Career Advice!

[kolitha]

three months back i was discoverd with crohns dieses. before this dieses came to me i have had my eductional future planed, as to do a degree in the country i live in(sri lanka) but few weeks back i got an offer to do a degree in USA where i have to work 2ice as much as a US citizen to earn my living and to pay for college. i really cant figure out what to do since i am scared wether i will be able to survive 4 to 5 years in USA with crohns. even my parents dont understand the difficultys of living with crohns . food is a really big problem to me. i feel very uncomfortable even if i eat anything with litle oil. my biggest fear is what will i be able to eat? i havent got a remission untill now. but i have been on prednisilon, aziptorine for 45 days now. my biggest feare facing life alone with Crohn's and making it worse.
in my country i dont have many ppl to talk about this. i mite sound stupid asking about my career advice.

 

[Rocking on]

Hello Kol: you are quite smart to be figuring your career with Crohn's factored in. I am now 46 and picked up Crohn's at 30... The same year I graduated law school, passed the bar, got married, bought a house and started my first job in a law firm. I often wonder if the stress of that year caused my crohns.

It was very difficult working in a law firm with other attorneys and staff. I felt guilty all the time about leaving early. I left that job when i was offered a position as in house counsel for Verizon. Unfortunately, i was even more miserable there.

Eventually i started my own practice and it has done quite well. I can manage my caseload much better now, and never feel guilty for leaving early or coming in late.

The corporate world is not kind or understanding of our issues, never forget that. If you have the capability to start your own business or independently contract, I highly suggest it.

 

[kolitha]

Thank you rocking on!The Biggest problem for me is how to make my parents understand this. They think I am too lazy. In my country I am working on my own. I do have the same problems that you have. Coming in late and leaving early due to lack of energy to stay the entire day. I guess the best way to stay healthy with crohn's is to stay back and do what I an doing. I am too scared to have surgery and to let this destroy my life of being like normal!

 

[Rocking on]

Kol, if you progress like I do, Crohn's will destroy your notion of a "normal" life. I aint gonna lie, it has been a tough 16 years. I have been on prednisone for 16 years and I have resisted my doctor's recommendation for surgery. Every year they tell me it is necessary, and yet 16 years have passed. I will admit it, I may just not be brave enough to do it, but i am also a strong advocate in the idea that the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know.

I understand having parents with high expectations. My advice is that you get over that. It's very hard for people who are healthy to truly understand what we deal with, even if they love us. I can't imagine that they understand what it's like anymore than i could understand what being a paraplegic is like.

I treat at the Mayo hospital in Minnesota one of the best hospitals in the world, and I have never been in remission. That's not to say you won't be, but realizing it ain't going away can be the best thing. You can make better choices for your future, you make every day a little more special, and you become far less materialistic. I learned a lot of humility and empathy 16 years ago, and while the Crohns has taken a lot from me, it has made me a better person inside.

I wish you so much luck Kol. You can be successful with Crohn's, but dont try to jam a square peg in a round hole with your career. You have to negotiate with this disease...give up some in exchange for some. It's the best course to happiness, and it keeps you in control instead of the disease.

 

[kolitha]

thank you for the advice! hope you are getting better everyday!!! i even believe in the devil who i know. my decision is to stay back and do what i am doing. i dont want to test my luck with my life. and i dont want to lose a part of my body which will never grow back. thank you again!!!