I have been unwell with an infection and exacerbation of my asthma. I usually carry on working as long as I can when I’m on steroids and antibiotics but I have been off work for a week and I feel guilty. 2 courses of pred down and still wheezy. I think I will need another course but it is getting better. Normally I would rush back but I feel like when I do this it takes so long to get better and I have ended up in A&E,.
My question is how well is well enough before you go back to work after an asthma flare up or an infection? I’m trying to balance getting back to work with making sure I’m on the mend? Any advice or tips would be appreciated. Thank you
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KnottyA
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I used to push through but nowadays I'm finding I need more time to recover. Usually for me I'll only consider work when I'm not having to rely on extra puffs of inhaler and I'm taking below 6 steroid tablets a day. Every one is different and if you're not feeling right my advice is don't push it. It will only take longer to recover. Also depends on your job. As a teacher I find it's difficult to go back to talking and being very interactive for long periods of time but if you're not having to exert too much energy then maybe a phased return may work? Hope you feel better soon!
A phased return to work sounds like a good option for you. I've done this in the past and it's worked very well for both me and my employer. Have a chat to your HR and explain that you have ended up in A& E if you return to work full time too soon in the past and you'd like to try a phased return to see if that works better, especially as you're still being treated for the asthma exacerbation. Hope you feel alot better soon.
It's a good question I still struggle judging this. And quite often get it wrong It's so difficult but go by how you feel and previous outcomes I.e prolonged recovery so take a bit of extra time off this time to be sure or a phased return. I wish I listened to my own advice.
This is always a hard call. I work part-time from home so I can usually manage even in a bad flare but in-person is tricky as you might get exposed to more germs, dust, mold, pet hair on clothes--whatever your triggers are--that could cause you to flare up again when you are in a hypersensitive state after a bad exacerbation. It would be good to try not to feel guilty about it if you can. You are doing everything possible to treat yourself (antibiotics pred rest) and how long your body takes to recover is beyond your control.
Easy to say this I knoe but Try not to feel guilty and make sure you are more than ready before returning. The world will keep spinning without you and when you return you will be much more use than struggling through the days and being exhausted. Hope things improve soon.
I think it very much depends on your work and also on how accommodating your employers are. If you have a job which doesn't expose you to many triggers and your employers are happy for you to do a phased return, then you should be able to return to work much earlier than if you are at high risk of exacerbation from work and/or your employer wants you to be working at full capacity as normal as soon as you return.
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