How has sickle cell disease affected ... - Living with Sickl...

Living with Sickle Cell Disease

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How has sickle cell disease affected your career?

CalvinHU profile imageCalvinHU10 Voters
4
It has not affected my career
3
I have stopped working - do not plan on returning
1
I have reduced my hours
1
I have changed my career so I can continue to work
1
Other (please leave comment below)
0
I’ve switched to working from home
0
I have stopped working - plan on returning
7 Replies
miriuska profile image
miriuska

It's not thar clear-cut.

It starts by determining your career. You should not choose a career which involves at any stage travelling a lot, working long hours systematically, being exposed to many people in a closed environment, standing up or working outdoors for long hours, not being able to have regular breaks, working in cold, damp inadequate conditions.

Once you have a career again it conditions your progress as usually you cannot compete with your colleagues in a number of circumstancesalready described.

Working from home is an excellent option and it does improve your quality if life if you can have a balanced routine but yu have a lot to prove to your employers in terms of responsibility and accountability.

Yes, it does affect your career. Not necessarily for the worse. Life ia about choices and how you deal with them, In this case, your health always comes first.

JJibogu profile image
JJibogu

My career or job has not suffered due to my health, though I have been off sick a couple of times due to pain crisis, personal management has been a key factor.

My genotype is however SC this could be a key factor why i do not suffer from too much crisis.

Floe1 profile image
Floe1

It has not affected my career. I have been fortunate enough that my environments have been very supportive. I am a primary school teacher so this does not entail sitting at a desk. I am on the go non stop from the moment I enter the building right up until I lay my head on my pillow at night.

However there are key factors that I have made known to my colleagues in order for me to get through each day. A warm environment, access to water, toilet breaks and suitable equipment eg chairs. I have negotiated playtime duties and times within the day that I am able to stop and take a break if needed.

I have definitely been an advocate for Sickle cell at work and have made it no secret. I take it upon myself to educate all staff and even have information available for parents.

I've just learnt over the years that your employer's need you to come to work each day so therefore need to support you and put in place things that make that place of work adequate enough to keep you there. Just like they would a pregnant person or someone with a visual disability, they need to do for you.

Anzy profile image
Anzy

Sickle-cell has greatly affected my career. I have tried through the years to work full time jobs but have always ended up going into hospital multiple times my body just cannot handle the exertion even at my healthiest tines, I can't maintain working full-time even when I want to. Thankfully I want to be a writer so I can work from home but I still have to work a job and it is not easily.

Della30 profile image
Della30

Tell your employers about it

UniquePassion24 profile image
UniquePassion24

I 24y/o I work a general labor job its really hard on my body I had to stop working because I would have to leave work to go straight to the er. My job let me go because and I quote "temp. worker need to have perfect attendance to get hired on, and if you have to be out one week every month or every few month then we can't keep you". so my temp agency who has all my dr excuses released me. and I'm SCD ss type

Crockran2 profile image
Crockran2

I was a transportation driver for the county so I have to give it up because of my pain and meds

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