Can this week just end please! (Long + Ranting + Whinging)

[TealJellyfish]

This week has been a doozie! Scroll Down for the Story if you wanna skip the Ranty-ness!

I am having some health issues in the form of Migraines and had Monday and Tuesday of this week off curled up on bed hoping/wishing/praying that someone would put me out of my misery! Seriously I would of welcomed the wood chipper!

I go to work on Wednesday feeling like death not warmed up and spend the day being asked: "Are you feeling OK?"

To which I answered a variety of ways "yes" "yeah I'm fine" "could be better" "Not really <explains situation> or "None of your business" depending on the person and the situation.. the last being a nosy lady on the train! I am currently having to cover the customer service phone line as well as being given a project I have no experience handling so I'm in a world of fun at the moment! On to the stories and why my responses are slightly more snippy than normal! [/end rant]

SC: Stupid/Sucky Man
SW: Stupid/Sucky Woman
Me: Waves Hand Holding Coffee Goodness!
CW: Co-Worker who keeps me sane and comes bearing the coffee goodness!

I'll Look It Up!

Me: OK Sir And whats your surname?
SC: One second Let me look that up.
Me: Sure... Can you hold for a sec?
SC: Yep
Me: *places head on desk* CW.... *relates story*
CW: *stares* Oh Dear....
Me: *Takes him off hold* Have you found that information? *CW still Staring in shock*
SC: Yep Its Smith
Me: Wonderful.

That smell of burned rubber is the smell of his brain trying to managing to summon the power remember the name that has been with him since the day he was born 48 years ago!

Email Logic!

Forwarded an email from a Customer to one of our offices this morning and got this response:

"We are experiencing email difficulties and may have a problem recvieving your email, this should be fixed by the 5th July, we apoogise for the inconveniece."

This was a direct copy and paste from the email we received back from the office!!

Anyone wanna play spot the logic! You are going to need to need a microscope a belief in Santa and Bigfoot and a lot of free time! Come On It'll be FUN! *whimper*


You did what I wanted SCREW YOU!

I had a lady call and complain you hadn't received her promotional points yet. I double checked she hadn't so I offered to call the office for her and find out what was up. This is actually above and beyond the call of duty as I am meant to get her to do it.. I had a "I'll be nice moment"... serves me right!

Called the office found out the points application had been mailed yesterday and that she wasn't entitled to the points until yesterday! Points take 6-8 weeks to be allocated... and some offices can drag their feet for months! So I called her back... Explained and she hung up on me! Grrrrrr

Super Duper Secret Password!

SW: I need to speak to the <suburb> office
Me: Sure. I can give you that number.
SW: Can you transfer me?
Me: No I'm sorry I don't have that facility...
SW: Are you sure you can't transfer me?
Me: Yes Sorry. Would you like the number..
SW: *sigh*
Me: *waits*
SW: Are you sure you can't transfer me? Please?
Me: Yes I'm Sure... Would you like the number?
SW: No I have it!
Me: *waits some more*
SW: *slams phone*

I'm sorry but the super duper password to get you transferred rather than you having to dial another 8 numbers into the magical "telamafone" is actually "giraffe" But thanks for playing! Please accept this complimentary gift of my utter contempt and attempts to magically strangle you from 2 states away!

Talk into the magical device!

Me: <Spiel>
SM: *mumble*
Me: Hello? I'm sorry I can't understand you....
SM: *Angry sounding mumble*
Me: I'm sorry I still can't hear you clearly....
SM: *Angrier sounding mumble*
Me: ... *Gives up*
SM: *Completely clearly* WELL FUCK YOU THEN! *Hangs up*

.... Alrightly then... today is a logic holiday I see.. *marks on calender*

Slow the Hell Down
This was the last call of the day so I was feeling a little grumpy and spotting a swell headache!

