Forced Doctor visits and a great book!

It is 1:25 AM as I write this.

Insomnia really is a struggle.

I’ve been tossing and turning since 10 PM.

So, I got up and decided to jot a bit.

I have to be up to get ready for work at 4 AM, so this is probably a bad idea.

The good news, though?

I had to go see my doctor a few days ago, and he prescribed me a sleeping pill.

I still haven’t picked it up yet, but I plan to do that tomorrow from the Pharmacy.

He asked if I’ve tried things like going to bed later, reading before bed, listening to music, etc.

After I told him I’ve tried it all, he got to typing and told me what he was going to prescribe me and told me to try it to see if it helps. I shall let y’all know how that goes. ๐Ÿ˜Š It better help – because my sleep is all messed up, and as soon as I get to sleep, I can’t stay asleep.

So, let’s chat!

The doctor visit:

It was forced.

You know I don’t go to the doctor or hospital unless I absolutely have to.

The DMV kind of forced this one.

In 2016, I had a little medical emergency and woke up in the E.R.

Since then – the DMV liked to play this little game of, “We have to check on you and make sure you’re safe to drive”. I promise you – there was no drugs or alcohol involved, and I blame lack of sleep, exhaustion, burnout and a long day – when this happened. Nonetheless – I was behind the wheel, and thankfully – I was in a parking lot when I passed out.

Again – we’re talking about almost a decade ago!

Serious shit, I know!

That was before I moved to Minnesota and my doctor back then – wrote it off as nothing more than a medical emergency and said I was good to go. They ran tests, they did blood work, and everything came back fine. I was told what I could do to stop it from happening again, and it’s been almost TEN YEARS since that day – without it ever happening again.

I also haven’t heard from the DMV in so many years, so imagine my surprise when I got a letter stating that my license would be cancelled if I didn’t go get ANOTHER form signed by my new doctor here in Minnesota – stating that I’m okay to drive. WTF. I was so aggravated, and I called my doctor’s office, but they couldn’t get me in until the 8th. No, that’s not going to work, and this is why!

I explained the situation to the lady who answered – and finally – she asked if I wanted to “come in and see him at 3 PM today”.

That was a few days ago.

I’ve had this doctor here in Minnesota for about a year 1/2 now.

He was amazing at getting me in, and he signed that paperwork right away – making sure to have his nurse fax it quickly to stop any actions against my license. He laughed about it and called it “absolutely ridiculous almost a decade later”.

THANK YOU!!!!!

THAT’S WHAT I SAID!!!!!

Okay, I understand it. I get that they have a job to do and they have to make sure everyone on the road is safe to be on the road, but A DECADE LATER??!!!!!! Still, we giggled about it, and he did what he had to do.

Once he finished the paperwork, I expected to thank him, tell him “Have a great day!”, and be on my way.

No!

My doctor had other plans.

He says, “Well, it’s great to see you, and since I have you here – and I haven’t seen you in a while, we should just go ahead and do a follow-up visit”. I laughed and told him, “This is why I don’t come here. You want to sit and talk about everything else that I didn’t come here for”. He laughed, and he knew I was joking, but I was also very much serious. Sir, I’m just trying to be on my way. ๐Ÿคฃ

He asked a few questions about how I’ve been feeling, asked if I had any new changes in my health I’m concerned about, if I was getting enough rest – (no – because you just prescribed me sleeping meds). You know the answer to that! ha.

He asked a few other questions, and then he listened to my lungs / heart. He went over my lab results from the last time I had lab work done and told me everything looks great and asked me if I had any questions for him or anything I wanted to talk about.

Did I ask him if he could give me tummy tuck?! Yes. Yes, I did!!!!

I gave him my best look.

(Photo by S.P.M. on Pinterest)

He looked at me and smiled.

He told me, “If I’m being honest, would it be a benefit? Yes, but I don’t really think you need it. I think with enough slow and steady exercise, everything would tighten up on its own”.

No. That’s not what I’m trying to hear.

He continued and said if it’s something I really want to do, we can look into it, but there would be a process to go through. Seeing a dietician first, seeing a psychologist, and making sure I’m okay for it. I didn’t know I’d have to jump through so many hoops, and while I totally get the dietician part of it – I was confused about the Psych part.

