HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

how many people have left work

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 7/4/2009 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
How many people have left their jobs over UC
Posted 7/4/2009 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
When I was first being diagnosed, I was on temporary disability for about 4-5 months.
Posted 7/4/2009 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
When I first got UC I was out for about a month, maybe a little longer. It sucked because I had just started at that job about a month before I got UC so they didn't trust me or know me very well yet.
Posted 7/4/2009 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
I worked through my severe five year flare, but I was fortunate to have a very supportive employer. On really bad days, I'd leave the office and work from home for the day. Not everyone's job allows for that.
Posted 7/4/2009 6:38 PM (GMT 0)
I never missed work, but was late now and then when really flaring badly.
I don't tell my employers I have it, I don't want to be thought of as sickly.
Posted 7/4/2009 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
I have lost a lot of jobs due to IBD. First one was stocking but it was not because of having to run to the bathroom it was my leg. It got so bad I was sent to the emergency room. The second job was janitorial. My flaring got so bad I had to stay home and I decided to let someone else take over due to the fact I did not know when or if I could make it back. The third job was a security job and that was again due to my leg. I actually kept my cafeterial job for a year and half when my back decided to break down but that was not IBD rather it was poor lifting habits due to the fear of bending my hip joint. IBD is not fun....I am now considering just getting disability and doing community service or something like that. If you can keep your job I say go for it but it is not easy.
Posted 7/4/2009 9:51 PM (GMT 0)

I was off work for the majority of 2 months at the beginning of the year. But although I try and keep a brave face and struggle through the day I have been sent home from work on numerous occasions by my managers since being diagnosed. I am still on reduced hours now since being off the beginning of the year and I am not sure when I am going to be able to return full time, and things are still very much up in the air, and VERY up and down.

I have been incredibly fortunate to have such a fantastic employer who let me change my rota/hours round depending on how I'm feeling. And if on the days where I'm just trying to put a brave face on and not be a bother to anyone, they can tell and quite often just tell me to go home and rest! I feel so much for those of you who don't have supportive employers, I simply do not know how I would have coped if mine weren't. 

