Disclaimer: I am just going to clarify that I am a teacher so I am speaking from both a teaching perspective and a student perspective who has gone through this but I am not a medical or a legal professional, please consult them if you need them.
Work can be difficult and anxiety provoking when it comes to working with a chronic illness. Below I have outlined some things that you can and should look into when working.
Accommodations
You are allowed and should ask for reasonable accommodations that help you do your job. This could be a chair when behind a register, a first floor workspace or reserved parking for example. You cannot ask for anything that would change your job, ex a surgeon asking to work from home.
Work From Home
Consider getting a remote job. This would allow you to work from home at all times and while you might still be tired to a certain schedule you could do it from a couch if you want or need to. You could also eat and drink more easily and there would be no commute if you don’t feel well.
Part Time
A part time schedule might work better for you chronic illness if you can afford it and still get insurance. If you can do a part time afternoon job then you can sleep in, alternatively a morning job would allow you a nap afterwards.
I can only speak to Massachusetts but in MA you can take 12 weeks of paid family medical leave a year. This will also hold your position and your health insurance. It does not pay fully so you do need to take that into account.
Final Thoughts
This is difficult and something I have struggled with for years figuring out what works best for me and my illness. I wish I could say I’ve found the best work environment for me but I haven’t. I’ve found jobs that I love that I couldn’t keep up with due to my heath and I’ve found jobs that I’ve hated that worked well with my health. It’s all about figuring out what works best for you. I have always managed to work a full time job but it has always come with a lot of sacrifices in social life and hobbies.
Good luck!
Further Reading
“Employment and POTS.” Standing Up To POTS, https://www.standinguptopots.org/livingwithpots/job. Accessed 27 April 2023.
Kavi, Lesley, and Clare Rayner. “Employment & PoTS: Information for employers.” PoTS UK, 18 March 2021, https://www.potsuk.org/managingpots/employment-and-pots/. Accessed 27 April 2023.
“Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome is Associated with Significant Employment and Economic Loss.” NCBI, 15 February 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9156448/. Accessed 27 April 2023.