Difficult choice to make

TheLordFlasheart
TheLordFlasheart Member Posts: 302
I have a tough choice to make regarding my job.

As you know, I have osteoarthritis and it's a struggle to get through a working day, and by the end of the day I am that tired, I fall asleep on the train home.

I have cut my hours from 35 to 30, in order to start later, in the hope this will help. But it's not, I still feel tired at work, and now my knee distracts me it's affecting my concentration, and I am making mistakes, on top of this were been "encouraged" to up our productivity, and staff wellbeing comes last.

I'm thinking of either cutting my hours further, or work one less day, but this will affect my eranings, and living alone this will not be easy.

What do I do?
"Stoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast"

Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I've no idea what you should do but I do feel for you. I'm sure you will have touched on this subject before and I apologise for not remembering but, if things are so bad, is a knee replacement out of the question?

    The situation at work (I have read your other post on LWA) must be not only worrying but exacerbating everything. With all you have going on depression must be a factor too and the strong pain meds will be making the fatigue worse.

    Have you thought of starting by giving our Helpline people a call? They may well be able to point you in the right direction.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • TheLordFlasheart
    TheLordFlasheart Member Posts: 302
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks for the reply Sticky

    Last time I spoke to my GP, I was told i'm too young for a knee replacement (due the fact i'm only 36), but maybe I should push for one, as right now things are reall bad and only are going to get worse.

    I'm due for me next pain clininc on 6th June, and last time the consultant mentioned arthroscopy, so this will be my next option (I forgot to mention this in my LWA post).

    Yes, the work situation is not a massive help, I want to reduce my hours, or even work 1 less day, it's the loss of income that is my biggest concern.

    I will be giving the helpline a call later on today.

    Thanks for your support.

    Alastair
    "Stoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast"
  • palo
    palo Member Posts: 240
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I was diagnosed with a chronic condition when I was 35 and was unable to function anywhere near my previous ability, although I really really tried for 4 years, to the point where I was in and out of hospital and never knew when I woke up in the morning if I would end up on hospital by the evening or not, as that did happen frequently.

    With hindsight I really should have concentrated on my health and dealing with that to live at a level that was sustainable which clearly I didn't and had to give up a great career.

    So my advice is it is better to make adaptations that are sustainable now rather than more drastic action later. Only you can judge what is a level you can deal with but you must find that. Over committing yourself now is doing you no favours long term

    Good luck.
  • Slosh
    Slosh Member Posts: 3,194
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I think Palo has given some very good advice in terms of adaptations, I don't know what services are like in your area but have you had a home occupational health assessment? I had to wait nearly a year for one from adult services, but in the meantime they gave me some helpful advice over the phone as I said I could self fund some items myself. There is also loads of good advice on the forum in a thread at the top of the Living with Arthritis Forum, I can't remember the name.

    In terms of money it's hard. I've already done one round of cost cutting when I had to go part-time and now I'm having to do it again, so all I can say is look at your budget and see where you can trim bits off.

    One other thing, you are waiting on treatment which hopefully will help. Before I finally had to go sick I was on something called a reduced hours notice from my GP. This is basically what it , says a form signed and dated by the GP saying you are fit for work but only up to a certain number of hours a week. The idea is to try and keep people in work while waiting for or recovering from treatment as an alternative to sick leave. The advantage for you is that it doesn't affect your pay.

    Might be worth asking your GP about this.
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I can't help on the work front but I see palo and Slosh have come up with some good stuff.

    They definitely don't like to give a young person (and the definition of 'young' seems to be constantly rising) new knees on the grounds that the replacement will wear out and a second TKR (It's called a revision) is a more difficult operation and there is more to go wrong.

    Having said that, I got my first TKRs aged 35 having had RA for 20 years. (There were no disease modifying meds on offer back then.) I had a revision on one of them almost 10 years ago. It went very well indeed and I've never had any problems with it other than radiographers invariably failing to get it all on to an x-ray because of the length. My other is now around 36 yrs old, hanging on in there but not a great deal of use. Bear in mind, though, that, due to RA in virtually all my joints, I never had the 'opportunity' to do much to damage them. (Sky diving was not to be :wink: )

    Back then (1981) they did do some 'younger' TKRs and mine lasted well. I've no idea what your situation would be. Maybe an x-ray would be the first stage and maybe the Pain Clinic would initiate that.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • TheLordFlasheart
    TheLordFlasheart Member Posts: 302
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks again for all your support, I would be lost without this place.

    Slosh - I have not heard of a reduced hours note, as it looks like I'll be off work agian (see my latest in LWA), i'll try and get and see my GP and ask about that whilst I wait for my next pain clinic appointment.

    I have done some cost cutting, and I budget well enough (my mum taught me well), but it's still a hard choice to make.

    Sticky - I'll be asking about arthroscopy at the pain clinic, as that was mentioned the first time, but I wimped out and went for the morphine patches. But looks like this is my next option. I'll also ask for an x-ray at the pain clinic.

    Alastair
    "Stoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast"