Hi, this is a weird post. I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with r/thyroidcancer in June 2022 and had my surgery September 2022. I've been given conflicting advice.
I have to see my doctor regularly following the surgery, because he needs to determine whether I need to follow up with iodine radiation therapy (different from chemo).
I am working with a small business where I was hired on the spot, even though I wasn't sure if it was a good fit and was still browsing for jobs while other interviews were still in the air. I have an interview this Friday with another company.
I feel like I should let my current employer and this other company I'm interviewing with know about my cancer history. I want them to know that my doctor is determining whether I need follow up treatment, which will result in me not being around people for a couple of days (3 at most). Which will affect the days I will be working/start my job.
I've been told not to let my employer know by doctors and counselors because it will open me up to discrimination. However, when I did that this year, my previous employer freaked out when I told him I had a doctor's appointment that would only slightly interfere with my schedule. I was released during that week because even though I told my boss nothing was wrong, he assumed that I had a medical condition, and made up a bogus reason to let me go in less than a month. But according to r/legaladvice it's not discrimination, because I never admitted I had a condition.
I think it's the right thing to do by being upfront about this with an employer. But also, I think it's a good way to detect red flags within a company. Every company I've ever been with has had at least one condition that ruins it all. I have a feeling I will learn how people are generally treated when they reveal their medical condition, and it will help me catch what I want to look for when working for a company.