Day two of my return to work and I have to admit that I am finding it really hard, and my breathing is not back to where it was pre-pneumonia. I am not sure if I still have not fully recovered, or the last three weeks away have de-conditioned me, I do know de-conditioning happens very quickly. The longest period in my whole life being off work, longer than all the previous times collectively in fact. My GP did give me weird look last Thursday when I asked her if it would be okay to return to work, her answer was "perhaps a phased return", so seven hours for yesterday and seven today, tomorrow? Still, it is good to be back and occupied once more, I will definitely sleep well tonight, not sure I can stay up until 11 without nodding off though, it was manic there today.
Back at work.: Day two of my return to... - Lung Conditions C...
Back at work.
Now that you have proved to yourself that you can do it, for God's sake give it up. You have unlimited scope in what you could do which would be less physically demanding. It makes no sense at all to have worked so hard to regain your present state of health to risk throwing it all away trying to do too much. You sold your business because it was proving too much for you when you were much fitter than you are now. Just my opinion.🙄
I'll be fine once I get back into the swing of it Don, it is the activity that keeps me going. I don't particularly want to find out what I'll be like if I stop. I admit I would be frightened to lose any more of my independence than I already I have. The thought of being trapped up 3 flights of stairs is enough, how long will it take to get rehoused, will it be one of those damp, mouldy groundfloor flats and that is just to start. I will say that I sold it off in the nick of time though, that was a good move.
There is also the question of mental capabilities, whilst at work I get a mental workout too and stay mentally "sharp", something else I don't want to lose. I know that I will not be able to carry on forever, but that day is not here quite yet.
Maybe you could spend some time planning a house move to a ground floor flat. We moved into one renting it from the local council. Our son in law decorated it for us. The property contains 20 units, mostly bed sits, we have a bedroom and are quite comfortable. We have got to engage with several of our neighbours in the community lounge and garden. It has been stressful during the six months sorting out with suppliers, changing broadband and electricity suppliers and having to change banks after the one we have had since the 1970s continued to send our statements to the old address while sending letters to our new one offering home insurance . Feeling tired all the time is surely your body telling you to take things a little easier. Hope you feel better soon.
I know what you mean about being mentally taxed greys.
After my official retirement age ,I. Was able to work for 5 years on the nurse bank.
I loved it,the work was interesting,always busy never 2 days the same.
I thought my asthma was getting worse,to cut a long story short, I had an emergency admission for 11 days.
Ended up with a diagnosis of Non Specific Interstitioal Pneumoia.followedthis year by A diagnosis of lupus.
They won’t commit as to whether the lupus caused the lung damage.
Returning to the point. I found it really hard not to go to work.
I missed my colleagues,I missed the clients. I missed everything.
Now a year on,i am more reconciled to not going to work.
Partly because I realise I couldn’t have worked for ever.
Some friends from work have kept in touch, which has helped... So I now Lead A more boring life,buthave adapted.
The best thing about being on the nurse bank was that I-could work when I wanted to ,so that I could not work if I felt underthe weather.
I hope you are doing ok on your phased return,don’t Over do it,please
Dear 2G - you are our friend and we want you around a long time. As someone who's been through several bouts of double pneumonia I know how long it takes. Relaxing on a boat is not the same as being at work. I was told I would never get back to where I was before the last pneumonia but I did, fev1 an' all. It can be done but imo you are trying to get there too fast.
When I came home from 2 weeks on IV this and that, I wanted to be instantly active and I got Rita to help me outdoors to do some weeding and pruning the very same day. It wasn't too active other than getting up again and she helped me with that. Then I did exercises, starting with much lower weights than I normally use and I was told by our respiratory physio always to follow one for the upper body with one for the lower, otherwise it would be too much overall. It took a long time but in the end I got there.
I think you're right that the deconditioning happens very fast. Your boat trip would have been good for the soul but maybe not so good for your muscles? So you need to build them up slowly. Could you go into work for, say 3 hours, or every other day and do targetted exercises in between? Or find some other way of pacing yourself? I hope Im wrong but my fear is that you could be sacrificing your longer term health for the hit of instant activity and feeling of usefulness now.
Apologies for the lecture which I hope you will take in the spirit of my beginning sentence. Big respect to you and please, just take good care of yourself. xx
I won't be going in of Friday and next week has question marks as well, the new owner is moving some old machines out and possibly a new one in, so got to wait and see. So 4 x 7hrs this week, it is still only 28 hrs and being a good boy. Today was an easy day, I spent 4 hrs programing up a job. So not an exactly taxing week other than yesterday which was rather hectic.
Wise words from our very own Venerable Don.
😉😉
He's a stubborn old b***** Now he's implying that you have to work to stay mentally sharp! I retired in 1989 after working for 44 years. I'd better change my name from Don to Doh! 😃
I should have said that being mentally taxed keeps the mind sharp. No offense intentionally made.
