on call + insomnia = bad

So I'm a horrible insomniac and have been since I was about 7 years old or something. Seems like an easy problem to fix, considering I'm already seeing a shrink and he could just throw some Lunesta my way. However, I can't take sleeping meds because I'm on call 24/7/365... and I don't think you would want me running through the forest at 3 am looking for your lost toddler in such somnolence.

In fact, my shrink seemed more concerned about this possibility than I did and he even stated that he would not prescribe me sleep meds as long as I'm on call.

I can understand why. I met my boyfriend in the hospital 2 and a half years ago. They put him on Ambien one night, and for some reason that little freak wouldn't go to bed. He just kept running up and down the damn halls with his arms out yelping about how he was a "magic carpet". (God I love him... freak)

Hallucinations are never a good thing on a search line, especially from the team leader.


Just another random inconvenience that you never realize at first.

It was funny... when I told him that I was on call 24/7/365 this look of deep empathy and nostalgia came over his face. He kept muttering to me (more to himself) "being on call is rough... yeah.... it's hard... being tied to a pager", and I could see his mind wandering off to memories of being awoken by a pager, called to care for patients during his residency a long, long time ago. Then he got this smirk of satisfaction, probably because he will never experience that jolting "BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEP BEEP" ever gain.