Hello zakidney57 - When I found out I had breast cancer it was terrifying and exhausting. Add to that the treatments, appointments, and continued worry and not only are you tired from all of that but you still have a completely different take on life because you're been fighting to keep your life. Until you've experienced it or watched a close loved one go through this, it's hard to explain. We're here for you and understand.

I was working full time at a job I loved and I had a great relationship with my boss. So much so that she consulted me on all matters and even new employee hires. She and my employer were very sympathetic when I was diagnosed and very supportive in the early months after my bi lateral mastectomy. I needed extensive care after the mastectomy and then developed lymphedema (arm swelling) and required a second surgery a year later to resolve that problem. It was after the second surgery (and a bout with shingles....low immunity from stress I think), that my employer and especially my boss decided they didn't want to insure me any more. My boss, I found out too late, had a long history of blaming her employees for her shortcomings and took all the credit for her employees work. I've worked in high stress fields my whole career but I was too tired to fight this the way I might have or maybe should have but ultimately my employer decided to 'eliminate' my position and offer me a part time, no health benefits job. They offered significantly less than I was making, no health insurance and only part time hours doing exactly the same work I was doing. In the end I forced them to 'fire' me, although they never said that. I contacted a lawyer who was great support and I left my employer with unemployment insurance and now work at two part time jobs instead. My situation isn't ideal but my husband is quite ill and I don't want to take a new job and leave an employer 'high and dry' should my husband's condition require even more full time caretaking.

My advice is to document all of your meetings with your supervisor and document your work and efforts to be a good employee. Employers can let you go in all states that are 'right to work' states with little or no reason, but if you're doing your best, have a good track record and are upfront, as you've been, there are legal guidelines employers must follow and letting you go or demoting you or simply being unsupportive are frowned up in the law. Problem is.........you have to be proactive in protecting yourself (while tired and stressed from your medical situation). Doing that documentation made all the difference for me in the long run. I could have sued my employer and they know it and there are times I wish I had but my lawyer advised that the stress of that would be high and wouldn't help my recovery. I'm still angry and bitter about how I was treated but I'm ok with having moved on the best way I could to protect my overall health.
Please don't feel guilty or inadequate or bad about your performance at work. You're doing your best and employers need to adjust to health issues if they are decent people and if they are not, be prepared to document your side of the story.
Hugs