow is Christmas and guests are expected at 2pm to eat at 3pm. I have to put a ham and scalloped potatoes in the oven around 115 and then pick up relatives. We will make the green salad ahead and cook the green beans and heat squash at the last minute. After everyone leaves, which I assume will be by 8pm, I can go to bed early after we run the dishwasher.

Don't I lead an exciting life? This is life with RA and fibromyalgia. For more thoughts on what life with RA go read this.

Since my diagnosis  just over two years ago, my days are shorter and shorter but I hope to make them better and better but doing what I want to and not the stuff I don't want.

Appointments can mess up everything!

We are going on vacation in a few weeks and looking forward to it. This is an annual trip that has been planned. (And no I am not giving special insight to burglars as we will have a house/cat sitter while we are gone.) As part of our getting organized for this trip, I have longstanding plans to have tea with the house/cat sitter to discuss details of what is the latest food the cat will eat as well as other general information.

We are supposed to have tea (or possibly champagne and paté) at 3pm.

Yesterday I gave up on my back issues and decided living on Tramadol is not the lifestyle I enjoy, and called my back pain doctor for an appointment. The only available appointment in the next month is at 245 on the same day. Wah!!!

So now I need to reschedule our tea/champagne and paté to later in the afternoon. Obviously I can't drink champagne and then go see the doctor.... I know I could have said no but it would mean more time living on tramadol.

This always happens. We are at the mercy of our doctor's and their schedules. I also know that we are also stuck with scheduling around our other appointments. But damn! I hate it when doctor appointments conflict with the fun parts of my life.

My goal this week is to go to work

In the past two weeks I have worked 12.5 hours. I usually work 15-18 hours/week so you can say I am a tad bit 'behind'. My job isn't the kind where I have these huge looming deadlines but one where I have a consistent pile of projects that I keep digging away to keep under control. So now all my projects are behind.

When I went out the door on Friday (and I NEVER work on Fridays - this gives you an idea of how far behind I am), I said to my boss, instead of telling him when I would be in next, that my goal was to go to work this week. He laughed. But it is very true.

I am going to work today on a Monday. I almost never work Mondays. My preferred work week is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 8-2. A nice 18 hour work week. It gives me a four day weekend.

This weekend was a two day weekend. I hate two day weekends. I don't get enough rest. So today I am going to work for about four hours and then to the gym. I will be home around 2 I hope. Its supposed to be a beautiful spring day and I want to get out and enjoy it.

But I have to go to work this week.

I do have a secondary goal. I do not want to go to a medical facility this week. I have been driving both my parents to their appointments - my sister has been helping too. I have been at a medical facility approximately 3-4 times each week for the past month or so. This is between driving them and visiting my father. This has contributed to work rescheduling and working on Mondays and Fridays as well.

I need a break  from medical facilities.My brother is visiting this week. His role is that of chauffeur and deliverer to all medical appointments. My sister needs to get some work done on her car and this is her chance as well. Next week we will return to driving them after our break. I might even be caught up at work by then.