New job worries

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violetcreams

violetcreams

Joined
Jul 22, 2009
Messages
766
new job worries

Hi all.

This morning I was offered a job in an area that I'm really keen to get into but my health is still all over the place. I'm worried that I won't be able to perform well in the role because of my disease not going fully into remission. I haven't mentioned my diagnosis to the employer, however as it is an nhs job, I suspect I'll have to fill in an occupational health questionnaire. I intend to be honest about my diagnosis on this form (but maybe less honest about how well controlled the condition is). Does anybody have any advice? I don't want my body to let me down. I've had my career on hold for almost a year because of this thing. :(

Love.
 
Be honest and try your best. Hopefully all will work out for you.
I wish you the best of luck.
 
Good luck with this - I just started a new job, and I was honest.... to a point... so I admitted I have Crohns...but.. well I didn't lie.... I just wasnt overly forthcoming, I told them I take treatment to keep it under control... I didnt go into detail about whether it actually works or not...

I think there is a fine line between being honest, bearing your soul and talking yourself out of a job - you know?

I hope ity works out.
 
Thanks Lishyloo and Shantel. I think that's good advice. Hey Shantel, you look so healthy and pretty on your photo! I say this because I look really dreadful!!!! I always have big panda eyes & I'm really pale and pasty looking, yuk.

Love.
 
Hey honey,

Just thought I would put in my tuppence worth on this one. I am starting a new job with Leicester and Rutland PCT on 2nd Nov and I put my crohns and everything at the bottom of my posting here. I highlighted I am on Remicade/infliximab every 6wks amongst other meds.

The Occ Health nurse phoned me and said because I was so open and honest on my form they wouldnt need to see me. She also said "if I didnt mind!" she would put on my form I was to have an ergonomics assessment - which means everything at my desk will be adjusted for ME and my needs!.

I was over the moon.

I have had great support from the Occ Health team at my current Trust which is Papworth in Cambridgeshire.

In all honesty I would say if you are coming into an NHS job be upfront and honest with them from the start. If you deteriorate and havent flagged up your problems they cant support you effectively.

In recent years (including this year) I have had phased returns organised starting at 4hrs. My boss included my recent 2wk stint in hospital as part of it because it was planned admission under rheumatology and I was paid full pay. It also meant I then used 22hrs up of annual leave instead for the return to work after this to boost my hours to full time so I could ease back in. My hours of starting and finishing were also flexed as I am rubbish in the mornings so started no earlier than midday.

Hope what I have said helps!!

Thinking of you.
 
Hiyah Soup Dragon & thanks for your advice. I was offered the job over the phone last week, after attending an interview a few weeks earlier. I haven't received any paperwork at all yet (am beginning to think the job offer may have been an auditory hallucination, heehee!!). So I haven't yet had the opportunity to disclose my condition to occy health. There was nooooo way I was going to mention it at the interview!! On my original application form there was the ticky box for disability but I didn't tick it. I'm not ready to take on that label at this stage.

Shantel, you are very smiley! A real tonic!

Love to you all.
 
Just throwing in my two cents- I think you should be completely honest, and also tell them your feelings and concerns about really wanting the position, but feeling nervous about it because of your health. Also reassure them that you want the position and will do your very best. Don't be hard on yourself, though. And try not to stress out too much, nor take on too much. Health is more important. Good luck! And I hope you get to feeling better :-D
 
Thanks Agent, feeling a bit more positive today (probably because I don't feel as ill as I did at the weekend). Hope this job is right for me & that my body can work with me!!!
 
Ha ha! Glad you didnt mention anything at interview! I can just imagine it now...

"Would you mind if I digress from your competency based interview questions for just a moment to discuss my explosive bottom and how much time I intend to spend in the staff toilets with agonising stomach cramps - do you have staff hot water bottles or should I bring my own??? oh, and whats the sick leave situation like? Because some days I really cant leave the house if you know what I mean:eek2: ... The flatulance can be quite foul, but I am sure a forward thinking organisataion such as yourselves would be able to turn a blind eye (nose) to these types of issue... "

:poo:

Congratulations on the job offer - hope it works out!
 
Lishyloo said:
Ha ha! Glad you didnt mention anything at interview! I can just imagine it now...

"Would you mind if I digress from your competency based interview questions for just a moment to discuss my explosive bottom and how much time I intend to spend in the staff toilets with agonising stomach cramps - do you have staff hot water bottles or should I bring my own??? oh, and whats the sick leave situation like? Because some days I really cant leave the house if you know what I mean:eek2: ... The flatulance can be quite foul, but I am sure a forward thinking organisataion such as yourselves would be able to turn a blind eye (nose) to these types of issue... "

:poo:

Congratulations on the job offer - hope it works out!
Click to expand...


