This may be a touchy subject I know, but I am jsut curious as to what people have done careerwise after surgery? Now don't get me wrong, I am in no rush to go back to work but sooner or later, I know I have to do something.

My pre-surgery career was a 9-5 desk job using a PC and talking on the phone all day. A TOSers worst nightmare!

If you could pick any career you could that would suit your condition what would it be? My (personal) checklist for this career would include:
- no repition
- flexible
- even split between standing and sitting
- limited lifting, pushing, pulling
- limited PC use

Doesn't leave a lot does it?! Just curious as to what others have come up with/done/have thought about.

Most of the time I am bedridden with pain, fighting the pain, trying to either get some aerobic (soft) exercise for my body, but fighting the TOS inflammation and pain that follows...hoping the RSD stays in remission...dealing with fibro symptoms...trying to get down and off of the heavy meds...how to get to "x" doctor, with the pain at this level, trying to maintain a relationship with my kids, dogs, etc., with this pain and disability level and not giving up on life.

Part of my progress was accepting the loss of my career as an atty. and pro tem judge, as well as my goals that I had set for these years, financially and academically.

So for me, the bar is now set at a totally different goal - dealing with the pain for this hour.

I think the key is finding where you're at, (your bar set), and then reaching that goal, setting a new one, etc. Hopefully your bar is a lot higher than mine right now, but acceptance I think is key to overcoming frustration and depression.

Tam... I knwo your pain is hell-pain now, but...... is there a volunteer agency or charity of some sort around where you could work whatever hours you were able to, and use your legal expertise? just a quick (and probably inchoerent) thought.

I had surgery two years ago, but I know I canl never have the same type of job I had before.

No more sitting at a desk and typing all day. Being involved in tons of paper work. I will never be able to do that again. Causes flarre ups.

On the other hand, put me in a busy enviroment were I am moving around and stayng busy.....I seem fine.

I can't think of many options myself. Except maybe a career/job where I can sit at home in my recliner while using a headset for phone work. Voice activated computer work I think would be too much for me. So all I can think of is some kind of order taker (yuck), tech support or other phone advisor (need to learn the trade), or as a friend's brother once jokingly suggested-a sex counselor (hee, hee, --I'd have to be trained to learn the appropriate responses and such) but I recently saw a TV documentary with Linda Love and she's got the industry locked-up; she said the "counselors" used to earn a lot but now are lucky if they make minimum wage. For those of you who know a 2nd language, apparantly there is a lot of work for counselors in foreign countries. You work from home and the 900 calls come to you from various countries so no travel benefits.

I make light of this sbuject but it is something I have a tremendous amount of grief over--the ability to have a meaningful career and the ability to be self sufficient financially.

btw-the rsi support groups have published lists of ideas. If I come across mine I will post. And Voc Rehab counselors have lists too. Some ideas that come to mind are voice-over talent (unless U develop rsi of the voice/throat as many do). An optometrist store assistant--the person who recommends glasses and sells and fits them. Also selling tickets or subscriptions to anything; it could be something kinda meaningful like soliciting memberships to the Sierra Club or the Symphony. One may make a few bucks if there are commissions or bonuses but these jobs don't pay a prof. wage that would allow us to have treatments like massage or chiro. Another is working at a store that sells ergonomic products to people w/bad backs, necks, etc. It would be fun to do ergonomic evals but I think that is too much a stretch for my physcial abilities. One person I came across returned to school to become a psychologist, realizing that she needed a career where she could sit and talk. But I think it would be tough to get through the schooling and also to fill out forms , etc. nec. for insurance cos.

Maybe we can start a list of ideas that someone in the forum could pull together.

JAMY,

I'm responding because I think I can relate to your question. I had TOS surgery - rib resection in 8/05. Since that surgery I have developed RSD in my surgery side and is now moving to my other arm.

It's funny. When I read your post, I was thinking the exact opposite. I am forced to work FT or I will lose my house. So, if I had the option of being at home, I could focus more on taking care of myself instead of taking care of everyone else. My husband is wonderful - involved - and supportive. So, he makes me stop doing things at home if he feels it's too much. I was on the floor picking up dog toy stuffing and he told me to get up off the floor. I am blessed in that regard.

My job is FT - I'm an assistant to two Directors at a major company. I am at the computer (I can still type about 60 wpm - down from 90), but I have the option of standing/sitting with the touch of a button. I have a restriction from my doctor to not push, pull, carry more than 5 lbs. My job does not keep me chained to my desk. I can walk/deep breath twice daily to try to keep the pain down. I park in the handicaped parking that my company provides so I'm not out in the cold for long. I try not to do anything repetitious. No amount of lifting my arms up either.

