Need help: boss taunting me because of fibromyalgia?

I live and work in Pennsylvania and was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about two and a half years ago. Fibro basically makes you ache severely all over and causes extreme fatigue. Many people who have it end up on disability, but I don't know if it's covered under ADA or not.

Because of fibro, I've gone from working a 50-55 hour week to a different job with much lower pay that's only 30 hours a week. I've been there about a year and did not tell my boss I had fibro until a few months ago when I had to miss a few days because of a severe flare-up (it became an issue with my last boss, so I don't advertise it if I can help it).

Thursday afternoon, my boss told me that I was "always sick" and asked if I had ever considered that it was "all in my head."

Today, she came up to me and told me, "I turned the air conditioner on. It felt kind of warm to me and I didn't want you passing out on me."

This was entirely out of the blue. She's also asked me about my medical history. Ideas?
Additional Details
Just to clarify - I did not tell my boss I had fibro when I took the job, because at that time it was not having a major impact on my life. Also, on the application, there was NO question about whether I had any limitations that could affect my ability to do my job (unusual, I know, but I specifically remember that because I was surprised it wasn't there). I DID inform her about it several months ago when I had a flare-up, and she told me at that time she was familiar with it and knew other people who had it. So she has been aware that I have fibro for some time now. Also, aside from that flare-up. I have not missed work. I've gone to work feeling like crap, but I HAVE gone in.

wiseforexinvestor

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http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/ID/6400/T/CFIDS_FM/searchtext/Vitamins_Supplements
http://healthy-living.org/html/fibromyalgia.html

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MeInThisWorld

FMS is a covered disability under the ADA-and possibly under your state laws against discimination.

but don't expect any help from the government. I was fired when I requested an accommodation for FMS (exemption from out if state travel to hear the company talk about how great it is-nothing about the job itself0

I was IGNORED by the EEOC and state civil rights-when I pushed for an answer tehy said the emplyer denied it-so tehy won't do anything-depsite the large amount of written/audiotape evidence I had that proved the employer was lying.

This seems to be a clear case of discrimination (creating a negative work environment). If you can contact a lawyer-and win one for both of us. I couldn't afford a private lawyer.

If anything-the application should only ask if you can do teh job with or without reasonable accommodations. It should not ask you if you have any disabilities-that is illegal.

Even if you did not specify at the time of hire-once you made the notification yo have met the requirement that the disability must be known.

Karen H

Unfortunately on the application you filled out there is a question that asks if you have any limitations that would prevent you from doing the job required, and you did not tell them of your condition. It is not nice of your manager to treat you this way, but it is also not against the law unless you are legally declared disabled and your employer knows about your disability before they hire you. Here is a site that explains the steps you need to take if you want to go the disability route.

sideline2084

Check out http://www.fibromyalgiasource.com for lots of information about Fibromyalgia including my experience living with it.

Henry S

Fibro is hard to diagnose you all way look ok Out side but you
hurt and no body can tell !! When it flare-up You Get very tired
and hurt between shoulder and head age , many people don't
understand they think you ok, but you are not ,. i got hurt from
my job 4 years ago and after that (FM) got me For good now
i'm on disability ,. that take me 2 1/2 years wait and my lawyer
handle all that, if your Doc think you have Fm then you have to deal with that arrest of your live now because they have no cure for that. pain med not help much ,try to do stress will help
and if your boss have a problem with that you need to take farther step : go see legal advice see what they tell you, they have no right to talk to you that way. that i think is discrimination at work place. good luck

Sandy Z

It is completely inappropriate for the boss to ask you about your medical history, potentially even illegal in some states. If you feel comfortable addressing this directly with the boss, then you should explain your concerns to her and ask her to refrain from making these types of comments. If you do not feel comfortable, then you should seek to speak to someone in your HR department or another manager that you feel more comfortable speaking with.
However, if your illness is impacting your work performance and/or attendance, then you should also look at this from your employer's perspective. Most companies expect you to be able to manage your work & life balance and if you cannot do so successfully, then they may ask you to leave (willingly or unwillingly). If you are consistently not keeping your 30 hours per week due to illness and have run through all your vacation and sick time, then you may be out of luck.

leysarob

If you're not sharing your medical problems with your boss, then it's not unbelievable that your boss would josh you about being "sick" so often.

She can't read your mind. Have a discussion about your situation today. Perhaps you should do some research on the ADA and see if your condition is covered by that. Then make suggestions to your boss on how your can work better with certain allowances.

C'mon, you can't expect your boss to know you are truly ill if you don't say something. You're the one at fault here. The boss is only in the wrong if she has all the information and still acts stupidly.

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