Diagnosed age 24. Going back to work?

[chumphrey90]

Hi everyone.

After having pain for several years I have finally been diagnosed with IBD just not sure which type yet. I was hospitalised for 12 days and am now home. I'm constantly tired and in low pain. I'm due to go back to work in a few weeks and just wondered how people deal with IBD in an office environment. My work have been very helpful but am just very worried in case I have a flare up at work and how my colleagues will react. Would be very grateful for any advice

 

[CrohnsChicago]

I'm very sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. I'm glad you have a few weeks still to rest and get a grasp on what is going on with your body before you go back to work.

What type of job do you have? I am Paralegal so I have standard office hours. When flaring I keep a desk drawer full of flare necessities (Immodium for when I have important meetings or projects that I cannot easily escape to the bathroom, emergency wipes, change of clothes, xanax, and spare crohn's medications and vitamins in case I forget to take them at home, heating pad, etc.....). I set up a station under my desk where I can rest my feet to relax a bit while working. I avoid eating heavily and foods that I should not when I am at work to avoid making symptoms worse. I stick to soft, bland foods and safe liquids. I keep spare Ensures and protein drinks in the office refrigerator to have some nutrients and hopefully it will help keep some of my energy levels up.

If I am exhausted, I sometimes use a vacant office or the conference room to take a 10-15min break to rest my head. I don't discuss my disease with my office though they are aware due to medical-related absences and prior FMLA approval and just how sickly I look some days (can't always hide it) that I have a condition I am dealing with.