The Athletics of Nursing

     On Monday, my brain activated the worry button when my surgeon updated my medical leave paperwork, changing the length of my estimated incapacitation from May 17th to June 20th. That makes sense. May 2 marks the point when I can begin weaning crutches and start gentle activity like walking in the pool or a recumbent bike with no resistance (as tolerated). 4 weeks later, I may begin PT.  So maybe that gives me 3 weeks of PT before returning to work for an injury that is known to take months to return to 80% of previous function.  With many jobs, this would be adequate. But there are days when my job as a Labor & Delivery nurse is an outright athletic event.
     When I was pregnant last year, there were days I could barely walk at the end of the day as my hips were expanding.  Just bending down to plug in a bed felt like a monumental task. And who designed those IV pumps we use? It was not a nurse who designed an IV pump that weighs 10 pounds plus up to four 2 1/2 pound pump modules added to make a 20 pound piece of machinery that you have to hold up isometrically with one hand for a solid minute or two while screwing in an extremely slow mounting clamp onto a pole...for almost every patient!
     Nurses are people movers. In Labor and Delivery, we move women with spinal anesthesia after a c-section, help women up to the bathroom the first time after epidural anesthesia, provide endless hours of counter pressure for labor support.  We twist, we turn, we bend, we lift, we sprint to emergency c-sections. Every once in awhile when I hear a colleague say "I really need to get back in shape!" I think, well, it can't be all that bad; you did just leap onto the bed pretty quickly to relieve that shoulder dystocia! And these activities go on for a 12 hour shift.
     To be clear, I am not complaining.  I am active. I love to move my body. I have loved that for the past 11 years (5 in Labor and Delivery), I have a job where I get to move my body in dynamic ways. I have worn the intensity like a badge of honor. I have kept myself fit so that I can effectively execute the demands of the job.
     The physical demand of bedside nursing is no secret. If you do a job search for nursing jobs at my hospital, any bedside nursing job states that you may have to do all kinds of physical movements including lifting 100 lbs.  Yes, it says that specifically: 100 lbs, though we move patients 2 to 3 times that weight! This is not like lifting 100 lbs at the gym. This is 100 lbs (or 250 lbs) that drops suddenly in a tight cramped space on a floor that maybe wet and slippery, as you are twisting your body around, banging your knee on a cabinet trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
     For the first time I have to worry that my body may not be able to meet the physical demands of a job I love and remain whole enough to keep up the other meaningful activities in my life. I cannot afford re-injury. When I went back to work after Emily was born, I cut back my hours substantially to 12 hours a week. How wonderful to spend more time raising my baby! But a 12-hr work week was the minimum my family could bear to keep our household a-float. As a part-time employee, that left me with no PTO (paid time off) and no disability insurance to help float us through this.  Add the medical bills to the mix and I am faced with a reality that I may need to go back to work full-time to recover from this injury financially.
     On the positive side, my hospital has a decent medical leave policy that does support keeping my job while incapacitated, even for part-time employees. My manager is supportive of my recovery and would love to bring me back when I am able. The questions is, can I afford to wait that long?