A vent about stupid people, I guess

What an insensitive co-worker. I actually tell my co-workers about my disease and anyone else out there because I like to educate and bring awareness to it. I guess it helps that I work in a health care facility but I tell people how it is and they realize how horrible it would be to have and that they're lucky to have healthy bowels! Your co-worker needs to be educated about it so she can become aware of your disease.

I don't think it would bother me, to tell you the truth... I mean, chances are, you WOULD have Lactaid! If they (co-workers) have any idea of your "digestive" issues, you know? That's probably all they know, that you have some sort of stomach issue. Except for a few people at my work, that's what most of my co-workers think. And I work with doctors & nurses! I don't feel comfortable talking about it, or attempting to educate people about IBD... that's not my job. Plus, then you'd always be known as "the girl/guy with diarrhea issues"... and that's it. Hearing about other people's problems gets very tiresome- everyone's got problems, you know? Even a family member who goes on & on & on about a health condition, after a while it's like "Shut up!". I feel that UC is a very small part of me, overall, & not even worth bringing up- anytime there's food I know I should avoid, I just say "No thanks!" and leave it at that. I only go into detail if I am going to be out of work for any extended amount of time. Which thankfully, hasn't happened in about a year & a half!   And my mother is the same way- she'll tell anyone about it! It's gotten better, but when I thought I would have to get surgery, she told like a dozen people exactly what type of surgery, etc- I was SO MAD- I let her have it too, told her it was my body & my decision & I (and ONLY I!) would decide who I wanted to tell. Now when she asks how I am, I say "Not bad".

Jen O said...
I haven't been on in a long time (I've been doing great), but I just had to get on and vent to you guys.

At work today we had ice cream cake to celebrate a late "Boss's Day" One of the women said to me "Jen, do you have any Lactaid on hand? If anyone here would have it, I would bet it was you, with all of your issues with your guts, you know!"

I know a lot of you guys on here deal with IBS along with your IBD, but not everyone does! When I am not flareing, I eat what I want and it does not influence my GI symptoms at all. So she is thinking that I missed 6 full weeks of work, 3 of which were in the hospital, and then spent 2 or 3 weeks phasing in back to my usual hours last year due to irritable bowel? I am a wimp, but not bad of one!

People like her, I am sure, are why a lot of you guys don't even tell your co-workers about your UC.

Sorry, I just had to vent about that and I knew you guys would understand.

Jen O

i consider medical information to be private and not to be shared with co-workers.