• Has your viral load been undetectable for 6-12 months?
• Have you been on a stable medication regime for 6-12 months with few side effects?
• Have you been free of opportunistic infections for 6-12 months?

If the answer of the three questions is Yes...
If you responded YES to all the questions, you are in a position to return to work. Discuss any questions about this with your doctor.

If some of the answers are NO...
Responding NO to one or more questions means you are not ready to begin to work. But you can begin preparing yourself for finding a job.  You can strive to learn new skills, as in the field of computers; take classes; be a volunteer so you can meet people who are beginning to think about returning to work. Many community organizations are beginning or have begun support groups for people considering returning to work. These groups are a pleasant source of aid and ideas.
 

LIST
Health topics and questions to discuss with your doctor.

Your doctor can be a decisive aid in your decision to return to work. He not only not only certify that you are ready return to work, but also can help you determine if you are really ready. He can also help to plan strategies to handle the physical and emotional pressure of beginning to look for work, interviewing, and, finally, returning to work

The following list can be used as a guide that can help you in your discussion with your doctor, and other health care providers. This list has questions and spaces for your answers, notes, suggestions and strategies.
 

STATE OF PRESENT HEALTH
Your viral load should be nondetectable by 6-12 months or more.

Strategies to maintain/improve your permanent medical state:

DRUG AND MEDICAL REGIME
Drugs/medicines taken for 6-12 months with few side effects.

Does this medicine regime interfere with the responsibilities of the work day?
Explain:

Strategies that will solve this interference:
Are there complications in taking this medication regime if they are taken to work? For example, the medicine must be cooled, or must be taken with food? If the answer is YES, how problematic are these complications?

Strategies to solve these complications:

Note: The publication "What About My Rights?" (an informational guide for employees) speaks to people living with HIV and can be of use in remedying problems with your medication regime in the workplace.

DAILY ACTIVITIES And LEVEL OF ENERGY
Can you remain active throughout the day without being very tired?

How much sleep does your body need?______________________

How much can you work?_____________________________________

Temp work? _______________________________________________

40 hours per week? ____________________________________________

20 hours per week? ____________________________________________

More than 40 hours per week? _____________________________________
 

Strategies to use balance level of energy versus demands in at work:

STRESS IN THE WORK
Has stress affected my health in the past?

To your knowledge, has stress caused your T-cells to diminish in the past?

To your knowledge, has stress caused an increase in your viral load?

Have you taken steps to reduce stress in your life?

Strategies to recognize and reduce stress:

COGNITIVE ABILITIES
Cognitive abilities include memory and retention; lapses of attention and concentration; comprehension; thought; solving problems; ability to speak; the power to distinguish and to decide; computation; etc. If you have some cognitive problem, like being forgetful, discuss it with your doctor some strategies to solve the problem. Depression and anxiety can cause forgetfulness or loss of concentration.

Note: You can include some of the following strategies when planning your daily activities: Managing stress and relaxation to improve cognitive abilities; making lists; writing a journal; taking breaks throughout the day; allowing sufficient to do your work; reviewing your work and computations before handing them in.

Other strategies to improve your cognitive abilities:

DEPRESSION And ANXIETY
Do you have a history of depression?  If so, what are the symptoms?

At the moment you have symptoms of depression (for example, changes in the appetite, feelings of fatigue, feelings of sadness, etc.)?

Do you have a history of anxiety?  If so, what are the symptoms?

At the moment, do you have anxiety symptoms? For example, worrying constantly, feeling empty or tired, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, weight gain or loss, eating too much, unreasonable feelings of culpability, nervousness, etc.

Could a search for or return to work help alleviate your depression or anxiety?

Could a search for or return to work make your depression or anxiety worse?

Note: Some of the strategies to prevent anxiety/depression can include: getting enough rest, trying to control your emotions (like frustration, anger, fear), and thinking that you are working for a better future.

Other strategies to recognize and prevent anxiety and depression:

OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS
Have you been free of opportunistic infections for 6-12 months or more?

What opportunistic infections you have had in the past?

How do these infections affect your present?

How these infections affect your future?

Strategies to be free of opportunistic infections:

OTHER SUBJECTS TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR DOCTOR
You and your doctor should discuss the effects of returning to work with respect to changes in your disability benefits including Social Security, SSDI, and AIDS drug programs. Try to read called publication & "HIV/AIDS Security Disability Insurance" published by the National Foundation of AIDS.

TO BEGIN TO WORK Or NOT TO BEGIN?  
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER
Congratulations! You are being considered for a job, but there are some considerations before you take it.  Does this employer offer long-term disability?  If so, what are the eligibility requirements (e.g., waiting period)?  Will this employer give time off to visit the doctor regularly?  How does the Americans with Disabilities Act come into play?

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Do you have.....

• Questions or concerns that have not been answered in this list?
• Do you have additional needs, concerns, or questions about the complex process of returning to work?
• Suggestions or ideas that can improve your initiative to return to work, so that we could respond better to people living with HIV & AIDS?