I haven’t been updating the blog for a couple of days due to health problems. I haven’t had the usual Indian diet or anything, it’s again all about office ergonomics – or, more accurately, lack of it (them? is it a plural?). I’ll have to keep this short to avoid further problems, but here goes:

The first doctor I went to on Tuesday seemed helpful, but after deciphering the prescriptions I wasn’t very convinced. I’m not exactly sure how anti-reflux drugs (in English: stomach medicine) are going to cure computer vision syndrome, so I decided to get a second opinion.

I found a very good spec shop on Commercial street (my recommendation:Vision Express), had my vision checked and got a prescription for anti-glare glasses. On top of that I wanted some treatment for my sore shoulders, so I went to another doctor just to get a new set of painkillers along with antidepressants to ease tension.

Yesterday was already quite ok with the new treatments, but most of it must have been because I didn’t spend much time at the office. I figured this out when I came home this afternoon and found my shoulders biblically tense again. The nausea seems to be out of the picture this time, so maybe the specs do some magic after all.

I still don’t get it how all the employees here maintain their health in these working conditions. My guess is that I’m the only one to complain about it, but who knows. Maybe Indian body structure has evolved to withstand more punishment than my silky butt?

Tags: doctors, oh bugger, what is different, what?, why I wanted a change, work

The dismal ergonomics of the office finally had me yesterday. On Monday my shoulders were in fire, my head was ringing, I couldn’t focus my vision and I felt like I could throw up any moment. I rushed home, sent my driver home for the day and went directly to rest. I thought I was a bit better the next morning, so I had breakfast and tried to stretch my shoulders to keep them functional. On the way to the office the mild nausea got a bit worse, and it really got hold of me when I was supposed to sit down in my cubicle. In less than fifteen minutes I was on my way back home, unable to even think of working. I went to bed before eleven in the morning, just after sacrificing my breakfast to the porcelain god. The whole day was an endless hell of pounding headache, sore neck & shoulders, nausea and weakness due to nonexistent appetite. My eyes still protest by focusing slowly and my field of vision is very strange on the sides. It’s like someone put a random impulse generator in my optic nerves.

I have complained about office ergonomics before, and I think all the stress and fatigue from it has accumulated during these weeks. In addition there might be some psychosomatic elements to it, as the work environment brings new disappointments way too often. My body knows it doesn’t like it here and acts accordingly.

I tried to self-diagnose the problem, but couldn’t find anything that would fit my symptoms well enough. Tension headache is not supposed to induce vomiting, but on the other hand migraine should have different characteristics in terms of duration and side effects, so I’m out of ideas. I’m trying to find a doctor to help me out on this, but no one seems to know anything about occupational health care.

I guess I’ll try to find a private one, then.

Tags: health, oh bugger, why I wanted a change, work