Back to work tomorrow :0)

JuliaHod12

Hi everyone

I hope you've all had a good weekend :-)

Well the time has come for me to return to work.......on a phased return for the next few weeks, am hoping to manage 4hrs per day to start with, but will play it by ear and adjust accordingly.

I will be available for all pocket duties as normal, and you are all in my thoughts

Julia xx

mig

Good luck,hope it goes well.Mig

Helenbothknees

Good luck Julia. Take it easy, and pace yourself. I'm a couple of weeks ahead of you as far as surgery goes, and I still find myself running out of energy faster than I expect. If you don't push yourself too hard it'll probably feel good to get back to normal life, but really, don't push yourself too much.

barbara12

Good Luck Julia, and I really do hope it all goes well for you xx

dreamdaisy

Take it steady Julia, and take care. I wish you well and I hope you are able to manage it with style. Good luck! DD

dibdab

Hope it goes well, be gentle with yourself.

Deb x

applerose

Good luck. Hope it all goes well for you.

stickywicket

I, too, hope it goes well for you, Julia, and you can manage it in a way that doesn't impact on your knee. I look forward to hearing how it went.

Numptydumpty

I hope all goes well,
take care of you,
Numpty

dreamdaisy

I am thinking of you. DD

JuliaHod12

Thanks for the good wishes all :-)

I'm back home now after my 4hrs............and goodness me I am tired! I had expected a certain fatigue, but the main issue was sitting down for longer periods when I am accustomed to "pottering" at home.

Off now for a little snooze before i make dinner

Julia xx

dreamdaisy

Well done on managing your first four hours, rest up now with a cuppa and watch some cruddy telly - there's plenty to choose from. Then resume the gentle pottering, OK? Do you have another four hours tomorrow? DD

JuliaHod12

Thanks DD

Yes, another 4hrs tomorrow and every day for the next month.

I went into the office and saw the HR administrator as neither of my line managers are in. I was supposed to get a call from an HR Advisor (based in Aberdeen Office) to discuss my phased return, but the promised call never came so I left after the 4hrs stated on my Fit Note!
On previous occasions I have seen an Occ Health lady appointed by our company and got it all agreed prior to my return, but this procedure has been changed recently (probably due to cost of outsourcing)! :roll:

dreamdaisy

Right you are, so take things gently, don't push yourself too hard because there is a world of difference between killling time at home and coping with time in the office. As for HR well, isn't that par for the course? They'll probably ring this afternoon while you're not there! DD

julie47

Well Done Julia

I am glad that you are now home and doing the right thing by going for a well earned rest

Take care
Love Juliepf x

JuliaHod12

will do DD
yes, enormous difference in activity level and trying to get my brain back in gear!

thanks Julie47 :-)

Snooze now, ttfn xx

pegleg

Well done , I think I will be able to go back after I've seen my surgeon on the 19th , phased return hopefully the same as you have . What do you do at work ? , I work in a mail order warehouse but there are lots of sitting down jobs to do , my work are used to me having ops and going back ! lol . How is the knee now , is it straight yet ? , mine isn't which worries me slightly with going back to work , got physio Tomorrow so will see if the bends better , hope you had a nice kip xx

stickywicket

Well done, Julia! I like your sensible after-work plan, too. I hope the rest of the week goes well.

Pegleg - I hope your return to work is a good one too.

JuliaHod12

Hi pegleg

I'm an administrator and its mainly a sitting down job using a PC, but i do have to trot around talking to other departments and collect stuff from the printer etc, so i am free to move about as and when i need to really.
My leg isn't completely straightening yet, but i have been told not to rush that or the trying to bend too much.
My consultant said last week that the only thing i mustn't do is jumping up and down..........and that the total recovery time is 12 to 18 months, so its really still very early days. Remember that aside from all the scarring on the outside which is visible,all the layers underneath the skin which have been disturbed together with the added new joint have to heal and that is what takes the time.
In all i am pretty happy with my progress even though i am still walking with one stick until I see my physio next Tuesday. I do still have some pain, but thats generally when i have been sitting in one position too long and if i listen properly to my joint it lets me know when to move about a bit!
I hope you get on ok when you see your consultant next week xx

pegleg

Thanks for the reply , we sound pretty much the same recovery wise , I only take paracetamol if and when I feel I need to , my bend was 85 degrees last time I went physio (I was 5 weeks post op) so I'm hoping its a bit more Tomorrow . I don't force my knee to bend anymore than it will but just gently push a little bit more than its happy with ! , I try and get the balance right so it doesn't swell . Once I'm back at work I'm hoping to call in at the pool on the way home and start swimming again , I did that after I had my ankle fused and loved it x

pegleg

Thank you Stickywicket xx

JuliaHod12

So apparently i have been overdoing it according to my work Occ Health lady!
I have been advised to have tomorrow off work and she will email me later with a revised phased return to work plan spanning 5 weeks!
It's just a shame that our HR Dept hadnt alerted her that i was returning so this could have been sorted before I went back! :roll:

Ho-hum!

dreamdaisy

At least they're looking out for you, surely that's a good thing? How are you feeling in yourself - are you tired? DD

JuliaHod12

Hi DD

They are pretty good at our place, they do try their best and realise they have to look after their staff..........there aren't any spares knocking around so its noticeable when part of the team is missing and takes its toll on those coping in the meantime as well!

Yes, I am pretty tired today actually......... and in pain, I think i need a different chair and have asked Occ Health to look at that too.

Julia x

loovechocolate

Pegleg Julia am now at 20 weeks have a bend of 95 to 100 and my leg isn’t completely straight I am only now starting to feel semi normal, still tired and still swell from time to time, but like you I have taken it easy and as my consultant said slowly slowly, after 4 or 5 weeks the pain should start to dull and you should be able to reduce the pain killers just like you have done, if you had pushed yourself you would be still taking large amounts of pain killers and you’re not. I take my hat off to you going back to work take it easy and I bet your knee like mine will get a little better every day and in 12 months we will all be at the same stage – perfect

mig

Hope they can sort things for you.Mig