Occupational Health: Well this went very well. HR had not sent the notes through (!) - so we started with what sounded like the “standard talk” about how this was to help me but people benefited from getting back to work sooner rather than later, that OH’s opinion counted rather than the GPs etc., so my heart initially sank. She was very firm about wanting to make her assessment and then she read what the GP had written.
However when she asked me what I had been off for and I said “THR” everything changed. Turned out this very nice and funny lady was an ex nurse specialising in orthopaedics! We went into the whole story of the op and the recovery.
In the end she went further than my GP’s recommendations and we also agreed (apparently unusually) that she could do a physical assessment including looking at the scar which she said was very thin and one of the longest she had seen but was healing well but very tender. She was not surprised it had been so painful and said there was a lot of soft tissue healing to go and to expect it to take a year. We discussed the painkillers and the physio and she thought my approach to both (thanks BoneSmart) was very sensible.
So the following was suggested which I thought was reasonable. .
1) reduced hours for one month starting on Monday with 4 hours a day first week, 5 a day second week and scaling up within a month. This is perfect because the more physical side to my job kicks in in November. We discussed the painkillers and she was happy with my approach to this. Suggested it was the right idea to wean off the codeine as and when.
2) NO driving for another month therefore mostly working from home as “flexible working”. She agreed the 40 minute stop start journey each way would set me back considerably. Hubby has agreed to take me in two days a week so I will work around that with the physio
3) turned out she was a fan of sports cars and disagreed with what the registrar said. She agreed I would have to be careful but that another month of not driving would make all the difference. Suggested practicing small journeys and practicing getting out of lower chairs to prepare but with care.
So waiting for the official report to come through but very happy with this outcome. I am now pretty optimistic
Great update...but then I knew you were doing well!!
United Kingdom