Me: <Opening Spiel>
SW: I need to do a referral. *starts spitting information at me*
Me: Woah! Slow down! Just hang on a sec I need to open the programme and do this in order OK!
SW: Well hurry up I don't have all day!
Me: Just one minute *Opens programme and starts asking for the information in order*
SW: *once again start spitting it at me including names addresses phone number etc at lightening speed*
Me: *interupts* Ma'am I understand your in a hurry! But I can't type that fast and I need it in a certain order!
SW: I don't have all day! JESUS! How stupid are you!
Me: *snaps* Look! It is half an hour past my home time and if this referral doesn't go through I'm not the one losing money YOU ARE!
SW: You can't talk to me like that!
Me: Well you can't talk to me the way you are either! Being rude to me doesn't get this done any quicker and you arguing with me means its going a hell of a lot slower! SO Can I have your name please! *gets the rest of the info at a normal pace*
SW: *at the end of the call* I want to talk to your manager
Me: My manager has gone home for the day but if you call head office and ask to speak to <my manager> you'll get her tomorrow
SW: You're customer service your manager is <my old boss>
Me: I am no longer customer service I am actually just covering this postion my boss is <my boss>
SW: ... So what do you do now
Me: <explains current postion which is a hell of a lot more important than my old one>
SW: Oh I see... well have a nice night *hangs up*

Basically I'm not just a peon anymore and my New boss doesn't take shit from offices. My old boss doesn't have a spine. Technically since I am covering customer service I have to answer to her for some stuff but my new boss says that's crap and I don't so Yay for me! Normally I am no where near that grouchy or rude to a customer but that particular lady is a bitch every time she calls and she used to terrify me and threaten to get me fired on a regular basis cause she likes bullying people so it was nice to finally get her own!

More stories to come I'm sure!

[ArcticChicken]

Email Logic!

Forwarded an email from a Customer to one of our offices this morning and got this response:

"We are experiencing email difficulties and may have a problem recvieving your email, this should be fixed by the 5th July, we apoogise for the inconveniece."

This was a direct copy and paste from the email we received back from the office!!

Anyone wanna play spot the logic! You are going to need to need a microscope a belief in Santa and Bigfoot and a lot of free time! Come On It'll be FUN! *whimper*

Well, either they don't want to talk to you, or they've managed to set up an automated response.

[TealJellyfish]

Well, either they don't want to talk to you, or they've managed to set up an automated response.

.. an auto response that responds when they get an email saying they might not get my email...

[Kiarna]

Um...so thats why you've been all lately.
I apologies, and come bearing baileys, cookies and Torchwood?

Just think.......one day you will find the land free of stupid people and non logic....
Hey we can all live in hope!!

[Skrae]

"We are experiencing email difficulties and may have a problem recvieving your email, this should be fixed by the 5th July, we apoogise for the inconveniece."

Has anybody noticed the spelling?

[Snowbird]

The last lady just made me see red. She's the sort of SC that makes me want to mentally shake them and ask if they'd like to be treated that same way. Ugh.

Off topic, I'm so sorry to hear about your migraines. A good friend of mine who also happened to be a coworker suffered from those as well, and in the end they found out that it was caffeine that was the culprit. She had been taking OTC headache medicine, which had caffeine in it, with a drink of Coca Cola. I hope you feel better soon.

[Luna Baby]

Has anybody noticed the spelling?

Yep, I noticed it right away, but then again, I seem to find all the misspelled words in documents and on business signs. Seems their "apology" isn't worth the email it was typed in.

BTW, Lexi, I'm so sorry you suffered with migraines this week. I know how bad they can make you feel and have the utmost respect for you to be able to go back to work with what seems like one still lingering. Have you tried any types of prescription medications (many times OTC's don't have the same effect)? I suffered for years with them from the time I was 10 years old and only did the docs finally 2 years ago give me something that works like a miracle to me. It's been around for years here in the states but I was only just lucky enough to get it 2 years ago.

[wagegoth]

I got to the point where I was having atypical migraines 24/7, so Imitrex couldn't keep up. Then I was put on Topamax. It worked great for a while, but recently the headaches were still happening, and with all the side effects, I decided to quit taking it. Surprisingly, my headaches are better. Also, I was having memory issues. I told my most recent neurologist, who laughed and said, "That's why we call it Dopamax."

However, I found an interesting article on drugstore.com about natural treatments for migraine. I just found it, so I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on picking the items up this weekend. They listed:

Feverfew: 60 to 800 mg daily cut migraines by 20 to 30 percent.

Riboflavin: 400 mg daily reduced migraines in about 70 percent of participants.

Essential fatty acids, like evening primrose oil and fish oil: 1,800 mg a day, combined with stress reduction and muscle relaxation exercises resulted in reduced migraines in 66 percent of participants.

