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    Accomidate or Prevaricate?

    Shortly after I was dxed I was transferred to another facility with a youth population of 40, split level building and an expecation of being very "hands on," moved from a small, purely administrative position. This wasn't punative.

    My concerns are if I out myself I'll affect future promotions, since many facilities are similar to the one I am working at. I feel that working in the public sector I am more protected, but I'm not sure if this is an accurate conclusion. My retired supervisor gave me the name of someone in HR I could "trust" and two names of people with MS that work for the department. One is in a special needs facility, no openings.

    I'm not bad right now. I stutter a bit, get angrier than I should sometimes, and have to write everything down. I hope that I can stay stable or maybe even improve but I also want to be realistic. My main concerns are the fatigue (appearance of performance) and contracting JC from the children. I use hand sanitizer and move away quickly if they cough. I'm not sure if I'm being neurotic or taking a huge risk. If my viral status changes I will beat myself up over it, even though I know I can get it on a bus or maybe it was a false negative. TIA

    #2
    dyin_myelin, I gather from your post you are on Tysabri? I was on Ty for 5 years while jc Positive, and while some neuros take the approach that being JC+ precludes you from treatment, that is not necessarily so. They have a test that indicates levels, so you may be allowed to start or remain on it if you do not exceed a certain antibody threshold. Check with your neuro on that to ease your mind if that is an issue you are concerned about.

    Regardless of whether you work for public or private sector, do not disclose until you feel your condition makes it difficult enough that you require accommodation. At that point, go full-on scorched earth and keep records of everything, everyone, anything, and anyone that you came into contact with, discussed anything with, and any anything employment related.

    Your main concerns: fatigue....if you work in a state agency for youth, possibly correctional based on your use of the term "hands on," there are things you might be able to do that positively impact your energy level. If it is anything like when I worked for my state's department of youth corrections, i am assuming you may be subject to forced overtime, which plays hell on your immune system if you work nights are must stay on over on as night shift. getting a regular schedule of adequate sleep is crucial to maintaining your overall health. Mess with sleep and other stuff gets disrupted too. In the event you ask for workplace accommodation I do not believe they will be able to accommodate you with immunity from forced overtime and you may find yourself reassigned to a different role that is not subject to it.

    Diet and supplements are a cost-effective step to help your health also. I take vitamin D and fish oil at the advice of my neuro and try to make sure I avoid processed food as much as possible. Broccoli? Heck yeah. Twinkies: absolutely not. You really ARE what you eat. And if you have the ability to work out: that's a huge help, even if only thirty minutes three times a week. Studies demonstrated that people who work out regularly suffer colds only half as long as people who are sedentary, and those who still worked out while having a cold had them for even shorter periods than people who took a break. personally, I don't believe in working out while I'm sick because I am somewhat hedonistic and I don't like doing it because hey, it doesn't feel all that great. Plus, those of us with MS might benefit from the rest period. Your mileage may vary, consult with your neuro about it if you wonder. Those studies weren't done on people with MS.

    Since your current symptoms include irritability, consider looking into strategies for anger management. One I use all the time when working with people who annoy me is to try not to take their stupidity personally but to instead feel sorry for them for being stupid.

    Deep breath after other person's stupid utterance/action, retreat to your happy place, inwardly think "bless their heart," proceed as planned. They really CAN'T help themselves. You are making their lives better with your patience and expertise. What a good person you are.

    Good luck and keep us posted!

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      #3
      Fabulous reply! All of it, yes!!

      Public sector is no guarantee of anything, sorry.

      Treat those two HR names like gold! Wish I had that advantage. What you *could* do is look at career planning and development. If you're unionized, and I sense you are, typical collective agreements contain something about mgmt being required to consider and aid in an employees future career goals.

      Nobody needs to know you have MS. You could look into a job that is less active and meets your needs physically and mentally. This is where those HR names might be able to help you. If they're good this is a challenge they'd eat up with a spoon.

      If you're unsure what you want to do, talk to the ms society about funding for a career/rehabilitation counselling services. Interest, aptitude, skills, testing, market evaluation type assistance.

      Here in Canada, funding for training and education is good for pwd.

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        #4
        Thank you Tarbaby, for your extensive reply. You truly are a "southern belle." I was kind of forced two years ago to eat a healthy, high fiber diet or I got IBS type symptoms and stuff stopped moving. I didn't know what was up, but figured hey, at least I'm healthier. I came out a little and said I had an autoimmune disorder. My boss has been understanding and will actually let me snooze a bit. I hope I did the right thing, it certainly feels good for now.

        You're right Trestle, we are union but between a contract right now. I will check if there was such a provision in the older contract we default to. Here is one place the MSS wasn't that helpful. I went to an MS in the workplace dinner and they said they couldn't answer any of my questions. Someone asked, how do I deal with this disease day in and day out? Which is valid of course, but it derailed the whole night as everyone shared their coping strategy. Thanks again.

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