Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go…

[Oneinthehand]

I’ve never actually sat down and watched Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Sometimes I might be Sleepy and in the work place, that’s definitely not a good thing. (Most of the time I’m Zoomy, that’s Dwarfs number eight who actually gets the work done and didn’t hang around for the filming.)

For me, Sleepy leads to Dopey, leads to Grumpy, leads to annoyed and frustrated. It’s only sometimes but it pops up now and then. Usually I can ride it through by keeping my head down but that’s about to change.

I’ve recently made a decision to change job. My new job will bring with it new pressures and I’m beginning to worry about how I’m going to cope. The work I do can be intense, high pressure even but I’ve always enjoyed it, truly, I’d be bored otherwise. I like the vrah-vrah-vroom but can’t always keep up. See, I’m digging my own ditch here.

As I have Hashimoto’s my new employer has noted my disability. It caught me by surprise. I’m able to function normally most of the time, people won’t know I have problem and they’ll assume I’m a bit tired is all. I’ve never thought of myself as having a disability. I’m very lucky to function as well as I do and am grateful for my good fortune every day. I know it can all change tomorrow.

So, I have a new job that I’m excited about, very scared about and my new manager will have to judge my performance without knowing how much the Hashimoto’s effects me. I struggle to define how much my thyroid affects me. I really have no idea how I’m going to get through this.

Fingers crossed, the new job will put a spring in my step so I can just be Happy. (Perhaps a ninth Dwarf called Optimism is required.)

Your turn: How do you cope with work etc and your condition? Have you particular techniques that help you when you’re fatigued/brain fogged? What strategies help you through your day?

Please don't be shy, share your thoughts by posting, I'd love to know what you think.

[hypodi]

I used to have an excellent job very similiar to what i do now only i was in control if its wasnt right i was to blame and had to correct it etc, then the company went into liquidation and i was on the job hunt, trouble was i was looking for a job exactly the same as the one i had which is nigh on impossible so im working for a much larger company just doing payroll and petty cash, only there is lots more of it. I nearly gave up at one stage, i cant do this no one relises the problems that i have or maybe they do just not why i have the problems i do i think they just think im a bit thick or something. Plus its a large noisey office and i used to have a room to myself, quieter where i could hear myself think or just sware at myself for not noticing something obvious. So ive taken a backstep and now i just do my job if work starts pileing up i go to the manager and say there is no way im going to that lot done and its getting easier as they are starting to accept my limitations. But i do enjoy work and couldnt sit at home all day thinking about my aches and pains my way of dealing with this is to acknowledge its exsistance but carry on regardless even if its with allowing myself small breaks.

I hope the new job goes well for you i think you might find it harder than you think but like me im sure your will find a way to carry on dispite everything. di

[nanniejan]

I just want to wish you all the best in your new job .

Jan x

[PaulaG]

What a lovely blog.

Thanks for starting off my Monday morning with a smile.

You see,I too have hashimoto's and thought I was the only weakling to struggle with work.

I gave up a part-time admin job last year because I couldn't cope through ill-health.I felt embarrassed,pathetic and a failure.I explained I have hashimoto's and was struggling but in the end I just couldn't be healthy enough each day and work through it.

I have started a small business working from home,setting my own hours.I have the flexibility I need and I don't need to explain to an employer,I am too ill to come to work today.

Sometimes,I am absolutely buzzing....with ideas,energy,saying and writing all the right things...but later or the next day...I'm wiped out,high temperature,swollen glands and sad.

I have finally learnt a really important thing....TELL PEOPLE I HAVE HASHIMOTO'S.Yes,it feels weird to tell people and they usually don't understand but it explains why you aren't always on top of your game.I feel it gives me a bit of breathing space.

People either believe you or they don't.You learn who your real friends are.

Good luck and thankyou for sharing your experience,it has made me a teeny bit better about myself,

Paula x

[Hidden]

Interesting issue. Do we declare hypothyroidism as a disability? How do we explain away the fact that despite being medicated, as is the case for many of us, we are still symptomatic. I have worked for the last eight years in a family business but all that is due to end at the end of next month as the business is changing hands and I am to be made redundant at 56. Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to the job centre I go. :-(.

[waveylines]

Your blog made me smile as you mention the unmentionable (at least in the work place!) in such a lovely charming way. As I had to fill in a health form when offered the job I had no option but to disclose (or possibly be sacked if they found out later). What do I do on rubbish days? Like you I try to lay low - I have a tolerant boss who allows me to set my own pace. I think this is the key thing -in return I try to pace myself so I don't have the crashes as much as possible. So maybe you could ask for a 'reasonable adjustment' of 'being allowed to set your own pace'? This means that on 'off' days you will need to be able to work at a slower pace and on a good day you work faster....... Don't know how this sounds as a possible proposal to your new boss who sounds like he/she are trying to be helpful. From my side the other strategy i have for really bad days is I work from home -the quietness of surroundings, no one interrupting my low functioning train of thought, being able to lie down with my laptop, not having to worry about 'work clothes.' The company has set up access to all their systems from home so its a real help. If i am due out on visits then occasionally I have had to cancel them to give myself time to recover (only happened a couple of times as I don't like doing it). Really hope this helps and Congradulations on your new job -don't forget you got it because you are the best of the bunch!

[Chippysue]

A hypo friend of mine really struggles at work in the summer because of air conditioning or windows open as she works in a large office. She can fully appreciate that her colleagues want fresh or cool air but she cannot tolerate it at all. She wore a fleece at work in that heat wave last summer, she cannot concentrate at all when she gets cold.

I know what she means about getting frozen to the core, I cannot walk by the fridges in the supermarkets in the summer, I get so cold but she is suffering when cold air is blowing on her.

Anyone else have anything similar?

I admire all of you working, I haven't been able to go out to work since being hypo, now that I am getting better, I still struggle to concentrate and panic if I am under pressure for any type of deadline. I am coma like in the mornings, no matter what time I get to sleep at night.

If it would have been down to me to earn a living then I would have ended up homeless, I was bed-bound and house-bound for a few years.

[Oneinthehand]

Thank you everyone for your comments, lots to learn from you all I really, really appreciate all your good wishes too!!!

Working from home didn't really work in my previous job (the technology wasn't up to it!) but fingers crossed, this role will be different. That'll be great, just once in a while.

Just to let you know my experience, I did not "declare" a disability. I had to complete a confidential medical questionnaire when I signed the contract. HR then determined I had a disability. I need to stress that I'm one of the very lucky ones able to (generally) function every day. I left it to HR to do what they needed to do and didn't worry about it.

I've thought of telling people I've Hashimoto's but even my friends don't get it. I'm also a very private person so would find it tough

HypoT2years, I wish you all the best in your job hunt.