• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Work Problems

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Z

Zosema

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi everyone, could I ask for some work related advice?

I was made redundant at the end of October. My employer assured me it was nothing to do with my diabetes (I was diagnosed about 3-4 months ago). I had to take this on trust.

Subsequently I secured myself a new permanent position with a large UK organisation and I started the new job on Monday.

Unfortunately, I absolutely HATE it, for a number of reasons.

One of the reasons is that there is no parking available and so I have to get the bus and then walk the rest of the way (about 20 minutes walking in total at each end of the day). Also, the job entails visits to another office in London and I went one day last week. I had to stand all the way into London as there were no seats on the train, and then half way across London on the Tube, then walk the rest of the way.

I have been experiencing pain in my lower legs and ankles, which my GP has told me is due to peripheral diabetic neuropathy. When I got back from London I was in a lot of pain, due to all the standing and walking and every day I'm finding my legs painful at the end of the day. Last night I limped most of the way to the bus stop.

I don't know what to do. I want to leave this job and try again - would that be wrong of me? I told my manager on Friday that I don't think its going to work out for me and she told me to think about over the weekend.

Would I have any right to expect adjustments to be made for me due to my diabetes?

I just don't know what to do other than just leave and start again. The other reasons I hate the new job are the office atmosphere (its like a mortuary its so serious) and the amount of travelling (which seems like its going to be more than I was told at interview).

This is so depressing for me - I thought things were looking up for me when I got this job. I've been made redundant 3 times over the last 2 and a half years, I feel cursed and like I'm never going to be happy again.:(

Sorry for such a rambling post!

Many thanks
Zosema
 
Hi Zosema,
sorry to hear of your problems :(
When you say
I have been experiencing pain in my lower legs and ankles, which my GP has told me is due to peripheral diabetic neuropathy. When I got back from London I was in a lot of pain, due to all the standing and walking and every day I'm finding my legs painful at the end of the day. Last night I limped most of the way to the bus stop.
Click to expand...
Has this started since you started the job? If so I would suspect it's due to a new job and being on your feet a lot more than usual.
As I understood it neuropathy was a gradual onset and not just painful at the end of the day.
If this is the case a nice soak in the bath and a massage of legs wouldn't go amiss until you were used to the new routine.
Hope things improve for you soon.
 
Zosema said:
Hi everyone, could I ask for some work related advice?

I was made redundant at the end of October. My employer assured me it was nothing to do with my diabetes (I was diagnosed about 3-4 months ago). I had to take this on trust.

Subsequently I secured myself a new permanent position with a large UK organisation and I started the new job on Monday.

Unfortunately, I absolutely HATE it, for a number of reasons.

One of the reasons is that there is no parking available and so I have to get the bus and then walk the rest of the way (about 20 minutes walking in total at each end of the day). Also, the job entails visits to another office in London and I went one day last week. I had to stand all the way into London as there were no seats on the train, and then half way across London on the Tube, then walk the rest of the way.

I have been experiencing pain in my lower legs and ankles, which my GP has told me is due to peripheral diabetic neuropathy. When I got back from London I was in a lot of pain, due to all the standing and walking and every day I'm finding my legs painful at the end of the day. Last night I limped most of the way to the bus stop.

I don't know what to do. I want to leave this job and try again - would that be wrong of me? I told my manager on Friday that I don't think its going to work out for me and she told me to think about over the weekend.

Would I have any right to expect adjustments to be made for me due to my diabetes?

I just don't know what to do other than just leave and start again. The other reasons I hate the new job are the office atmosphere (its like a mortuary its so serious) and the amount of travelling (which seems like its going to be more than I was told at interview).

This is so depressing for me - I thought things were looking up for me when I got this job. I've been made redundant 3 times over the last 2 and a half years, I feel cursed and like I'm never going to be happy again.:(

Sorry for such a rambling post!

Many thanks
Zosema
Click to expand...

Aaaawww Zosema I have just posted a thread about the same sort of thing:(

I feel cursed and like I'm never going to be happy again.:(

I know exactly how you feel, I was made redundant 3 years ago from a job I loved and thought I had for life. Just got this new job and I'm finding it very difficult with a medical issue and they haven't done anything to help, even though I asked last week. I'm on my own with a child, so despartley need to stay in work, but I'm biting my tongue at the moment.

I really don't know how to offer any good advice about this, I know what you mean by atmospher, its a bit like a Morge at times. Have a talk with your Manger about things and ask if they will make slight adjustments, but if you really feel this is not the one ( I don't know your marital situation/children etc) then think long and hard over the weekend. Maybe make a list of the positives and negatives, it may look look a bit different on paper. I hope you find a good outcome to this, it is so difficult. Take care X
 
Hi Zoseema.

Sorry your new job is making you unhappy.

I would agree with Sue that it sounds more like the standing and walking that's hurting your legs.

