Ear infections and disposable labor ...

It couldn't POSSIBLY happen to me, I'm too qualified! Or, could it? This is what I liked to tell myself for the past 10 months when I found they were downsizing at the company I contracted to.

I did my very best to be a good little contract laborer. I was on time for work. I did my job. I asked for help if I had even the tiniest grain of doubt about something. I rarely called in sick, left early or requested time off. But, my left ear was bent on ruining all that.

I've had THREE infections in that ear this year! THREE!!! Each time was a masochist's dream come true. First time was just alot of itching. Second time, it felt like a Mack truck had hit me in the side of my head, even worse than it felt when my ex hit me on that side in January. (note, the operative word in the previous sentence is EX, as in persona non grata) This last time, it was a little man inside my ear with a really big ice pick and a hammer. Not to mention the constant ringing I have had in both ears for I don't know how long. Now there's a whooshing noise in my that follows my heartbeat and goes away if I press on the swollen gland below my ear and against my jawbone. And I'm mostly deaf in that ear now, I assume temporarily. Three visits to the doctor, 2 types of antibiotics, decongestants and ear drops later and I am not satisfied with the progress it's making.. So shall I make that Dr visit #4, only with an E.N.T. specialist, this time?

Anyway, I ended up leaving early twice in the past 2 weeks and got written up for it because the supervisor claims she did not say it was OK for me to go home. I had also gone home early in June and took a day off for the same ear problem. Two times I provided doctors notes.

Wednesday morning, I received a call from someone from my contracting agency telling me my position had been "eliminated"... Bastards!