I Miss My Trade...

I used to run cable. Most of you already know that, but for those of you who don't:
I used to run cable. I run coax, cat 5, cat 3, fiber innerduct and fiber. I terminated (put ends on) and tested just about everything. Including the OLD timey cabling. The old 25pair amphenols for the old key phone systems, twinax, video cables, alarm cables, intercom/speaker systems. I even worked with electricians as an apprentice (I.B.E.W.)for a year. I ran romex and installed balast lamps in suspended ceilings, and wired outlets. I can get a cable from here to there. It's an art, and I'm particularly gifted.
I earned my title as a Bicsi RCDD, which means Registered Communications Distribution Designer.
I crawled up in ceilings, walked across roofs, lifted up to poles, crawled under buildings. I worked in Churches, Offices, Stores, trailers, truck shops, schools, even in the pullboxes beside the highway. You never know where next. My favorite is pulling cables in old 1920's buildings. Some cool stuff hiding behind the drop ceilings and fake walls. I always came home dirty and tired. Some of my favorite clothes still have insulation embedded in the fibers.
I invested thousands of dollars in tools over the years. The more tools you have, the more you are worth in the job market.
I also installed, programmed and serviced several brands of telephone systems. I started out with ComDial, Toshiba DK, Lucent/AT&T Merlin, then graduated up to NEC/Nitsuko, Panasonic KXTD, and Nortel. I can chase and troubleshoot dialtone all over the place. Betcha I can chase YOUR pair all the way back to the Central Office without a map. Alright, that may be a stretch, depending on how populated your area, but it's very likely that I can.
A couple of years ago, I had several physical problems pile up on me. When I crawled under a building, I had heartburn so bad, it was agony. So I went to the doc and they scoped my stomach and showed me pictures of my ulcer and my eroded esophagus. I went on HEAVY antibiotics and antacids to target the H.Pylori bacteria that was eating up my stomach. (I let it go too long, apparently.)
Then I fell backwards out of my worktruck and landed on the back of my head. I didn't lose consciousness, just had a brain scan and some X-rays. I had a concussion with a lot of swelling in my skull. It also knocked the little cholesterol stones in my ears out of whack. I had vertigo. I worked through it, but I swear it bothered me for a year and a half. Made me shaky on extension ladders, but I did it anyway.
I had a spot of skin-cancer on my nose that started to get a little obnoxious. It was bleeding and wouldn't go away. They cut and cauterized a big chunk out of the side of my nose. It was "Squamous". Yippee. Of all the damn places!
Then, my back was bothering me. Not like I pulled a muscle, well, kinda like a pulled muscle, but not on my back - IN my back. Turns out I had two cysts the size of tennis balls in there, on my ovaries and tubes, that were pushing on my back. So, they removed that, along with my chances of having children.
All along, I had a problem where I felt sick everytime I ate. I thought it was my ulcer, since they had found that, I figured it would solve a lot of my eating problems. I asked the doc when my ulcer would be healed. He tested me again. I STILL had H.Pylori, so I had to take the stupid Antibiotic/Antacid box of pills again. They did a nuclear test of my gallbladder. Hey! Guess what? It hasn't been working either. So they took that out. The nice surgeon fixed a hernia while he was there, as a bonus operation.
Well, It's been almost a year since my last operation. The only disposable organs I have left are my tonsils and breasts (I'm keeping them, by the way). I feel good now. Good enough to get back into the field, BUT I've started a new career. I've been in Medical Office Tech Support for 16 months, and I'm getting pretty good at it. I couldn't just quit and get back out in the field. How would my customers ever manage without me?
Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Oh, and my RCDD will need to be renewed in December of 2006. Should I study just in case?

MsAmber

P.S. - Just to be fair to the other people who have a stake in my decision. Family and friends appear to think that these health problems are "signs" that I need to slow down. I'm 35 year old female and my contemporaries' average: 23/male.