How many people are able to continue working with Cirrhosis ?

[jacobsmum24]

I just wondered how many people have been able to continue to work normally following a cirrhosis diagnosis ? How many do part-time or light duties roles and how many are too ill to work at all ? Oobviously I understand it will depend on symptoms (if any) and type of job that people are doing. I currently have no real symptoms apart from occasional tiredness and feel that sitting at home is doing me no good at all as it gives me far too much time to dwell on things. I have started to actively look for new work but sometimes wonder if I am being unrealistic. I also worry that if I declare my diagnosis on a health questionnaire, prospective employers may well be put off ?

[TT-2018]

Have you thought about starting with some voluntary work? It would get you out there and you could fit the hours to suit your health, just a thought.

Best wishes,

Mark.

[Bootandall]

Don't answer any health questions until after a work offer has been made and accepted. 😉👍 As long as you are able to carry out the work duties, they don't need to know your private health information, do they? You may well be able to handle light duties or part-time.

I am looking for this situation myself, l will let you know how it goes, please do the same. Best of luck to you! 😃

[Supportinghubby]

Hi Jacobsmum, my husband went into hospital last October with bleeding varices. This was the first we knew that anything was even wrong with his liver. He also had ascites, turned jaundiced, lost weight etc - his liver was in a bad way.

He immediately stopped drinking and changed his diet, including reducing salt. His acsites went pretty quickly & he felt lots better. He already had a job that he loves, he went back after 7 weeks. He's worked ever since, he does still feel fine (he's Child Pugh A) and keeping active both mentally & physically I think is a good thing (we also have young kids and a mortgage to pay so I'm really thankful). He works full time, hasn't needed to reduce his hours or make any concessions.

If you feel ok then cirrhosis shouldn't stop you working. I would hope it doesn't stop you getting a job, I don't see why it should. If it's alcohol related then I'm not sure if you have to declare it, someone else might know. Luckily my husband's boss is lovely, I told her the circumstances when he was diagnosed & she was fine. She likes a drink herself so was sympathetic!

[Maxey666]

Hi ,

Sitting at home was driving me mad. Of course when I was I'll it was different. I have been back at work,part time, for a while now and currently doing 15 hours a week but looking at increasing that to 20 in the next few weeks. I'm the type of person that needs to work and my employer has been fantastic giving me 'carte blanche' to come and go as I please. I'm fortunate enough to really enjoy my job and work with a great bunch of people. I have kept the bosses updated on my condition which is stage 4 end stage cirrhosis and they are fully understanding of my needs and care a great deal. I do feel very lucky. Sometimes I have to push myself in the morning as I may not have slept that well the night before but when I get to work it's fine. Working has made me feel a hell of alot better and is good for the body and soul. I go to Kings for transplant assessment in July and they are also fully understanding of this. My long term aim is to get better and back to work full time. Good luck with everything and keep positive.

[Snorkers65]

Sadly I have been unable to work since April 2018 due to my Cirrhosis, some days I feel fine and then others (like today) I struggle to get out of bed. I thought about offering to do voluntary work but I want to be reliable and also am worried that this might be seen as ‘fit for work’ and impact on my benefits. I had worked since I was 16, since I was 20 I travelled extensively around the world, apparently as a ‘subject matter expert’...at 54 my friends say, I should just relax, take things easy and try to improve my health, it’s not easy but I now have a routine and life is bearable albeit dreadfully boring and mundane at times!!

My advice is just chill and use your time to do things for you and those you love. I don’t want to be morbid but we only have one shot at this so relish it everyday.