The First Day Back Is Always Hardest

That's what my mom's boyfriend told me yesterday. My vacation wrapped up Monday, and as I was leaving the house, that's the last thing he said to me. "Your first day back ..." (well, you read the title.)

I've left my workplace a mystery on this blog, for good reason. If I were to ever get mad enough to write about what's going on out there (like a team leader being demoted over the phone while she's out recovering from surgery), no one will know what place it is I'm talking about (other than a couple of people out there who already know where I work.)

Suffice it to say, for those of you out there whom I haven't told, I work in a hospital-like setting. Lots of medical stuff going on ... and a lot of equipment that would be used in a hospital. Like latex gloves.

I'm allergic to latex. I've known this already for several months, perhaps a little over a year and a half now. What I didn't realize, though I have read about it, is that latex allergy can manifest as a respiratory problem. I've had a tightness in my throat that hasn't gone away in a very long time. Over my vacation (gross out warning), I coughed up a wad of phlegm about the sized of a golf ball. (Ok, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but I did hear the sucker hit the floor. And, that's exactly what it felt like while it was still in my system.)

At that point, the tightness that I had come to accept as a way of life ... Faded away! I had about four days of relief as of yesterday afternoon, and less than four hours into my workday yesterday, it ... Came ... Back!

To give you any idea how it's affected me for the past year or so, I've made fun of the situation by impersonating Gollum.

"*hack* *kaf* We're *wheeze* allergic to *hackkafhack* latex, my prrrreciousss! Gollu-um! Goll-um! Goll-uuum!"

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You have a cough? Go home tonight, eat a whole box of Ex-Lax--tomorrow you'll be afraid to cough.
-- Pearl Williams