| Author | Subject: Working on dialysis |
| K. Joy Kemper | Posted At 03:41:59 06/04/2002 I am an R. N., a Nurse Practitioner, and a hemodialysis patient. A kidney is something you can survive without by doing dialysis. I have the best possible situation. After I asked, Kaiser, my HMO under Medicare, set me up for home hemodialysis. That is after training, they put a machine in my home and my husband and I do the dialysis. I can do it on my own timetable. I can vary the length of sessions. I have better quality dialysis. My labs are much better and I feel like myself finally. It was hard for me to believe I would go back to work. At first I felt so badly and I spent a lot of time in the hospital or the doctor's offices. I was also so depressed. After about a year things started to stabilize. I got my home machine. I started to feel much better. When I though about telling a prospective employer that I was on dialysis and that three days a week I had a 6 hour time obligation, I wondered what they would say. Even though my education and skills haven't changed, my physical condition has. I have less stamina. I am stable, but at any moment there could be an unforseen crisis that would put me in the hospital or make me unable to work. I started looking anyway. I specified that I only wanted to work locally and I only wanted to work part time. I decided to tell the employer about dialysis when they asked why I hadn't worked for a year and a half. I had been out since becoming ill a year and a half ago. My revealation seemed to screen the employers for me. Those who weren't interested just faded away. I just accepted a trial part-time job. It looks like a very good situation for me. I will be working in a small private pain management office. I am a better clinician because I have experienced so many health problems. |
| Bill Peckham | Re: Working on dialysis (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 17:14:11 06/04/2002 I°ve been on dialysis since 1990, at age 27. At the time I owned my own yacht charter and brokerage, including owning my own boats that I would charter and captain. Not a job conducive to dialysis I sold out four months after my first treatment. It wasn°t until 1994 that I seriously started looking for work. I had graduated from collage with degrees in Accounting and Marketing so I mostly perused the want ads for business related positions. I sent out resumes but very rarely heard back. To make a long story short I found joining a union to be very helpful. There are a variety of union jobs out there, some "white" collar; many "blue" collar. If a union is accepting new members in your area chances are you could try the job on a temporary or probation bases. My experience was that a friend got me my first shift; the foremen decided whether I got called back. I started as a "level one" Tradeshow Specialist (just above slime mold in the pecking order) through Seattle Carpenters Local 131. It is or can be very physical work but I credit the exercise involved for greatly improving my overall wellbeing. I never assumed I couldn't do something and was often surprised by what I was able to do. It's been over 7 years; today I'm a fully Qualified Journeyman Tradeshow Specialist and have worked my way into an office position - CAD Operator and graphics production. Now I have to go to a gym to get my exercise. From my experience I see several advantages to working through a Union: - Insurance. Because of my insurance I've been able to travel the world on dialysis; in my case there wasn't a preexisting condition exclusion period. - A fair wage. - Flexible work schedule. Being a cog has its advantages. If I am not available for a job or have to leave early it just means someone else gets those hours. This was particularly true when I worked in the field. - No job interview. This was huge for me - I had a confidence deficit when I started, job interviews were a very real barrier to finding work. Through the union I was given a chance and foremen called me back based on my performance. - Additional protection on the job. I've never had or felt the need to file a grievance but I think a union does offer protection beyond the ADA that a nonunion job lacks. Cheers, Bill Peckham |
| Nancy Spaeth | Re: Working on dialysis (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 01:01:55 08/21/2002 Joy, I, too, am a nurse. I work in a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic with a Pain Managemaent Program. I started dialysis in 1966 and have had 4 transplants. When I went to work at my current job 9 years ago, I was on my third transplant. I lost it after I had been working for 2 years. I then tried CAPD, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, which I really liked, in relative terms. It was a great way to work dialysis into my day and did this for 5+ years. I have worked full time for all of the past 9 years. I received my latest transplant 2 years ago. I have in the past worked while doing hemodialysis, as well. However, I did it at home so I could arrange my own schedule. In the 60's and 70's, I did it 8 hours at night, while I slept. I preferred this to the shorter 4 hour dialysis I did in the 80's, because I felt so much better. Stamina can be a problem when one is on dialysis, but the best thing I know to do for it, is keep your hematocrit up with EPO (a wonderful invention not available for patients, like myself, before 1989) and EXERCISE. Start slowly and build up gradulally. Use the stairs instead of the elevator, go to physical therapy, walk, get friend to walk or exercise with you or just set a schedule for yourself. I am currently taking water aerobics. Exercise is one of the best things I know to feel better on dialysis, other than avoid salt, and eat properly. Working is a great way to help people and yourself. I wish you well. Nancy |