Work and Chronic Illnesses Support Group

So I met with my DM today and its official; im going back to work next Monday! I havent been doing anything but servicing my existing clients since Feb, so im super rusty navigating the system and just getting back into the swing of things. I got frustrated with myself today but I know I just need to be patient and chill out....I hated going back into the office with everyone asking "how are you!?!". Man is that a loaded question and im not sure how to respond yet....the truth is the last few months have been hell BUT the last 5 days have been great and I just have to pray it will continue in this direction. Its hot as hell in Texas so im in lots of sleeveless tops and everyone can see my pain patch which everyone points to and is curious about not sure how to answer about THAT because im super self concious about it too....

Any advice?!? Most of me is excited and a tiny piece of me is scared to death to go back!

Good luck! I bet thats a tough transition. I hate the question "how are you?"! Drives me nuts. I'd just say something like you are excited to be back. I assume its a Fentanyl patch? I used those for a short amount of time. If you want, you could try putting it on a different locations, such as your chest, kinda up and to the side. Some literature says it has to be up higher (above your heart), and some doesn't. I even tried putting them on my abdomen, and found that the most comfortable. You might want to ask your doctor what they think is appropriate if you want to try a different location than your arm. Best wishes.

Hey there, its actually a Butrans patch that has worked miracles in the last 6 days but I can tell its wearing off

Ive asked everyone and read everywhere online that I could think of to see if there are alternative spots like my hip or somewhere less visible but no such luck....someone suggested that I contact the actual manufacturer but I havent gotten that far in my search.

I went to the office yesterday to get my mail and everyone is concerned and then they give you advice of how their (insert friend or family members name here) who has been DXed with this and this is what they do......

I hope you are successful at getting back to work. I was scared to death when I got my new job after being an unemployed student for 2 years. Sometimes it's better to have people "see" your illness than not see it. I had co-workers who I thought were friends disbelieve that I was sick and not just slacking off. "You don't look sick" is the worst thing to hear sometimes! However, I'm very glad that you seem to have very understanding coworkers. It will help your transition back.

Just pace yourself and learn to listen to your body when it tells you it's had enough! Good luck!

Annelle

Its tough to decide how to deal with your chronic illness at work. Some folks can hide it, and some can't. I've kept it from everyone but that creates problems itself, such as dealing with multiple medical appointments a week and trying not to take more sick days than the office average. In the beginning I told some close friends and family but over the years I have stopped telling anyone as well as deflecting any questions. Over time, most everyone stopped asking. Now its just between me, my husband, and my doctors.

If they didn't give you the giant paper with tiny print at the pharmacy, ask for it...they should have it on hand but it depends on the packaging as to if they have one to give out to patients. It should include where you can put it, as well as other helpful info such as the percent of side effects in the study.

The website says "Apply Butrans to the upper outer arm, upper chest, upper back or the side of the chest. These 4 sites (each present on both sides of the body) provide 8 possible application sites. Rotate Butrans among the 8 described skin sites. After Butrans removal, wait a minimum of 21 days before reapplying to the same skin site." Best wishes.

Hello. I remember when I had a bout of pneumonia this past January, the transition back to work was pretty difficult. I think it took a week for me to be able to stay awake all day. I kept falling asleep at meetings, and at most inopportune times. But we made it through.

I also hate the How are you question, for real. And sometimes I just do the very American response, "I'm fine." or "much better now, thanks." Or sometimes I just say something like, "It's a good day." or "this must be a bad day" whatever the case may be.

I think the people who choose to hide it must be very strong. I can't. I just feel like since I was diagnosed, I've had this deep down feeling that I can't do this alone. I can't go through this alone. So, people at work know, friends know, like everything. And I also think a part of that is that I never heard of my illness Lupus before the day I got diagnosed, and I feel this intense to educate people to what it's like living with a ridiculous condition like Lupus.

After years and years of priding myself on my independence, here I am in my 40s, craving company, people around me, supporting me, helping me. It's a very new experience for me, and sometimes I miss that feeling of independence I used to have, and I am still getting used to this new feeling of interdependence.

Or try going the other way with "I'm dying, but thank you for asking." After all, the first part is true of all of us.

I see the humor in that but I'm not sure everyone would!

Well I survived the 1st week without incident and am trying to prepare for week #2! Its not as bad as it sounds since I do most of my work from my home office but I did have a very large networking meeting on Friday. I was wiped out afterward and everyone lots of overwhelming personal questions but its only because they are concerned. Pretty good so far

Good for you! Good luck next week as well.