Keeping a Job

[Brizzyce]

Like I'm sure many of you can relate with, it's been extremely difficult for me to work regular hours at my job since I've been in a flare (diagnosed in May but supposedly in a flare since November). I work in a membership-based wholesaler at the moment, and it's really hard for me to do pretty much any lengthy task without running to the bathroom midway through. The constant bathroom use isn't really the issue though, since my bosses are quite understanding; instead, it's the pain that makes it pretty much impossible to work.

On a given day, I'd say there's about a 20% chance that I'll be in so much pain that I won't be able to do anything but take some pain meds and wait for the cramps to stop. As a result, lately I've been calling in sick to my job probably about once a week. Again, my bosses try to be helpful, and they have suggested that I take some time off to "get better" - this is all well and good except for the fact that "getting better" isn't going to happen overnight, if at all, and I'd rather not go broke waiting for it to happen. I can tell they're really starting to get pissed off with all my sick calls, and I don't blame them, but there's not a lot I can do about it.

So I guess what I'm asking is: Does anyone have any magic tips for how to balance a job and IBD? Any similar experiences would help me out a lot.

Cheers,
Bryce

 

[kenny]

Hey Bryce. Being a local guy I can relate to this pretty well. I ended up taking over 6 months off to get my initial flair and surgery dealt with. It was all handled at KGH and the surgeons signed paperwork provided by the social assistance department at KGH. I did not have private insurance for Long or Short term disability through my employer so the govt covered me for 3 months for a 2009 claim and another 3 for 2010. I think I got lucky there actually.

But the long and short of it is; For me I had to stop work and focus on getting better. I started back with some easy stuff for three months and am now back at full physical activity.

 

[glum chump]

Like Kenny, I had to give up working as well. I was a trauma counsellor and did counselling at a forensics psychiatric hospital. It got to be too much having to run out on a client in the middle of some emotionally difficult story to run to the bathroom or to try to work through the pain.

I tried to work as long as I could. However, I found that actually taking time off and not stressing about messing up at work or trying to balance my symptoms with work and pain/bathroom breaks to be helpful.

In terms of the finance, I imagine you'd be eligible for EI benefits (Sickness benefits). It lasts for 15 weeks, and there is an initial two week waiting period. It's not a whole lot of money -- a percentage of your income (I think it's 55%). After the 15 weeks, if you have access to a long term disability plan (LTD) through extended benefits from your employer, then you could apply for that until you get better. The third option, and I'm not sure how you feel about it, is to apply for social assistance. In BC, there is income support (again, not a whole lot), but you get your medical premiums covered as well as your prescription medication.