working with diabetes.

[sarahmalinky]

Hello all

I’m project managing and editing a new website about work retention, funded by DWP, we are also working with The MS Society, Macmillan, Diabetes UK, THT, Arthritis Care and Parkinson’s disease association. The federation of small business and the TUC as well as the Employers forum on disability are all on board. I want it to be a one stop shop resource which covers everything about work.

I am looking for people's experiences and advice about working with a health condition.

I want to use quotes throughout the site, and show real people leading real lives, working, or not, and what that means for them. What’s been good, what bad, what’s been helpful and what hasn’t.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept, is to answer these questions, and then PM me with replies.

What happened with work right after you were diagnosed? What did you do, what decisions did you make?

Were your employers helpful, did you feel supported?

If you could offer any advice to anyone newly diagnosed with a long term health condition about working, what would it be?

If you could have done anything differently with regard to your work life, what would it have been?

What information and resources did you find useful to help you stay in work?

What were the challenges of staying in work?

How were other colleagues? Was it hard to tell them, talk to them, did they understand or know anything about your conditon?

Do you have any tips for how to approach disclosure?

How does continuing to work impact on your non work life? (if it does)

In your view, what are the most important things tha
t this website should cover?

Do you think it is important for people to stay in work? If so why?

Is there anything else you would like to say?



Kind regards
Sarah

 

[SimonE]

Sarah

Sorry I didn't see this post earlier, here's my response!

I've been diabetic for 30 years, so it hasn't affected my work in the way you imply

My advice to anyone with a long term health condition is don't tell your employer, they don't like it if they have to think of you as anything else other than a income generator, an illness puts responsibility on there shoulders and they hate that. They don't stop you attending appointments or going for tests etc, but I would often be told 'you off sick again?', or 'how many visits to the doctor do you need?'

In terms of choosing a different work life, I wouldn't, Except to say I may have chosen to work in the public sector or in a unionised industry, it seems to be the only place employment lay applies.

In terms of resources to help, there aren't any. Diabetes UK are useless

It wasn't hard to tell colleagues I trusted, but I made the mistake of having a bad hypo at work which required paramedics to be called, which rather outed me. I had explained what to do to close colleagues, but they still didn't know what to do, which is fair enough it's not your colleagues responsibility to take care of you.

Work takes up most of the energy I have, it makes controlling my blood sugars very difficult given the long and irregular hours, I've asked for advice on coping from my GP and specialist, 'look for a new career' seems to be the standard answer.

Any website by the DWP should concentrate on posting information about protecting the rights of employees.

Apologies for the bleakness of the post, but in the last decade the drive towards making more and more money has meant that those of us with chronic illnesses have had to put it second to our careers, that has meant feeling ill and being ill, but it is now the only way to move up the same greasy pole everyone else is also trying to climb!

 

[nickyjayne]

I have been type 1, diabetic for some 20 years now, I have brought my children up, and for the last 5 years as a single parent. After being out of work while bringing up my children and being supported by my then husband, I decided that after the devorice, I was going to have a life, the kids had grown up by now, so time was mine.
After much thinking I decided to become a door supervisor, (bouncer), to be honest i did not think I would past first post, but i did, it was four days of intense training, and exams, I explained that I 'am a type 1 diabetic, no worries they made sure I had everything I needed, and to make sure I had my breaks on time. I was the only woman in a group of 12 men, that was more daunting for me than having diabetes.
I passed first time, I was so happy, not I had to find someone to employ me......I went to the job centre seen a ad, for a female security officer, made the phone call, interview the next day, I said there and then I was insulin controlled, no worries, I past my next set of exams, took on full time as a security officer.
I informed all of the people i work with,that i'am type one diabetic.Last year i was the only type one diabetic working there, this year, there are 3 of us with type 1, and a few with type 2.
I progressed further with training, and moved to part time work working as a door supervisor, I inform who ever I' am working with i have had no problems, they accept me as I'am, they make sure im ok, i tell them if I'am not well, i keep a close eye on my blood readings, and make sure i have everything i need. I have to say I have great employers, great work mates, and i have a fantastic job. I now go away working at festivals for 5 days at a time, working all different hours, some times 12 hrs on and 12 hrs off, a shift here a shift there, standing a full shift, working, working in a diverse job, but I'am loving life too the full, I still have my 6mth check ups, any problems I have time off work, I don't like being babysat, and i make that very clear, I know when things are not right, i tell someone, but i always make sure i carry everything with me at all times. My mum has been type 1 for 60 years, now she has problems with her health, but she worked all her working life, until she lost her leg due to diabetes, and then other health problems came in, so sadly, she is now disabled, but i look at her and admire her, and if she could do it, so can i, I will not let diabetes rule my life, I will live my life to the full, and enjoy it too along the way.