Here goes in Stuff

I woke up to a message from my store manager saying he’d organized a follow-up appointment for me at 1pm and if he wanted me to get him to pick me up again.
I’m probably well enough to walk there now, but i said sure anyway. Why not be chauffeured around in his nice manager car. I’m so thankful that I should be able to get in and out of it pain-free compared to how I was on Saturday.
I’m still a little bit sore. Other body parts are sore now as well because they’ve had to take on the brunt of my weight, trying to keep it off my lower right, so naturally, now my lower left is sore, and my right wrist (the one that sometimes gives me trouble) so sore again as well, due to having to use my arms to hoist myself up each time I’ve laid down.
The last two mornings (Tuesday and Wednesday (this morning)) have been the best. I’ve woken up and realized I’m not in pain and have been able to get out of bed without needing to use my arms. My core has kicked back in and the back has been behaving.
This will be good news to my manager. I seem to be in an okay state to go back to work. He may not need to submit the WorkCover forms, as I am due to return to work tomorrow (but not according to the original Medical Certificate, which says January 17th).
Anyway, I’ll see what the doctor recommends after he pokes me a few more times. The lower back is definitely still sore when I touch it. I wouldn’t want to put too much strain on it. I feel like he will either allow me to do light duties, or, he’ll get me to take the week off to be sure. I feel like if I had another 48-60 hours, I’d be feeling pretty normal again. Well, at least I hope so, given the time-line of healing thus far.
This has been the worst ‘weekend’ ever, pain-wise. I left the house once because I needed to get out (when I bought the pair of thongs). The painkillers have been a God-send, although I have no idea if they are just a Placebo Effect or not. I’m just thankful that I am not wincing in pain like I was over the actual weekend.
Anyway, doc in an hour and a half. I will update then.

Edit: Back from docs. It was a bit painful getting into and out of my manager’s car (which I expected) but at least I could do it, unlike a few days ago. I had an Asian lady doctor this time, wheras last time I had a Caucasian male doctor, but she just brought up the screen and asked me a few questions and asked me if i still had pain and where it was. I noticed that the male doctor hadn’t printed me out a workplace medical certificate but it was okay because my manager went back and got one anyway after he dropped me back off at home on Saturday.
Anyway, verdict is: Light duties.
I’m not one to rort WorkCover, although I think I was very close to needing it, especially if this happened at the beginning of a working-week or something. My injury occurred last Friday, which was my second shift of four, so work agreed to pay me for the weekend shifts out of their own pocket, and then WorkCover anything further. Since I am feeling capable of working now (touch-wood), I filled out the form of what I felt I can and can’t do. The doctor suggested that I’m not to lift anything from ground to waist for the next week, however, I can lift from waist to shoulder and above shoulders anything less than 2kg.
They are my current restrictions. Movement of both arms, walking etc is all totally fine. I’m not to push or pull anything, so that’s gonna make things interesting considering my main role is pushing roll-cages full of stock, but I’m just going to have to hassle my workmates to move the stock for me and I can fill whatever isn’t heavy from the top level, as that’s above my waist.
My manager however has said that he’s going to do up a ‘light duties’ plan for me when I get to work tomorrow. So my job is going to be complete shit-kicker stuff for the next week, like replacing stripping, putting up tickets and God knows what else. How the hell I’m going to fill in doing 30 hours of this, I do not know.
I’m then to return to the doctor yet again next week to get the all clear, even though I’m sure I won’t need to by then. It’s all legality crap and documents to say everything was done by the book. Doesn’t bother me too much since it’s all been covered by work. That damn doc is $75 for a 5 min consultation each time, so I’m sure as hell glad I ain’t $225 (plus my meds) out of pocket.
The doc said IF I still have any pain at all when I see her next week, she’ll then refer me to a physiotherapist (which is also covered) so that’s good just in-case anything happens.
I’m kind of sick of sitting around the house TBH.
Sydney may or may not still be on this Sunday, I’ll see how I am then.

Last updated January 09, 2018