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Holding a job with an illeostomy that's unpredictable

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Posted 2/5/2013 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
I recently started working at a daycare and am immunosuppressed. Yeah great job for me since all the kids and germs. Well in a daycare you need to be there for the kids and I work in the infant room. My employer has been understanding but there are times I need to go and can't wait. I normally can call down to the office and someone can relieve me to go to the restroom. Well it happened yesterday that I had quickly filled my bag and had to go. I called down to the office and the person who answered said What am I supposed to do, I have a sick kid down here". So my reply was "what do you expect me to do". I had to hang up and go straight to the bathroom. There was another caregiver in the room. I was so upset crying etc. over my issue with my ostomy and this particular lady has been rude to me not once but a few times but has worked there for years so its my word against hers. Anyway. I had a multiple organ transplant in 2010 and am so thankful for the life saving gift I've been given. I'm tired of apologizing for my ostomy especially thinking that I could be dead and if this is the worst if my issues than I'm extremely thankful I just have an ostomy. I'm on social security disability and took the job because its for one at my church and because I want done type of normalcy. I couldn't take it any longer yesterday and called and informed the director I had to leave. I was so stressed. I could have stayed but was crying and couldn't control my emotions. Wrong maybe. I don't know. I just don't know how to handle the situation. I am going in tomorrow to talk to the director about things. So any suggestions, questions, comments are welcome.
Posted 2/6/2013 4:41 PM (GMT 0)
I have not had my surgery yet..but I'm sorry you had to go through that. maybe your better off leaving that aspect of a job anyway..you said it yourself, Germs and the uncertainty of when you go..like i said i have not had mine yet but can you get a larger bag so that you can wait a little longer? maybe leaving the job and taking some stress free time off will allow you to go put time elsewhere.
Posted 2/8/2013 9:58 PM (GMT 0)
That sounds really hard. How did your further meeting go?

Have you talked to a gi about something to slow down your ileo? There are things that can be prescribed -- seems like it'd make a big difference in your quality of life. Do you take immodium?

Hang in.
Posted 2/9/2013 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
If it is lots of gas, like I had, diet, and previcid did the trick which also made me feel better. I also got to where I could feel when I was going to have a lot of activity, and could slow it down by slowly breathing in, hold breath for 5 seconds or so, then exhaling. This seems to keep activity slowed for a bit. I worked in sales for 20 years, mostly in car, so I had to become very aware.
Posted 2/9/2013 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
This is a weird thing, but I notice that when I take my iron pill my output pretty much stops for hours. And it gets thicker and sticky almost. That might help you at least slow down.
Posted 2/11/2013 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks to everyone for posting. I am maxed out in immodium and lomotil. I've tried just about everything. I'm thinking although I love working with the infants at the daycare that it might be causing me stress. I basically was severely I'll and than had my multiple organ transplant and took time and recovered. I got so bored and felt that this job at the daycare was a blessing which in a way it is but I went from not working for years and being I'll to working Monday through Friday full time. I expected that being a sub I'd work a few hours but it turned into where they needed me to work more and more. I've worked for about 5 months and have had three colds that lingered. They tested me for a bunch if viruses and they came back negative. So the combination of the colds and low immune system to the stress of it all has caused my output to be higher than normally it would be. I'm meeting with the docs again this week and am going to talk things out with a therapist and see if I should stop working and use my time like I want to which is to help people in similar circumstances with Crohns, organ transplants, ostomies, etc. that's my passion. I sleep, eat, work and spend my time in the bathroom. That's not what I envisioned for my life after receiving this gift if life. God bless you all for listening. I'm here also to lend support so let me know if I can help.
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