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Permalink Reply by flower on July 28, 2010 at 12:53pm

Hi Toni,

2 months rest is not much time at all. I can understand that you wanted to go bak 2 work. When I had my craniotomy I went bak to college very early, maybe 3 months after the op. and in hindsight I should have let my body heal. If you are tired or, as you say, 'exhausted & drained .. feel like crawling into bed', it is your body telling you to slow down. If your body is telling you to crawl into bed, then do just that.

All the best
flower

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Permalink Reply by Toni Yeomans on July 29, 2010 at 2:57am

I did the same thing with college, excited that I had made it through everything and was healed. Tried going to one 2 hour class a day before an 8 hour shift at work...didn't last very long lol. Going back to college will have to come later.

I was just a bit upset yesterday at work when I found out I don't qualify for FMLA, so I can't leave when I need to, but yesterday I was able to have them cut me and use some of my vacation hours so I could leave. I went home at 5, and I was in bed by 6:30, I just NOW woke up (8 hours later). I don't want to use up all my vacation just so I don't get in trouble with work, but it's my only option. If I use my sick hours it counts against me, and nobody told me that when I was calling in for FMLA it wasn't approved, so I've already jumped up almost to the point where I'd be written up. thanks work, glad you're organized. it took them almost 2 months to figure out that i didn't qualify. i'm pretty frustrated over that still.

i don't know what to do, i feel like i'm working somewhere that is not understanding at all. i'm sick of coworkers assuming that i'm just simply "not taking care of myself" when this is just a hand you're dealt when you're born, nothing that you can control. like i said, i am eating healthy, i am getting my body into being at least somewhat active again, but it's just getting hard.

flower said:

Hi Toni,

2 months rest is not much time at all. I can understand that you wanted to go bak 2 work. When I had my craniotomy I went bak to college very early, maybe 3 months after the op. and in hindsight I should have let my body heal. If you are tired or, as you say, 'exhausted & drained .. feel like crawling into bed', it is your body telling you to slow down. If your body is telling you to crawl into bed, then do just that.

All the best
flower

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Permalink Reply by Jamie Pantelis on July 29, 2010 at 5:49am

I am very confused how you do not qualify for FMLA. Did they tell you why they didn't? Can you appeal the decision?

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Permalink Reply by mary kate on July 29, 2010 at 7:13am

I know exactly how u feel. I had a bleed/craniotomy on November 7th followed by a month of severe diarrhea and vomitting from an infection I got in the hospital, then went back to work on January 4. I could barely make it through the day. It didn't matter how much I slept or what I ate. I only started feeling better when the doc took me off Keppra (anti-seizure) He said it was a large part of the reason I was so tired. He also put me on a painkiller that had caffeine in it called fioricet. I am a teacher and dealing with a class of ten year olds, especially after 2 months of a ridiculously incompetent substitute was insane. I still feel more tired than I used to (even during summer vacation). My doc said it can take up to 2 years to get all your energy/strength back to normal. He said you tire more easily cause your brain is constantly working to form new pathways and connections to compensate for any damage.

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Permalink Reply by misty on July 30, 2010 at 2:19am

Two months of rest is not enough. I went back to work one year later and I had to slowly build up my stamina. What did your doctor tell you?

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Permalink Reply by Toni Yeomans on July 30, 2010 at 10:32am

I haven't worked enough hours in a 12 month period to qualify. So basically it's like since I was put on short term disability for about 5 months, I am being punished for not being able to work. Yeah...love my job...

Jamie Pantelis said:

I am very confused how you do not qualify for FMLA. Did they tell you why they didn't? Can you appeal the decision?

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Permalink Reply by Toni Yeomans on July 30, 2010 at 10:36am

told me he was comfortable letting me return to work, and honestly at the time i was so eager that i agreed to going back in the middle of may. he left the decision entirely up to me, i wish i had thought it over more.

Maria said:

Two months of rest is not enough. I went back to work one year later and I had to slowly build up my stamina. What did your doctor tell you?

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Permalink Reply by Toni Yeomans on July 30, 2010 at 10:37am

that makes a lot of sense, i feel like im having such a hard time describing how i truly feel to any of my higher ups. i really don't think they get it at all.

mary kate said:

I know exactly how u feel. I had a bleed/craniotomy on November 7th followed by a month of severe diarrhea and vomitting from an infection I got in the hospital, then went back to work on January 4. I could barely make it through the day. It didn't matter how much I slept or what I ate. I only started feeling better when the doc took me off Keppra (anti-seizure) He said it was a large part of the reason I was so tired. He also put me on a painkiller that had caffeine in it called fioricet. I am a teacher and dealing with a class of ten year olds, especially after 2 months of a ridiculously incompetent substitute was insane. I still feel more tired than I used to (even during summer vacation). My doc said it can take up to 2 years to get all your energy/strength back to normal. He said you tire more easily cause your brain is constantly working to form new pathways and connections to compensate for any damage.