I love it!!! I think I will cut and paste this for later use. Sarcasm is a crohnies best friend.
Good luck with the job Violet:ylol2: :ylol2: :ylol2: :ylol2:
 
Heehee. I found the arse nintendo REALLY painful tbh. The sedative was useless. I remember clutching at my stomach in the middle of the procedure, going "ow! ow!". I think I was talking non-stop crap all of the way through it too. They'll have to catch me if they want to do that again & I can run pretty fast!!!
 
Thanks

Hi

Thanks for sharing your journey about your job. I ahve been off on disability for 5 years. I really want to have a job but I am scared. When I had my jobs before and didn't knwo I ahd Crohns I had ltos of problems. I am trying to accept that I may never work. I am so afraid that I will get sick and have a nasty boss liek i did before. i had lots of depression and anxiety about life.
I lost my dad and thought I coudl;n't live without him becasue when I was sick before he was there for me. i jsut went down hill after that.
Then my nephew drown and my Crohn's got a lot worse I guess from the stress. I was havign tons of diahrea and was feeling really sick. That's why i decided to stop workign. I didn't know I ahd Crohns at the time. Then i found out it was Crohns
I actaully realized when the Doctor gave em the diagnosis he said " Well it's not cancer but you do have Crohns"
I think i went into shock because I couldn't imagine that I would have cancer. I think that I have become really controlling becasue I thought i was going to die from this disease. Bexcause I ahd an il;lness when I was a teenager and I remember the Dcotor saying " If it had of been 5-10 years ago you would ahve died. I think I am still afraid of dying.
And I knwo when i got sick before my family was really crazy and there was a lot of anger in my house. I think that I caused the anger becasue of my illness. I was on prednisone at the time and I was trying to go to school and i was angry as hell and I felt very alone cause my friends and teachers and even my family did not know what I went through.
The Docotr made a mistake when he did the lvier biopsy and he hit my diaphram and I couldn't breath. I jsut shut down emotionally since then and I ahted going to the Doctor.
When I became ana adult I stopped goign to the Doctor cause I was afraid i would be in the hospiteal and isoalted again. it was a horrible horrible time. I don't think i will ever heal from that
Being lonely and have this rare illness is awful I am so thankful for this place to share. I am an adult but I feel liek a scared little kid !!!
i lvie on my own and I really rely on my fmaily and friends and I ahte that I feel so needy. Also jsut before I got diagnosed with Crohns I ahd met a friend on the internet and she died of STRP THROAT !!!
I felt so lsot and so scared after that I wonder why God took her away. It was so very very painful that I lsot her. I think i still need some grief counslellign for that. adn for my illness .
I need to ehar from other people jsut like me
There isn't a face to face meeting for Crohns near me it is far out of town.
i feel so much better being able to vent on ehar. And that you people might think i am crazy but that's ok becasue I am here behind my computer screen. LOL
I also have huge fears of having an accident !! I have only had a coupel but that's becasue I isoalte becuase I am afraid people will get angry with me. Actually peopel ahve got angry with me when I ahev not been able to be there and felt really scared and overwhelmed. But that's thier problem not mine !!! If they can't handle people being sick then they shoudln't even be around people !!!!
Why do i think that men are better at dealign with sick women then women are at dealign with sick people. Mayeb it's casue women seem to ahev to take care of everyone/. That's what it feels liek to em. I feel overwhelmed that I feel liek i ahve to take care of ev3erybody else when I can hardly and can't take care of myself. I need other people to help em but they seem to get mad a lot.
Well thanks for lsitneing I feel a lot better. I am goign to send this out and see if anyone can relate to what I have said. Even if you don't I feel much better getting this stuff out of my system !!!
 
i definitely agree with Lishyloo and Shantel.

be honest, and do your best. i wish you luck.

and soup dragon, that is awesome that your employer was so accomodating.
 
Hi Shantel.

I had to resign from my previous job in an acute psychiatric unit therapy suite, in April 09, after having been off sick for six months. This is a new job, in a different city, due to start at the beginning of October. Old job & new job are both for the national health service & all NHS job offers are subject to a satisfactory occupational health report & a satisfactory sickness record (IBD is covered by the disability discrimination act over here so they can't discriminate against me for my time off sick in the old job). It's been a real battle to get this far to be honest.
 
Hopefully you've passed all the hurdles, VC, and can look forward to your new job!
I've been referred to occy health a few times (bearing in mind I've been at this job for decades, so well established). Occy health for my job is a privately contracted service, and they recommended that I would be covered by the DDA... so a good result for me. I always try to be very helpful to OH docs and smile a lot!
 

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