Going back to work after 2.75 year convalescence -I am happy..

[mikeesik]

Hello.
I was in a car accident along with my Son, two and three quarter years ago.
A bad one.

Today I got a call from a very respectable and substantial Machine Shop. From word of mouth they found out I wasn't working.
Good thing , I have a good name in the oil-field.

I went in for a meeting and let them know the past situation and up to today's. This includes, my Divorce and Kids. Also, my health and lack of stamina. I let them know it'll take time to get back into what I once was.

I start on September 4th, along with a very good pay and Insurance Plan.

I lack confidence and am worried of course about failing.
e.g. Come into work Monday, work hard. Tuesday, phone in and say I can't make it because of pain.

I really do love Machining and can hardly wait to get back in it.
-Want to forget about my reliance on the insurance Disability and make some good money.
Further more, it really sucks to stay at home and cut the grass twice a week and 'talk to the animals'.
I am tentative but the other side of me, wants to conquer.

[Zeke]

Sounds good. Especially that they came looking for you. I'm sure set up and supervision/inspection is a possibility if you can't stand on the line 8/5.

[strupgolf]

Great to hear you're going back to work. Enjoy the time off with your kids, then Sept 4, dig in, work hard, and the rest will take care of itself.

[Hard-Deck]

You'll be ok. Sounds like the employer is understanding....

[MRM]

Hey Mike. I couldn't be happier for you. You will do great but it will take time to get up to speed this had nothing to do with you; it is just the nature of the beast after having been out of work for a while.

I used to practice insurance defense where I regularly dealt with people who had been injured and out of work for long periods of time. I once had a case where I had to hire a vocational rehabilitation specialist to evaluate a guy who claimed he had been injured in an accident. My voc rehab guy told me the person of interest was not injured in the least, but he was going to need a course of work hardening, starting with a couple of hours a day, building up to a full work schedule over the course of several months.

I was astonished and asked how he reconciled the statement that the guy wasn't injured but required work hardening. He asked me to recall how hard it is to come back to work after a vacation. I agreed that it was hard. He told me that work is such a stress on your body is so strong that just being off work for a week, like for a vacation, gets your body out of condition. The longer you're off work, the more you go out of condition. If you've been off work for any length of time, you need to engage in work hardening, just to get your feet under you, not even considering any injury you're still recovering from.

The moral of this story is that you going back to work, in and of itself, is as hard on your body as was recovering from your injury, and you should treat yourself as such, and be as proud of your recovery to full time work status as you are of your recovery from your injury.

Do not underestimate the tax on your body that retiring to work imposes, and be as proud of each milestone at work as you were when you began recovery from your accident. Although it doesn't look as difficult to outsiders, your journey to full time work is as difficult and dramatic as your return to good health was after your accident.

Do not expect too much too fast; do not be disappointed if progress is slow; recognize each milestone as the achievement that it is, and be patient as you recover.

Take heart in knowing that you will work harden and that you will soon be your old self at work and at home as soon as your body has the time to acclimate. It takes a bit of doing, but once you have the time into it, you'll come back one hundred percent.

Best of luck! Report on your progress as you move forward. But above all, do not get discouraged as things appear to get harder before they get better.

[vash]

excellent! good luck!