Trying to Work After Almost Two Years

As we all know, myasthenia gravis (MG) is a roller coaster ride that we didn't voluntarily get on, but we're on the ride anyway! Because of MG, I've had several jobs over my lifetime, not necessarily ever being able to stay because of the flares. To make it worse, there was no diagnosis for many years.

I haven't officially worked at a job outside of my home since December of 2020. I just got a new job and it is the first time I will attempt to work outside of the home with a diagnosis of seronegative MG and while taking medications. I am currently on generic CellCept, Prednisone, and generic Mestinon (every 2 -3 hours while awake as needed.)

My new role

What am I going to be doing? I have been a cashier in some form or other, on and off, most of my life. So, I'm going back to that just 3 days a week. But I gotta tell you, the first 3 days I had very few problems. But my first 4 days off, I didn't think I was going to be able to continue working! It took 4 days to recover from working the 3 days.

The next 3 days that I worked I was a little leery. But again, I made it through with flying colors. I had more problems with my type 2 diabetes than I did with the MG! To my surprise, I didn't need to rest any extra for the next 4 days I had off. So, I'm thinking I might be okay for a while, but only time will tell.

What I like about my job

What do I like about my new job? There are 2 parts to this. My new employment seems pretty friendly for people with chronic health conditions. About half of my coworkers have some sort of chronic health condition, most of them I wouldn't have ever guessed.

They also get the brain fog, fatigue, and need to take a break once in a while. I have found nothing but support, even from my coworkers who don't have a health condition. For me, this is like a breath of fresh air!

The second part I like about being there has totally blown me away. In the last few weeks, I have seen so many people that I haven't seen for years! All of them are genuinely glad to see me. They expressed how much they've missed seeing me and have wondered where I went.

Many of these people have been former "clients" from other places I have worked. Others have been friends that I just lost touched with. It's been a non-ending stream of hugs, and they have let me know that even with all of my health issues (because I have more than just MG), they are there for me!

Be encouraging

When you're employed by a place that isn't as kind to you as you think they should be, just remember there are many people with chronic (hidden) health issues that are working in those places.

Unless we engage with that person to learn a little bit about them and show interest and care, we don't know their struggles. They may need some encouragement that day themselves. Giving encouragement does something deep inside of us that turns out to be just as good as getting it! That good self-care!