Advice on Return to Work ..........

goonerkatie

Hi I am in the middle of a pretty bad flare up. I walk down to the park with the dog and return home breathless and in pain :-( I am a week old on the new hydro drug and a small dose of prednisilone and I dont like steroids !!! I was wondering if anyone had expereinced long term sickness i.e. 2 months and when they return to work. What I dont want is to get back to work and just suddenly crash and burn. After saying that I am going stir crazy !!!!! My brain has left my body ............

I was just wondering what peoples' experiences were. Every morning I wake up and think okay today is the day I am going to feel better and then the brick wall appears !!!!!!!

Thanks

Katie B X

skezier

Hi Katie,

Oh flower do I know the feeling of being shattered after even a small walk..... Maybe the hydroxy will help?

I also don't like preds.... I had a bad reaction to them and well they do the job they were meant to do in my case but i get off them as as soon as I could and felt much better for not having them.

Are you due to see anyone soon? I just wondered if they could help you a little more for the interim while the hydroxy starts to work?

Mind the fatigue there is no real real cure for.

Can't help you over the work thing cus I am self employed and well I have never really been able to give up... diversified but still have to drag my self out and do stuff.

There are a lot of people here that will be able to help you but just wait till your feeling a lot better. Leaving you a wall breaker and a ((( ))) Cris x

caterina57

Hi
Between Dec and March I was off work. My GP refused to let me return unless my employers agreed to a phased return. I returned for 4 hours a day, the plan was to up the hours weekly until I was back to full time. However at my Review it was clear to my employers and me that I just was never going to be able to return to my position on a full time basis. I was very very lucky and was offered a new position with the company on a part time basis. Its going well and I have a greater degree of flexibility with working hours and I find that my condition approves of the new situation and I am much better, with less pain -probably due to the extra rest I am now getting.
The down side of course is a reduction in pay, but I will live with that- as long as I am as well as I can be, and work, that is all that matters
Cath

goonerkatie

Hi Cath,,,thank you so much for you posting..its really useful...I think I am already fairly down about my new diagnosis and I really couldnt cope very well with setting myself up to fail. I manage a mental health scheme and has its challenges at the best of times. Given the recession its really hard to make a well balanced decision as I have a responsibility to both my partner and her three children and a mortgage !! :-)

I am still in the throws of a flare up so I dont want to make any big decisions. I had only been in post three months before this last bout knocked me for six !!! So long serving employee wont cut it unfortunately although I did prove myself a good manager and so far my employer has been supportive .

This has been such a steep learning curve, there are so many things to consider and to add to it my partner was diagnosed with Crohns Disease about 6 months ago ............so lots to deal with XXXXX

frogmorton

Katie

It's early days yet for teh hydroxy isn't it?

If I were you l would TRY to give it another week ot two at least before you go back....then maybe you can go back in on a 'phased' return....l have done this a few times before so you gradually get used to being back at work.

You are right to be thinking of work though....beleive it or not.....if you can manage it - it's GOOd for you.

Love

Toni xx

woodbon

Make sure that you feel you can cope before you go back to work, I know how hard it is, but take as much time as you need. Two months isn't that long, really; a lot of people need longer to fully recover and thats what you need to be as confident as possible about, that you have recovered as much as you are going to and feel you can do enough allow you to return.
Has anyone mentioned a phased return, go back for a few hours for the first week and then, if you manage that, slowly increase your hours until you get back to normal. Thats what I did. I was a care worker and that is a very physical job, even if you are fit and able and I pushed it to get back to my full hours because I loved my job. I was silly to do that and I did get some more problems, OA in other joints and I had to give up in the end. Lots of people do manage to go back and start work again, it depends on all sorts of things and I think I would say the only way you can find out how you'll be is to try it. As I said, when you feel confident and on, if possible a phased return. I do hope all goes well for you. Good Luck
Love Sue

Pherstun

Pred does make you feel sick, did you get given Ranitidine as well for the nausea? They don't entirely get rid of it but do help. If you can't get a prescription for it you can buy it in a pharmacists.

Pred will likely also make you feel more tired than you were, you'd think being a steroid they made you have more energy, but I asked about it and was told it's because it makes your internals work harder so the body can fight the illness.

It's great that your employer has been understanding, although it sounds like the type of place it is will understand more than most! I would also ask if you can do a phased return, they may ask you to use holiday for this depending on the organisation but it may still be worth it.

Let us know how you get on.

Debbie

speedalong

Hi Katie, you need to wait until the end of the flare before considering going back to work!! Only rest, rest and more rest will help you get over the flare and going back just now will only prolong and aggravate it. Once over the flare see your doc and discuss phased return/reduced hours to start with. It is one thing feeling fine at home ... work is quite something else.

SPeedy