This happened back in late March but I’m just now ready to talk about it. I was newly employed as a Hospice Social Worker last summer. I love doing social work. I started in July but by early August I got Covid for a third time. To paint the picture, I had Covid three times and mono in less than two years. When I got it August I never recovered. I began to have tremendous health issues such as diastolic heart failure, terrible brain fog, extreme exhaustion, lightheadedness, insomnia, nausea, and terrible pain. I lost 28 pounds in 7 weeks. Regardless, I was still dragging my ass to work as much as I could. Most days. My boss was a nightmare. She was new too and obviously not able to handle stress. I spent months begging for time off to attend medical appointments. In her defense I was using a lot of sick days but we were very slow with work so I was always able to get my work done regardless. She sighed, she huffed and puffed, she guilted me,she told me to toughen up “I’m a nurse and I work sick all the time. It’s called doing your duty.” She made my life hell and offered me no solutions or support. Just shitty threats and rude comments. She never once asked me if I was ok. No compassion whatsoever. She would watch me struggle at work and roll her eyes. HR stepped in and offered me an individualized schedule to accommodate my needs. My boss was furious with me. Called me a flat tire! The final straw came when I had to get an emergency spinal tap. A big old needle in my back. I called her from the ER waiting room to explain and to inform her that I would not be at work for the next two days per medical advice. She said, “You get one day. Not two. We have a new patient intake you can’t miss.” So, against medical advice I went in on day two. I was only there for one hour before I was flat on my back in the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I could barely open my eyes. Spinal taps remove fluid from your spine and cause blinding headaches as a result. My boss had the nerve to tell me to get myself together before I saw any patients for the day. I stood up very slowly, looked her in the eye and said, “You are a heartless, terrible person. And I’d rather go home and be unemployed and broke and take care of myself than stay here and beg a heartless bitch for sick time.” And then I very slowly found a box, put my things in it, and limped out the door. Like a snails pace. I couldn’t even drive because of the headache. I stood on a corner and cried until my husband picked me up. It didn’t look like rage, but it was.