I am on the strongest medications that I can handle while working. But, to be honest, I'm limited. Because I can't be at home, there were many medications I couldn't take. I cannot wear a shirt on my surgery arm without a lidocaine patch. The sensitivity is horrible.

When I come home, I don't do much. I haven't made dinner in months (except something very easy), I don't do housework either. Very, very little. At this point, I can't do anything else. I went for a walk last weekend - about 6 blocks and that put me down for 2 days because of the pain. It's very hard for me to do anything at all on the weekends. I try to help my husband with the shopping, but most times it's too much.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if that's all you do is work, atleast for me, that's about all I can do. It's very much a give and take.

hi jamy,
great thread thanks.....I have this in my head all the time and want to go back to school but can't due to the reading of text books and work needed on the cpu so I feel stuck in one place wiht no end in sight.....

But any job that I could think of would be consulting that doesn't need work up on the cpu or paperwork or an at home job where you could put your heat on and do the work at an ergonomic area and be comfy and if u need to take meds you can of if you need to lie down you can.....but knowing you and your love of people it would be hard at home with no interaction.....there are recorders for the phone and then dragon.....but all are stopgap ideas....

take care
love and hugs,
Victoria

I am glad you guys mentioned meds...this is one thing I am concerned about. I have thought - what if I was at work, needed pain meds then couldn't function (sleepy, dopey, etc) let alone drive home...Pain meds, muscle relaxants, all that stuff makes us 'less then functional'. IF I were at my job I'd have at least a 30-45 min drive home in rush hour, I'd never make it!

Like you, at home I don't do much...I cook seldomly and when I do it is easy stuff and I buy ingredients that are already cut, etc. I don't clean per-say, I will pick up stuff but I don't get down to the nitty gritty. I can't do dishes (I drop them and break them...we are slowly losing our set of dishes). Laundry is a bear but that I manage (I use mesh laundry bags so I can kick the drity laundry around and get it down the stairs). I limit my PC time to about 20-30 mins at a time...that way my hand can get warm and recover from being numb. I look at how I function at home and really wonder how I can function at work.

But I miss being out and doing something...I really do. That's hard on one mentally (in my opinion). I focus a lot on my recovery - heading to various appts every week, swimming, etc but at the end of the day I miss the interaction with people and such (although I don't miss my OLD job! haha).

As Fern mentioned I would love to see us start a 'Careers Thread' - maybe we can bounce career ideas off each other, list the pros and cons...perhaps this will be helpful?!

Hi this is going to be short i took testing through comp to see what i would be good at end what i liked. Then with the result from that they had a lest of jobs to choose from and it also tells you if you need any upgrading there is a web sight that gives you all the jobs out what one has to do and then you can look up the pay as well as if that type of job is poor or good fair at getting in your area i am not sure if i have explained this right here is the sight in Canada i know there is one for the states as well but i can't remember the thing for it.It is called National Occupational Classification 2006 welcome. www23.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca if it doesn't work on the www thing then just punch in the name. It is a great sight. If you have any problem getting to the sight just let me know i can go on and get more info for the address bye and good luck. This is the sight to find a job i can do and that will be close to my wage. Is there somthing else you have to do to make it so you can just click on that address i put on here so you can go right to it like you guys do because it is the right one because i just tryed it. But i can't click on it and go to the web sight.

This is how I lived basically during my last year of employment.

Then, I was taken off work when I could no longer use my right arm at all, and had high pain that interfered with ANY sleep for days on end.

I had RSD that was beyond what you can imagine, for years. Not until '06, when I had surgery, (which is an unusual result), did it finally start giving me a break...but still high pain from TOS and the fibro went into high gear.

I personally regret working the last year - I suppose if I hadn't, I'd always have wondered the result, and have that regret - but I do blame the last year of working after I knew I had TOS (but the ortho hand doctor was having it called "overuse" still) - as I blame it for another 50% of the pain I've endured. I should have quit with the initial injury, rather than continue to cause such nerve damage. There are so many times when I'm suicidal because of the nerve pain...it is, again, beyond what most people can even imagine as pain, and I had it again just a couple nights ago...

Just this September I did lose my house. Like I've said before, I've lost all financial goals, gone through a sizeable savings that I had at the time, and these things I've had to accept along with the illness...maybe that's why it upsets me so when doctors act like it's a minor annoyance of not being able to lift or use the right arm - it is a complex, totally debilitating pain, and it has a LOT of symptoms, as I've discussed with you all here.

I really warn anyone who's not in the "hell zone" of pain to be very careful about what you do next, as this pain came during that last year of working, as I said, and it's really a nightmare that doesn't end when you sleep or wake up, day after day, year after year...