La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
AS MY SISTER, DALE, USED to say: “You pay for what you get.” I used to correct her, “You get what you pay for.” But I was in my teens and so was she, and we both knew what she meant. Case in point: The underpaid manager of The Kid Brother’s apartment (and other city apartments for the developmentally disabled).
Tuesday, The Kid Brother told me he hadn’t been feeling well. He had “really bad pains” in his stomach Saturday. It was a bit better, but his stomach wasn’t settled. I got some more details (he was surprisingly forthcoming) and told him to go to The Office (what we call the office that oversees the apartments and group homes) Wednesday and tell them so he could see the doctor. I told him I’d call to check in on him, but that it was probably just gas pains and we all have stomach problems at times.
We spoke Friday and he was obviously stressed, leading off with: “Bad news! It’s chest pains!” He’s scheduled to see the doctor Monday. Apparently the manager told him it wasn’t indigestion and diagnosed “chest pains.” Very helpful. He was completely stressed out and convinced he was having a heart attack. I told him if that was the case they wouldn’t be waiting until Monday for the doctor. I said you can get “chest pains” from gas, too. San Geraldo called out, “I have those pains all the time.” I added, “And, Chuck, he has gas ALL the time.” He laughed and said, “He does?”
By the time we finished our conversation, he was much more relaxed. I hope this is all nothing, but there was no need to send him into an anxiety attack and then leave him on his own for five days. Staffing there is the luck of the draw. There was a phenomenal manager and staff several years ago. So, of course, they left for better opportunities. The current manager leaves a lot to be desired. My impression is (from my experience with her) she has no training or even natural abilities working with the developmentally disabled. I do my best to hold back, reminding myself that I might not always be around to speak for him. My wish? To outlive my brother.
Speaking of gas pains. Despite not being a very happy child and young adult, I tended to smile often (although I hadn’t learned how yet in the above photo). One of my parents’ friends commented on the beaming smile I always had on display when she saw me, and my father said, “It’s just gas.”
“At 6 weeks baby grinned a grin that spread from mouth to eyes to chin, and doc, the smarty, had the brass to tell me it was only gas.”
I think the author was Margaret Fishback.
.
COMO MI HERMANA, DALE, SOLÍA decir: “Pagas por lo que obtienes”. Solía corregirla: “Obtienes lo que pagas”. Pero yo era adolescente y ella también, y ambos sabíamos lo que quería decir. Caso en cuestión: El gerente mal pagado del apartamento de El Hermanito (y otros apartamentos de la ciudad para discapacitados del desarrollo).
El martes, El Hermanito me dijo que no se había sentido bien. Tenía “dolores realmente fuertes” en el estómago el sábado. Él estaba un poco mejor, pero su estómago no estaba asentado. Recibí algunos detalles más (fue sorprendentemente comunicativo) y le dije que fuera a La Oficina (lo que llamamos la oficina que supervisa los apartamentos y las casas de grupo) el miércoles y les dijera para que pudiera ver al médico. Le dije que lo llamaría para ver cómo estaba, pero que probablemente solo eran dolores de gas y que todos tenemos problemas estomacales a veces.
Hablamos el viernes y él estaba obviamente estresado, comenzando con: “¡Malas noticias! ¡Son dolores de pecho!” Tiene una cita con el médico el lunes. Al parecer, alguien en la oficina le dijo que no era una indigestión, eran “dolores de pecho”. Muy útil. Estaba completamente estresado y convencido de que estaba sufriendo un infarto. Le dije que si ese era el caso, no esperarían al médico hasta el lunes. Le dije que también te pueden dar “dolores de pecho” por los gases. San Geraldo gritó: “Tengo esos dolores todo el tiempo”. Agregué: “Y Chuck, él tiene gas todo el tiemp”. Él se rió y dijo: “¿Lo hace?”
Cuando terminamos nuestra conversación, él estaba mucho más relajado. Espero que todo esto no sea nada, pero no había necesidad de enviarlo a un ataque de ansiedad y luego dejarlo solo durante cinco días. La dotación de personal es la suerte del sorteo. Hubo un gerente y un personal fenomenales hace varios años. Entonces, por supuesto, se fueron en busca de mejores oportunidades. El actual gerente deja mucho que desear. Mi sensación es (de varias otras experiencias con ella) que no tiene entrenamiento o incluso habilidades naturales para trabajar con discapacitados del desarrollo. Es solo un trabajo. Hago todo lo posible por contenerme, recordándome a mí mismo que no siempre estaré cerca para hablar por él. ¿Mi deseo? Para sobrevivir a mi hermano.
Hablando de dolores por gases. A pesar de no ser un niño ni un adulto joven muy feliz, tendía a sonreír a menudo (aunque todavía no había aprendido cómo en la foto de arriba). Una de las amigas de mis comentó sobre la hermosa sonrisa que siempre mostraba cuando me veía, y mi padre decía: “Es solo gas”.
“A las 6 semanas, el bebé sonrió abiertamente que se extendió desde la boca hasta los ojos y la barbilla, y el doctor, el sabelotodo, tuvo el descaro para decirme que solo era gas”.
Creo que la autora fue Margaret Fishback (rima en inglés)
Fingers crossed it’s just gas.
