Re: Finding it hard to work

January 15, 2004

Hi Mark,

It does become harder to be as diligent in work as your function declines.

My job has been impacted as of late too. Fortunately for me, my company is

owned by an M.D., so he has been very understanding with me even though my

performance has also declined.

I am honest with them when it is hard, and for a good part of 2003, I had to

cut down to half time. I am back to full time now, but I am not so sure that

was such a good idea...but tuition bills for my daughter's college dictates

otherwise :-)

I'm sorry it is getting hard on you. I don't have any good suggestions,

unfortunately, and can only offer understanding.

January 15, 2004

Mark, what's your kidney function again? I forget.

I started feeling like that a couple of years before I started dialysis, as

I've said before. No flank pain though, but I sure was dragging myself. I

managed to do the job, but I didn't feel I was performing at my usual level.

When my contract expired, they didn't renew it, as they had many times

before. So I found myself first on medical benefits from unemployment

insurance, then on welfare until my disability payments started. There isn't

much call for a 50 year old ex-army officer with kidney failure. It was

pretty tough during that time, and it's only getting tougher as the

disability benefits don't increase every time the cost of electricity, gas,

groceries or whatever goes up. That's why I often suggest to people that

they do whatever they can to maintain some kind of private disability

insurance, in case they eventually need it. I sure wish I had. By the time I

realised this, it was already too late to get any. Big mistake, but, I can't

undo the past.

The only thing I can suggest is to talk to your doctor about it. If it was

me, I would see my family doctor first. Maybe you could some medical time

off on disability or something. The only other option is to continue to work

as best you can. Perhaps your employer is more sympathetic than you think.

If dialysis is anywhere close in your future, like five years or less, I

don't think performance issues now will make any difference to you then

anyway, so don't overdo it. Whichever way you look at it, having kidney

failure plays havoc with any career plans. I spent years trying to be the

most cracker-jack logistics officer they ever saw, but it all came to naught

anyway. The only consolation I have about it is that I enjoyed the time I

was doing it, so I don't see it as a total loss.

Why am I talking about myself when you're the one having the problem? Well,

I've always found it helps to hear about others' similar problems. Again,

talk to your doctor about it.

Pierre

Finding it hard to work

> Hello all,

>

> Forgive me if this is a repeat but does anyone else on the list who

> suffers from the chronic Flank pain and/or Fatigue find it hard to

> work?

>

> For the last couple of months I have. My performance hasn't been 100%

> and I don't know what to do. I am way over in sick days and have

> tried explaining my sitution with my employer however it has been

> officially noted my health has prohibited my perfromance. What does

> one do when your health starts to effect your career?

>

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January 15, 2004