Were you aware of the travelling when you took the job? I should think if you were, they'd be in their rights to say you should have told them it would be a problem at the interview. If they sprung it on you, then you may be able to ask for adjustments.

FOrtunately, any amount of walkign will do you good from an insulin resistance point of view. Exercise should lower your BGs in the long term. But only if it doesn't cause you harm.🙂

Rob
 
Hi Rob, no it hasn't started since taking the new job. I had been experiencing the "lightening bolt" pain in my left leg and the throbbing pain around the back of my right ankle for a few months before I even received my diabetes diagnosis during September. I think the walking and standing are certainly exacerbating this issue.

I was aware of some minimal travelling at the interview stage - once a month to London (maybe at a pinch twice a month sometimes), plus an annual trip up north. I thought I'd be able to cope with that, but having tried it this week I can see its going to be an issue for me - I was in real pain when I got home after the London trip. I just feel I'm going to spend my days and weeks dreading the next trip and becoming more and more anxious.

I didn't realise I'd have such a problem, because none of my previous jobs have involved any travelling and (apart from one short term job) all my previous places have had parking, so I've been able to use my car.

No idea what to do, I feel stuck in a downward spiral at the moment.

Zosema
 
Hi there, thanks for replying. I'm sorry to hear that you are in a similar position. Doesn't life stink sometimes?

I don't have any children and my husband works and is supportive of me, so I guess I'm lucky in that respect. I do sometimes feel like a real liability though, even though I know its not my fault I've developed a health problem.

Thanks for the advice about writing everything down as a list of positives and negatives, I will do that tomorrow. I think it should clarify things for me.

Hope things get better for you too.

Take care
Zosema
 
Zosema said:
Hi Rob, no it hasn't started since taking the new job. I had been experiencing the "lightening bolt" pain in my left leg and the throbbing pain around the back of my right ankle for a few months before I even received my diabetes diagnosis during September. I think the walking and standing are certainly exacerbating this issue.

I was aware of some minimal travelling at the interview stage - once a month to London (maybe at a pinch twice a month sometimes), plus an annual trip up north. I thought I'd be able to cope with that, but having tried it this week I can see its going to be an issue for me - I was in real pain when I got home after the London trip. I just feel I'm going to spend my days and weeks dreading the next trip and becoming more and more anxious.

I didn't realise I'd have such a problem, because none of my previous jobs have involved any travelling and (apart from one short term job) all my previous places have had parking, so I've been able to use my car.

No idea what to do, I feel stuck in a downward spiral at the moment.

Zosema
Click to expand...

I would go to your GP and find out if it's diabetes related or not. It sounds like it could be tendonitis or similar, in which case I would imagine you could get something prescribed to reduce inflammation and pain.

Then go to your employer and see if they can reduce the travelling or find a comromise solution.

The other 2 options are to put up with it and hope it doesn't get worse or find another job. Both less than ideal. Good luck.

Rob
 
I also wonder if there are other more pragmatic solutions - travel seems to be a major issue in Zosema's work problems.

Apologies if these aren't practical - without knowing exactly where you live and work (and you wouldn't want to put those on a public website), these are just hypothetical.

For travel to normal place of work, could the 20 min walk be reduced by using a different bus service? Sometimes a route that ends up somewhere else, less logical, actually passes closer to where you want to end up than the obvious route. Are there any cut throughs that you can use on foot? www.walkit.com is good for finding walking routes, although not all cities are covered, and fewer smaller towns. Open Street Map is also good for finding routes that aren't roads eg footpaths and cycle paths http://www.openstreetmap.org/

In London, I'm pretty sure you could find a bus that reduced the distance you have to walk from Tube to workplace. Transport for London website is very good http://www.tfl.gov.uk/ for route planning. If there's no suitable bus, how about a "Boris bike"? - more properly, Barclays Cycle Hire http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx Admittedly, there are fewer docking stations in outer London, if that's where you're travelling. If you can't ride a bike or lack confidence, then many local councils have cycle training schemes - adults pay modest amounts. In areas where councils don't run training schemes, local cycle campaigns and / or cycle shops sometimes do.

Hope that gives you some possibilities to explore.
 
Thanks for replying and the advice. I've been thinking it about this non stop all weekend and I've come to the conclusion this job isn't for me at all. It's not just the travelling, if that was the sole fly in the ointment I could maybe adjust. The office environment is just too sober and downbeat for me, I'm usually a pretty jovial, sociable sort of person and the atmosphere in the office is so stuffy and downbeat. I do suffer with depression and I think it just going to get me down - already has after only one week! I've weighed up the pros and cons and the cons outweigh the pros so much its clear I'm never going to be happy there. Oh well, back to the drawing board, wish me luck!
 
