In a previous post from February this year titled “Welcome Back”, I recounted when I returned to work after being on short-term disability for three months after my brain tumor surgery. It was a difficult transition for me to get back into the workflow of my department. I was blindsided by a coworker who was upset with me for being out for three months and in return created a hostile work environment. I had to make a conscious decision to continue to focus on my job responsibilities and get myself back to 100% and not concern myself with what was going on around me. I left the complicated issue with my coworker to the Supervisors and ultimately it was resolved. The solution consisted of a staff change and this provided an opportunity to reconstruct the department and work duties. This was a must-needed change and from this point on, I felt like the core staff we had in place was one that was the most efficient and productive. We called ourselves TFO Team Front Office. It was a good season with TFO, and we worked great together, and I will never forget that time with them.
We then encountered another major shift in our office but this time it was from the top. There was an election for a new Sheriff and little did we know how things were going to unfold. You could feel the tension and the uncertainty in the air during the election period because the office appeared to be split between the two candidates. After the Sheriff was elected, I felt a sense of uneasiness as he was giving his first speech to the staff. I could not explain it but deep down I thought that maybe this change may not be for the better, but I hoped that I was wrong. As time went on, I realized my gut instincts were correct. It was the first time in my entire employment that I felt my job was in jeopardy. It wasn’t long before I began to see the writing on the wall. It was the sudden change in the tone of any communication with my supervisors, constant questioning of what my job duties were, and having to justify every decision I made that was never questioned before. The confidence and trust that I once had in my supervisors was no longer there. It was both disheartening and disappointing to see this happening before my eyes and there wasn’t anything I could do. This stress only added to additional health issues that I was beginning to experience which were high blood pressure, being placed on oxygen at night, and having to use a cane for mobility due to muscular weakness in my legs. It was a downward spiral that I was on that led to the next unfortunate event.
It was the beginning of January 2017 and I found myself fighting against not only what was unfair treatment at work, but also fighting for my life. I had a serious incident at work where I passed out due to an adrenal crisis brought on by stress, exhaustion, and not taking care of myself properly. The bottom line is that I had been putting work first instead of my health for a long time. My health paid the price for me wanting to continue working as hard as I did to prove to myself and others that I could still do it despite the complications from my disease of Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency. My job was my identity and my life, and I thought without it, I was nothing. It’s sad but that is the truth. That incident ended up saving my life and opened my eyes. It ultimately led me to make a very difficult decision to resign from my employment at the Sheriff’s office. I felt that not only did I need to put myself and my health first, but I needed to leave on my own terms.
After working 11 years at the same place, it was difficult to imagine myself doing anything else. I was honestly at a loss and the question that lingered over me was now what?
The World of Dlo 