I guess it’s because doctors and surgeons want to make sure that the person getting the tummy tuck – or whatever surgery they want – has realistic expectations from it, has a strong mindset for it, they’re mentally stable, and to prepare the person for the emotional challenges after the surgery.

Makes sense.

I told him, “Let’s do this!”. He put in a referral and said they’d call me in a week or so to talk to me and we’d go from there.

Maybe I don’t need it. I just have the typical “mommy tummy” as I call it, but I don’t like it, and I want it gone. It almost made me feel good when he said he didn’t think I needed it, but – I disagree. Maybe I’ll get into my workouts, see results and decide against it. Who knows?

Anyway, this adorably cute doctor of mine – finished up our visit, looked at me and told me, “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”. I laughed and told him, “Oh, I’m going to be a stranger. You know I don’t like this place. It’s not you. I just don’t like doctors and hospitals”. He laughed and told me, “I know”. I thanked him and went on my way.

My daughter was with me and she had me laughing so much when she asked, “Why did it sound like you were breaking up with the guy? You said – It’s not you…..”. ๐Ÿ˜ I mean, it’s true. It’s not him. It’s me. If he wanted to meet up for coffee, or dinner – or a movie – then I would definitely not be a stranger, but in the professional doctor / patient setting, no thanks!

The man is very much married though, and I don’t break up marriages, so even then – it would be a no.

So – my license won’t be cancelled, and he basically told the DMV to stop bothering me – in his medical terms. lol. The tummy tuck thing? Possibly happening.

Other than that –

The book:

I just started reading this book I keep hearing SO MUCH about.

Women all over TIKTOK are talking about it, and all the emotions it brings out of them.

Some have cried talking about it. Some have been playfully mad talking about it. Some have been like, “What the hell, dude?”. It’s all over the TOK and it got me interested in reading this book that’s going viral.

This book so far – has made me smile. It has irritated me. It has made me smile again. It has made wonder why the hell Jaime is playing with emotions and playing both sides like he is, and then it made me wonder why the hell in the college years – “B” is playing with emotions and playing both sides like she is – and has me wondering WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON????????????????????????? WHY CAN’T THESE TWO FIGURE IT OUT?????????????????

First of all – the book starts off by saying on the inside:

“One day, whether you are 14, 28, or 65…you will stumble upon someone who will start a fire in you that cannot die. However – the saddest, most awful truth you will ever come to find – is – they are not always with whom we spend our lives”. – Beau Taplin.

I FELT THAT. It’s such a real quote.

But –

This book starts off with this Junior in high school – running with her best friend, and she accidently bumps into this cute Senior boy she says she saw first. It goes on to say, “Truth is – I lost the ability to do anything the minute I looked up at him. It was an unfamiliar, warm ache that spread through my chest as I used my hand to shield the sun streaming in behind his silhouette, just how you’d expect the first sip of Whiskey to feel”. She goes on to refer to this boy – as “Whiskey” since that day.

I don’t want to give the book away in case you want to read it, but you should totally check it out.

Pick up a copy or download it on Kindle – which is where I’m reading it now and give it a try. I recommend it!! He does end up liking her friend, so why is he texting “B” – telling her “Take a ride with me”. The book had me hooked the first few chapters, and eventually – while she’s in love with “Whiskey” – he’s supposed to be the boy she never sees again after high school – but…………………………….

Na. I can’t spoil it for you. Go read it. Seriously – it’s a great book so far, and I’ve been through some emotions myself reading this. I just got my daughter into it, and even she – is like “WHAT THE HELL?”. haha. She hates reading actual books, but this one – she’s really into as well. She has actually gotten way ahead of me.

She laughed in the car the other day when I was parked somewhere reading it, and on page 60 – I yelled out, “NO WAY!”. As I kept reading in shock, I yelled out again, “NNNOOOO WWAAAAYYY!”. ๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ’• There were two big shockers.

Anyway – get you the book and have a good read! Let me know what you think if you do.

I got this from GOOGLE:

  • Star-Crossed Lovers:ย Breck and Jamie’s story spans years, marked by undeniable chemistry but poor timing.
  • Addictive Connection:ย Readers describe feeling “intoxicated” by the story, mirroring the novel’s title and central theme of addiction and intense feeling.

My loves.

I feel like I had something else to write about, but I can’t think of it right now, and I’m getting tired actually.

I’m going to end this here and hope you all have a great week!

