Has anyone ever had to go to occupational health at work due to diabetes?

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Smit

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Type 1
Hi,
I am having an awful time with my work and hypos. It had been advised i go to occupational health and see a doctor. The job i am currently doing is not helping and causing lots of hypos. Not the job i am meant to be doing. Work seem uninterested and i get the impression they don't believe there is anything wrong, unsure though. My consultant at the hospital advised me to get a new job, easier said than done. Took me 2 years to get my current job. I am concerned that the doctor i get sent to doesn't understand diabetes. Any advice would be great. Sorry it's very vauge but worried to put to much as you never know who's reading. x
 
I've never faced this, but I think there's some questions you'll need answers to:
  • What is it you do and how does it lead to hypos?
  • Is it the job you were hired to do?
  • How can your employer help you avoid the hypos?

I'm sure someone on here will know what you can expect.
 
Thanks Alison,
Its not the job i was hired to do. But once i arrived at the job was forced into doing it for 1 year. I aired my concern about my diabetes as knew it would cause havoc and was ignored. I've had to seek advice and it's come to this. Management say this will always be on my record and worried it will now effect my chances of ever getting another job.
 
I was sent to them due to having a lot of hypos when I first started my nursing, as you can imagine it is a rather demanding job! I actually passed out on the ward one day without warning! ended up down in a&e with a drip in my hand! lol It was really embarrasing, but a good insight into what kind of career i was chosing lol
The doctor who seen from occupational health figured that it would balance itself out once i had given it a few weeks, which it did! was a huge shock going into a busy ward situation from sitting on my backside at uni!!😱
 
Thanks Lou, I am in a similar job to yourself. Very active and hypoing all over the place. If i'm not low then i am sky high in my 20's. Have been doing it for nearly a year and been very ill with it all. Just wish others could understand what it's like.
 
Its hard when no one around you understands, I felk like I was an alien sometimes!! My mentor at the time (was student nurse) was not very understanding at all and kept on pulling me up about the silliest things it was my first placement and I seriously thought about quitting i hated it all so much!!🙄
 
Smit said:
Thanks Lou, I am in a similar job to yourself. Very active and hypoing all over the place. If i'm not low then i am sky high in my 20's. Have been doing it for nearly a year and been very ill with it all. Just wish others could understand what it's like.
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How dreadful! Your employers appear to be bullying you and not taking into account the fact that you have protection from the law against such discrimination. Are you in a union, that you could seek backing and advice from? Have a read of the following and see if it helps:

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Advocacy/DiabetesUK_Advocacy_Employment_08-10-2009.pdf

I'm very sorry to hear that you are made to feel that your diabetes is a barrier to your employment, especially since you are doing a job you did not apply for.
 
I was sent because I had a lot of time off work, some of it due to diabetes. Just be as honest as you can with them. They will ask lots of questions, probably weigh you measure you and take your blood pressure.

Once you have been they will send a report yo your emloyer and make reccomendations to help you, which you emloyer should take notice of.
 
Im really sorry you have had so much trouble with your job. I am recently diagnosed myself and work has suggested that I be refered to occupational health as im a teacher and my headteacher has been wonderful and really wants to know what can be done to make the situation easier for me. I havnt had a date but I assume it will be very shortly. I can let you know how mine went if you like.
My mum is an NHS manager and deals with occupational health quite often and she really encouraged me to allow the referal because she said that they will be able to tell your employers how to help you deal with the condition.
I know its not the case for everyone but this is the experience I have had so far
 
Hi
Before i went onto my pump 3 1/2yrs ago i was having lots of trouble with hypo's i'd drop really quickly without warning. I'm a nurse & work shifts & found nights really difficult. My employer was not very understanding, they told me that i would be in breach of my contract if i didn't work nights!! I was sent to occupational health & the occ health doctor who saw me was fantastic!! He was very understanding he signed me off nights & told my employer that this was in conjuction with reasonable adjustments outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act.
My control improved significantly on the pump i have since changed jobs (no mention from my previous employer about occ health referral, hypo's, time off work etc, to my new employer) & i'm now able to manage working shifts much easier
I found the occ health referral really possitive they definitly seem to look out for the interests of the employee not the employer!!
 
Thank you for your advice and stories of what you have experienced. I am in a union, they were very keen for me to go to oh. I am just concerned they don't understand diabetes. I am going to take a letter from my consultant fully backing my concerns and all my blood diaries to show where and when hypoing. Do i need to take anything else? I think the appointment will take a few weeks to come through.
 
Hi Smit,

I was obliged to go to occupational health, ironic seeing as I work in a hospital! I had to passed as fit to work by a quack. They are very good about my diabetes at work.

Tom
 
Hi
I was sent to occupational health after diagnosis because I'd had lots of time off and also because of the job I did I had lots of hypo's. He explained how my lantus worked even though I knew how it worked and completely got it wrong and basically just told me what I already knew about everything else.The guy advised my work than within 3 months I'd have perfect control and wouldn't need anymore time off sick:confused:

It didn't change HR or my boss's attitude towards me I ended up being singed off for 2 months because of bad control and was fed up of not being believed that I wasn't well still. I went in after the 2 months and quit because I'd had enough of it all. x

P.S good luck with it I hope that it works out well in your favour.
 
Wow didn't think so many people would have gone through this. Thank you all so much for your replies. I have a meeting with my boss this week regarding everything and the forms been sent off to OH for a referral. Have managede to be hypo free so far today. Thats a first, but don't want to speak to soon. Still a few hours until bed time. I'll keep you all updated. Fingers crossed it goes well. x
 
Smit said:
Thanks Alison,
Its not the job i was hired to do. But once i arrived at the job was forced into doing it for 1 year. I aired my concern about my diabetes as knew it would cause havoc and was ignored. I've had to seek advice and it's come to this. Management say this will always be on my record and worried it will now effect my chances of ever getting another job.
Click to expand...

That sounds like intimidation to me.
 
I have been to occupational health as part of the prer employment assessment and they were pretty godo about my diabetes. I explained that I found it difficult to work nights, but didn't want to just say i wouldn't do it. So we reached the decision that I would only work 3 a month instead of the usual 7.

They won't be diabetes specialists so you will know more than them, so you will need to explain to them the problems you are having and what you think would help you.

Good luck
 
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