firstly a bit of background. I have ET (Jak2+) and in February 2025 I was started on fortnight Besremi injections.
in April I started a new part time job which stated some travel into London would be required to support volunteer led community sessions. However, out of 12 days working I was spending 6 days travelling to London so I was unable to focus on other things & grow the service (which was restarted when I got the job). I was spending 3 hours of my 6 hour day travelling, 2 hours for the session which left me an hour to do some admin!
I found this too much & had to resign after 6 months . Shortly after this I had surgery on my nose in October and suffered repeated infections so after 5.5 weeks I had the procedure reversed because my body was rejecting the septal button.
it took me over 2 months to recover & then just before Christmas I had another infection.
whilst this was going on, my immunotherapy injections were changed to Pegasys & I suffered horrendous side effects from this as they were weekly (I didn’t have any from the Besremi which is not available anymore).
My body has taken such a beating I think it’s screwed my immunity.
i want to go back to work now as im bored and have been applying for jobs. I declared that I had a disability (long term medical condition) on a couple of applications & have been knocked back.
I don’t need anything put in place but sometimes it’s just the fatigue that gets me & it was worse until I stopped my Pegasys as advised by my consultant until my review.
it may be purely coincidence but I wondered if anyone else had had this happen to them?
im being honest declaring my condition but should I say nothing? I only want to work 2-3 days a week too which is proving very difficult.
Thanks in advance.
Hi MisterPuss9bb7ac I don’t have ET but have lived with and been treated for 2 rare types of Lymphoma for over 25 years.
Based on my long experience you are not required to disclose this information unless you are specifically asked medical questions…….
Back in 1991 I was asked about my health and at that time I did not have Lymphoma but I was still required to have a chest x-ray before my new lecturing position was confirmed……
But there could be issues if you don’t disclose especially during say a probation period…… or specific roles within your job that you knew you would not be able to do due to your existing cancer diagnosis…….. but I am not an expert so you may need to get advice.
You can contact ACAS, who have a free and confidential helpline for anyone that needs employment advice……. you can call them on 0300 123 1100, they’re open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
You can also contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service for guidance too, their contact number is 0808 800 0082 and they are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm.
As for telling your existing employer you know them best…… and until you know how your treatment rhythm affects you won’t be able to say when you would be able to work….
When I was diagnosed in 1999 I told my employer and when required they made reasonable adjustments for me to have treatment.
