Any career suggestions?

My 31 year old son has a PM (5 years ago) and after a lethal arrythmia in 2012 now has a ICD inplant. He is no longer able to work as a carpenter/home renovator and has been in out of hospital 3-4 times each year for further ablations for the past 6 years, surgically repostioning of pacemaker and wires that have come through the skin due to the physical job. He is thinking about taking a course for using heavy equipment and possibly driving a small bobcat or forklift - but I question all the vibrations of heavy equipment. He is due for more ablations as icd has gone off unneccesarily.
Any members have any career suggestions for someone in this position. Anyone had a similar situation and been able to find some sort of work?
Thanks for any suggestions.

4 Comments

ANGRYSPARROW is right on

by ElectricFrank - 2013-03-01 01:03:40

Your son needs to find his own way to some sort of work that he enjoys, yet fits within his physical abilities. In today's labor market that can be difficult.

frank



careers

by Alma Annie - 2013-03-01 08:03:24

I can understand how a mother desperately wants to help her adult child. Suggestions rather than advice might be better. Do you have career guidance agencies where you live? They can be so helpful when a career change is needed. I used to teach a career workshop with my husband, and I have seen many people lift their self esteem and get on with their lives. It was a 10 hour seminar and quite involved. I am sure you could suggest this to your son, then HE could take it from there.
All the best
Alma Annie

Same age

by golden_snitch - 2013-03-01 10:03:42

Being the same age as your son, I totally agree with the others. I never had life threatening arrhythmias, but many other types requiring lots of ablations, several pacemaker surgeries, one open-heart - all interventions were done at a time when i was about to finish school or attended university, or had my first job. my parents never interfered when i set out my career plans. it's really something we all need to find out by ourselves. and parents telling you that you cannot do something because of your health issues, sometimes leads to very stubborn children that will do exactly that, just to prove that the parents are wrong.

On a different note, you wrote that your son needs more ablations because the defib went off unnecessarily. That makes not much sense to me. Usually ICDs shock inappropriatly because of settings programmed not correctly. If there is something that can be ablated, then the ICD didn't go off unnecessarily, but because there was a serious arrhythmia. You also said that he already had some ablations. Not sure, but I'd not just keep ablating ventricular tachycardias. One can try a few times, but if those tachycardias come back again and again, then the ICD in combination with drugs (betablockers, amiodarone etc.) need to do the job. A friend of mine had three ablations for ventricular tachycardia, and took amiodarone for a long time. But after the last ablation, the doctors said that it makes no sense to do more ablations, she just needs to get the ICD implanted and then this will take care of these arrhythmias. That's what she did, and now she's fine.

Best
Inga

job issues myself

by tnbaby2000 - 2013-11-18 12:11:32

I have applied and applied for jobs, but when that question comes up about the lifting, I say the truth if its more than a gallon of milk, because ive been told that is my limit..and I call them to ask them about the application they always ask me why I say no on lifting if its 25 or 50 pounds then I explain why..then their answer is well you should have read the requirements for the job before you applied..ive gotten this same answer over and over again..but if you answer yes then they call you and it gets asked again and you tell them you have a pacemaker, they get quiet and say ok we will call you if something comes up..its like which foot do I go on today the yes or the no..either way its gonna mess me up..it seems like 75% or more jobs today require lifting..has anyone else had this issue?..im so aggravated with it..im like this pacemaker was not my fault..i didn't plan this!!!..now at moments im aggravated and wishing I hadn't gotten it but I would be very sick probably!..it was running in 40 awake and 30's sleeping..my attitude is I can't win what do I do now?..i want to go back to work..but it seems like god is saying to me I have a new plan for you..can anyone relate to this?....

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