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Work and help

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 9:15 pm
by StephenPeachey
Hi all

Hope you're all doing well. Just wanted a bit of advice my GFR is 13 and I currently work full time for a bank. I'm finding work a bit to much at the moment and really need to cut down, but I think as I look quite healthy and look quite young still ( I get ID still and I'm 32! ) my manager seems to think I'm fine. I'm unsure what to do I'm going to join the union. After my transplant fell through in January I had a meeting, with my manager concluding but you're 'fine now'. I just want to know what financial help there is out there I'm lucky enough to have moved back home with my parents. It would also be nice to know when dialysis will start one consultant wanted to get my PD access booked in whilst another asked me what I thought should be done. It just feels like you have to fight all the time. In short it just feels like evrthings in suspended animation at the moment and I can' plan for any thing. Oh well I guess it's off to Citezens advice on Friday. I would really appreciate all your comments and any advice. I do feel lucky having a supportive family so I guess that's half the battle.

Many Thanks Stephen

Re: Work and help

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 12:57 pm
by Dibs
Hi Stephen.

As people on here will tell you, we are all different. eGFR is indicative of kidney functionality, but there are other results from your bloods that can drive the decision to start dialysis. Fatigue was one of the most conspicuous symptoms for me pre-dialysis, but that improved relatively quickly once I started. So you could try to get a rough timescale from your consultant and if it is going to be months away, see if you can negotiate reduced hours at work until the dialysis kicks in.

Re: Work and help

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:34 pm
by DeanH
I was on dialysis for around 14 months or so up until last March (I was 33/34 years old) and can relate to how you are feeling especially with regards to work, I work for a financial institution also and managed it by talking what was going on with my line manager and HR and a plan was put forward for me to work reduced hours while I was on dialysis (PD) as I did struggle with the fatigue and found that coming in an hour later gave me the time I needed in the morning to sort myself and the machine out and I tended to leave a couple of hours earlier later in the day. The only real financial help I found was in going down one council tax band due to the spare bedroom in my house being used as the room to store all of my dialysis equipment in, but I was being paid my regular salary so didn't expect any other assistance. All the best with your on-going treatment and dialysis.