Zosema said:
Thanks for replying and the advice. I've been thinking it about this non stop all weekend and I've come to the conclusion this job isn't for me at all. It's not just the travelling, if that was the sole fly in the ointment I could maybe adjust. The office environment is just too sober and downbeat for me, I'm usually a pretty jovial, sociable sort of person and the atmosphere in the office is so stuffy and downbeat. I do suffer with depression and I think it just going to get me down - already has after only one week! I've weighed up the pros and cons and the cons outweigh the pros so much its clear I'm never going to be happy there. Oh well, back to the drawing board, wish me luck!
Click to expand...

I know that feeling! I once worked for a very good company, in a big open office with friends and a boss I could joke and chat with (whilst doing an excellent job, of course!), but the work was crushingly boring. So, I requested a transfer to a different department which was in a different building. My frst morning there I thought 'My goodness, what have I done?' 😱 Silence from everyone, and the office was small and dark with the only view out of the window being the side, brick walls of other buildings. And the work was boring. I decided that day to leave, but the worst thing was that I was on 3-months notice so had to endure it for a further 3 months! I managed to liven the place up a bit before I went though 🙂

Can you stick it out whilst you look for another job? It's always easier to look for a job when you are in one, I've found, but if it really is unbearable and affecting your health then I can understand if you wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Good luck whatever you decide - do please let us know how things go! 🙂
 
Sorry that you've had to come to that conclusion, but there's more to life than just putting up for the sake of it.

I hope you do manage to find something more suited and, as Northerner says, always easier to find work as an employee rather than after resignation.

Rob
 
Zosema said:
I have been experiencing pain in my lower legs and ankles, which my GP has told me is due to peripheral diabetic neuropathy. When I got back from London I was in a lot of pain, due to all the standing and walking and every day I'm finding my legs painful at the end of the day. Last night I limped most of the way to the bus stop.
Click to expand...

Sounds a bit like me in 2007; as part of my hospital stay in December 2007 (admitted for tachycardia, kept in for obstructive sleep apnoea) it was noticed that I had trouble walking (probably at least partly due to sensory neuropathy in my case as well), so I was seen by a physiotherapist, and was prescribed a walking stick which I've used ever since. It makes walking much easier (and makes it far more likely that I get a seat on public transport -- though there are still things such as the able-bodied idiot the other night who was hogging two of the reserved seats, when she wasn't even entitled to one).

Maybe you should look into this possibility.
 
Hi everyone, quick update.

I resigned this morning and, fortunately, I have a secured a temporary job elsewhere starting this Thursday and ongoing until the end of January. That will take the heat off whilst I look for something else permanent.

Was the right thing to do, I think, as I feel much calmer now.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Zosema
 
Zosema said:
Hi everyone, quick update.

I resigned this morning and, fortunately, I have a secured a temporary job elsewhere starting this Thursday and ongoing until the end of January. That will take the heat off whilst I look for something else permanent.

Was the right thing to do, I think, as I feel much calmer now.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Zosema
Click to expand...

That's great news Zosema 🙂 I hope that you enjoy the temporary job and that you manage to get a more suitable permanent job soon 🙂
 
Zosema said:
Hi everyone, quick update.

I resigned this morning and, fortunately, I have a secured a temporary job elsewhere starting this Thursday and ongoing until the end of January. That will take the heat off whilst I look for something else permanent.

Was the right thing to do, I think, as I feel much calmer now.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

Zosema
Click to expand...

great news!! I'm sure you'll be feeling better in no time, and what a weight lifted off your shoulders! Well done you for not just settling.
 
Just a quick update on this, for anyone who is interested.

I have found myself a temp job until end of Jan/Feb at a super company fairly local to me. Everyone there seems really lovely and they have been very welcoming - the complete opposite to the other place, from which I ran to the hills. I cannot fathom how it is that one workplace can be so different from another when the overall function of an office environment is the same. Very strange indeed! The company I'm temping for seem to understand that its OK to have some banter in the office and that its OK for each member of their staff to have a personality, rather than having to act like a corporate, lobotimised automaton ....

So, OK for now but will still have to keep looking for that ideal permanent position! Hopefully the jobs market will pick up after Christmas ... the recruitment agencies seem to think so anyway.

Kind regards
Zosema
 
Really pleased to hear you are working with some human beings this time Zosema! 🙂 Hope you can land a job in a similar environment - it makes such a difference doesn't it?
 
Hey Zoseema! Great to hear the good news about the job. I have had the problems with my legs for years now and have not had a diagnosis yet but one thing that I did discover is that you can book a seat on certain train lines before you have to travel. I am registered disabled but they never asked me to prove it before they booked my seat for me so that was great. Just in case your next new job has travel elements just get them to tell you were you have to go and see if you can sort out the travel arrangements before you accept. It may be that the monthly job in London would have been easier if you could have found a way to travel from A to B on transport, that is what I had to do before I accepted my place on a course down there. Go to your G.P and explain about your legs as it is important to get something done straight away so that it can stop you getting so down. Good luck on your new job xxx
 
Just wanted to say I got my last 2 jobs due to temping. The first in 2003 which I had for 7 years and the last right after that where I am still working. So hopefully temping may lead to permanency.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top