post-op career advice

[Marty]

I was fully retired radiologist, age 72, when I had mitral valve replacement. My cardiologist suggested I go back to work. I found a position where I could work half time ,20 hours a week. I love it. It is not too taxing. It helps my mental state and I believe staves off Alzheimer's. Gonna be 81 soon and still feel well. My advice: try to find something you love to do and maybe do it part time.

 

[musician2k]

post-op career advice

Hello, everyone. I'm 6 months post-op now and feeling pretty good. I'm hitting the gym Mon-Weds-Fri and pushing myself harder (but not TOO hard) each time. I definitely notice a change - I feel years younger and stronger and, if the TIA's can keep their distance I can see no reason why my doctor won't soon recommend I return to work, either part-time or possibly even full-time.

I left teaching in February of 2005 due to severe migraines that were occuring almost daily. Mostly, I was fatigued & short of breath (didn't really realize the SOB until now, when I realize how breathing *should* be!) and I just could not recover from one migraine to the next...or from one cold/flu to the next, either. I realized my BAV issue could be playing a role but a 2003 echo showed things were not critical, so I put it out of my mind.

Well it seems possible, if not likely, that the BAV was in fact a major part of my problem. I would like to return to my teaching job (I still am employed by my school, I am on disability at this time) but I'm not 100% convinced that it's right for me. I'm not opposed to returning at all - but if I do so I feel it should be because I know what else is out there, that I'm qualified for, and I've considered other options. Right now, I just don't know where to begin.

For those of you who've had your job or career throw off track a bit by valve problems & surgery.....what did you do? Did you return to your former job? Did you seek a different type of work? Did you seek career counseling and if so, was this helpful?

Any advice would be appreciated....

Chris

 

[Magic8Ball]

I still am employed by my school, I am on disability at this time

This is the situation i'm in, i work in IT, sit at a desk all day and basically tread water....its easy......

Perhaps i need a better challenge in life but i work to live not live to work and i enjoy the benefits my job gives me for the other aspects of my life more.

The BIG thing about my job and probably why i'll be there until retirement now that i'm post surgery is that it has the insurance cover to pay me my wages during situations like this....i couldn't even get this insurance regardless of what i offered to pay as a private individual but the group work cover was an automatic thing with no medical..

Should i need something else done in the next 20 years and i'd moved jobs i'd feel a little silly.

You need to be happy in life overall and i am, if you are not then it's a difficult choice to change jobs at the best of times not just when you are post surgery.

Best of luck with your deliberations and your eventual choice.

 

[SumoRunner]

I live just outside Albany, the NY capital, so the largest employer hereabouts is the government. For local, state & federal combined I'll bet it's more than half. And the most common desire is to retire at 55. Perfectly normal, healthy people are tossing in the towel at 55. I don't get it. The most likely explanation is they hate their jobs.

I'm 58 now and have no inclination of retiring anytime soon. I don't work for the state though and my work (Software Engineer) is very interesting, so as long as my head is still in the game I'll stay at it.