Getting fired from work

[Tahmed251]

I have been let go from two jobs as a result of not being able to concentrate and forgetting things, this is what the employer is saying. As a result my employer has let me get go as they think I am not a fit for the job, even they know I am a transplant. Is anyone struggling in their job as a result of the transplant and the medications or has been fired as a result. Please share your experience.

[OperationKidney]

That really sucks, I'm so sorry friend. I struggle too with memory issues and concentration. I'd recommend chatting with your doctor about it and seeing what they say. I wonder if they might have some ideas as to what could be the cause of it and how to make it less troublesome for you. For me it took getting evaluated for ADHD & getting on meds for things to get better. Hopefully you can get some answers for whatever it is, and I also hope you can find an employer who is more willing to work with you around the side effects of this disability.

[AENEASavc]

I am sorry that you are faced with this situation. It is cruel not to offer assistance and understanding to a person recovering from a transplant.If you are in the United States you may be protected by the Americans with disabilities act, which is law. Also the social security administration might be able to offer you financial support under its disability rules. Please contact them.

[redpanda67]

Hi Tahmed251,

I had problems a few years after my transplant. I was in graduate school taking classes in the early morning and working in a lab the rest of the day. I almost flunked out because of the lack of focus and problems sleeping. I ended up going to a psychiatrist and discovered it's not uncommon for the drugs we take to push people over the edge into learning and memory problems. As OperationKidney said one of those problems can be the emergence of ADHD symptoms. If you are already borderline, like I was, it can make the problem severe enough that it impacts your life. I have tried various medications over the years, but I discovered the benefits were good, but most of the time the side effects made things worse in other areas. For example, I had been on Wellbutrin, which did help somewhat, but the drug made me manic and feel like I was high most of the day, and not in a good way.

For me I discovered a combination of exercise, I used to swim 3-5 days a week for 45 minutes, good sleep for at least 7-9 hours, and organizing parts of my life to be on autopilot made a huge difference. - For autopilot, I did things throughout the week, so I had few decisions to make. Making my meds up for the week, meal prep so I always had food and didn't need to make a decision, and setting up clothes in my closet so I could grab and go in the morning. I set up cleaning schedules, calendar reminders for everything, and lots of checklists. Sticking to a very boring and predictable schedule eventually becomes a habit and you don't have to use as much brain power to remember stuff.

For work I use timers. I set 30-45 minutes aside and have a very specific task to work on. I am a HUGE procrastinator so I have learned to just set a timer for 5 minutes with a very simple task - open word, name the document, and save. Sometimes that's all I need to get the momentum going.

Good Luck

[Parkerbarker]

Apparently tacrolimus if you're on that makes you funny in the head I didn't realize it till the pharmacist told me that people have been saying that and that's the worst part is that I didn't realize it and I said oh no I haven't felt that but then looking back and then catching my mistakes at work I was like holy cow my mind is messed up and specially when the tacro is too high in my system like seriously my brain was just fogged up and then I was like oh my God have I been making mistakes at work and they haven't been telling me because fortunately I work in a small clinic and we're very close knit and my boss has been very supportive but I was just appalled because I work in an environment that you have to have correct numbers and stuff like that so yeah definitely the tacro has been messing with my head and I will be switching to the Sirolimus shortly cuz the tacro as a whole has been poisonous to my system. I'm surprised that you could be fired though because that's almost like a disability being a transplant recipient and you can't really be fired for having a disability they can move you to a different position that doesn't require you to have that much concentration but yeah I definitely look into that legally.

[forthelonghaul]

Hi Tahmed251,

Sorry about the delayed response. I had started writing then it got lost because it couldn’t save.

My memory issues are affecting me also. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop at the door to my job. My boss has been understanding, but he gets it from other people at work. I started taking steps to offset the deficit, but sometimes it’s hit or miss. The sad thing it’s that I feel like I’m under a microscope.

It bothers me that you were let go given the things you been through. Are there ANY kind of protections for employees in your state? Maybe some you’re not aware of

When I met with my surgeon for one of my earlier followups, he asked me if I’d thought about disability. Could that be an option for you?

I noticed that this site has a chat function. Reach out to me if you ever feel like talking, or if you need to vent. It can get hard, but just take out day by day.

forthelonghaul