Do I have to tell my employer I have lupus?

You're not legally required to tell your employer you have lupus. Your symptoms and the type of work you do may determine how much you decide to share. But telling your employer and co-workers about your condition means they can provide help when you need it.

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How do I explain lupus to my employer?

A good way to start to explain lupus is to make clear what lupus is not:
  1. Lupus is not contagious. You cannot "catch" lupus from someone or "give" lupus to someone.
  2. Lupus is not like or related to HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). ...
  3. Lupus is not like or related to cancer.

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Can you hold a job with lupus?

Many people with lupus are able to continue to work, although they may need to make changes in their work environment. Flexible work hours, job-sharing, and telecommuting may help you to keep working. It may be helpful to begin to make such arrangements soon after you have been diagnosed with lupus.

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Is lupus a protected disability?

The Social Security Administration considers lupus a legal disability. It is a chronic, autoimmune disease affecting various body parts, including joints, skin, lungs, and kidneys.

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What jobs should you avoid with lupus?

Many lupus patients aren't able to do intensive physical work, like waitressing or working in a grocery store. Jobs that involve standing for long periods, like working a cash register, greeting customers, or being a hostess at a restaurant, can be physically tiring as well as rough on the joints.

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Someone You Know May Have Lupus

25 related questions found

Why can't people with lupus work?

An autoimmune condition like lupus can cause many symptoms that may make it hard to work. Achy joints, headaches, fatigue, arthritis, sun sensitivity, brain fog, and seizures can all get in the way of a productive day on the job.

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How long can you work with lupus?

Some people with systemic lupus can work for years with few issues. But others need some type of accommodation, such as flexible work hours or more frequent breaks.

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Is lupus considered a disability in Australia?

Is Autoimmune disease a disability that qualifies for financial help in Australia? Autoimmune disease is a disability that qualifies for financial help in Australia.

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Should I tell my boss I have an autoimmune disease?

Discuss your condition: It's important to keep your employer in the loop regarding your health status. Talk with your supervisor (and if appropriate, your coworkers) about your diagnosis – you may have to educate people about the condition in order to help them understand your need for accommodations.

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Is lupus considered a critical illness?

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes a wide range of mild to life-threatening conditions that require hospitalization and critical care.

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Does lupus affect your ability to drive?

Lupus can indirectly cause other health problems that interfere with driving a vehicle. I have severe neck pain that started when I was stuck in bed for months due to fatigue and joint pain. This neck pain has prevented me from driving more often than anything else.

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How do you explain what lupus feels like?

Many people described the pain of lupus as similar to having the flu. This means having chills and bone-weary aches throughout your entire body. The pain can be numbing and leave you feeling drained of all energy. “I explain it to others as feeling like the flu: achy joints, muscles, bones.”

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Does stress trigger lupus?

Although doctors haven't proven that stress is a direct cause of lupus, it's known to trigger flare-ups in people who already have the disease. Stressful events that can make symptoms worse include: A death in the family.

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What to do if you test positive for lupus?

Treatment
  1. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Over-the-counter NSAIDs , such as naproxen sodium (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), may be used to treat pain, swelling and fever associated with lupus. ...
  2. Antimalarial drugs. ...
  3. Corticosteroids. ...
  4. Immunosuppressants. ...
  5. Biologics.

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How do you verify lupus?

Complete physical exam. Your doctor will look for rashes and other signs that something is wrong. Blood and urine tests. The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test can show if your immune system is more likely to make the autoantibodies of lupus.

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Can you explain lupus to me?

Lupus occurs when the immune system, which normally helps protect the body from infection and disease, attacks its own tissues. This attack causes inflammation, and in some cases permanent tissue damage, which can be widespread – affecting the skin, joints, heart, lung, kidneys, circulating blood cells, and brain.

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How can I work full time with an autoimmune disease?

Top 24 Workplace Accommodations for Individuals with Autoimmune Conditions
  • Work from home.
  • Allow for a flexible work and leave schedule.
  • Allow periodic and/or longer breaks.
  • Reduce job stress.
  • Reduce or eliminate physical exertion.
  • Provide parking close to the worksite.
  • Switch to an ergonomic chair.

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What should you not do with autoimmune disease?

The Autoimmune Protocol Diet

Foods to avoid include grains, legumes, dairy, processed foods, refined sugars, industrial seed oils, eggs, nuts, seeds, nightshade vegetables, gum, alternative sweeteners, emulsifiers, and food thickeners, said Romano.

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Does having an autoimmune disease mean you get sick easier?

People with autoimmune disorders have been described as the population at the most risk of catching diseases. This is due to the way the different autoimmune disorders affect their immune system, and more importantly, to the immunosuppressant drugs used to treat most of these diseases.

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Does NDIS fund lupus?

Neurodegenerative disorders such as muscular dystrophy. Blood disorders such as sickle cell disease or hemophilia. Immune system disorders, such as HIV/AIDS, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic kidney disease.

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How rare is lupus in Australia?

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), also known as lupus, is a disease of the immune system, which is estimated to affect more than 20,000 people in Australia and New Zealand.

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Does lupus get worse with age?

With age, symptom activity with lupus often declines, but symptoms you already have may grow more severe. The accumulation of damage over years may result in the need for joint replacements or other treatments.

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How much does disability pay for lupus?

Some lupus victims may be able to work. But if working is not possible for you, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can help you pay your medical bills. The Maximum SSDI benefit amount per month is $3,627 in 2023. If you are approved for SSDI, then you may be eligible for federal Medicare benefits.

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Is lupus total permanent disability?

Those symptoms must keep you from working a full time job for over 12 months. In other words, your lupus symptoms must create a total and permanent disability.

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How debilitating is lupus?

Lupus varies in intensity and degree. Some people have a mild case, others moderate and some severe, which tends to be more difficult to treat and control. For people who have a severe flare-up, there is a greater chance that their lupus may be life-threatening.

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