I value your friendship greatly and can't help thinking that you are putting yourself in danger for no good reason. Sit and write 'Sailing the Norfolk Broads for Dummies' you could sit in the local library to do that. I've checked with Google it hasn't been done, and you can self-publish these days. Start living gently 2Grays.😎
Well 2greys, I haven't been part of this Forum for very long. However in the short time I have I have become familiar with a number of regular posters , you being one of them!
You are someone who has shared a great deal of knowledge with this Forum and often give words of wisdom. Therefore I ask you to question yourself that if anyone in your position and recent hospital stay should go back to work this soon, what would you say to them? I would think your advice would be to them, to take time to recover fully before doing so. You only have one life 2greys, look after it so that you can enjoy the rest of it.
End of sermon!!!!
Pneumonia isn't so easily shrugged off, it can take months to fully recover so, you probably haven't fully recovered yet. I have to say I was surprised that you went away on holiday so soon after being in hospital, but - you seem to have made the most of it by literally making it a holiday from all things strenuous - and I don't doubt, it did you a world of good. Trouble is, you've gone from doing nothing much, straight back to seven hour days at work😳. Ye gods man, could you not settle for the happy medium? Don't wish to offend you 2greys but you appear to have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. Do you not think a four hour work day would be much better to begin with - 'once you've fully recovered'?
I’m glad you were able to make the trip and have your holiday 2greys.
That said, when faced with a difficult decision about anything I have learned to ask myself...
“ what would you say if your best friend was in this situation?”
It works every time.
But you know what you are capable of and I “ get it totally.”
Just don’t undo the good your holiday did for your soul, which I recall was very important to you, only to push your body too hard.
But it’s easy for others to comment.
Only you have the answer to what does, from the outside, appear to be a dilemma.
Don has summed it up for you beautifully.
Whatever you decide, good wishes.
Rest assured I will not be overdoing it, I am a tough old turkey and the sooner I'm back in the saddle the better I will feel. The work is easy enough and only gets energetic whilst walking around the workshop or perhaps when using a file. I don't do any heavy lifting anymore, I can't. A week at home was about all I could stand, it was driving me doolally and I spent too much time pacing about like a caged lion, unable to settle and bored silly. A seven hour day is fine, I am used to doing a lot more than that. I am sure that my breathing will improve, as I have not got really short of breath for two and a half weeks and out of practice so to speak. I am only 69 so still, relatively, young. The thing is that I feel up to it, and it will give me piece of mind to get back to my "normal" self. Tomorrow, if it gets too much then I will dial back the amount of time then.
Every body says the same. Do try 4 hrs for a short while at least. We need you to keep us supplied with posts that help everyone.
Can your duck programme pick up posts about phage therapies?. This year there have been a number of reports. I am sure there are more.
All the best
Take things easy and enjoy your work. One day at a time 2greys. Xxxx
Best of luck 2greys - I hope you find a happy balance between what your body needs and what your mind needs! Please look after yourself. Xxx
I hope I can find that happy balance too. Without my work, which I enjoy immensely and has been a huge part of my life, my mind is not fully occupied. It is the technical side, the non-emotive side that I need along with the required concentration, so my thoughts do not stray and run wild with that "C" word more than they have too. Funny I can talk about it to others okay but sometimes it can be so overwhelming when on my own within my own private thoughts and the insecurity it creates, knowing it could return, stuck at home is the wrong place to be for me I'm afraid. A classic situation of "stuck between a rock and a hard place". I'm sure you can understand. I promise to be careful and not to overdo things.
We’ll hold you to that promise, 2greys.
You’ve presented your case extremely well, so I believe you’re on the right course for now. But reviewing and adapting is an engineer’s skill. Do make sure you apply it to yourself....as promised to us all.
Surely applying your excellent writing skills to a guide book or similar, where you share your skills and experience, would occupy your very capable mind, would be an alternative or an extra to physical work? Or Tacking on the Broads? Or similar?
That would be something lots of us, and others, could buy, share and benefit from.
Just a few ideas, building on Don’s suggestions, as you take one day at a time. All the best, 2greys!
Perhaps I will do a little writing with winter almost upon us.
A good time to give it a try. You do have a clarity of expression, and a lively mind, that makes your writing compulsive reading. Quite a skill!
Good evening 2greys and in my personal opinion,i agree with you that your excitement for your Norfolk Broads holiday, one-sided the pneumonia and your body and mind convinced you,you were actually better than you actually were. Coming home and straight back to work 7 hrs/day and you're saying you don't ",think" you'll be able to stay awake til 11pm !!😳!! You will continue to work part time (???)until the nasty pneumonia has fully left your body. Just be wise and dont give Sharon anything more to worry about please. Now get some 💤💤💤💞
Wishing you plenty of things to keep your mind occupied.
Oh 2greys , do give yourself a bit of a break. I don't think you are quite over your bad patch and it would be detrimental to land yourself back in hospital. I know what you mean about keeping your mind sharp. But a sharp mind and a shattered body will not be in sync. Take care.
