I work in a skilled nursing facility. A few weeks ago, a Saturday night off, I stayed up late playing an online game with friends. We played from 10PM, to 4AM Sunday morning. Over that span of time I drank four 12 ounce cans of 5.3% light beer with a full stomach and plenty of water in-between drinks.
But at the 4AM mark I started getting woozy, nauseous… I thought that maybe since I hadn't had anything to drink in a few months, that it was just giving me the spins. So I got up to get some bread from the kitchen, thinking it might help to soak up the alcohol.
That ended up being the worst mistake I've made in a very long time. As I walked to my kitchen it got worse, and by the time I made it to my pantry, I was basically in panic mode, as if a piece of bread was the only thing that could save me. I remember my vision getting weird as I hopelessly patted around inside my pantry for the bread, and the next thing I knew…
I was on the floor, my girlfriend (who had been asleep in the bedroom) standing over me and scared to death.
I had fallen straight backward and slammed the back of my head into the cabinet. When I came to my speech didn't make sense, and I for some reason felt the need to tell my online friends that I had to go. I couldn't type, it was cjomhying piout ljuike rthios.
I ended up in the bathroom and threw up four times, and that was when I felt something warm running down the back of my neck. I had an approximately 1″ gash that was bleeding bad. I ended up going to the hospital, and was also diagnosed with a grade 2 concussion.
I don't really remember much from the hospital. It was a complete blur.
Now I've never had a head injury before, let alone a concussion, so I for whatever reason thought that I could tough it out and work on Monday. Well Monday morning came around and I was oh so hilariously wrong. I couldn't function. It was taking me a long time to form sentences, my head and neck felt excruciating, I couldn't keep my eyes open. I felt like I was upside down under a river being tumbled around on the rocks underneath.
I texted my supervisor letting him know what had happened to me. I think it must have taken me 45 minutes to an hour to type a single paragraph, but it was surprisingly a coherent retelling of the event. He asked me why I didn't let him know sooner, and I said to him what I said before, “I thought I could tough it out.”
I actually managed to go to work on Tuesday. Everything I felt the day before was still there, but yet again I thought I could tough it out, I needed to get to work. I was Medical Records. Every day documents pile up like crazy, and missing work and being behind on those records is a really, really bad thing.
I went in to an already massive pile of documents but so confused I couldn't even begin to figure out how to do something that normally came so easy to me. I was in pain, lost, the lights blinding and hurting my eyes. I ended up getting sent home, and told to come back with a medical release.
I setup an appointment for Thursday, and faked my way into getting a release for Friday so I could get back to work.
Friday comes around and mornings are still a massive effort to get through. I decide to cut myself a break and go in at 10 instead of 8. I figured that, since I've never been on any of the posted schedules, it would be ok. I planned on staying two hours extra to make up for it, and work the weekend as well.
A few minutes into my shift my supervisor pulled me into his office and terminated my employment. I was still confused, still in pain, and I couldn't make sense of the situation. I couldn't combat it at all. He told me that I was being terminated because I didn't give four hours advanced notice for my call-in on Monday, and that was a no-call no-show, and because I came in two hours “late” that day, which was also a no-call no-show.
I ended up talking to the facility administrator. I was shaking, trying to fight back tears, confused, hurt, and terrified about losing my livelihood. Though she affirmed her stance on everything my supervisor told me, she agreed to “give me a chance” but sent me home for the day.
She called me later that day, and told me that I could stay employed on the condition that I work in the culinary department because my supervisor closed off the medical records position to me.
I… accepted…
I've been miserable. I hate everyone involved. I feel so wronged. I put in my two weeks notice, well, two weeks ago. My last day is August 4th. Thing is, I don't have a job lined up yet. It's my hatred and my hurt pride making me want to leave, on top of hating the work involved in culinary.
I should mention that my girlfriend is a cook in the kitchen. Working together hasn't been an issue at all. But today a coworker spoke to me, asking if I was sure about leaving. He told me the importance of keeping an income, and that the last time I was between jobs, my girlfriend was essentially miserable, and when I started working again, it was like a massive weight was lifted off of her.
I'm now considering rescinding my two weeks notice. But I'm just not sure. I don't know what to do. I wanted to put the company on blast for what happened to me after my last day. I don't want them to get away with it.
But now… I'm confused and lost again.
Please help me