Question of the week!

[YollyD_NKF]

Do you work on dialysis? If so, do you have tips for managing your work, family and dialysis schedules? If not, why not? Did you have to stop working when you started dialysis due to health reasons?

[Hidden]

My husband was too weak while on dialysis and couldn't work. I had to be his 24/7 caregiver causing us great financial hardship.

[rabbit01 in reply to Hidden]

I am sorry to hear that. I am stage 5 pre dialysis but off work sick. I am hoping that once I am on dialysis I will be well enough to return to work. I am the sole income generator in my family so if I am not able to work that will have a huge impact on the lives of me and my partner.

[Hidden in reply to rabbit01]

I know others who keep their current jobs and can balance everything. Knowing what I know now, about 2 1/2 years past his kidney transplant, I am not sure he was given the best choices. For instance, he and I both think nocturnal home hemo would have been a better option for him, but the dialysis center he went through did not allow it at that time. He did home hemo 5 days a week for 3 1/4 hour treatments. My husband thinks the longer overnight treatments every single day would have been less taxing on him, but we don't know for sure.

I hope everything works out well for you. Please make sure the doctors, nurses, and all dialysis center staff answer all of your questions thoroughly. Good luck!

[Ladybug_05]

I'm a part time student at the moment. Once I reached stage 4 CKD I became too symptomatic to work and go to school, so I chose to stop working since school is more important at the moment. Even doing it part time can be stressful with juggling doctor's appointments and family obligations, so my calendars and phone alarms are my best friend!

[rabbit01]

It is an interesting question. I am currently off work sick as I reached stage 5 in July this year and I was feeling too sick and tired to do any meaningful work. My sick pay runs out very shortly. I am not yet on dialysis as my potassium and phosphate levels are good so it is likely that I can continue till end of Q1 next year. When the time comes, I am going to be on the 4 times a day Peritoneal Dialysis and my employer is looking into letting me use a room to do that in work but I don’t know how practical that is going to be what with all the fluid and equipment that would need to be stored at work. Luckily I am able to work from home for most of the time so assuming that my employer lets me continue to do that I intend to go back to work once on dialysis and with the expectation that I am going to be feeling better than I do now. I am only in my early 50’s so I need to keep working.