๐Ÿ’•Shel๐Ÿ’•

When you can’t sleep – you do some research on trains, and other things.

So, who was dreaming about me and won’t let me sleep?

Ha.

It’s currently 2:20 AM and I’ve been awake since I went to bed at 9 – something last night.

I’ve just been in bed thinking about different things. Tossing and turning. Thinking some more. Thinking of bills due. Christmas coming up fast. My work schedule. Getting back into a workout routine, and all kinds of stuff. I’ve checked my phone about 20 times, and every time I look – it’s just another 20 minutes or so later.

My mind won’t shut the hell up, and for some crazy reason, my mind went to the train derailment of 1977 – in downtown Chicago.

(Photo taken from Medium).

My mom worked down there at the time if I remember her telling me that correctly.

She was down there when it happened.

I have no idea why I thought about this as I was in bed not able to sleep, but then I started looking up photos on it, reading the story, and remembering my mom talking about it many years ago.

If you want to read the story, check it out. ๐Ÿ‘‡

https://mx-schroeder.medium.com/out-of-the-loop-the-1977-chicago-usa-train-collision-6049663a4fc6

There are more photos on the site.

๐Ÿ˜ถ

I don’t really tell many people because it’s not really a big deal – but I like trains. I know – weird fact about me you probably didn’t need to know, but I do. I think they’re really cool, and if I’m being honest – I especially love the freight trains that travel all around the world and have the really creative tagging / drawings on it – from people who shouldn’t be doing it – but some of their artwork is neat.

The fact that these trains go all over, and these taggers are getting their artwork noticed in many different states – is pretty amazing. Okay, okay. I’m Criminal justice. I know it’s illegal and it’s not right to tag on a train car or mark it up – but I’ve seen some hard work put into those masterpieces, and it makes me appreciate art more. I don’t mean the goofy “Let me tag my name on this train car” – garbage. I mean the awesome photos of cartoons that get drawn, or the ones that take time to make something stand out – that the entire world will see – wherever that train car is.

I always wonder if someone creates these beautiful pieces on train cars and thinks to themselves, “Many people in many cities and states will see this and love it!”.

Stuff like (below) – makes me smile and makes me wonder how the hell there’s enough time – to do stuff like this, but again – while wrong and illegal – some of it – is creative.

๐Ÿ’•

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Just because I started thinking about the train derailment in Chicago in 1977, that got me thinking about train cars I’ve seen with all kinds of drawings and artwork on it. I’m not okay with the tagging and people just being stupid about it – but something like these photos – that go all over the world and make people giggle and smile – I’m not against it!

STILL ILLEGAL THOUGH! STILL NOT A GOOD IDEA TO DO IT!

If you get caught, there’s hefty consequences!!!!

Hell. There are so many different types of trains and different styles, I just appreciate the trains themselves – even without the tagging and beauty of different artwork on them. So, I grabbed my phone, and I was looking up different types of trains, and I came across more train derailments, and why they happen.

What I really wanted to see – was how it looks for a train conductor – driving a train, so I looked up those videos.

Another fun fact about me – is that I once wanted to be a train conductor and drives those huge things, but I know it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, and there’s a lot that goes into it.

I’m telling you! For some reason – I’ve always been fascinated with trains.

Maybe it started when I was a young kid and my friends and I would climb over a fence – to then climb up a hill and onto the train tracks down the block from where I grew up. I loved trains even then, and nothing has changed.

There was one time a police officer was driving by, saw my best friend and I – up on the tracks, and screamed at us to get down. We hopped back over the fence, and once we were back on the ground, he yelled at us – telling us the dangers of being up on the tracks, and how if it derails – we’re in trouble and can be killed up there.

Our brothers were up there, too!

Mine got caught and he had to come down, and my best friend’s brother was hiding behind a wall – laying down, so the cop couldn’t see him. We were told that if he comes back around or sees us up there again, we’d be taken to the station, and our parents would be called. He asked if anyone else was up there with us, and we lied and said no. He asked, “So, that foot I see – isn’t attached to a body?”. lol

We turned to see my best friend’s brother’s foot sticking out from behind the wall. He got in trouble, too!