Cas xx 😊
oh 2greys what a dilemma the Scylla and Charybdis of mind, and body. I totally get where you are coming from where you say that you need work to feel fulfilled - but as the same time ask yourself - is it that work? Is it that much? Especially when you body is screaming, hang on - Yes, I agree that we all should push ourselves otherwise we can stagnate and die. But there is a fine line of push and the warmth and satisfaction of it brings opposed to exhausting yourself and the toll that brings. Only you know your body - but is really early days for you after pneumonia. Give your body the r and r it deserves and slowly build up to full steam - not turn on all the jets and blow the bottom out of the kettle!
You do a fine job with your helpful insights and long may that continue. Remember, you are a person, not a career- love yourself for being thatx
Up and atom again this morning, ready to face the world once more and still feel fine.
I feel for you but take care. I went back to work very quickly last year after a serious pneumonia bout, and I think it stopped me recovering as quickly as I might have done.
A lot of us know the fear of the empty space and the ruminating mind. The problem is that the body is tired and needs to rest, but the active, quick mind keeps thinking up grim scenarios and creating cortisol..... I try and meditate etc to calm it down but I don’t have the answer and am a workaholic for similar reasons. Good luck!
3rd week of Nov will tell, when I get a follow x-ray and bloods done. Ive had nearly 3 weeks of rest, and pretty fit for my condition anyway.
I was absolutely at the end of my physical abilities to work, move at all! When my, bosses called me to the office, I took a serious risk playing the 'game' I did,GOD! I pushed my luck, but, long term it's worked, I believe that if I had played the big hero! I would be dead now.
I believe that the downside to what I did....is like you mentioned, "deconditioning" when I let my feelings flow,when I started to finally get the attention, I needed , I let my foot off the pedal, & allowed my mind & body start to rest!
Only trouble was.....copd, loves it when you do nothing!!!!!
The sedentary, lazy, fatigued, tired easily YOU, becomes the new YOU!
Why copd took so long to rear its ugly, ugly head? Answer.....me letting my guard down! My 'pearl harbour ' I got swamped by wave after wave of attacks on my immune system.
I’m sure you will know if you have pushed yourself too far but take care in the meantime. Good luck and hope your breathing continues to improve.
One day at a time 2greys. I understand how you feel about working and getting out and about- however you have just had pneumonia and it is a difficult condition to shake off and the older we get the more difficult I presume. Take it easy Can't you cut your hours a bit until your breathing improves? x
Pneumonia can take a while to get over. You need to be aware of how you feel,look after yourself.
If you get out of breath walking around the workshop or using a file,perhaps youneed consider what you would say to someone else in the same position .take care
Enjoy what you like, shirley basseys This is my life, come to mind. Jabe
You see, we all say the same thing 2G and we cant all be wrong. I agree with Don and Ledge, we care alot about you so are bound to worry that you are not fully recovered, please just take it easy x
2greys you have been an inspiration to me after I recently joined this forum. I was afraid of not being able to be active and you helped relieve those worries when I read your posts. Reading how much you are able to do was mind boggling. Thank you for that, it's made me determined to keep active. However, please don't be a workaholic after you've been unwell. Give yourself lots of time. Your doc's response said it all. Take care of yourself and all good wishes to you.
Please listen to all your friends excellent replies I hate not working as a Nurse but im slowly coming to terms with it.
As someone who has just come out of hospital with pneumonia,I cant imagine working ever again! I have been told that I'm looking at a three month recovery period and I intend to take this very seriously.I have been far too blase with my health and ignored a lot of signs that I should have addressed. The advice to move is good and I would concentrate on this asap. If somewhere is damp and mouldy,you dont take it? I went through a very traumatic divorce sixteen years ago and have had to rent ever since. At present I am renting a bungalow that belongs to my daughter and am very happy here. I am retired but intend to keep on with my hobbies,I am never bored. However,my love of Live Music at our local pub may have to be put on hold for the winter.I have to avoid chest infections and intend to try and do this.Perhaps just go once in a while. Please,look after yourself 2Greys!!xx
You are an inspiration to us all matey but hey take it easy, " phased return " is 4 hours per day maximum until you are nearer your best then you can indulge in longer hours, it's great you are able to carry on and the pleasure and all the other benefits you get from it but please, take it easy,another set back could have disastrous effects.
Take care
Bobby J.
I’m with ya, I worked last week and now this one. It’s only temp but I have to deal with the public and yesterday some random man said “ take a deep breath lady” I will not detail my response. Like as if I could breath deep I WOULD! Just hang in there your endurance will come along as will mine and then there will be a paycheck that’s already spent! Good luck you can do it just don’t OVER do it
2grey....you take care of you.....and keep doing what makes you happy, happy and content is very good medicine.
Meg⛵⛵⛵🌻🌻
2Greys I’m new to the forum and unaware of your situation but I must admit that I am shocked that you consider a 7hour day a phased return! Please go easy on yourself
4 days X 7 hrs = only 28 hrs. I normally would do twice that.
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