Hi All,
Well after almost 18 years at UPS, I'm 1 week away from retiring at UPS. Now it's not because I'm leaving for another job or that I've had enough and fancy me time instead of thinking about work all the time. I'm retiring because I've got serious health problems that if I carry on will kill me.
I'll tell you the back story.
I started working for UPS 3 days after leaving school (17 years old) and working in the evening sort loading the international packages, I did this for about 4 years before doing the evening sort and the morning sort too. (4am to 8.30am then home and back at 4.30pm to 9pm, kind of split shift thing) I did this for another 5 years as well as combining various other jobs internally. (Basically I've done every job at my depot except manager and mechanic) I then became the first person at our depot to move from warehouse worker to package car driver. This I have done till the start of my health problems. It all started with Jammy Dodgers Biscuits!!! I ate a packet of these biscuits and soon after I had the feeling of having been to the dentist and getting a tooth extracted, My face of the left side went numb and stayed like this for 2 days!!! I thought it was an allergic reaction to the biscuits but it turned more serious than that. On the third day I had lost my sight on the left side which in the way to describe it was like a milky cloud on my eye. I was taken to the hospital straight away and they said I had been diagnosed with having Bells Palsy. (Google Bells Palsy for full description, Too long to describe)
Anyway, after having time off work to get over it I came back to resume driving my van for UPS. I went almost 1 full year without having any other health problems when as I was driving to a pick up I felt my left side go really funny, My arm wouldn't more much my left leg had bad cramp and my sight was blurry. This was a Stroke, not a major one but serious enough to cause me to be off work for 6 months. So fast forward 6 months and I'm back at the UPS training school re-learning my job (My choice as management didn't want me back so I re-trained to trust them in letting me back) anyway, another 18 months of no further problems and everything is going ok, I still have my moments but nothing to worry about. Then it hit me out of the blue, like a lightning bolt a visit to the hospital for a neurology appointment and they did a heart scan as they had a few student doctors learning and that's when they saw a problem with my heart. One of my heart valves wasn't working as it should and this is why I'm retiring I've been told that I need a heart operation and at least 6-9 months off work. now UPS would keep my job for me but I've taken the steps in retiring. I don't want to be thinking about work in 6-9 months time and if I'll be fit to return and all that comes with long term sickness, so I'm retiring in 1 weeks time and to be honest I feel great to be leaving. Don't get me wrong, I do like my job and all that comes with it, but my health and well-being is far more important that my trusty brown van and management. My work mates cannot believe I'm going and neither can my customers (One of my customers became my wife 7 years ago, so it has it's perks).
So one weeks time and I'll be playing my song as I drive out of the depot and raising a beer can once I get home.
Canonzero
Well after almost 18 years at UPS, I'm 1 week away from retiring at UPS. Now it's not because I'm leaving for another job or that I've had enough and fancy me time instead of thinking about work all the time. I'm retiring because I've got serious health problems that if I carry on will kill me.
I'll tell you the back story.
I started working for UPS 3 days after leaving school (17 years old) and working in the evening sort loading the international packages, I did this for about 4 years before doing the evening sort and the morning sort too. (4am to 8.30am then home and back at 4.30pm to 9pm, kind of split shift thing) I did this for another 5 years as well as combining various other jobs internally. (Basically I've done every job at my depot except manager and mechanic) I then became the first person at our depot to move from warehouse worker to package car driver. This I have done till the start of my health problems. It all started with Jammy Dodgers Biscuits!!! I ate a packet of these biscuits and soon after I had the feeling of having been to the dentist and getting a tooth extracted, My face of the left side went numb and stayed like this for 2 days!!! I thought it was an allergic reaction to the biscuits but it turned more serious than that. On the third day I had lost my sight on the left side which in the way to describe it was like a milky cloud on my eye. I was taken to the hospital straight away and they said I had been diagnosed with having Bells Palsy. (Google Bells Palsy for full description, Too long to describe)
Anyway, after having time off work to get over it I came back to resume driving my van for UPS. I went almost 1 full year without having any other health problems when as I was driving to a pick up I felt my left side go really funny, My arm wouldn't more much my left leg had bad cramp and my sight was blurry. This was a Stroke, not a major one but serious enough to cause me to be off work for 6 months. So fast forward 6 months and I'm back at the UPS training school re-learning my job (My choice as management didn't want me back so I re-trained to trust them in letting me back) anyway, another 18 months of no further problems and everything is going ok, I still have my moments but nothing to worry about. Then it hit me out of the blue, like a lightning bolt a visit to the hospital for a neurology appointment and they did a heart scan as they had a few student doctors learning and that's when they saw a problem with my heart. One of my heart valves wasn't working as it should and this is why I'm retiring I've been told that I need a heart operation and at least 6-9 months off work. now UPS would keep my job for me but I've taken the steps in retiring. I don't want to be thinking about work in 6-9 months time and if I'll be fit to return and all that comes with long term sickness, so I'm retiring in 1 weeks time and to be honest I feel great to be leaving. Don't get me wrong, I do like my job and all that comes with it, but my health and well-being is far more important that my trusty brown van and management. My work mates cannot believe I'm going and neither can my customers (One of my customers became my wife 7 years ago, so it has it's perks).
So one weeks time and I'll be playing my song as I drive out of the depot and raising a beer can once I get home.
Canonzero
