Aa
hep c
Do people usually take loa from work while taking treatment for hep c? I have an appointment to start taking treatment, I am scared because my work is very demanding, I am on my feet 13 hrs a day and you have to stay really focused.. I so have long term disability ins. but do doctors let you take it? thank you
I commute a minimum 2 hours daily and two days a week I attend graduate school so that increases my commute another 1 hour and 45 minutes. I teach a special day class of emotional disturbed boys and am on my feet all day, no breaks, no lunch. My doctor suggested I take a LOA for tx. Now into my 4th week, I am so glad I did. I was exhausted before, but now my life has shrunk to my house only. My first week on tx was a cake walk and I thought that I was one of the lucky ones who wouldn't have sx, but during my 2nd week that all changed. I could let my mind take me away with thoughts such as "What if I lose my job, ect" but right now I am fighting for my life and that is the most important thing right now. If I don't get better, my career will be greatly impacted eventually anyway, so I am willing to gamble this year in the hopes of beating it so I can get my life back on track. I also have the stress of my husband getting laid off again only 3 days after I started tx, and he had been off for 1 year prior to us making the decision to start tx. We thought we had everything thought out, but things can happen that are beyond our control.
If I were you, I would do all the research for a LOA or state disability, and then you have all the paperwork done just in case. Because with this tx, you never know until you are in it. Prepare for all the outcomes, then choose the one that will fit your situation. Remember, the important outcome is the cure. Without our health, our lives become limited and quite possibly our dreams are never fully realized. So, again, I say, cure is the prize, the rest will fall into place as you take the journey, one day at a time.
I wish you the very best in your decision. I know it is a most difficult one, that only you can make and be at peace with.
Take care, Jaz
If I were you, I would do all the research for a LOA or state disability, and then you have all the paperwork done just in case. Because with this tx, you never know until you are in it. Prepare for all the outcomes, then choose the one that will fit your situation. Remember, the important outcome is the cure. Without our health, our lives become limited and quite possibly our dreams are never fully realized. So, again, I say, cure is the prize, the rest will fall into place as you take the journey, one day at a time.
I wish you the very best in your decision. I know it is a most difficult one, that only you can make and be at peace with.
Take care, Jaz
It depends on the nature of your job and how that intersects with your reactions to the meds during treatment.
I didn't work during treatment but would have liked to, just to force myself out and forget about treatment.
My biggest chronic problem during treatment, aside from fatigue, was feeling brain-fogged. I avoided driving because I found my reflexes were slower (like staring at a stop sign and wondering what it meant).
I wouldn't have wanted to have any serious responsibilities, like making investment decisions on someone else's behalf or driving a school bus. I was just too out of it and didn't appreciate how much until afterwards.
My hemoglobin, though, was rock-bottom and this may have been what ate my thinking brain. Many get help to boost their hemoglobin during treatment and that might make a difference for you.
I can think of one person who managed to work in construction (which requires a sense of balance and strength) during one tx but couldn't do this the second time around.
So it depends on your individual response to the meds.
Being on your feet thirteen hours a day is a long haul, on treatment or not. What is it that you do and can you arrange a different position temporarily that has some sit down time?
I didn't work during treatment but would have liked to, just to force myself out and forget about treatment.
My biggest chronic problem during treatment, aside from fatigue, was feeling brain-fogged. I avoided driving because I found my reflexes were slower (like staring at a stop sign and wondering what it meant).
I wouldn't have wanted to have any serious responsibilities, like making investment decisions on someone else's behalf or driving a school bus. I was just too out of it and didn't appreciate how much until afterwards.
My hemoglobin, though, was rock-bottom and this may have been what ate my thinking brain. Many get help to boost their hemoglobin during treatment and that might make a difference for you.
I can think of one person who managed to work in construction (which requires a sense of balance and strength) during one tx but couldn't do this the second time around.
So it depends on your individual response to the meds.
