Getting back to work after meningitis

[vickylou36]

I had bacterial meningitis in march and am still not ready to go back to work which i feel very frustrated about. I would like to find out how ling its taken others to get back to work and how you coped with it.

[Bobby-2000]

Hi Vicky

Don't worry its early days, you do need to give yourself plenty of time to recover and not worry too much about work - that will come soon enough. I think it took me 4-5 months before I was able to go back. I did a few part days earlier than that but I found it very hard to concentrate and was very tired. Take care and be kind to yourself

[maineknitter]

Don't rush to go back to work. I did and it made things worse. I have been on Disability for about a year now, and it was a 2 year process to get the judgment. It can be a lot of waiting.

[vickylou36]

Thank you for your advice, i think i just find it very frustrating not being as independent as i once was.

[Captainbeaky]

I really struggled to stay in work, but managed, and it was the best thing I could have done.

My employer and I have had many discussions about meningitis, and what work I can manage. I found that my work was the best therapy I could have had - it is mentally stimulating and interesting.

What we have done is to switch off the usual monitoring that HR have in place ( called the "Bradford scale" I think). So I can take a day off sick when I am bad, or leave a bit early when I run out of energy, and don't end up talking to HR every time.

The feedback I have had is that they are impressed that I have struggled to keep myself in work, and are happy to help me back in any way they can.

Do what you feel right, but do make sure that your employer is fully aware of your condition, and what work you can do. I basically fly a desk in a quiet office and control my own workload so I could work at my own rate, and go home if I was too bad. If my work involved more walking around, driving vehicles or talking to lots of people, then I wouldn't have been able to keep working.

I found that my employer was very willing to listen and discuss what we could do to keep me working (the meningitis now info sheets were very useful) I suspect that this is the case with most employers - they would rather you back working in some form or other, rather than off long term sick.

Take it at your own pace - be realistic about what you can do - but I did find that it helped my self esteem a lot to keep working.

[vickylou36]

Thanks for your reply. I very much want to get back to work but know at the moment I am not ready. I work in rehabilitation so about a third of my role is talking to people and doing physiotherapy exercises with them so I know I need to be physically stronger get my balance sorted and get used to my new hearing (cochlear implant) before I go back. I am very determine and am happy with my progress so far. I have many days that I struggle physically and mentally but am determined to keep going for myself and my family. I know because of the progress I have made that it will be possible it's just going to take time.

[legless7397]

I had BM in April 2006 and as a result had to have both legs amputated below the knee, I returned to work after 11 months on a phased return and it took around 3 years until I was able to cope with full time work again.

I am fortunate that my employer has been excellent during my recovery, you will be the one who can tell what you are capable of doing, just don't rush things and cause a relapse.

Regards

Mick

[vickylou36]

Thankyou for your reply mick, I know i am not ready to go back to work yet as doing a simple task for 5 minuets leaves me exhausted. When i am exhausted i get very emotional but have the support of my amazing partner. I struggle with my hearing loss but this has eased slightly since my cochlear implant and the support from my family. Hearing how others have managed and git back to work gives me confidence that i can do the same. Thankyou vicky

[legless7397]

I took 11 months to be able to return to work on a phased return but it took about 3 years until I was able to return to full time hours, you need to listen to what your body tells you, I took the outlook of looking back over what I had achieved over the previous weeks and stayed positive throughout even though I lost both legs below the knee,

Do little things around the house and garden and see how tiring these make you feel.

Regards

Mick