Posted 7/5/2009 8:39 AM (GMT 0)
I work as a night sister in a nursing home and my matron is very understanding ao are the others i work with and let me have lots of rest when i am bad would not be able to go in if it wasnt for all the support i get i am very lucky to have such a good work team.
Posted 7/5/2009 9:58 AM (GMT 0)
Wow. The problem I have is getting used to a new diet. It takes time. Im mostly in remmison although i had 2 bms this morrning usually I have 1. I had 1 at 6am and 1 at 9am. No blood or mucus lets keep hoping. I dont really think my job will be understanding. Im a retail manager and at the moment my store is not doing so well. Ive had alot of time off since my last big flare at the end of april. The job was supportive to another guy who has digestion troubles. I don't think he has IBD though. He was off fo r 6 months. I think if I am going to be unwell they may just look to replace me. The problem is is that I need at least 3 months of not doing anything. This is the only way to really get your self into a good healing state. Paul Nison and David Klien both say this is what they have done. Its true if you are struggling you should not do it. People with IBD need a lot of rest. If they don't get it the flars increase. I want to stop my job and then just take a rest then go back. I would be a lot better and problably healed mostly. I know this becuase that is what is happening to me. I am healing but then when I have to do too much I feel my body get tired and wants to come out of the remission. Were tring to buy a flat which will be mogtage free. It is a cheap flat near the sea cost. The problem is is that If i can stay in the job we will be better off. The other side of the coin is that if I stay in the job I may return to being more ill as my body has not got used to the new diet yet. Ive only been doing this diet for 3 weeks now. Not long
Posted 7/5/2009 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Please, don't take this the wrong way- but you're saying you need 3 months of doing nothing to get used to your new diet?!?!?! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. So it's not leaving work due to UC at all, it's leaving work due to a new diet. Sigh..... well good luck- I'm sure any employer will be extremely understanding about that..... rolleyes   Honestly, I don't think that's a valid reason to stop working. To answer your question, I have not left work due to UC- I was out about a month while hospitalized, & have been out here & there due to flares, but am still working. Thankfully..... to have to quit my job due to my UC would probably be the one factor to drive me into surgery ASAP- it's too much like letting the disease "win". No way am I going to impact my lifestyle that much.
Posted 7/5/2009 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
I have had two major flares.  Missed about 6-8 months of work both times.  I was lucky and my job was there for me to go back.  Currently flaring now but able to work.  Missed a day here and there though.  I am not so sure if I miss again they will understand.  Scary to worry about it.
Posted 7/5/2009 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
If you are in remission then don't leave work. I don't think adjusting to a new diet and leaving work fit well together. It took me about 6 months to get my body all balanced out from all my issues from my major flare when I was first diagnosed. That's what gave me temporary disability.With being in child care and your abdomin in major pain... yeah that means take some extra time off. Maybe you can talk to your doctor about a month to month temp disability if you chose to do that. If not, you should just keep a list of foods that you can and cannot have to make sure you are managing your body well. You should get it figured out in a short while. I'm not even sure if your doc will let you get on disability due to that reason. They are very picky about stuff due to new laws gone into effect. I'd think about talking to your doctor about the can's and can'ts of temporary disability to help you understand taking time off of work. Temp. disability will hold you job, but.... there are different reasons to be able to get onto it. Good luck!
Posted 7/5/2009 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
Ok thanks for your opinions. I don't mind you guys being critical at all. This is why I go on this forum. Anyway I am going to try to sick it out. I think if they fire me for something then I will know that they were pissed off for me being ill. I had 1 week off for my flare 3 months ago. They were understanding. Then I got a flu. They were understanding now I did miss a meeting as I was extremely tired couldn’t cope as I was shaky. They weren't understanding Your rigth about letting the desease win as well- That I can not do. Thanks for that comment
Posted 7/5/2009 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
I continued working and attending law school when I was at my worst (when I first started having symptoms). I got sent home from work once or twice because I was so sickly looking and my bosses were worried about me. I ended up hospitalized, but I really had no choice but to keep going to work as I needed the money. The only reason I even went to the hospital (I had no insurance and couldn't afford it and didn't know what to do) was because a friend came to pick me up and brought me and refused to let me say no. I had to keep going to law school, too, because we could only miss 3 times in most classes. I didn't miss more than I was allowed, but I really felt like dying most days. I am in a masters social work program now and I always went to class and finished the year. I don't work right now but I had an internship along with class all year and I made all of my hours there. It was really a struggle, but again, I really had no choice. I can't afford to not be in school. I'm off for the summer right now, though.
Posted 7/5/2009 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
Wow you guys are all harder than I am. Im hoping I will never end up in hospital. No promises in life though. Ive never been on pred. As soon as I had my first flare I panicked big time. I was going 20 times a day. I researched as much as I could in a week. I found this web page (which helped keep me kind of sane) and several books. I bought about 5 books. The only one that gave me a glimmer of not losing my colon was paul nison's. So I said **** it I will try it. So far 3 week no blood or mucus, BMs 1 to 2 a day. but It takes alot to get used to. And sometimes I feel Im not coping with anything. I hope it works and i will keep trying. Thanks for your posts. And If I start going insane please dont hesitate to write what you think. Don’t worry about being nice. Ive only had serious symptoms of UC 3 months ago. It was a real wake up call to this disease. April was my first 20 times a day with joint pain. 1 month ago was the last time I saw blood.
Posted 7/5/2009 8:44 PM (GMT 0)
In the beginning of the year I had the flu for a week I couldn't get my fever below 202.4... once my fever broke.. I went to the ER and found out I had two kidney stones....after that I was sent into a huge flare and went to the ER where they did IV pred...then I was on pred for 3 months before I started tapering.. and was in remission. With all of that, which happened when I had JUST accepted a new job at a preschool fulltime.... I lost about a month of work...IN MY FIRST MONTH OF EMPLOYMENT THERE. Go figure.

So then I was put at part time by my boss to see if it helped me better... because most of my problems were in the morning and full time was too stressful... it helped MAJORLY.

