I have been off work since last July and am about to start back
To work. I am an ICU RN and will be starting back with four-six hour
shifts. I am on Remicade 600mg every 6 weeks. Toradol, Tumeric,
Gabapentin, and a few others. I am weaning off 24hr morphine slow release.
I really want to make this work. I need to maximize my chance for success.
Not only do I need to work I love my job. I could use any and all hints or
suggestions. It has been a very rough last six months and I want to change the next six
to be better. My Doc is not so sure how much I’ll be able to do. I am also preparing
to maybe have to switch jobs by checking into different RN jobs that maybe days only
or less hours but am limited as I live in a small place way, way up north. Ice Pilot’s Buffalo Joe
is a common sighting And in Santa is not
very far from me. Which does not help my PsA at all. Moving is not currently an option.
Help.
Best of luck! Hang in there!
I don't have any hints, Kirsten, but I'll be thinking of you and hoping that you can make a successful re-entry into doing the work you love.
All the best
Seenie
My biggest suggestion would be invest in a really great pair of shoes! I am a former nurse, I haven’t been working for almost a year now due to PsA but I invested in a custom fitted pair of sneakers and boy are they an improvementfor my feet I’m not sure if you feet hurt you as much as mine do but I find the shoes do help, also just take it slow and don’t try to over do it
I wish you the best of luck!
I pray that you can return and do what you love to do, we need more people like you who really love there job, it makes all the difference in the world to have someone who is passionate about her work. I guess balancing your time would be the most important thing here, making sure you get the rest you need and not doing to much to fast. Easier said, then done, I know! But it is important, I wish I could give you more advise, I work in administration and sometimes it can be so difficult just to be concentrated let alone anything else. I wish you the best, and take it one day at a time as best you can. HUGS! Let us know how your doing !!!!
Small couple of things - try V energy drinks. There may be a link between how we metabolize and taurine assisting that . If you arent comfortable with that, strong coffee is always good. In terms of pain killers, simple codeine will be useful if you are in plenty of pain, unless there an issue with obtaining this and your medical plan
I returned to work part-time a couple of years ago and I can relate to being nervous about it. I agree about the caffiene and energy drinks. I have hot tea in the mornings and keep an energy drink in my purse for emergencies. I do as much in the evening as I can so that I dont' have to do a lot of foot-work in the mornings before work. There's a limit to how much I can expect from my feet. I even shower the night before so I won't have to stand on my feet for that extra few minutes in the a.m. Good shoes with a good arch support are an absolute necessity. I also keep some Voltaren gel in my purse. I use a business case on wheels instead of trying to carry stuff with me, and I do as much as possible sitting down. When I do have to walk down the hall, I try to make one trip serve two purposes...never walk anywhere empty handed. I wish you the best of luck and admire your courage returning to such an active career! Keep us posted on how it's going.
How's it going Kirsten? Have you been able to go back to work? I hope things are working out well for you. Let us know!
Well… Went to work Wednesday for six hours teaching ecg interpretation and
Thursday for four hours to finish the corse. Sat most of the time except to help a student
or demo something. Wednesday came home and passed out cold for four hours
then needed pain meds as feet and hands nuts. Thursday managed to make it until after supper then conked out.
Friday and Saturday needing lots of naps( not wanting to take naps but finding myself
waking up from them) despite trying to stay awake. Pain is worse than before. So is
this from the work trial or because I am getting further away from remicade dose.
I so want this to work but am terrified it won’t.
I need to work, I want to work. I am supposed to try four hours in the ICU next week for a couple of days.
Not sure how it will go. Praying for positive results.
Byrd Feeder said:
How’s it going Kirsten? Have you been able to go back to work? I hope things are working out well for you. Let us know!
Hats off to you, Kirsten! Going back is challenging at the best of times. Let's hope you find your stride ... fortunately, you're good at your work, and you seem to love it. That will help a lot. Good luck!
Seenie
I experienced similar things when I went back to work. Awful fatigue in the beginning, and some increase in pain. But as I got used to the schedule, the fatigue seemed to ease somewhat. I still get it sometimes when I have been very busy. I use the weekends to sleep. A lot. lol This weekend after MTX I slept about 14 hours! But overall, I'd say there is an adjustment period as you figure out ways to preserve your joints and your energy while on the job. Hang in there and try to go as easy as you can. You seem to have a dedication to your job that will help you immensely! Keep us posted!
I agree with Byrd Feeder - after going back to work after some time off with PsA was hard. I would come back home, crawl into bed and sleep for 12+ hours. After about a month I got easier and my body got used to it. However, I had to (and still have to) have about 8-9 hours sleep a night otherwise I start to suffer again. make sure you get your rest but good luck! It's good for your mental state to be back in the work place.