Medical Update + New Job Woes

[Barbisi]

At last, I was able to schedule both procedures (fibro scan and CT scan) and have received the results.
I only have mild fatty liver with no scarring or cirrhosis and a small fat- based hernia above my navel. So mercifully no cancer or malignant tumor - I just need to lose some weight and possibly have the hernia repaired. (I will schedule another office visit with the surgeon after I discuss the results with the new PCP tomorrow.)
As for Zombie13 's job, he was just informed that travel to different sites will soon be required lasting for an unspecified period of time in days or weeks. (He is starting to ramp up his job search believing he will find another job sometime in the future as the 15% salary cut appears to be permanent and the minimal PTO will likely not increase for a few years.) He believes he will have to agree to whenever or wherever he is to go because otherwise he will be laid off ASAP. He now thinks traveling to Tijuana is "relatively safe" because the designated driver chauffeurs the workers to and from the work location. Because of "the criminal element present" the job ends at 4pm daily, and no nighttime excursion outside the hotel is "recommended". Zombie has said he has to obey and fly to these dangerous sites using his own CC to book airfare and rooms and he should be reimbursed sometime later by the company since they currently offer no corporate card. Whether other charges such as meals are covered is not known. He jokes if he is killed, I will be paid his life insurance policy, so it's no big deal. I don't agree.
justbroke and shipo and Carmella do you see these terms as OK? How would you handle these demands?
He is starting to pressure me to look for work myself. I last had income reported to the IRS as VO work in 2015. After that during the BK I only did non-paying VO and German language consultant work on projects for which Zombie did audio engineering duties. Naturally I am rusty at acting, singing and using my voice. He says I can do VO and earn decent money with no refresher course or basic training in audio engineering.
The future is looking increasingly bleak especially if I do need surgery and his help during my recovery.
Only time will tell when and where he is ordered to travel. Thanks for allowing me to vent!

[justbroke]

I worked for a company that did not issue credit cards. I was reimbursed on time and every time I submitted before payroll cutoff (twice a month). Remember, this was during my Chapter 13 and I had to cover upwards of $5K or more in travel expenses before reimbursement. Mexico is a tough place to work outside predominantly tourists traps--err, towns (think Cancun, Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen on the east coast). I know that if I had to ever travel to Mexico City my employer had the same rules (chauffeur, no outside travel). There are people in Mexico that love to kidnap corporate employees because the ransoms are small and paid quite readily.

Would I personally take the job? Probably. I like adventure. I would like more clarification on the reimbursement process as well as how they pay for expenses. For example, I was on a government contract and my company used the standard OPM CONUS rates (Office of Personnel Management, Continental United States) for travel within the lower 48. I would also get a clarification on the time between submitting a reimbursement request and payment, as well as the receipt requirement. If it's per diem, that's the best since fewer receipts required outside air, rail, and hotel.

If the travel into sketchy Mexican cities will be for a long period of time then I might consider changing jobs.

As for jokes about being killed or dying, I agree. It was driven into us during our onboarding at a major tech company that we should be sure to die while on travel status. It p aid 6X our highest average annual salary. The joke was that if you died at home, your spouse should book a flight to your last work location, drive your body to the airport, put your lanyard/badge around your dead corpse as you prop it up in the driver's seat, and wait for the payout. All joking aside, I would make sure that there is company-provided insurance or you have sufficient insurance anyhow. Back in my AT&T days, they joked about the AT&T Burial Plan consisting of using your Corporate AMEX card as the tombstone.

[shipo]

Barbisi, I agree with justbroke, take the job, but keep shopping for a new one.

And congratulations on your optimistic health outlook. Ain't getting old grand?

[Carmella]

Barbisi I can't speak for the conditions of Zombie13 job, not working in that type of job. But as a wife I don't think I would be too thrilled about it. It sounds like the best option is keep the job and ramp up looking for another job. It sounds like safety measures are taken seriously. I certainly understand about limited PTO with this job I have you can earn up to 6 days in a year.

The results of your tests Barbisi are great. I hope you won't need hernia surgery. If you put your mind to it I bet you could get some VO work! You "worked" during BK, at least work that can be on your resume. You may also enjoy doing some work. Now that you finally were able to get your medical tests hopefully that takes some stress away.

I do not believe I posted this because it's only been about 3 weeks. A friend/former coworker called me about a job opening. She is now a manager and within 6 days I accepted a job where she is managing. From what I can see/hear it looks like a good job with normal stressors (since there's always some stress). The one I have currently is NOT decent and has gotten worse over the past year. I think I mentioned when I took this job as it was closer to home and had more hours. But the condition of the facility and the care provided is getting worse by the minute. Every day the demands made me feel like I had an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other being pressured to put money above care. I had kept my eyes open for jobs, but there are not many. Having a friend reach out was unbelievable. It's still close to home, about a 5 minute longer drive. I was called on a Friday, put my application in as soon as the job posted; did the first interview over the phone. They skipped an interview with the next person because he had worked in higher management where I worked in the past and felt confident enough. On Thurs I went to see the building and had my in person interview. Emailed the HR lady from my car and she immediately called me with an offer and I immediately accepted right then and there in the parking lot. BTW the new job has 18 days of PTO compared to the 6 days at the other job.

[Barbisi]

Thank you guys for all replying with wit, candor and good advice!
First Carmella HURRAH monster congrats on finally landing a position worthy of your experience and skills with great PTO (18 days!) and better pay. I am thrilled for you and apologize for not replying sooner to your other posts to me. You deserve only the very best!!!!
justbroke , thank you for explaining Zombie13 's "Death Wish" and the other pointers!
shipo thank you for reminding me that my health test results are mostly positive, that is something to be grateful for in the midst of Zombie's struggles with this current, not so great job. I have not forgotten that both you and justbroke are brave cancer survivors who never settle or knuckle under to anybody or anything -you just keep truckin' along, lol!
I do want to clarify that this is not a "new job" but the same one he accepted in Nov. 2025 with the pay cut and severely reduced PTO. He is aware that financially this is a disaster and career -wise it is dead-end with zero promotion or salary increase possibilities - it is however a step above contractor work with no employee benefits at all(the insurance coverage is the only stellar benefit offered along with company life insurance), so things could always be worse.
As for VO, everything in good time.