Well...as I was tapering off pred and was in remission I asked to be put back to fulltime...I still am, but when I got off pred.. I started flaring again... and after a week of trial on fulltime.. my boss told me I could be in the young toddler class room permanently... only because I told her I thought I caught this flare early and I won't let myself get as sick as I did when I first started.... and also the day before I had to run to the bathroom and leave her out of ratio (boss didnt like that..she said she understood, but state and corporate wouldnlt and next time she'd write me up) I told her no problem. well... I said that, but had no idea how much worse it would get...even though I was put on two new drugs. I'm trying my HARDEST not to call out or have to leave early.... I'm exhausted and lack energy and run to the bathroom at least 4 times at work...after calling for someone to relieve me anyways... I'm trying so hard to keep this job cuz i need to.... im gettin frustrated tho.
Posted 7/5/2009 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
I work from home and it's the only reason I've kept my job. I cannot imagine having to go into an office with this disease. I really have no idea how you guys do it!!! I did not tell my boss for the 4 weeks that I was in a horrible part of my flare and was spending most of the day curled up in a ball on my bed (or on the toilet, LOL). I did a lot of computer work when I could but couldn't prospect new customers b/c I couldn't talk on the phone (I'm in sales). My job suffered b/c of it b/c it's a high activity sales job. I've spent the past several weeks trying to dig myself out of the hole I created now that I'm healthy.

When I went into the hospital, I obviously had to tell my boss and i was out for about 2 weeks. They were so understanding. I would never have been able to make it to an office though, would've had to go on STD or something.
Posted 7/6/2009 3:02 PM (GMT 0)

Hellokitty said...
How many people have left their jobs over UC

I left work last October.  I had no idea I had UC at the time, I thought my symptoms were all caused by stress and would disappear once I quit working.  Now I know stress did not cause it, but definitely made things worse.
Posted 7/6/2009 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
i was on maternity leave when I was diagnosed during the worst part of this flare up (thankfully!) I had started back to work as full time but then I had to call in sick or leave early several times so my dr put me on a reduced schedule. Work was willing to work with me through all of it, until now. Now they've said they can't work with my schedule anymore so I'm back to full time even though my dr doesn't want me to be. I have to keep my job as full time and that's where I get my insurance and no private will take me because of pre existing conditions. So I'm back to roughing it out. My job is also very stressful so that doesn't help my condition.
Posted 7/6/2009 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
I was on maternity leave when symptoms first started, but had been back to work for about a month when I was finally diagnosed. I am lucky that I can easily work from home and work for a very understanding family-owned company, because I did work from home for maybe 7 days (not all in a row, but here and there) when I was at my most sick. I went to work, however, even when I was really, really ill. And I had a baby to take care of! My husband took the brunt of taking care of him, though. He'd get fussy of an evening quite often, and want to be walked around the house. I didn't have the strength to do that, though, so he did.
Posted 7/6/2009 6:46 PM (GMT 0)
I spent a week in the hospital and then a month at home (doctor's orders) when I was first diagnosed. After I got out of the hospital, I quit my job at a stressful ad agency with a horrible boss. These folks were calling me while I was in the hospital with work questions (I was the only designer who did Web work). When I went back to work, it was for a small Web design firm with a very understanding boss, flexible hours and a bathroom close by. It is totally worth it to leave a bad situation for a job that's less stressful with folks that are understanding and supportive.
Posted 7/6/2009 7:13 PM (GMT 0)
I have a lot of admiration for those of you who struggle through work with management that aren't understanding. I just don't know how I would have coped if my management were not so fantastic as they are.

Posted 7/6/2009 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
I was off for two weeks while I was getting my diagnosis, though it was a part time job.

Luckily my boss was awesome about it, and my coworkers were really sweet as well (if I ran into them at classes/the student center, they'd always ask if I was ok or if I needed anything).
Posted 7/7/2009 12:25 AM (GMT 0)
Like I said, I never missed work...but I do remember flaring so badly that when the phone rang, it would startle me enough to bring on a spasm and I'd have to get to the restroom pronto! I stopped trying to answer the phone, let it go to voicemail or to my secretary, used the restroom and then called people back.
Thank goodness, now, for email.
Posted 7/7/2009 2:25 AM (GMT 0)
When I first got sick I had to quit the university - I was an chemical engineering student. I couldn't keep up. I was going to the bathroom 15-20 times a day and that wasn't the worst of it. I couldn't concentrate and you have to be at the top of your game for that anyway all I could think about was where was the bathroom and how much pain I was in....fast forward to now... I am doing a business degree online and its great. I can stay home! I am married and my husband has been supportive or else I don't know what I would do! Seriously...... I am very much in support of some sort of universal health care for Americans because I lucked out. I went without health insurance for 5 years because I couldn't afford it. Then I got married and then I got sick..... I am very lucky it was in that order or else I would be screwed....I don't even care about being an engineer anymore - I just want to be well and that's the only thing I think about anymore. Part of me thinks at least I am focused on the "important" things in life now. I guess it is all relative.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12