How would having a chronic illness affect not only your life, but also your career? Would you be able to continue to work? Eve Tahmincioglu from MSNBC looked into how many people are continuing to work, despite their debilitating conditions, and what steps can be taken to help increase the chances of success in the workplace.
Tahmincioglu found that there are 130 million people who have one or more chronic conditions in the United States today, according to Gerard Anderson, professor of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
There are few solid numbers on how many of workers are staying on the job even though they suffer from an ongoing illness like arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, asthma, cardiac and cardio-vascular diseases, and even cancer, she says, but experts believe the numbers of individuals with such diseases in the workplace is increasing.
Tahmincioglu says the aging population and the rise in the nation’s obesity rate are contributing to the growth in the numbers of individuals with chronic illnesses. Experts say therapeutic advancements such as drugs and rehab programs are driving the increase.
According to Tahmincioglu, the Insurance industry says as much as three-quarters of the population with a chronic illness can be helped through disease management and continue to work, and as a result, employees are living and working with chronic conditions that may have once meant the end of your career.  As a result, employees today are living and working with a host of chronic diseases that may have once meant a quick trip to the unemployment line, she says.
While advances have made it easier for workers to keep working, Tahmincioglu says, it’s not a simple task to go from realizing you have a chronic condition to being able to continue your career ambitions.  She says there are many things to consider, such as how to tell your boss how to deal without you on days you may not be able to make it to work because of your illness.
Tahmincioglu says to let your boss know you can handle the job, but that you might need time to take medication or go to doctors’ appointments, and bring some coworkers into the fold because they may be able to help out on projects if you miss work. The ask your employer if they could make reasonable accommodations to your workspace or the way you do your job, but make it more of a give and take. And don’t make demands, she says.
If your boss is unreasonable, Tahmincioglu says you may have the law on your side depending on your condition. The Americans with Disabilities Act covers individuals whose illnesses have made them disabled in certain life functions, either permanently or intermittently. 
Adjusting your day-to-day activities will make your work life a bit easier, she says. Doing simple things such as taking breaks from your computer, changing your posture, getting enough sleep, eating right and exercising on a daily basis, can help your day go a bit smoother. 
Tahmincioglu says you may get to the point when you question whether your job is too much for you. Even if accommodations have been made at work to help you adapt, and you’re taking all the right medications and used all the right pain management techniques, she says it’s possible that it may be too much, especially if you’re still in too much pain, too tired or too depressed to handle the daily grind.
One thing you can do, Tahmincioglu says, is talk to a licensed disability evaluator. Since they are usually in an outpatient setting and have a background in rehabilitation or neurology, they can help you figure out if you need to change something in your disease management regime. Or they might help you draw the conclusion that you just physically can’t handle the workload, since it might just be the stress of your job that’s making your condition worse.