I consider myself very fortunate to work full time in a job that I love, and surrounded by the most supportive team I could ever wish for. Many people with a chronic illness are unable to work and I know that there may be a point in my life where my ability to work will change. There’s a lot of chatter concerning people who, due to their health, are unable to work and claim benefits. They typically get labelled as scroungers, fakers and too lazy to work and whilst there are a small percentage of people who do abuse the system, this simply isn’t the case for the majority. Those with invisible illnesses such as depression, fibromyalgia and mental and behavioural conditions struggle to prove that they are sick and aren’t fit to work because there are either none or very few outwardly signs of their conditions. The DWP has come under attack recently for their somewhat controversial ‘work capability assessment’ procedures and has been accused of causing deaths of those who were either wrongly or right found to be fit to work. Speaking about the DWP and this topic isn’t something I’m going to go into because I’ve never had any dealings with them; I’ve never claimed benefits and I’ve never been deemed ‘not fit to work’ as a result of my conditions. I think they have an incredibly difficult job and I certainly wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. People who are quick to criticise the DWP for making certain decisions seem to forget something – these are people making these difficult decisions and the guilt they must feel when they find out that a person they worked with committed suicide must be unspeakable. I refuse to believe what I hear about anything concerning the DWP unless they themselves have released a statement.
As I mentioned above – I’m very lucky and grateful to work in a job that I love! I work in a busy Marketing department for a national charity supporting children, young people and their families. My role is to support our services (children’s centres, prison visitor centres etc.) with whatever marketing needs they have – whether it’s supplying balloons and goody bags for a fun day or creating and printing leaflets to hand out to stakeholders. Most of my time is spent sitting at my desk doing computer work, but I do get to visit some services from time to time and that’s always really enjoyable and fulfilling. I walk to and from work every day which is about 15 minutes each way – but I have been known to take 45 minutes before due to high pain days. When my conditions began to take hold of me I had a fair bit of time off work due to the pain and tiredness, but I’m super pleased to report that I haven’t had a sick day due to my conditions for over 4 years! I have a stupid rule that if I can get out of bed and walk to the bathroom with relative ease then I’m well enough to go into work. I’ve been criticised for it many times and told that I should just stay at home, but the truth is that being at work gives me a purpose and makes me genuinely happy. In my eyes, I would just be sitting at home moping and moaning about being bored and in pain; but at work I can focus my energy onto something productive, spend time with my wonderful colleagues and enjoying myself. I can take my pain relief with me wherever I go and work is no different. The pain itself isn’t the reason I find work so difficult – it’s the tiredness. I know, sitting down all day must be so exhausting…?! I know how ridiculous it sounds, believe me. But the combination of walking to work, concentrating, chatting, and being 100% switched on and in the room, walking into town for lunch, walking home…it’s a lot to cope with for me. My doctor isn’t thrilled with me working full time but either reducing my hours or leaving my job completely just isn’t an idea I’m going to entertain right now. It would take a lot for it to get to that stage and I think I’m still a way off from that point at the moment, thankfully.
There’s a lot of discrimination in the work place surrounding disabilities but I’m one of the lucky ones. Sure I get comments from people I don’t work directly with day to day and the occasional sniggers when I lose my balance but I try not to let it bother me. They don’t necessarily know about my medical conditions. The people I work with in Marketing (and Fundraising, and Business Development) are simply fab. They know about my conditions and my limitations (and quite often tell me off for carrying something I probably shouldn’t be) and will always help me with whatever it is I need. Opening doors, opening drinks, opening packets, carrying and lifting, and repetitive envelope stuffing to name just a few! They keep my spirits up and are always there for me. As an organisation, they’re incredibly flexible with taking time off for doctor’s appointments and regularly check in with me to see if my needs have changed and if they need to make any adjustments for me. I’m not sure I would have struck it this lucky anywhere else.
spoonielolz 