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Permalink Reply by misty on July 30, 2010 at 11:42pm

My suggestion is to tell your doctor how you feel and the type of work you do. Ask your doctor to give a letter requiring you to stay away from work for a couple of months. If you intend to stay at work then ask the doctor to write a letter requesting special accommodations at work.

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Permalink Reply by Toni Yeomans on July 31, 2010 at 8:15am

thank you, i think i will have to try the second option as with my hospital stay and surgeries this year i about ran my disability out (i only have short term). i don't feel like i should be punished for how i feel after making it through something this huge this year, when i told some of my close coworkers they about freaked and wondered how the heck i of all people didn't qualify for fmla lol. oh well, just even more reason to get me back into school when i feel ready so i can leave there.

Maria said:

My suggestion is to tell your doctor how you feel and the type of work you do. Ask your doctor to give a letter requiring you to stay away from work for a couple of months. If you intend to stay at work then ask the doctor to write a letter requesting special accommodations at work.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 31, 2010 at 11:56am

FMLA is tricky. Per the Department of Labor, "Employees are eligible for leave if they have worked for their employer at least 12 months, at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Whether an employee has worked the minimum 1,250 hours of service is determined according to FLSA principles for determining compensable hours or work." FLSA is short for Fair Labor Standards Act. You don't happen to work for a federal agency such as the U.S. Postal Service, do you? If so, you could apply for Federal Disability Retirement. You don't have to be unable to work at all to qualify for this. You just have to prove that you cannot perform the essential functions of your current job and won't be able to for at least a year AND that your agency cannot find you a suitable new position of equal status and pay. (In other words, if they offer you a demotion or less pay, that doesn't count and you are still eligible.) Or, does your employer have a program where your co-workers can donate their leave for you to use for your recovery from serious illness? The federal government also has that program. The wonderful folks at my agency donated many hours so that I could recover. Unfortunately, I relapsed. However, then I was able to qualify for Federal Disability Retirement. Another option, of course, is Social Security Disability. I'm not suggesting that you are permanently disabled. I'm just suggesting options for if you might be out of commission for at least a year. As for going back to school, I think that is a great idea! I haven't been part of your discussions before, so forgive me if everyone else knows the answer, but have you checked into assistance with your state's vocational rehabilitation department? I'm asking because all the physical requirements of your current job may be ill advised and vocational rehabilitation can fund training for a new job better suited to your health. My state's voc rehab purchased a car for me to get to college and paid for an artificial leg for me at a time when I didn't have insurance. They only provided a little funding for college tuition itself because I qualified for grants and loans, but qualifying for voc rehab assistance opened the doors of other programs. It has a cascade effect to start with voc rehab.

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Permalink Reply by Larisa Diephuis on August 29, 2010 at 9:17pm

I'm so glad you brought this up!!! I have been off this site for 3 months while I TRIED to go back to work full time, which is 50+ a week at my organization. I just couldn't function the whole day anymore, not even 8 hours, which is lower than the nomn. I run a large program and I was floundering. I had to talk to my doc about it and he agreed that it was too much and limited me to 25 hours a week. But my work would not accomodate me in my current full time position but haveing someone help with my work, so I lost the position i have held for 8 years and was given a part time job. After much heartbreakover this, i guess i should feel good that they still let me work for them and i still can apply for short term disability a thired time (once for stroke, once for crainiotomy, now part time disability for further recovery). Im just so exhausted all the time, and just cannot go to meetings, draft work, email, drive to sites, obsevre and give feedback to staff, and hold staff meetings all in one week anymore, My brain just shuts down and stopps thingking after 4 hours a day. Taking breaks helps and can get me to 5 hours a day, but i cant function much after that and i have to lie down..... and never mind that I have a son too, i have barely given him any attention since i went back to work. So I'm startung part time work for real this week and hoping i can survive it better and have much more time with my son i hope.
Im going to post a link to an explanatipon of what it is like to have a disability or deal with severe ilness and it has really helped me explain things to freinds. Although at work im afraid they just think im lazy and could try a little harder. That part sucks.

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