Working While on Dialysis

[BobN]

Bob here.

OK, I spent 53.5 years on God's green earth without writing a single blog, and now this is my second one today.  Suddenly its like "Bloggers Gone Wild."

My introductory piece is hot off the presses from this morning.

I guess having new experiences is what keeps life interesting.

I read a few of the blogs from this section and can really relate.

I have a lot of experience with work-dialysis issues.  As you may have seen from my introduction, I'm a company officer for a big company, still working full-time and having my three-time weekly treatment in the evening.

I guess everyone handles these things differently.  I tend to keep pretty quiet about it.  Many people I work with don't know what's going on with me.

I don't talk about it a lot, really only to my closest assocates.  I have a mid-sized staff and most people in my organization are aware of my situation.

But outside of my own department, not many people know.

The only thing that really changed when I started up a couple of years ago, is that I had to change my schedule.  I was always one of these psycho guys who got to work early and stayed late.

Now I have to leave early a couple of times per week.  Certainly people noticed that, but I'm fortunate in that I kind of get to decide what meetings I need to attend and which ones I can delegate.

My assistant (if I call her a secretary I get a whack upside the head) builds my schedule around my in-office time.  Occasionally, I might have to stay late on a D-Day.  When that happens, I usually can re-schedule my treatment for the next morning, or another time.

The toughest part about working full-time on dialysis is probably getting up early the day after a tough treatment.  I'm sure you're all aware of those days when you drag your butt in even though you don't feel worth a flip.

I'm in a position where I give a fair amount of formal presentations.  Fortunately, I've avoided having to ralph in the middle of a speech.  At least so far.

One time, I was in a "day-after", and getting ready to speak.  I was sitting in the front row, auditorium-style setup.  600 people present.  The current speaker was introducing me, saying nice things.

I was getting all psyched up.  When he finished, I stood up to go to the podium.

Too fast, got real dizzy, came close to completely cratering, and going face down on the stage.

I was able to catch my breath and continue with the presentation, and avoid a fairly humiliating experience.

Going down was a real possibility too, because it happened to me at home.

Treatment night, took about 3 liters off.  BP was borderline low leaving the treatment center.

Chilling out, watching TV after having eaten dinner.

Something about the blood rushing to the stomach for digestion.  Away from the head.

Got up to go to the kitchen, and the next thing I know, my wife's above me, shaking me, asking if I'm all right.

Went flat out on the kitchen floor.  My right hip hurt for a week.

I thought about that while I was up on the stage.  Whew, dodged a bullet there.

There have been a couple of times where I had to leave a meeting because I felt sick.

But otherwise, I really try to keep my work life as normal as possible.

I have a Crackberry, er...that is...a Blackberry to keep up with my email in the evening while I'm on dialysis.  I've even conference-called in to meetings on the machine.

(Try explaining a heparin-pump alarm to the other members of the meeting.  Interesting.)

Anyway, so far, I've been able to maintain my full time schedule for the last 3 years while on hemodialysis. 

Depending on your company and position, it can be challenging, but is part of an effort to keep your life as normal as possible.

[kitkatz]

I have been teaching while on dialysis for the last ten years.

Nocturnal makes it a little hard to wake up T and Th but I do okay right now.

[iketchum]

I worked at a hardware store in a tool rental department. My schedule was flexable enough to allow me to come in late after treatment. I had to get help lifting anything heavy or I would lose vision in one eye or the other. I maintained 40 hours or more a week at work. I was just laid off this week, one of two people both with serious health issues. I dont want to believe we were let go for the wrong reason. I want to work, but there are not many places hireing, especially someone in my shoes.

[BobN]

kitkatz, congratulations for keeping up your work schedule.  I know it takes a lot of perseverance.  I considered the nocturnal rout, but couldn't face 8 hours on the machine.  Plus, I don't find it easy to sleep while hooked up.

iketchum, I'm so sorry to hear about you losing your job.  Some companies take different approaches to people with special scheduling needs.  But it hurts us all to hear about someone with the will to keep working who has it taken away from them.

Keep your chin up, and let us all know if you have any luck finding something new.  We'll all be rooting for you.

[kitkatz]

kitkatz, congratulations for keeping up your work schedule.  I know it takes a lot of perseverance.  I considered the nocturnal rout, but couldn't face 8 hours on the machine.  Plus, I don't find it easy to sleep while hooked up.

