Warpath Wednesday

Yep, I know I ranted a couple months back. It was that whole PMS thing. Well, I need to do it again, and this time, I don't even have PMS. This time, though, I'll try to come up with accompanying solutions. At least, where possible.

Gripe: Microsoft PCs
I despise them. And the more I use my Mac, the more I despise Microsoft. It freezes. It hangs. It gets confused. It can't multitask, no matter how much RAM you put in or how well-hung the CPU is. It's just not happening. My Mac has less RAM and a less powerful processor and yet, I've had to restart it maybe 3 times since January. And I've used it every day and night, with a gazillion programs running, browser windows open, PDF and Pages documents in progress, etc. I also can't stand the cryptic error messages, the excruciatingly long boot-up process, and the Office Clippy mascot.

Solution: Get away from PC altogether as fast as possible. (Reflex problem: lack of funding to do so. Reflex solution: be patient and save up.)

Gripe: Allergies who think they can come in and dominate my day
Sure, they just barge right in and take up residence as if I didn't actually need my brain and the ability to breathe or anything. So I embarrassingly sneeze through the day - those uncontrollable, don't-bother-trying-to-finish-your-sentence sneezes that come in a rapid-fire string like planes lined up on final approach to a major airport on a busy Friday night. These are the muscle-seizing, incapacitating sneezes where I can't hear anything, can't say anything, and can't carry out any other task. Repeatedly. All day. Thanks heaps.

Solution: Still looking. Homeopathics haven't done a thing. Herbs and herbal teas haven't done a thing. Nothing. Still looking to pharmaceuticals to save the day, and only a handful of them actually work (Claritin and Allegra are scams).

Gripe: Not enough fucking office space
I've outgrown my office. And my reception area. My books are stacked on my chiropractic table, constantly needing to be shuffled around to whichever area of my room I use the least. So are my binders--lots of them. Why? Because I have no bookcase and I don't dare put them on the floor lest I have one more thing to trip over.

Solution: Mercury needs to go golldamn direct so we can get a move on this other suite.

Gripe: Not enough golldamn time or memory
I'm trying to do the work of anywhere from 3-5 people at once. I also have no oxygen going to my brain and my thyroid hormones are low. Throw in a dozen different cross-reactive foods of which I wasn't aware and of which I'm constantly exposed to, and it makes for very poor brain function. Things slip through the cracks and people ask things of me that I will simply forget. I feel like I have too many demands put on me and no one else can help me.

Solution: Hire an assistant...again, Mercury is an issue. (Isn't it always?)

Gripe: Patients to whom I've given the world that begin to complain about prices/expenses and actually go so far as to ask if the new information I'm about to present actually needs a visit (!!)
Uh, yeah. It does. It took me time to research the problem, time to design the protocols and time to make the handouts, none of which I got paid for. It took me time to travel to the classes that taught me this stuff and time to sit in the class and learn all of it, none of which I got paid for but instead *I* paid for. Now, my time and expertise are all I have to sell. And I have given away A SHIT-TON of time and expertise FOR FREE to several of my patients. So yeah, I'm actually going to collect SOMETHING for my time. I'm a doc. I went through school. I paid dearly in MANY ways, some of which I cannot undo or pay back (i.e. my time and my health). I currently drive a scratched up truck badly in need of a tune-up and I live in a low-income apartment with my husband who is also a doctor. And now I'm about to present new information to a patient who has historically taken MUCH time to ask MANY questions. Yeah, I'm gonna get paid.

Solution: I'm too much of a bargain as it is. Charge MORE. This will command the respect I deserve for the time I put in to each case and the results that I produce. Put a complete stop to lengthy informative emails and instead start doling out a simple Yes, No, or Too Long So Make An Appointment. Rejoice in the fact that I'm doing more volume, more successfully and ride that wave!

Gripe: Facebook stress
This, too, is something I've sort of brought on myself by letting things get out of hand and get to me. I've subscribed ("liked") too many groups and causes and I'm getting deluged. (Same could be said for Meetup, LinkedIn, and other naggy sites.) I've already waxed several people off my friends list because of drama and whatnot, which I just plain don't put up with, but now it comes down to all the political groups and such. Yeah, I'm right there with them in spirit, but there comes a point where I reach a limit, beyond which I just. Don't. Care anymore.

Solution: Trim the FB groups and start using FB for more benign things like professional networking/contacts, fun posts like eclectic music, and informative posts about things a broader audience can appreciate.

Gripe: Those cross-reactive foods
Ugh. I did my own food sensitivity test a few weeks ago. Rest assured, the tests I run do not return a false positive. If anything, it will be a false negative, but even that scenario isn't real likely. I ran a panel of like 20 different foods and lo and behold, I'm only negative for THREE. Yes, of the 20-something foods I tested, I CAN have only three. Everything else I've been eating is producing a similar reaction, even stronger than some of the gluten grains. WTF?? The interesting part? I did not perceive these reactions. I thought I was FINE. I wouldn't have known had I not been tested.

Solution: Rejoice in the fact that I can have 3 of those foods without a problem and that I at least know about the rest (it's better than not knowing) and go pretty much dairy-free, egg-free Paleo from here (minus peanuts, strawberries, kiwi, and raw tomatoes). Jesus.

Cross fingers for our space and a good assistant! (And an abatement of the allergies.) I think I can get through the rest.