Learning that you have kidney disease can be a heartbreaking experience, and your first worry may be that you won’t be able to live life the way you used to, concerning your career and aspirations. And although dialysis treatment can be difficult to handle at first, you’ll soon realize that you’re able to do a lot of things you never thought were possible while having kidney disease.
There’s no understating how vital your kidneys are to the function of your whole body. They detoxify your body, regulate blood pressure through the production of hormones, and help with the production of new red blood cells. As such, dialysis treatment is crucial for the well-being of people with kidney disease because it allows their body to properly maintain all the chemicals in their body. Although living a lifestyle where you constantly need treatment may seem limiting, you can still live life to the fullest and be happy.
One concern for many patients of chronic kidney disease is that they won’t be able to keep their job. After all, it’s our work that empowers us, supports us, and makes us feel like we’re contributing to the world. In this blog, we’re going to talk about maintaining a stable career while on dialysis treatment.
Know your limits
As with most medical conditions, there may be limitations on what you can and can’t do while working as a dialysis patient. Whether you work in a retail store, office, factory; indoors or outdoors, understanding your limits should always be the first step you take when deciding that you want to continue working. If your job is more physical, you may have more difficulty performing strenuous tasks because dialysis patients often experience tiredness and weakness. You should speak with your manager or supervisor to see if your position can be modified to accommodate for this. Additionally, you could see if there are any other positions available that may work better for you or alter your hours.
Dialysis patients need to maintain vascular access typically on your lower or upper arm or leg in order to receive regular treatment. It’s important to take this into consideration when when you’re figuring out how you will work. Some physical tasks may need to be eliminated from your work routine, especially for those who work in warehouses, factories, or in retail. If you’re a business owner, you may need to hire new people to take care of anything physical that you need to do on the job. You should speak with your doctor to learn about how much weight you can lift and what physical tasks you should avoid. If it’s an option for you, working from home may be the best option.
Take your time
If you’ve just begun dialysis treatment, you may not be quite ready to start working again right away, and that’s okay! According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people with chronic kidney disease may be covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to take 12 weeks of unpaid time off within the first year of treatment. Between this, paid time off, and vacation time, you can feel comfortable knowing that you’ll have time off, so that you can feel ready to go back to work. Of course you should notify your employer so that they’re aware you may be taking more time off than normal. It’s good to be eager to get back to work, but you shouldn’t rush into it.
Contact Hemowear today
Hemowear, LLC was created out of a desire to produce a clothing line that would help people with medical needs. If you or a loved one is living with kidney disease and are receiving dialysis treatment, our specialized clothing line allows for easy access to port sites, permanent catheter and AV fistulas. Our clothing is comfortable and allows patients to receive treatment without removing their clothing. We also have peritoneal belts that will protect the dialysis patient against the risk of developing peritonitis; a painful infection that enters the body through catheter openings. If you would like to learn more about our clothing or have any questions for us, please contact us today.
Please read part two of this blog series to learn more about dialysis treatment options and managing weakness for kidney disease patients.