Don't know what to do about work (SH)

[UncleChip]

I've had my second and third lessons this week and my instructor says I might be ready to enter heavy traffic next lesson, which I'm starting to agree with.

I've also had the minutes from the meeting at work. I need to sign them and post a copy of them back to head office, so I'll sort that this morning.

Later today there's an appointment with my GP, so I'll explain about the recommendation from work for the antidepressants. Maybe they'll help with the insomnia that's crept back in recently.

Last night I slipped with a screw driver while trying to fix a shelf. I now have a cross-shaped wound healing on the tip of my finger, which hurts quite badly even though it's not bleeding any more. Not looking forward to washing up. This was always a problem when I used to give blood, as they do a finger brick blood test, and it was always on a finger tip which is packed with nerve endings.

[Suzi]

Great news about the driving. Are you enjoying it?
Do you agree with the minutes from the meeting? Are you happy to sign them?

You should talk to your GP about the anti d's but make it clear that it was a recommendation from occupational health, and not a Dr/counsellor/mental health professional...

WRT the finger, have you thought about wearing washing up gloves?

[UncleChip]

I still have a few worries about driving, mainly to do with the unpredictability of other drivers, but with practice they should go away.

I'll go over the minutes again tomorrow. Today feels like a huge rush and it's nearly midnight now.

After talking with my GP, I've been prescribed fluoxetine, which warns me on the box that it may impair my driving. Though this may address my insomnia. She was going to prescribe sertraline again, but I told her about what happened last time, so she changed her mind.

Due to other issues, I had been recommended gloves for washing up, but I don't like the feel of them; instead I have found a way of keeping my damaged finger dry by handling the dishes with that hand out of the water, while passing items to it from under water with my good hand. It's hurting a lot less now, unless I type with it, which I've learned not to do today.

[Paula]

All meds have to put all the potential side effects on the information, whether they’re likely or not. To date, I haven’t met anyone who struggles with driving because of fluoxetine and I’m sure you’ll be fine.

[Suzi]

My husband was on a high dosage of fluoxetine for years and it didn't ever impact on his driving and he's one of the best drivers I've ever been in a car with!

How's the washing up going? Are you spending less time with it?

[UncleChip]

Thankfully I don't have much washing up to do today, as I'm the only one in the house until Sunday afternoon. My finger still hurts badly, but it hasn't bled since the night of the injury and doesn't appear to be hot or swollen, so I doubt it's infected.

I'll see what the fluoxetine does, as I've only had 2 tablets so far. I think I'm on a very low dose to see how I react to it.

[Suzi]

Where are your children and wife?
How hard did you hurt your finger?

[UncleChip]

My wife and kids are in Blackpool.

When I slipped with the screwdriver, I was pressing it into the screw about as hard as I could, so it left a cross-shaped mark less than 5mm across in the skin on my finger tip. It bled for at least 5 minutes, but I tried to act calm, applied pressure below the wound and kept it raised before washing it. Unfortunately that only slowed it down, rather than stopping it completely, so I wrapped it tightly with a large plaster and that did the trick. When I woke up the next day it had stopped without making too much of a mess.

I know it sounds bad, but I've bled worse when I was cutting myself.

But I know not to do DIY at 1130 pm now, as buses to the hospital don't run at that time and as far as I know, taxi drivers don't like bodily fluids leaking everywhere in their vehicles. I feel like I would have been wasting an ambulance's time.

[Suzi]

I agree it doesn't sound like you needed an ambulance, but you could have got a taxi I'm sure if you needed it... But yes DIY at 1130pm is probably best avoided.....

Just checking, how old was the screwdriver and have you had a tetanus booster?

[UncleChip]

The screwdriver has been in my toolbox for many years. It isn't rusty, but I don't remember when I last had a tetanus booster; probably when I was a child.