Jobs and issues due to disabilities.
Working a full-time job as a cashier at a gas station, having to wash dishes, clean counters, stock cups, lids, straws, sugars, sweeteners, coffee, and food. Been doing it for 3 plus years and been sexually harassed by my manager and sexually assaulted by two coworkers, making minimum wage, dealing with arthritis from lupus, having a doctor's note, yet being threatened to get terminated due to hospitalizations for asthma, etc. I also have severe heart failure. I am 28 now. Cannot even sit in a chair, even though I have a doctor's note for it, cause apparently I would be immediately terminated for it being unprofessional. The district manager is making it impossible for me, and was slightly upset when he found out I took 3 weeks off from work for short-term disability due to undergoing intense heart surgery for a CRT-D / BIV ICD at 27 years old.
Do not want to get an employment lawyer involved; I just want to move on as a pharmacy technician since I am 3/4 in college to become a nurse. Just could use some positive words of affirmation during this difficult time.
Juggling 3 classes, a full-time job, and multiple doctor appointments during the week is very tedious, even at my age. Lupus gives me severe fatigue, arthritis, and rashes. Heart failure gives me fatigue, and I have a fast heart rate - tachycardia. I cannot seem to pace myself and get easily overwhelmed, which leads to depression and anxiety, not to mention I have c ptsd bpd, BPD, MDD, GAD, panic attacks, and dissociation episodes.
Plus, I need to find an endocrinologist again for my pre-diabetes. Finally got a pulmonologist, but need to reschedule. Financially, I could not survive without my dad's help. Minimum wage just increased to 15 an hr in Florida, but health insurance, car loan, car insurance, rent, and wifi phone bill all pile up.
@fairmaiden1998
@CalmRosebud
This means so much to me that you commented so thoroughly to help communicate and help me through this difficult time in my life. Your ideas are welcome. I just did not wish to be overburdened by unwanted, rash advice, but yours was very subtle, caring, yet to the point.
I genuinely appreciate this comment on my thread. You are an amazing person, thank you for sharing and caring. Keep up the lovely motivation and work.
My coworker with bad diabetes and heart trouble sympathizes with me and makes me laugh, and even once I no longer work there, he is my family now. He gets it in ways other normal folks cannot, and they are fortunate for that.
This health experience has definitely helped me understand health issues better and myself. My coworker with these health issues always reminds me to take a break and pace myself because he has seen my flare-ups of fatigue that drains my voice and body, arthritis, and emotions.
@fairmaiden1998
Awwww, your comment means the world to me. I know how it is to navigate hostile work environments and I appreciate that you are approaching your forward momentum with care and thoughtfulness.
It's so lovely that you have a former co-worker who can bring you to laughter. Our "found family" can become our safety net and reassurance when things are rough, and provide valuable reflection on our worth as humans, and I'm so glad you have this friend.
You'll be a fantastic nurse! Please hold onto your goals and know that you have yet another person cheering for you!!! Please keep us updated here as you have the time and energy to do so.
Onward!
@fairmaiden1998
I am so sorry to hear what you are going through. I can only imagine how exhausting it must be to work in such a toxic environment, especially when your manager has sexually harassed you and your coworkers have sexually assaulted you. You deserve to feel safe and respected at work, regardless of what your job is or how much you earn. Nobody should have to endure that just to make a living.
I am also sorry to hear about all the health challenges you are facing at such a young age. You are dealing with so much physically and emotionally, and it sounds incredibly difficult to juggle your health conditions, work, school, and multiple medical appointments all at once. Having to fight for basic accommodations, like being able to sit down when you need to, on top of everything else sounds exhausting. The treatment you have described raises some serious concerns about your rights as an employee, particularly regarding disability accommodations and workplace sexual harassment.
I understand why you might not want to involve an employment lawyer. When you are already exhausted and overwhelmed, the thought of taking on another battle can feel like too much. You deserve the opportunity to focus on your health and your future instead of having to fight just to be treated with basic dignity. At the same time, I hope you know that you have options if you ever decide you want to explore them. You may have grounds to pursue a complaint or legal action, and you could potentially consult someone about your rights without committing to a lawsuit. Whatever you decide, you deserve to have your experiences taken seriously.
I am genuinely proud of you for making it three-quarters of the way through college while managing everything you have described. That takes a tremendous amount of perseverance. Please give yourself credit for how much you are carrying. You do not have to be productive every second of the day to prove that you are trying hard enough. Resting and pacing yourself are not signs of weakness. You are dealing with significant health challenges, and you deserve compassion from yourself, too.
Have you considered looking into assistance programs where you live, such as SNAP for groceries, Medicaid, or Section 8 or other rental assistance programs? I know navigating applications can be overwhelming, but even a little extra support might help ease some of the financial pressure. Given how much your health conditions affect your ability to work, you might also consider exploring whether you qualify for disability benefits. You do not have to make any decisions right now, but you deserve to know what support may be available to you.
I really hope you can find a pharmacy technician position that treats you with the respect you deserve. You have worked so hard toward your education and your future, and you deserve a workplace where you are valued rather than made to feel like a burden for having health needs. That gas station does not deserve all the effort you have put into trying to make things work there.
Please keep holding on to the future you are working toward, but remember that you deserve kindness, rest, and support along the way, too. You are more than your ability to work, and your worth is not determined by how much you can accomplish while feeling unwell. You have already shown so much determination by continuing your education through all of this. I hope things get easier for you soon, and I am rooting for you as you work toward a healthier and happier chapter in your life.