Working while sick

I can't advise you on what to do but I know how you feel. I worked in a moderate-severe flare for 2.5 years. It wasn't really until I had surgery that I realized how unproductive I had been at work, at certain times. Can you take 2-3 weeks off sick to get some rest? I ended up taking 2 three week leaves in order to rest and regain some of my health. It didn't put me in remission but did allow me to take time to care for myself and not worry about work and illness.

Sue

     You most certainly are NOT a wimp.  Personally, I am fortunate enough to be out of the work force.  I didn't get UC until I was 52 yrs old and I hadn't worked since I was 50.  I have no idea how I would have functioned.  I worked for a doctor but one who wasn't very compassionate to his employees.  As a matter of fact, I remember one time going into work and feeling kinda punky.  He made me work until 4 p.m. (my quitting time was 4:30), then he said..."Chris, let me examine you."  Well, I had a temperature of 104!!!!!  What a moron I was to stay there all day.

    Try to get some time off to take care of yourself and maybe improve your condition.  This is a horrible disease.

Only you know what you can do. I worked through a five-year flare, going 15-20 times a day most of the time (25-30 for the rest.) It wasn't fun, and not everyone could or would do that. I basically worked and then went home to rest so I could word the next day. On weekends I rested again. Could I have had a job and a life? No way.

I know how you feel. Try to rest as much as you can, even if it means going to bed soon after you are home from work. It sucks, but you'll get through this. I also found exercise would help, even 15 or 20 minutes walking or using exercise equipment. Walk around your house or building if you don't want to get too far away from your toilet!
I always soldiered on through, never missed work. But I don't blame anyone for taking some time off to recharge a little, if you can.

I am right there with you. I have been in a severe flare since the first week in November and trying to deal with discovering I also have a gluten intolerance along with a dairy intolerance. I'm not sleeping at night - even with Lunesta. Last night I took a half ativan, 1 lunesta and 2 benedryl and tylenol and spent most of the night up with pain in my gut. Here I am at work right now, and foggy and feeling terrible. Everyone says I look great (the lbs. are dropping off because I can't eat very much) but I feel like an old dragged out lady. I turn 60 on Sunday and this isn't quite the way I imagined I would be spending my days.

Thank goodness for my forums (belong to colitis, gf, IBS). I alternate my work with reading the posts and time seems to pass a little easier.

I am lucky... my job is a campus technology administrator in a school so I can come and go around the building. I definitely have my favourite bathrooms.

I can't retire - financially impossible, and this disease is taking it's toll on my body. Some days I count the minutes, not even the hours until I can go home. I really have no choice in working, and each day is a struggle to get out of bed, showered and go to work. Dealing with staff, students and parents when your gut is screaming, is a very difficult thing to do.

I have been re-reading the book called "The Secret" and trying to think positively and this flare has been improving, slowly but surely... it's just the matter of getting up, going to work, and trying to get through each day.

I wish luck to everyone going through this

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They are addictive and you cannot take them long but what about asking for pain meds for the roughest times. They allowed me to eat and not fear bm's. They also reduced my bm's considerably because the stool would cause spasms as they hit the ulcerated areas but the pain meds stopped those spasms so I don't have to go at work at all now. I tried anti-spasmodics which never helped, fiber never helped, Immodium didn't help during the bad times either. Ask you doctor about it.

Boxermom; you posted on here about applying for SSDI and you got a negative response? I'm so sorry if that happened. Everyone needs to do what's right for them.

Try to get as much rest as you can when at home. And if you can, even take a quick nap over your lunch break. When I was flaring severely at grad school I would go to an empty seminar room and rest during the 15 minute coffee breaks between classes, and sometimes at lunch-time too -- that made a huge difference in dealing with the exhaustion.

Also try to exercise daily if you can. Even though you need to rest, just doing 15-30 minutes of light exercise a day really helps to balance out your energy levels and give you an emotional boost too.

This disease is a very much misunderstood disease.I'm in a 12 step program for 21 years and i share about my situation with colitis at the meetings i attend where you can talk about anything that you wish too.Some people do understand and some don't,all that matters is i and you all understand so we can help each other.After 12 years as MR.MOM i tried going back to work full time[residential construction] in 2008 after being in the hospital for pneumonia,either the stress of going back to work or the pneumonia or something else triggered the sleeping giant[colitis]and i've been having a consistent flare that is tough to get into remission.Luckily i have a wife that has a good job, it hasn't been easy financially.There is no way i could work in someones house going to the bathroom often,would you recommend stinkbomb construction[joke].So with my doctors i'm trying to get this disease in some form of remission,my colitis was in remission for 23 years,so how much can i complain-GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL. 

serpentskurt: Did you start the Imuran in October? If so, maybe you need a little more. How much do you weigh? I weigh 200lbs and take 150mg. 100mg took me into remission 4 years ago and I flared after the dose was lowered. In October I went back up to 100mg and in Dec I went to 150mg. I'm now tapering the prednisone and going into remission. Maybe they need to up your dose. Are you eating enough? I know it's hard to eat when in pain so that's why I brought up the pain meds; they're allowing me to eat and work. In these two weeks off maybe you need an at home nurse to give you some stronger steroids and IV fluids to boost things along. I've done that before and gone into remission. I went into the hospital just last month for 1 week and those stronger steroids did the trick. Rest, sleep and reduce stress helps too.

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     I was on 6MP for over seven years.  At first it worked but then it stopped and I was flaring more often than not and becoming steroid dependent.  I am now on Remicade and keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't build up antibodies to it.  We will know after my next infusion on the 26th of February.