On another site, there was a natural remedy for when a headache has started. I have not tried it and it doesn't sound fun, but some other people on the board said it worked for them. You have to have three things ready: cayenne pepper, a caffeinated beverage and an ice pack. First, you snort the cayenne pepper. Yes, snort it. Then you drink the caffeinated beverage as quickly as possible. I would think coffee or strong tea, plain, would be the best choice. Then go lie down with the ice pack at the back of your head.

How does it work? Supposedly, the cayenne short circuits the pain signals from the migraine, by making your nose and throat start burning. While that is happening, the caffeine gets a chance to get into your system and start working on the blood vessels to stop the headache. The ice pack is supposed to help with the blood flow and pain in general.

I'll keep my Imitrex, but if I get a long term headache, or one the Imitrex can't stop, I'll consider the cayenne pepper cure.

[zigcat]

To that last lady in your post:

Yes, yes you do have all day. It's nobody's fault that you're "in a hurry" except your own. You could have chosen to call at a more convenient time for yourself. Take some responsibility for yourself and don't take it out on the person trying to help you because you can't effectively manage your
time.

There's a process involved, whether you're making a referral, ordering a pizza, making an airline or hotel reservation, calling directory assistance for a listing or any other number of things.

And most if not all of the time, that process involves the computer walking the person helping you through several steps of gathering information. Trying to rush through it or give information out of order does absolutely nothing but slow down the whole process and leaves room for error. You'd be the first to raise a stink if there was any kind of mistake made.

[TealJellyfish]

THANX

I got to the point where I was having atypical migraines 24/7, so Imitrex couldn't keep up. Then I was put on Topamax. It worked great for a while, but recently the headaches were still happening, and with all the side effects, I decided to quit taking it. Surprisingly, my headaches are better. Also, I was having memory issues. I told my most recent neurologist, who laughed and said, "That's why we call it Dopamax."

However, I found an interesting article on drugstore.com about natural treatments for migraine. I just found it, so I haven't tried it yet, but I plan on picking the items up this weekend. They listed:

Feverfew: 60 to 800 mg daily cut migraines by 20 to 30 percent.

Riboflavin: 400 mg daily reduced migraines in about 70 percent of participants.

Essential fatty acids, like evening primrose oil and fish oil: 1,800 mg a day, combined with stress reduction and muscle relaxation exercises resulted in reduced migraines in 66 percent of participants.

On another site, there was a natural remedy for when a headache has started. I have not tried it and it doesn't sound fun, but some other people on the board said it worked for them. You have to have three things ready: cayenne pepper, a caffeinated beverage and an ice pack. First, you snort the cayenne pepper. Yes, snort it. Then you drink the caffeinated beverage as quickly as possible. I would think coffee or strong tea, plain, would be the best choice. Then go lie down with the ice pack at the back of your head.

How does it work? Supposedly, the cayenne short circuits the pain signals from the migraine, by making your nose and throat start burning. While that is happening, the caffeine gets a chance to get into your system and start working on the blood vessels to stop the headache. The ice pack is supposed to help with the blood flow and pain in general.

I'll keep my Imitrex, but if I get a long term headache, or one the Imitrex can't stop, I'll consider the cayenne pepper cure.

My Doctor just put me on Topamax which is having some side effects one of which is nose bleeds. When I told my Doc he took some blood and told me it can cause a rare blood disorder that causes problems with your white blood cells... yeah not a happy event!

I have had cronic migrains from the time I was 12. I have extreme pain killer resistance to the point where I can enough codiene to put a normal person in hospital with an overdose and still be walking around fine (needless to say I dont do this often and have freaked out several people including myself!) It has gotten to point where I have had a headache for the past 7 weeks and a migrain at least once a week usually twice. Its not fun!

I was going to try and find some alternatives to topamax cause the tiredness and nose bleeds kinda suck! So thanks for the advice! Not sure how ill go with snorting pepper but when my head hurts enough that I would rather die than breath another second ill try anything!

[Luna Baby]

I read somewhere several years ago that hot peppers, cayenne, jabenoros, chili's, etc. can cause a release of a natural endorphin in the brain that can produce a high much stronger than that of a non-legal street drug. I haven't taken the time to research it and see if that info was correct or even where it came from. However, if it is true, I can see where the snorting pepper might help with a headache. I guess I am going to have to go research peppers now.