And –

My best friend lived on a dead-end street, on the 3rd floor – and the train tracks were literally right outside her window, so we could see people in the train and the trains going by, and they could see us if we had our heads sticking out of her bedroom window. We used to wave, and some would wave back. Sometimes, if the train conductor saw us, he’d toot the train horn for us. ๐Ÿ˜Š

So, besides bills, and Christmas – my work schedule and other things on my mind, I was searching train videos of all kinds, and the 1977 derailment in my city back then. Long before I was born. I was searching for photos of train tagging’s – and drawings on trains that people have taken photos of, and I have some myself in one of my old phones.

Still – my mind wouldn’t shut up and let me sleep.

Then, I realized I was hungry and had to get up to eat, so I checked on my little guy, and saw – (as usual) – his cat sleeping right next to him – like Simba does every night. ๐Ÿ’•

Just a boy and his fur buddy. ๐Ÿ˜

I checked on my other two kids, and snuck to the kitchen to grab something little to eat, and here I am.

Writing for the world – that’s probably all sleeping right now. How does it feel?! haha.

I also found myself looking up reviews for different places I shop, eat, etc. I’m telling you – insomnia is real and it will have me all over the internet looking up things that make no sense at the time, but they’re interesting.

After all that, I started thinking about the people at work. From my amazing co-workers to the residents that we take care of and look out for – I adore them all.

The residents in our care – are homeless and have come to stay at our facility upon approval of whoever helps them pay for it – be it insurance, or whatever, and the case manager they work with.

They have to abide by certain rules, and if they follow those rules – they have a place to stay. If they break them – they can be kicked out. The residents in our care have mental health issues, drug and alcohol addictions, Criminal records, and many have had complicated rough lives, but I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else, because our residents are pretty awesome. ๐Ÿ’•

As someone who works in the facility, I know that anything can happen on any given day and sometimes – our lives can be put in danger, but I also know that there’s protocol and the police are right on board with arriving quickly if any one of my co-workers or myself need them, especially if someone who isn’t allowed near the facility or on the property – shows up.

Many times – we’re not even thinking about the dangers of working in this facility when we’re there. We’re vigilant and stay alert of course, but I think the communication between all of my co-workers and myself – is beautiful and we all make sure that if we need our lead staff – we can call them and know that they’ll come handle whatever they need to.

I think the worst that has happened – is a few of them having too much to drink, and we may have to get in between them and whoever they’re arguing with, or let it be known that they don’t want to break their lease and get kicked out – so, “Cut it out!”, and many times – they do stop before anything gets too crazy.

I think it’s about building rapport (trust and mutual respect) with the residents that live there, and the staff – and getting to know all of their personalities, so if something does happen – we can step in and deal with each individual on a personal level – knowing they trust a few of us who work there.

I love it.

I love the residents, and I love going to work, and I never thought I’d say that.

I’ve been in the medical field for so long, and I used to hate going to work, but now that I’m in the field of partial Criminal justice / partial community service and dealing with criminals, homeless residents that now live in the facility, drug and alcohol addicted people – it’s such a rewarding job, and I can now honestly say – I love my job!

Just the other day, one of my most awesome residents came up to me and handed me this:

Isn’t it cute?!

He told me he made it for me, and it’s not much – but he thought it was nice.

I absolutely love it and told him that for me – it’s the little things that matter, and that I was going to put it on display on my kitchen counter at home – and I sure did! ๐Ÿ˜Š

Many of them are such sweet and kind people, but because of what they’ve been through and have done in their lives – they need to know they can trust us staff members, and I try to make sure they know they can come to me and I’m going to do whatever I can for them – just like a few of my co-workers who go above and beyond.

It’s not just a paycheck for me!

While I couldn’t sleep, all of that was running through my mind because we have some residents who probably won’t ever get better, get help, or change – and I hate that, but I respect their choices. They’ve been this way for so long, they don’t know any other lifestyle. For some residents – they’re not doing well, and they know they’re not going to be on this earth long, so they choose to live reckless and do what they want to do, and we can’t stop that.

So – where I work – we laugh, we love, we show compassion and kindness and just be there whenever these residents need us.

I thought about work as well. Not just trains, bills, Christmas and whatever else.

Listen, I’ve eaten. I’ve written. It’s 3:13 AM, and I have to be up for work at 5, so I should probably try to again to get some sleep. I know I’ll be drinking a lot of Coffee later today.

I will catch up with all of you and what’s going on in your lives later tonight.

Have a beautiful and blessed day!

๐Ÿ’•Shel๐Ÿ’•