Full time work and Crohn's

[Jison0612]

Just wondering how everybody deals with full time work and the dr's visit that goes along with regular upkeep and maintenance of this disease that's always been a hard balance for me I do it but usually my health takes the back burner sadly :-(

 

[shamrock15]

What type of work is it that you do? For me, I had to give up a lucrative, but boring and unhealthy job that I had for 10 years because the hours just wrecked me. A switch of careers later, into teaching, and my health has considerably improved. I find for me that big thing was late nights and shifting patterns in sleep and eating. Once I got those under control, the improvement in health followed.

 

[Jison0612]

I don't have a very physically demanding job but it literally drives me mentally insane!! I stress about it all day and dread going but they got good insurance?

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I had to give up my job because I wasn't able to keep up with it even after exhausting my disability payment. It's very difficult, I think it's important to have a boss or manager who really understands that you are willing to work hard in spite of this disease and someone who will be accepting of you going to different appointments. I often told my boss that I'm going to stay later and work extra and work from home as well and this was an acceptable option in my case. Sadly not all managers are understanding and many people have been mistreated and probably in some cases fired for their disease.

 

[ruhereyet]

I would think you could apply for FMLA.

 

[ForeverCrohns]

I never could work any full time job I always get fired because of my hospital appointments and also I flare when I get any job due to stress

 

[Justanothercp]

I decided to switch jobs to one that had a lot of built in flexibility. Way less stress that way and I don't need to take time off for appointments. I'm very lucky and thankful for the opportunity to have a job like that.

 

[Viveka]

Unfortunately, I always end up losing my job's. Because, my bosses aren't understanding of the disease. It's frustrating since I am still in school, also and need to pay for it.

 

[rapscallion]

I just switched jobs to a very hectic, long hour, stress inducing job and it's been wrecking my health. I don't know what to do. My health has really dropped quite a bit since working there, but I can't just up and quit or even really talk to my boss about it.

 

[Crohn's gal since 1989]

I'm very lucky, I work for a non-profit company that promotes health. Because of that, we have excellent health benefits. My sick days earned carry over each year to a maximum of 130, so this year even though I was in the hospital for 10 days and I am home cove leasing for 6 weeks, I've only used 39 days. My boss will use half a sick day for my doctor's appointments. Since I am such a hard worker and my boss knows I feel guilty when I'm sick, she always lectures me about taking care about my health.

 

[MissCadenza]

I'm lucky too, I have a really understanding boss and the company lets me take time for doctor's appointments - we have this thing called 'special authorised leave' which means you can log doctor appointments as that. I try to get all my appointments in the early morning or late afternoon anyway which means I only need an hour or so of special authorised cuz I have to leave early to drive to the hospital or will get in late because of the appointment in the morning.

Plus my company does flexitime so that has been an absolute godsend for me, especially when I returned to work after the huge flare that a) almost led to me starving to death and b) was the only reason I got diagnosed so darn quickly. I could do short days until I was feeling better, and now I am feeling stronger I am doing full days.

And I enjoy my job, so that's incentive enough to keep me coming here

 

[CrohnsChicago]

I have a full-time job. I get a reasonable number of vacation and sick days and thankfully at the moment my crohn's isn't too terrible but I still have to deal with follow-up visits monthly for supplement injections and the occasional blood test or physical exam. No one has openly raised an open fuss but that doesn't mean that my attendance is going unnoticed because the nature of my job requires me to be available to help meet deadlines and I cannot take work home....

When I was flaring I was at the doctor every other week. I was afraid I was making a bad impression on my bosses. I work as a legal assistant and to this day feel that my illness has played a huge factor in my inability to move ahead because I have proven to be unreliable with attendance and occasionally it has affected my mood, my appearance and my ability to focus and get things done properly.

Some people are aware of my illness at work, and others are not (or are pretending like they are not). The fear of losing my job never fades even though people compliment me here and there for the work I am able to accomplish. I just do my best and try to give 110% when I am there and hope that people can look past the fact that I have periods where I just can't be as productive and reliable and try to remind myself that I DO indeed have these personal days and have a right to take them as I have earned them. Just sucks when I have to take them at inconvenient times.