In a way I was pushed out also.
I had been on short term disabililty & my rheum y had reguarily been supplying my company with med reports. The company at one point submitted it to their house dr who said I was fine to return to work. They also gave a date that they expected me to return. My rheumy confirmed to me that they did not seekk his opinion & that he never would have approved me going back to work at that time. So I left, like, yea, what the heck else could I do.
It was a scary time & I was so gifted fr our Lord that I was approved for gov disability.
Companys taking time to actually care for employees seems to be failing sometimes doesn't it.

If you are able to get to work regularly with not a lot of time off for sick days and DR visits, you should be OK except....... If you work for a small company and you have high medical expenses it affects how much the company and the employees pay for health insurance. If that happens, they may look for ways to "let you go". In larger companies it is not so much of a problem. The other issue is if you have a lot of time off tied to your disease then you end up as a target and the size of the company does not matter. I never had a problem when I was working but I went to work pretty regularly, in fact more regularly than a lot of others. Sometimes it was really hard but the job was important to me. Just keep your eyes and ears open to issues that may come up and dont talk about your illness unless you have to. If you get sick for a few days, you could get a stomach bug instead of a lupus flare. Longer flares and you have to be honest..Good luck to you.
Mary Ann

Thanks. I take very little time off, really not much more than my quarterly rheum/lab work and twice-annually ophthalmologist, since I'm on plaquenil.

With lupus, the number of days you have to "take off" can change on a dime. So, the best thing you can do for yourself is this:

Know your rights, know the laws, and report your "condition" IN WRITING (keep a copy) to your HR department. Make sure you reference and are familiar HIPPA laws and the FMLA act.

What happened to you is a HIPPA violation, and you could sue if that's what you decide to do, and the burden of proof is on your employer to prove they did NOT violate your medical privacy.

If you're fired after notifying - in writing - your HR deparment, then you have a FMLA lawsuit and an EEOC case based on descrimination against americans with disabilities. And, the burden of proof is on your employer to prove that they fired you for "some other reason"...and it's hard to prove after they've been notified in writing...and they know it.

Know the laws, know when they apply and when they don't (businesses with fewer than 50 employees have special provisions) and some laws can vary from state to state...but the Americans with Disabilities Act is nation wide as is the FMLA act and the HIPPA act. Patient advocacy groups, the EEOC, and an attorney can help you get familiar with these laws. Tell no one that you've contacted an attorney, and make sure you don't casually "talk" about your disease in the work environment. Again, familiarize yourself with the laws...they can save your career and your livelihood.

Im so glad I work from home for this reason. I do like to keep my health to myself unless I feel close enough to that person. I don't feel comfortable talking about it around random people unless of course in a support group. I think I would find it bitter sweet to talk to coworkers about it. I think it takes guts to do though. I think if I was in that situation I would want them to know though in case of doctors appts, missed work etc. but not for just random conversation. I can see how that was uncomfortable.