I thought I would not be able to face eight hours, however Benadryl and Tylenol are great sleep aides for me.  I know I sound like a druggie, but the center is noisy no matter how quiet they try to get it.  A woosh and hiss here and there, a beep going off in the ear. It goes pretty quick unless I am having one of those can't sleep nights or am in pain with needles.

[Wallyz]

I've been working as a commissioned sales man the past 3 months.  Only putting an average of 20 hrs week, but it works for me in that i only draw the max amt allowed each month.

Sales are slow everywhere, especially in the middle end remodel business.  I am close tot the top of the transplant list, so I will revisit my employment after the operation.

I do nocturnal home hemo, so I jsut can't travel very much.

[jbeany]

  I give kudos to anyone still working full time while doing this.  I've managed to work part time, only about 15 hours a week at the most, usually, and that's as much as I can manage without making myself sick to the point that I'm vomiting all the time.

[Stacy Without An E]

My work is using the excuse that I can't stay on the air until 7pm (I'm on from 2pm-7pm, M-F taping the last hour so I can go to treatment by 6:30pm)

Without asking me if I could move my treatment later, they want to move me to middays and put some new kid in afternoons.

That's fine, but I could lose all my endorsement deals by not being in that time slot, roughly $600 per month I would lose.

I asked the clinic manager and she said since I'm only a two hour run, I could come in at 7:15pm.

I haven't heard a word since.  The final plan hasn't been announced.

Sometimes I wish I could raise enough to buy a small house or cabin up in the hills with access to the Dialysis treatments I need.  I could finally fulfill my destiny of being the youngest curmudgeon ever.

[WD]

Hello out there.  I have been trying to return to my teaching job for most of the school year  but problems keep developing that prevent me from returning.  I'm shooting for next fall now.  Lots of problems since I started dialysis in Aug. '08 - hole in the cornea of my right eye operated on in Dec. but I still can't see out of that eye yet.  Trigger fingers in left hand currently being treated with cortisone shots.  Lots of feeling ill on dialysis days.  I sure can't face a room full of 7 and 8 year olds feeling like this.  Have a perm-cath and am scheduled to have fistula surgery sometime later this month - which I am having a bit of anxiety over when I hear needle horror stories.  The cath is not painful but I have had a lot of infections and perhaps am not getting as effective treatment.  Sadly the main reason I need to return to work is my insurance.  What is my question here?  Somebody to tell me everything will be okay, okay?

[okarol]

Hi WD - I hope you have applied for Medicare and SSI while you go through this process. Sorry it's been so rough.
 

[MelissaJean]

  Have a perm-cath and am scheduled to have fistula surgery sometime later this month - which I am having a bit of anxiety over when I hear needle horror stories. 

I a huge amount of anxiety about the needles.  My body used to tense up so bad then they were poking me, I'd go home with the worse shoulder pain.  Luckily my doctors have helped me by prescribing lidocaine(sp) cream and Lorazepam.  I am a teacher too and I put the lidocaine cream on about an hour and a half before dialysis (at work) then wrap it in cling wrap until dialysis... then take the lorazepam 30 minutes before.  Now the anxiety and pain in my shoulders are gone!  Good luck!

[kitkatz]

Hey Norma Jean what do you teach?

[BobN]

Thanks.

[Mr Pink]

I intend to stay working full time when my time on dialysis begins. I think I'd go crazy if I couldn't work. I too am a teacher, and I love what I do, although I haven't necessarily loved some of the schools I've worked in. I don't see there being an issue if I have to disappear at 3-30 three days a week, especially since I intend to use a good deal of my chair time doing marking and preparation, amongst other things. If I have to skip meetings (what a shame that would be), they could e-mail the minutes to me, which I could read through in 60 seconds flat, saving me the agony of sitting through 60 minutes of boredom! 

What I'm hoping to have at my next school, is having my own classroom, saving me from embarking on a world safari everytime I have to teach a lesson! This past year has totally wasted me with having to move from one site to another several times a day. And having several sets of stairs to climb on numerous occasions daily has actually been good exercise, but not so good when you're carrying a box full of books and others resources, and you have a noisy bunch of little douche-bags waiting to make the next 50 minutes of your life a misery! What would also help is if my next school would allow me to administer Ritalin to the little monsters at the beginning of every lesson!

[sullidog]

I have worked at a sit down job at a bank for 4 years, I went part time for a bit now back to full time. I have FMLA and my manager is very understanding.