A few years ago, Carlos came to me as I was getting dressed for work to tell me he thought he was having a heart attack he had such severe chest pains. Off we went to the emergency room where he was checked and prodded and tested and then admitted for observation. I was a mess because my mind went right to death but …
Carlos had helped load a friend’s truck a few days earlier and it was a pulled muscle.
Pulled. Muscle.
I’ll send pulled muscle positive thoughts for the Kid Brother.
Bob:
There are a lot of things that feel like heart attacks. SG has had a few — and imagined many others.
I hope everything works out. Some people are better at human services than others
David:
I’ll call him late tonight my time. As for the office, I also am advocate for a severly disable cousin. THEY email me to let me know he’s going to the dentist! He however, lives in a group home with specialized staff. So, I guess I’m comparing apples and oranges.
Good to hear that The Kid Brother went to see the manager when he did. Sending positive and healing energy his way…..and to you too. I am sure he will be OK.
Those ‘chest pains’ can be very confusing.
What a cute pic.
Jim:
He surprised me (and relieved me) when he told me fairly clearly what he was feeling. Such an unnecessary thing to tell him and, one would think she’d email me to let me know.
Here’s hoping the Kid Brother is better soon and that the doctor will find nothing seriously wrong!
Debra:
Amen to that. I’ll hope to talk to him later.
Oh, geez, how alarming! And it’s so hard to be helpful in a situation like that when you’re living thousands of miles away. As you said, they must not be too worried if they’re making him wait a few days before seeing a doctor.
Steve:
It’s not easy from this distance (and the time zones). I’ll try to reach him late today. But, yeah, I would think real chest pains would require and ER visit. And he even worked Wednesday.
Oh, my, I hope we’ll hear more about Chuck’s pains, after Monday. Oh boy.
I was surprised to see Dudo calmly relaxing during the cleaning of the tower, too –ha! Must be catnip-induced lethargy from the great new toys!
Congratulations to you and SG on the book being finished!!
Judy C:
Waiting to talk to Chuck later. I hope the weekend wasn’t stressful for him. He tends to believe what I tell him. So excited about the book. I think the printer was closed last week for the holiday, so I’m waiting to hear back today.
Speaking from experience, gas pains can certainly be very painful. It’s still a lot better than a heart attack (duh). I accidently discovered that sticking your butt in the air while putting your head down on a pillow, lets everything come out in a noisy, satisfying explosion. Now with that kind of manager, a doctor’s visit is wise. Hoping for the best.
You should always smile, Scoot. Your smile is gorgeous, and it reaches your eyes even in photos.
Deedles:
My father constantly made comments about my mopey expressions. Most others commented on my smile. That should have told him something.
How did you accidentally discover that sticking your butt in the air while putting your head down on a pillow, lets everything come out in a noisy, satisfying explosion. I mean, how did you find yourself in that position in the first place. Just wondering.
Uhm, you may not have noticed that I have a tendency to overshare, Scoot. Let’s just say, I’m no missionary and leave it at that. Woof!
Deedles:
So, that’s what they mean by being a missionary. I’ve had this all wrong for years.
Yeah… I went through a period of having gas pains in the upper left chest and upper arm – still do occasionally but not as much. Quite concerning at first, but once I knew what they were it’s no big deal. Interestingly, when I had my EKG after my faint, it was discovered that I had an itty-bitty heart attack sometime in my past, in the tissue at the bottom of my heart. I was concerned, obviously, but then found out that lots of people have these and don’t even notice. Apparently they are of little concern – I’ve had 2 doctors tell me that – though it’s a little hard to believe. But what the heck do I know about such things… All best for your brother!
wickedhamster:
Upper arm pain would definitely add to the concern. Surprising about the heart attack. Glad it was itty bitty. If Chuck IS experiencing chest pains, that manager sure didn’t jump right on it. It could even be an ulcer. I hope I’ll know something from him tonight. If not, I’ll email the manager in the office… which sometimes is less helpful than talking to my brother!
I too hope all is well….and just the talking of gas must have made him feel better. Hey…farts are always funny. You reminded of my aunt. She always said she hope to go before my uncle….and she did just that. Shame they can’t get qualified people in his group home with experience. Lord only knows what goes on that we never hear about.
Mistress Borghese:
Our conversation clearly helped reduce his stress. He was doing comedy routines at the end. Fortunately, Chuck is in an independent residence, a 2-bedroom apartment he currently shares with one other guy. They’ve been together for somewhere around 30 years now. The office is a few blocks away. Even Chuck doesn’t think much of the current staff. And, oh, his comments can be so funny. He once said, “Them? They don’t know what they’re doin’!”
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Chuck is a hoot!
Mistress G Borghese:
No matter how crazy he makes me, he ALWAYS makes me laugh. “And don’t call me Chief!”
Not a pretty baby x 😗😍
John:
I’ll have you know I was a beautiful baby. I just didn’t take well to staring directly into the sun.
I hope your brother will be OK and the doctor finds nothing seriously wrong. The average human produces 11 Liters of gas per day and one of the few things better “out than in”, LOL!
Tundra Bunny:
SG loves these conversations about gas.
Scary thing that is.
Urspo:
Especially when magnified. Hoping all is well. I see what I can learn tonight.