Going Back to Work

Going back to work after an amputation is a difficult, if almost an impossible decision to make. For some women the decision has been made for them, they have no choice. Their amputation keeps them from returning to the work they did before their amputation. But depending on the kind of amputation you had, your stamina, the support around you and your doctor's approval, you can return to work, even without a prosthesis.

Of course, no one said it was going to be a piece of cake. Believe me, it rarely is. For me, I HAD to return to work within 3 months after my amputation or I would lose my health benefits, and at the time, I had no choice.

Before you plunge back into the work force, there are lots of things to consider. These are only a few you have to contemplate:

The first obsctacle you may not consider is does your employer WANT you back? Don't be too surprised by this question. ALL employers HAVE to accept you back, it's a potential discrimination lawsuit if they don't. For most employers you have now become a liability. If you hurt yourself on the job in the condition you are in, it's a Worker's Compensation claim that they themselves will have to deal with and believe me, those kind of claims eat away at profits.

In some cases, your employer may make returning to work difficult. In my case I was working 40 hours a week, 5 days a week with benefits. When I told my boss I was coming back to work, it wasn't 2 days later I was informed that my hours had been cut to 20 hours and I no longer had ANY benefits. I'm 'assuming' that they thought I would give up my idea of returning to work but I surprised them. It made me angry that I had lost my leg and now I was losing my job. So I accepted their proposal and went back to work. I took my benefits on the COBRA plan which probably didn't make them very happy either, but I was determind to go back to work. At the time I was doing it because I thought I needed to cover as much of the COBRA costs as possible, but I realize now it was to prove to myself I could.

There are lots of things to consider when going back to work. Stop and think about the layout of your office (or where ever you work). Remember what obstacles there are to get INTO your office. When you had two legs, most likely you didn't think about such trivial things. But that changes once you become an amputee. Are there steps going into your building? Can you park your car close to the entrance? Is there handicap parking? How many handicap spaces are there? If there is only 1 or 2, will you be able to claim one of them for yourself or will it be a guessing game every time you go to work? Do you have a handicap placard for your car? (These are not difficult to optain from the Motor Vehicles Department of your city. You may have to get a note from your doctor stating your disablity and that it is a permanent one. I was told by a LadyAmp visitor that in Indiana she didn't have to have a note from her doctor, because she could prove to the MVD that she was PERMANENTLY disabled. Yet, when I went in to apply for one, (Ohio) they needed a note from my doctor stating that my amputation was permanent! Go figure!!) Is there a ramp instead of stairs you can use to get into your building? And once you get INTO your building, what other obstacles are you faced with? More stairs and no elevator? Or do you have a long walk to your office? Can you get your walker through the front door of the building with the least amount of energy used? Some office building doors are heavy and this can be a hinderance. These are questions you need to ask yourself BEFORE you can even consider going back to work.

Ask yourself about your stamina. Your upper body strength HAS to be at its maximum if you are planning to return to work. If you are using a walker or crutches, your arms have to be able to withstand getting you into your building and back out again AND get you from one place to another once you get to work. That's not to say you won't be getting your share of upper body strengthening while you're at work, because you will! Holding your body upright for any length of time is going to put strain on your arms and upper body. So be prepared! You're going to hurt for a few days. Your arms are going to ache, even your neck muscles will be sore. But...it will go away. I know, I had to deal with it.

What about your good leg? Is it going to be able to withstand the strain of going into and out of your building? You'll be placing all your weight onto it and your leg isn't use to that much strain at one time. Your leg will tire easily, it'll ache from over-used muscles, and muscles you haven't used! There were times I thought I couldn't take another step because my good leg ached so badly! But with each day came increased ability to get from one place to another a little easier than it had been the day before. Of course, to make matters worse in my case, my amputation was during the winter, when snow covered the ground, ice and sleet were at it's worse and I had to walk through all of this with a walker and only one leg. I had to overcome some major fears when going back to work. If it's winter time, you'll be faced with these obstacles as well. But FACE THEM!! If getting into the office after an ice or snow storm scares you, call the office and have someone outside waiting to help get you into the office. In snow country, most office buildings and/or professional buildings will have 'salted' the parking lot the first thing in the morning. That does help! ALWAYS ask for help! Don't be afraid to ask!! BUT....if getting into the office after such a storm is impossible, DON'T GO!!! You're safety is priority! You don't want to hurt your good leg, because that will put you out of commission for a long while!

When I started out, I thought I had kept my leg strength up to it's maximum, but I had NO idea how wrong I was! The strain of getting into, out of, going to and coming back from different areas of your office will put a lot of strain on your one leg. Don't be afraid to sit down when your good leg begins to tire. Place chairs strategically around the office, the copy machine room, fax room, even the coffee room, (most bosses won't mind!!) for you to rest when you need too.

The one thing we all take for granted at work is going to the ladies room. I know, that may sound grasse, but it's something you have to deal with. If your ladies room is right there in your office, you won't have to worry about it too much. As long as your walker or crutches can make it through the door, you should be alright. Most ladies rooms anymore have grab bars and if yours doesn't, you might want to consider asking the building manager to install them for you. In most states in this country it's the law! Again, don't be afraid to ask!!!! It's important to keep yourself safe!

BUT...if you have to leave your office and travel down some hallways to get to the ladies room, then you have another obstacle. I was faced with this. I HATED having to go to the ladies room. What use to take 3-4 minutes suddenly took 18 minutes!!!! Be prepared for it!!! I stopped drinking my morning cup of coffee at work because I knew I'd end up having to go to the ladies room. It's another obstacle, but I know you'll face it. We all do and it will get better!

I can guarantee the first month back to work will be like a year! But you'll work past it!! You might want to consider working just enough hours to keep your medical benefits. Of course, you'll need to talk to your boss about your ability to come back to work and if you can do the same job you did prior to your amputation. If you were a waitress, it's doubtful you'll be able to resume the same duties until after you get a prosthesis and are able to walk again. If you work at a desk with minimal traveling through the office, you should do alright.

These are only a few of the obstacles you'll be faced with when you are ready to get back into the workforce. You will need a release from your doctor, stating you can return to work. If he won't release you to do so, your employer isn't obligated to give you back your job. Check your states requirements for long term medical leave. You may be entitled to some kind of Disablity if you aren't able to return to work. See my article on Disability.