Back to work...

[Pat A]

Hi all
Well, I did actually make it back to work yesterday after 7 months off. Pretty scary going back, made even more so by some arrogant bloke (sorry - but it was a male!) who was so intent on barging his way on to the train before me that he sent me flying.

A very kind lady helped me up. Sore knee, ripped tights, bruised arm, and a little while later realised that my foot was twice it's normal size and half of it was throbbing like mad and the other half was totally numb!

And the nursing staff in A & E later in the day confirmed nothing broken, just a very bad ligament injury to my foot needing 48 hours of Rest/Ice/Elevation (you know what I mean Sweet!).

What a way to go back to work. I'm off sick today......!

[Andrew MacLean]

I used to have to travel to London from time to time; in those days the Heathrow Express hadn't been finished and the tube ride into town was as unpleasant as you can imagine.

One day I was sitting on the train when at Boston Manor the train was flooded with new passengers, so that there were people standing. I got up to offer my seat to a woman who appeared to be expecting a baby.

Before she could sit down, a man had darted into the seat I had just vacated. I apologized to her for him and spent the rest of my journey into Russel Square feeling deeply agrieved that someone should behave with such a lack of gallantry.

Your story of the traveller so self absorbed that he knocked you down rather than let you onto the train ahead of him makes me despair!

Too bad that you were setting off to go back to work when suddenly, WHAM!

Andrew

[Sweet]

Pat,

Awwww no!! Just when you finally got yourself back to work this happens. So damn unfair.

I hope that your foot is getting better, and yes loads of rest and elevation needed! Nice to see you started with ice as well! Hoping that work were ok with you being off?

Take good care of you hun, you will get back really soon!

[Sweet]

Andrew,

That is a sad story and one that is so common here in London. I have spoken up before and told a young man who jumped into my seat that I wanted an elderly lady to have my seat which was why I got up! He grumbled but others passengers glared at him so he finally got up and this nice lady did get her seat.

It is so sad though and something that drives me mad!

[Lesley Foster]

Sorry to hear about your accident Pat, I hope you'll be feeling better soon.

I have to agree with both Sweet and Andrew about the appalling lack of manners shown these days however my son had a slightly different experience in that he was accused of being a racist because he wouldn't give his seat up to a lady on a bus in Birmingham when she asked him to, he said he would have done willingly if all the other seats were full but the bus was fairly empty at the time so he stayed put. It isn't always the youth who are rude and inconsiderate.

Anyway, get well soon Pat.

Lesley.

[mike scott]

hi pat

so sorry to hear of your injury after such a long protracted absence from work and such a hard battle to get there.
i work for asda, and am constantly apalled by the lack of good manners , abuse and ignorance that people inflict upon one another.
it seems to be indiscriminate across all age groups , genders and race , and very sadly seems to be a sign of our time.
for people in our predicament i think its even more scary as an incident of ignorance could do untold damage. i sometimes think that people who have a broken limb or a wheelchair or white stick have an advantage in a way as they have a visual sign of their impairment as ours though potetially disabling is also invisible to the outside world so we are treated withequal contempt as people as every one seems to treat each other.



ok ....well i've got that off my chest lol

hope your recovery is swift and the setback small. take care pat

mike

[Sarah M]

pat, sorry to hear what happened.

Maybe its a sign, your meant to be a lady of leisure

Maybe not.

Hope u feel better soon.

Sarah
x

[Susan Mason]

Hi Pat

Glad to hear that you made it back to work, hope everything was ok for you there. As for the rude man knocking you over well, what can I say manners seem to count for little with some people these days.

Hope you foot is better soon.

Best wishes

Susan

[Michael P]

Oh dear me, Pat!

Still we won 3-1 this evening and I hope the result will cheer you up.

UTG

[Pat A]

Hello All
Made it back in to London today - hobbling, but foot is improving slowly. Thanks for all your sympathy - and I really felt like there might be a lot of truth in what you said Sarah!!

It's a bit weird though - most people (there are a few exceptions) seem really reluctant to talk to me! Do you think they are embarrassed and don't know what to say? I'm not part of anybody's team any more but I'm still in a room with all the same people I worked with before - some of whom I managed. A bit depressing & quite lonely really.

And I am so unbelievably tired tonight. Anyone else experienced that after going back to work after a long period of sick leave? Especially as I am actually not doing any work yet (they haven't given me anything to do at the moment - I'm just deleting old e-mails, trying to catch up with Departmental stuff, and learning how to use the 2 new IT systems introduced whilst I've been off). I found also that I couldn't put even my soft lenses in at 7am this morning, so waited until I was well ensconced in the office abut 10am before trying again - but by 3pm my eyes had had enough of my piggy back lenses, even after 2 lots of "refresh". So out came the RGP and with it instant relief!

But feeling a bit of a failure at the moment as I don't seem to be able to manage to cope with a day yet! Having tomorrow and Monday at home, back in Tuesday. Any tips?