Is my Job in danger?

If you have been at your job for at least 12 months and have worked 1250 hours in the last 12 months, you need to file for FMLA (Family & Medical Leave Act).  You can take this intermittently, which I would suggest in your situation, or continuous.  The federal law allows you up to 12 weeks off in a 12 month period (most companies use a rolling 12 month period of time, not a calendar year) while your job is protected.  Basically, they cannot fire you while you are on FMLA.  They have to return you to either the same position or a similar position (with equal pay and benefits) when you return from your leave.  I can't tell from your posting if you meet these requirements...if so, inquire with your HR department about how to file for FMLA.  If you don't meet these requirements, see if your company has any kind of policies about short term disability, etc. that provide job protection.  Your HR department should be able to assist you with this.

I am not a lawyer but if you are under a doctors care i would have to say it would be a discrimination issue.

Is it management grumbling, or co-workers?  If it's the boss there might be cause to worry.  If it's just co-workers mad because they want "time off" too, they can fly a kite.  Just do the best you can, talk to HR, and be sure that you've got yourself covered through whatever programs are available.  Good luck.

well, im currently on short term disability and my FMLA has run out! but, i will say this. Once you are approved for FMLA THEY CANNOT FIRE YOU! Fmla and intermittent absences provide job protection. your pay of course will b a different story as usually u dont get much of what u normally make when ur on short term disability. Here in jersey we're given 12 weeks out of the year, and once that time is up its up to your jobs discretion. However, once the year is up (from the time u started using ur fmla) you get those 12 weeks back.
Just keep all of your medical paperwork. I'm actually not sure if they will fire me when i return b/c i have no days left. but i will worry about this when it comes. I dont really like my job, but like you i need it! mainly for my benefits, as u know we need insurance.

If you work for the company I did, get FMLA AND a note from your doctor for EVERY time you miss work, even if you think it is just a strong stomach ache that has you puking, but you aren't sure if it is a flare or not. I stayed home when I thought I was going to be sick, because I didn't want to be sick and pass out at work. Sometimes I had sharp stomach pains and I would feel dizzy, so I wouldn't go to work. I missed too much work because even though my immune, being weak has made me suseptable to any circulating illnesses, my crohn's wouldn't show up as active. My GI wouldn't excuse me unless I was having an actual flare. I also had a work related neck and upper back muscle injury. I missed two days from that, but since I did not go to the doctor for the pain that I already knew what the cause was, I was not excused unless I would go to the treating doctor and get a work related injury excuse. I thought it was foolish to waste the money... even if it was the company's money. I knew what the injury was and I already had pain pills, that I could not take at work because they were narcotics, yet they wanted us there. I was also taking ani-inflamitories that were not good for my crohn's. I got fired. Please get notes and documentation for every day missed. Good Luck.