I take the Imitrex injections now, but only have to take about 2 a year so far. I didn't used to get any warning signs about my migraines (or maybe I was too young to know I was getting a warning) but now I do. Yesterday for example, we had just launched the boat and were heading out to check out the fun when I looked up from putting stuff away and noticed this terrible silver blurb in my vision. Was still there anytime I blinked and changed what I was focusing on. Within seconds, I realized that this was a migraine coming on and quickly grabbed the first aid kit to search for some tylenol or motrin. If I can get it in quickly enough with at least a little bit of caffeine, I typically can get rid of it before the pain actually starts. We were to be on the water from about noon until after 10 pm last night with 2 other families and I knew there was no way I could be there that long with a migraine. Fortunately it works for me.

If I wake with a migraine, it's already too far gone for OTC's to work and completely debilitates me. The Imitrex works within 10 minutes (from injection to being completely pain free) and puts me back into a state that feels like I've just awakened from a completely rested night and ready to tackle the day. I know it doesn't work for everyone like that. Maybe I got lucky.

Lexi, my ex-supervisor and her son also take a pill form (not sure of the name) that is placed under the tongue and is absorbed sublinguily. She says it works almost instantly as well. I don't think the name is Topomax but it could be. Do you swallow your med or is it placed under the tongue? I would think the side effect of nose bleeds would be due to maybe 'thinning' the blood a bit to allow it to flow easier through the constricted vessels? However, I can't see that as being all that good for you.

[TealJellyfish]

I read somewhere several years ago that hot peppers, cayenne, jabenoros, chili's, etc. can cause a release of a natural endorphin in the brain that can produce a high much stronger than that of a non-legal street drug. I haven't taken the time to research it and see if that info was correct or even where it came from. However, if it is true, I can see where the snorting pepper might help with a headache. I guess I am going to have to go research peppers now.

I take the Imitrex injections now, but only have to take about 2 a year so far. I didn't used to get any warning signs about my migraines (or maybe I was too young to know I was getting a warning) but now I do. Yesterday for example, we had just launched the boat and were heading out to check out the fun when I looked up from putting stuff away and noticed this terrible silver blurb in my vision. Was still there anytime I blinked and changed what I was focusing on. Within seconds, I realized that this was a migraine coming on and quickly grabbed the first aid kit to search for some tylenol or motrin. If I can get it in quickly enough with at least a little bit of caffeine, I typically can get rid of it before the pain actually starts. We were to be on the water from about noon until after 10 pm last night with 2 other families and I knew there was no way I could be there that long with a migraine. Fortunately it works for me.

If I wake with a migraine, it's already too far gone for OTC's to work and completely debilitates me. The Imitrex works within 10 minutes (from injection to being completely pain free) and puts me back into a state that feels like I've just awakened from a completely rested night and ready to tackle the day. I know it doesn't work for everyone like that. Maybe I got lucky.

Lexi, my ex-supervisor and her son also take a pill form (not sure of the name) that is placed under the tongue and is absorbed sublinguily. She says it works almost instantly as well. I don't think the name is Topomax but it could be. Do you swallow your med or is it placed under the tongue? I would think the side effect of nose bleeds would be due to maybe 'thinning' the blood a bit to allow it to flow easier through the constricted vessels? However, I can't see that as being all that good for you.

I swallow it so it doesn't sound like the same thing. It is actually a preventive not a pain killer so I take it every night. Its anti-seizure medication and has the side "benefit" of being able to be used for migraines. I slight warnings with mine but usually not much more than 10 minutes or so and if I don't have a pain killer with Codeine in it I'm completely screwed and am likely to be found with my head on a cold surface sometime in the near future.

I have to say it nice to know I am not the only one out there with Migraines. Its so frustrating to have people don't understand! They have had headaches so they think they understand but they truly have no idea!

[Ironclad Alibi]

One way to alleviate the pain of a migraine headache is through the use of the "whispered ah" as taught by the Alexander Technique. The "whispered ah" relieves tension on the trigeminal nerve, which can cause migraines in many people. It is recommended you learn the "whispered ah" with the assistance of an Alexander Teacher.