Jobhunting when sick?

[Weatherwax]

I'm new to this forum, so firstly, hello all

I was wondering if someone could advise me on a slightly tricky situation.

I've been ill since September 2012 (started with not being able to drink OJ without ridiculous abdominal pain, progressed to stabbing abdominal pain and nausea every five minutes, being sick, D, night sweats, massive weight loss, constant exhaustion - the whole cocktail of fun). Over Christmas I saw an excellent gastroenterologist who told me he was 99% sure that I have Crohn's disease - but I have to have a CT scan to properly diagnose it before he can give me steroids.

My current employment contract terminates at the end of February, and I have told my employer that I am ill (to explain why I'm falling asleep at my desk/wincing so much/taking random time off due to being too tired to get out of bed).

Today, I arranged to shorten my working hours to four days a week until I'm feeling better/have medication. As a complete coincidence, I also received an invitation to an interview to another job, on a day that I would usually be in work if not for the shorter hours.

Obviously I'm not really well enough to be job hunting, but I don't have much choice due to the timing of my contract terminating (rent must be paid...) and I am hoping to feel better by the time I would start. My question is, firstly: how long, in your sage experience, does it take for steroids to start working? Secondly, is long-term/recent sickness (such as might cause you to reduce your hours) declared at the reference stage of getting a new job?

I'm new to this, and forums in general, so if I've left anything out or breached any forum etiquette, please be forgiving and just let me know!

Thanks

Weatherwax

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I'm job hunting and definitely find it stressful with the unpredictability of this illness. I would definitely not advertise your condition for fear of discrimination. Get hired, do your best and address the health issues only if necessary and after you demonstrate you are a good employee.

As for steroids they can work very quickly and you may feel much better in a few days to weeks.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Hi Weatherwax, welcome to the forum (cool username by the way - Discworld reference I'm assuming? I'm not a Pratchett fan but I'm married to one!).

I feel for you, I have to keep working too because, as you said, bills have got to get paid. It's sometimes very difficult to work while chronically ill, just try to take it day by day and do what you can, take extra breaks if you're able to, etc. The good news is, as NGNG said, steroids tend to kick in very quickly. Did your doc specify which steroid they'd put you on? Prednisone usually kicks in within a matter of days - for me, I felt the effects very quickly, within the first 24 hours! Not everyone responds that quickly, but it should start working for you within a few days to a week tops. If Entocort is the steroid they're putting you on, that one takes a bit longer to start working, anywhere from a week to a month. It was just over a week for it to kick in for me, and I think 2-3 weeks is pretty typical. Did your doctor mention any type of long-term treatment once the course of steroids is over? Steroids are really just meant for short-term, to get inflammation under control, they're only safe to take for a few months tops. Longer-term maintenance medication should then be used to keep things under control in the long run.

Also as NGNG said, I wouldn't mention a thing about being ill until you have the job and have established yourself at your new place of employment. Are you in the US? If so, once you get settled at your new job, you could talk to your HR rep about Family Medical Leave (FMLA) so that you'd have a bit of job protection and wouldn't get into trouble for taking more sick days than the average person.

Good luck with the interview, and also with the CT scan and the steroids! I hope everything goes smoothly and that you can get a diagnosis & some treatment so that you can have some relief.

 

[shamrock15]

Like the two above, for me prednisone worked in well under 24 hours the first couple times I went on it. Is the job in the same company? Were you head-hunted for the job? Does that company know your immediate supervisor at work?Those are considerations that do affect how you approach the interviews and get yourself ready for the questions. Try to stay as relaxed as possible, and keep in mind that the change in jobs could actually be a relief to you that helps your bowels ease. Good luck!

 

[Weatherwax]

Thank you all for the advice I was wondering whether a new employer would usually find out that an employee recently (temporarily) reduced their hours in their previous job for sickness reasons?

Shamrock - Brilliant news about the steroids, thanks It's not in the same company, or the same city, and they don't know my supervisor. I definitely think it would be a stress relief to get off the rolling contract! Was Prednisone the first thing you were prescribed once you were diagnosed?

Cat-a-Tonic - It is a Discworld reference, yes! You are married to a cool person. My doctor hasn't mentioned anything beyond, basically, "I'll give you some steroids and maybe some immunosuppressants and you'll stop feeling quite so blergh". I should probably have asked more questions when I met with him, but to be honest I was too dazzled by finally finding a doctor who said something constructive on finding out what's wrong.
I'm in the UK, where medical leave allowances tend to vary from company to company. It's a big organisation, though, so if I do need flexibility at any point, hopefully they'll be able to accommodate.

NGNG - thank you for the advice! A few days is much quicker than I was expecting. And good luck with your jobhunt - have you been looking long?

 

[shamrock15]

Pred was the first med that I was on. It started about 2 pm on a Friday for me. I remember that I was feeling pretty run down, had dropped 30 pounds that I couldn't afford to lose in the 10 months leading up to diagnosis, had no appetite. Woke up Saturday morning and had my regular breakfast about 7 am. Had a bowl of ice cream about 8:30, second bowl of cereal at 10, steak and potato for lunch, snacks about every hour and a half, another steak and potato for dinner (I think with some salad). Felt on top of the world, full of energy. Beware though, pred can cause water retention, sleep disruption, acne among other side effects. I didn't have too many of the bad ones though. Asacol and its relatives never did much for me, but seem to work well for others on the forum. Pred is normally the first one though as it can really knock down inflammation in a hurry.

Fingers crossed for a good interview, and that your bowels like your (hopefully) new job as much as you do.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Not too long, so many ups and downs complicate it. Best of luck to you!

 

[Mike58]

I would not tell your prospective new employer about your illness. You will learn what discrimination is all about. Also, I was not eligible for FMLA until employed full time for 12 months. You might be able to take a leave of absence if you run into problems with your Crohn's. Good luck.