This is a pretty accurate illustration of my life over the past month. I'm not kidding. Any activity more strenuous results in a nap.
For example, on Saturday I met a coworker downtown for lunch. Just to see how I felt riding to and fro on the el. A non-rush-hour practice run. We ate and gabbed for two hours and it felt fine. Then suddenly, I felt all my energy begin to escape. I got home and took a three hour nap. To recover from a two hour lunch!
Today I played a rather enthusiastic game of Scrabble with my 12-year-old nephew. Then we split a pizza (his new favorite: ground beef and cheese). I got home and took a three hour nap.
I return to work on Wednesday. My low energy level concerns me. My doctor tells me that the first few days at work will be tiring, no matter when I go back. My coworker told me that the joke around the office is that I will make the big the presentation down at client on Thursday, the day after I'm back. I'd be certain it was all a joke if we didn't have precedence for this sort of thing -- three years ago, when I was out of the office because my mom was in the hospital, my boss decided I was the right one, the only one, to present creative I had not even seen.
In 2008, it was merely an unwise decision, but I was able to pull it off. In 2011, it would be an untenable position because I don't know that leaving the house at dawn to ride 2 and a half hours to make a presentation to a roomful of people is even physically possible for me at this point.
So I've decided that my ensemble on Wednesday will be dressed way down. I'm going to play "the scar card" and make sure that everyone realizes that wearing anything with a fly still,
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erally, hurts me.The scary thing is that I worry if my disability leave hasn't left me equipped to be the woman at the top of the page, but not this one.
your strength will come back. you haven't done any "real life" events and the body tends to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteyou don't have to be in a dead run all day..just keep it slow!
at night, just kick back and relax!
remember ... the worse is OVER!!!
It's a scary proposition to head back but once you get into a new routine, you'll be fine.
ReplyDeleteIf I can offer some advice borne of experience: start off at 4 hours a day, in the middle of the day. Do that for about a week. Then go to six hours for a week, then back to full time. If you can pull that off, it will really make re-adaption so much easier, and let you build up to full time.
ReplyDeleteAt work, pace yourself, and definitely rest and relax after work.
Hope that helps!