Posted 9/28/2018 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
If you're a citizen of the USA then you should know that Crohn's Disease is considered to be a disability, and you're protected under the American's with Disability Act (ADA) and the Family Leave and Medical Act (FLMA) when you flare. Any employer is expected to make "reasonable accommodations" while you recover from a flare. And that might include more flexible start times and work schedules, reduced hours, different temporary duties which you are more capable of handling during a flare, a workstation closer to a bathroom, more work-from-home/remote work abilities from tech-savy companies, etc. I do not think it is that unreasonable to ask for help with your administrative duties, whether that might be a Teacher's Assistant to help with your administrative work, or something of the like. Most employers are accommodating as best they can, and realize we all get sick from time to time and need a helping hand to get through it.
In a remission, your crohn's should not limit your career possibilities. You'd be essentially be pre-diagnosis. During flares, it can be a temporary setback where we are maybe not as aggressive in our goals (healing and recovery comes first then). So your goal should be to treat the flare fast and get back into a remission with the least inconvenience as is possible (stronger doses of your current meds, more meds, etc.).
I'd agree that most people do not really understand Crohn's, UC, IBD, etc. The few coworkers I've told over the years mixup what I have, often calling it IBS, (As an example: "my cousin has IBS like you, stopped eating X-random-thing and is now cured, you should try it!") lol. I wouldn't say there's a public-stigmata of Crohn's or IBD in general. More a lack of knowledge and a lot of misunderstanding of how serious it can be. We have a 100% invisible illness, and people assume we're fine when we're really suffering a lot and struggling.
Maybe in your mind, you are turning it into a stigmata, and worrying a lot about future prospects. Everyone with chronic illness worries about the uncertainty of the future. There's always unknowns and worst-case scenarios that are very unpredictable. There's many things we cannot possibly control and worrying about them is just pointless worry and anxiety we wear on ourselves like a lead-jacket. I'd recommend focusing on the here-and-now, and just those few variables you can control. If you lighten your load a bit and take the weight of the world off of your back (down to a jogging outfit and sneakers), then it is a lot easier to cope with chronic illness and get ahead into a brisk run with career and other life goals! Try and stay positive, and I know that can be hard at times especially when we're not feeling well. Flares are awful but just temporary inconveniences.