anyone with OA in hip and working?

tillypink

Is there anyone working with severe OA in the hip and working please?

Been offered a job as a support worker and don't know what to do, Have not worked for over a year and would like to get some independance back and get back to work and not let this arthritis rule my life!

Just don't know what to do for the best!??!?!?

Thanks

speedalong

Hi Tillypink,

I work - I teach children with special needs. I have OA in the hips. I have always worked. As each hip has deteriorated, I have struggled more at work, but somehow kept working. In both cases I had to take time off for hip ops, am due back again this week.

Are you awaiting a hip op?

What tasks/activities does the support work involve? Can you physically do those tasks? If you can, then go for it. Bear in mind you will feel tired and need to rest up, especially in the beginning. You could ask for a trial period?

Keep us updated.

Speedy

tillypink

speedalong wrote:

Hi Tillypink,

I work - I teach children with special needs. I have OA in the hips. I have always worked. As each hip has deteriorated, I have struggled more at work, but somehow kept working. In both cases I had to take time off for hip ops, am due back again this week.

Are you awaiting a hip op?

What tasks/activities does the support work involve? Can you physically do those tasks? If you can, then go for it. Bear in mind you will feel tired and need to rest up, especially in the beginning. You could ask for a trial period?

Keep us updated.

Speedy

Hi speedy I've decided not to go ahead with the job as its 12 hr shifts and on ur feet allday. Not good as I'm still waiting for hip op!

thanks for ur reply though, good luck this week.

thanks

speedalong

Tillypink,

Sounds like you made the right decision, 12 hour shifts on your feet .... would have put too much strain on your hip. Do you have a date/time scale for when you are having your op?

Speedy

tillypink

speedalong wrote:

Tillypink,

Sounds like you made the right decision, 12 hour shifts on your feet .... would have put too much strain on your hip. Do you have a date/time scale for when you are having your op?

Speedy

No nothing yet, waiting to see if an injection into the hip joint will ease the pain as I'm only 33, but if not then I'll be having the hip replacement!

How are u feeling bout going back to work?u still have pain with ur ops?

x

speedalong

Hi Tillypink, I had my first THR at 30 ... still going strong 13 years later. If the injection doesn't work - don't wait, have the op.

That deep pain is gone after the op and once the wound is healed, you just have discomfort. Now I only ache if I over do it and I can do more than I could pre-op when I was limited so much by pain. My muscles are still weaker than I would like (another reason for not waiting too long to have the op done, the longer you wait, the bigger the job to get your muscles strong again ...)

Speedy

denpen

Hi Tillypink
I used to be a support worker with learning difficulties and when I was supporting partially sighted people who had to hold onto my arm when out walking, I used to wonder why I was sore when moving around people in the street, I thought it was coming from my back but realise now that it was my hips I have OA in both my hips as well as other joints, I now work in a shop and I find it really difficult standing and doing the tasks of the job, I had a THR 6 months ago and I am struggling even more with the job since I have gone back to work, I am on the look out for a different job, but dont know what type of job to go for.
Hope you find something soon
Denise