Being on your feet thirteen hours a day is a long haul, on treatment or not. What is it that you do and can you arrange a different position temporarily that has some sit down time?
I had pretty mild symptoms throughout my treatment and went to work every day. I attended social functions (like family gatherings etc.) as I would have normally. Pretty much I was determined not to get beaten into submission by treatment and I was fortunate enough to have the mild side effects. I know others were not so lucky or as determined. Some had overwhelming symptoms that made it impossible to function normally and others would have major problems with the even the most minor side effects. You just never know how you'll make out until you're there.
You need to find out how your doctor handles it. Some doctors don't like to put people who are treating on disability, others have no trouble with it.
You aren't going to know how you feel during tx until you get there. You could do fine.
Also, I have heard from many on the boards that working keeps them busy and helps them focus on other things besides tx. BTW--I didn't work while on tx because I was jobless, so I don't really know if I'd have been able to or not.
You aren't going to know how you feel during tx until you get there. You could do fine.
Also, I have heard from many on the boards that working keeps them busy and helps them focus on other things besides tx. BTW--I didn't work while on tx because I was jobless, so I don't really know if I'd have been able to or not.
Ditto to everything Trinity said. For me personally I found it was terribly hard to do BUT getting up every day and showering and dressing and coming to work helped me keep some normalcy about my life. Heck at times I was even able to forget I was on treatment because I'd be busy or someone would tell a joke or something.
Basically I think you will find that most of us do work during treatment but we do save our vacation days for if we are having a specifically bad day. I treated for 72 weeks and missed only 3 days. Now that I'm healthy I miss MORE work than I did then - I guess I was determined to continue working (because you know they guarantee you a job when you return but not YOUR job specifically and some like rocker have found that they've lost their job even!) and being as normal as possible because I needed the money and the insurance as a single mom.
Hope that helps. Try and do the best you can and see how it goes. Some folks don't have very bad sides and some do (and yet others don't have them very bad but think they are tragic). You can't know how you will respond until you try and do your best!
Basically I think you will find that most of us do work during treatment but we do save our vacation days for if we are having a specifically bad day. I treated for 72 weeks and missed only 3 days. Now that I'm healthy I miss MORE work than I did then - I guess I was determined to continue working (because you know they guarantee you a job when you return but not YOUR job specifically and some like rocker have found that they've lost their job even!) and being as normal as possible because I needed the money and the insurance as a single mom.
Hope that helps. Try and do the best you can and see how it goes. Some folks don't have very bad sides and some do (and yet others don't have them very bad but think they are tragic). You can't know how you will respond until you try and do your best!
Hi campingmomo and welcome to the community.
People are effected differently by the antiviral medications. Some are able to work through the entire course of treatment and others cannot. Some experience hemolytic anemia which increase the fatigue all of us usually experience while treating. It really depends on how your well your body tolerates the drugs. The first few months can rather difficult but as your body adjusts to the medications things usually start to level out. Your doctor can provide your human resources department with the appropriate documentation which will qualify you for short term, long term, or FMLA, depending on the type of benefits your company provides. It's good to have your ducks in a row in the event your side effects become too severe to work.
As info, many of us tolerate treatment well enough to work so try not to worry and take it one day at a time.
Good Luck with your treatment
Trinity
People are effected differently by the antiviral medications. Some are able to work through the entire course of treatment and others cannot. Some experience hemolytic anemia which increase the fatigue all of us usually experience while treating. It really depends on how your well your body tolerates the drugs. The first few months can rather difficult but as your body adjusts to the medications things usually start to level out. Your doctor can provide your human resources department with the appropriate documentation which will qualify you for short term, long term, or FMLA, depending on the type of benefits your company provides. It's good to have your ducks in a row in the event your side effects become too severe to work.
As info, many of us tolerate treatment well enough to work so try not to worry and take it one day at a time.
Good Luck with your treatment
Trinity
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