Hi all. I have a diagnosis for three different chronic illnesses that cause muscle and joint pain. Also, two years ago I went through a cancer battle that left me with nerve damage that causes flare ups of shooting pain down my legs.
I work a desk job, and I usually cannot stand to sit at my desk for more than three or four hours, otherwise I'm almost in tears due to pain. Through the pandemic, my position was remote so I was able to take the necessary pain medication (that I wouldn't take at work because I don't like to drive with it in my system) as well as partake in high CBD marijuana (manager knows and is fine with it because I've never had a lapse in quality in my work) on really rough days.
When the pandemic was over, we transitioned into a hybrid office/remote situation where we would go in for a few hours in the morning and then transition home to work the rest of the day. But my manager was really chill about working from home if I wasn't feeling good (this goodwill was extended to the rest of the staff as well, not just me).
HOWEVER, our owner, who works from home exclusively in a completely different state, has decided that we are no longer able to work from home a full day. We are now required to come in from 8 to 2 and then transition home for the last three hours. If we find we cannot come in in the morning, that counts as an absence and we would need to use our PTO.
This is causing all sorts of headaches for everyone but for me in particular, my biggest concern is how I will manage to sit through those 6 hours when typically I can usually do 4 at most. I could easily get a letter from my doctor stating I should work from home, but I'm not sure my work will accept it. How do I go about dealing with my chronic pain so I can actually survive my work day??