Needed some advice about work. According to the examinations my inflammation from myocarditis has gone gladly however I've been experiencing lingering pain and tightness for months.
Has anyone found they've been in the same situation and attempted to return to work, work that involves a lot of walking and lifting etc, did the pains get better or subside slowly?
Is it wise to try it and see how it goes? There's definitely some fear because I don't want to worsen my situation.
Hi, good to hear the inflamation has gone done but your heart has had a massive shock (bit like any pulled/strained muscle) so needs time & rest to recover.
I was a teacher. I had 6 months off school, went back on a phased return, suggested by my GP and saw Occupational Health thru my employer. ALL very supportive.
I fortunately worked part time and then took early retirement as I have been left with both an enlarged heart & scarring, causing me a few long term issues.
I do continue to work part time, 7yrs on. Teaching from home rather than a hectic school environment and I do some Forest School which is physical but is in short bursts and out in the fresh air so although very tiring its very enjoyable.
Do talk to your GP about a phased return and perhaps ask your employer for a pre meeting and discuss occupational health. You might need to start with some less physical tasks perhaps? If possible. Prepare well with all concerned as once you are back colleagues will forget you've been ill and expect you to hit the ground running! With Occ Health support for you & your employer HOPEFULLY returning will be gradual and easier but don't go back until you have to would be my best advice. Good luck.
Thanks that's definitely helpful. I think a phased return may be an option, with the support of the gp and employer. Thing is, sometimes not all employers are catering to that so I'll have to see. Honestly I'd love to not go back until I'm 101% but that's just not feasible.Thanks for the advice and good luck to you too.
Recovery from myocarditis can be very slow and it is important to take it very slowly - returning to full and strenuous activity too quickly can lead to relapse and recurrence - so please be very cautious
You may want to search for other posts on this issue here
Quote from "Viral myocarditis: a forbidden indication for cardiac rehabilitation? "
academic.oup.com/eurjpc/art...
"According to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommendations in patients after definite or suspected myocarditis (MC) moderate or high-intensity exercises including competitive sports should not be performed within 3–6 months after complete recovery, verified by CMR, biomarkers, and stress exercise testing."
Yeah I totally agree, I just didn't expect it to be this slow lol.
Especially when you have all the tests results returning positively and the doc is saying yeah your heart is "fine" so you start believing that. Even though the reality is your still not there.
I've definitely passed the suggested 3-6 month stage, I'm coming up to the 1.5yr mark since the initial diagnosis. But I guess mine had quite a smack on the heart, my troponin was in the thousands.
Thanks I'll have a read of the link you sent.
Every case is so different but almost all of us need longer orevover than the 'experts' think!
Id say I was good few years and never 100% again. I now have a new normal - which Im ok with as there are lots of things I can enjoy. BUT I onlyhave to climb a flight of stairs and its obvious Im not well 🤷🏻♀️ I hope you do get the support from your employer that you'll need 🙏🏼
Yes that's what I'm scared of and consciously trying to avoid - the "new normal". I hope, as anyone would, to return to how I was before it not better. But we'll see how things go and I hope the manage to get the support needed.
Thanks for that.
Medical measures of recovery are not the same as the lived experience!
💯 I Couldn't have said it any better
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