What do you do for work/living??

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Skinny Dub

Joined
Aug 24, 2009
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So I figured it be interesting to see what everyone does for work and how your job my help or hinder with living with crohns.


I will start... I work for a large chain of restaurants in the greater New England area my position at my current location is a first cook. For me it can be good and bad thing schedule is very flex-able and work many different shifts which can be nice. On the other hand If I'm not feeling good it is almost impossible to call out and usually have to work threw the pain not easy in a kitchen. Working in a kitchen I have access to all kinds of food, but at times I feel I'm so bored with food because I'm around it so much... not so great because I need to eat and gain weight! On the up side my management team is very understanding and wants me to get better and truly concerned with my health. Although my GM keeps telling me she has a friend with crohns and doesn't understand why I'm sicker then her friend... maybe she doesn't fully understand everyone is different I dont know. But anyways I feel like a 9-5 desk job would be easier sometimes maybe not... so what does everyone do for work?
 
Well, my husband is the one with Crohn's but I'll fill you in on what he does. He manages a construction company during the week and is a part time police officer one or two nights a week and on the weekends. I am currently in nursing school so he is working extra hours to help pay for tuition and books. It can be challenging for him to be in such a physically demanding line of work all the time but for the most part he just muddles through. He has been such a trooper. I don't know how he has stayed so strong through this whole ordeal. I suppose God gives you the strength you need to survive.
 
Currently I am a stay at home mom of 3. My daughter is homeschooled because we were a little worried about her going to the middle school we are zoned for.

In my other life I worked as an RN. I worked on a general peds floor for a few years and then did school nursing. I started to stay home after the third baby arrived.
I always loved working with kids. Now that I have 3 of my own I really don't have the same desire to be around kids. I wonder why that is?? I would love to go back to work, but with the CD I'm glad I'm not. With this economy the way it is I may not have choice...
 
I'm currently unemployed, I was made redundant a little over 2 months ago now and haven't been able to get another job since.

Before now however I have always worked part time in the retail sector. It's not what I want to do forever but the hours were always quite sociable (not always just 9-5 sometimes I did 1-6 which meant I could take my time in the morning etc), I still was able to meet and talk to people during the day and it was relatively laid back work, with a break every 4 hours. I wasn't exactly run off my feet and although yes at the end of the day I was tired, it was easily fixed with a couple of extra hours rest in the evening. My manager was also very understanding of my condition and for example let me take in a comfy chair to sit on behind the desk after I'd come out of hospital and let me drink my Elemental cartons on the shop floor if necessary among other helpful little things.
 
My wife is the Crohn's sufferer and she is an assistant physical therapist.
It's a good question, Skinny Dub. My wife and I have discussed it at length. We're not sure if she can keep up with the physical side of the work. The hours are not great, but the place she works gives her a lot of flexibility and now she's working 24 hours/week.
 
i work full-time at a college providing academic and community supports for students with developmental disabilities.

fortunately, i get a lot of vacation time (summers off in addition to 15 days vacation during the school year... and all of the holidays)... my hours are also somewhat flexible, if i can reschedule or get coverage from other staff.... my team is very supportive to one another and very understanding...
i move around a lot, but also there are many opportunities to sit.

fortunately, i have been able to get my appointments in without it interrupting my responsibilities too much... i try to schedule them at times when we're not too busy.

i also get sick days, but i try not to over do it,... i only use them when i am VERY sick.

i'm very lucky to work with such an awesome team... but i'm scared to leave this job, not sure any other job would be this fantastic.
 
Phlebotomist at a large university hospital. It's barely doable for me at the moment, though I do love the job. I've had more physically demanding jobs (restaurants, nursing homes, group homes, etc) and I couldn't hold them very well. I simply can't keep up with the pace and I end up calling in sick all the time. At first they're usually understanding but eventually people get mad at me for it and push me toward the door as fast as they can.

Things are going well here considering. I was doing okay up until this week when everything just tanked and before this the job was a breeze. Now I keep having to drop what I'm doing and run for the bathroom. That can be pretty awkward when you're about to stick a needle in someone. I even get patients here and there concerned more about my health than their own.

But of course it could be worse. The physical aspect of my work really only requires a lot of walking, carrying heavy things, and contorting myself so I can get around in people's rooms. So far I'm just doping myself up so much that I can just pull it off until it's time to go home. If I had a nasty physical work with a slave-driver boss there's no way I could be working at this point. I got really lucky when I signed up here.
 
i currently don't work. i worked at a little card and gift shop from fall of 06 to this past feb (tho i didn't work last spring and last fall b/c i was out of state). it wasn't too bad. most of the time i work from 9:30-4 or 5 4 or 5 days a week. sometimes it was hard b/c i would work 5-9 or 1-9 and there was oneday i worked 10 days in a row... that was not fun. in the end, they really didn't care that i felt so sick and that i was "lazy" somedays but that shop was more physically strenuous than you would think.

i never really managed to get much school done either. this upcoming spring i should be graduating from college and i don't even have my first year fully finished. that's probably what sucks the most.

eventually, i would like to be an architect. i would like to be able to have my own firm so i can work for my self and if i come in a little late, it's ok.
 
I'm currently a full time student at Purdue University and I'm working part time (20 hrs a week) at a coffee shop. Love the coffee shop job because its a very easy atmosphere... worked part time for Sears prior to this coffee shop job and found that I hate retail... and I hate selling!
 
I work full time plus as a project manager - but WFH 4 days a week which is perfect. If I'm feeling rubbish, I work from the depths of my duvet and nobody has to know. I can more or less choose my hours as long as I'm available by phone, so I can go for a nap and make the hours up in the evening if I want. Doesn't matter how many trips to the loo are needed - it's my loo in my house. Also fits in beautifully with family - I can do school run both ways, school hols are easy - I'm really really lucky.
 
I'm currently a Customer Service rep for Sylvania (lightbulbs) on the trade side. Previously, I was a Patient Relations Coordinator at a large hospital in Indianapolis. I'm soon heading back to school for Business Administration. Apparently, I don't feel that I have enough stress in my life, so I thought I would toss some education in there to top it off!

I'm new to the forums, so nice to meet y'all!
 
I'm a skin care therapist at my mums health and beauty clinic. I have pretty flexible hours and a mostly understanding boss, haha. It can be difficult at times as I'm the only therapist so there's nobody to cover for me. It was also hard to start off with, before I was diagnosed, I was so sick and tired daily and mum thought I was starting to fake it to get out of work and made me work anyway. It had it's advantages though, now I'm so used to it, I'm able to work through my flares.
 
I work in the courts here in the Metro Detroit area. My area of expertise is collections. I'm the one you DON'T want to talk to or hear from as I'm the one who's preparing the paper work for your trip to jail. Stressful? It can be at times as I deal with a lot of abuse both towards me verbally and from some of the cases I deal with such as spouse abuse and child abuse.

So far I've been treated very well especially since I've had 6 surgeries in the past 5 years. My administrators and judges have moved mountains to accommodate my needs. On the flip side, like you Dub, I get the flack for being sick a lot and "this one girl who used to work here had Crohns and was never sick as you." Yada Yada Yada

-Jeff
 
forgot to mention that i also go to school part-time in addition to working full-time... my university courses are on saturdays ALL day (9-3)... this has been very difficult.

i get pretty drained and the only reason why i pass my courses and do well is because i constantly get extensions for my assignments and i'm lucky that my profs are so flexible and understanding... i also do some school assignments while i'm at work (all of my coworkers do this during our down time).

i'm so looking forward to being done. i'm so close, just this semester and the next semester, then by summer 2010 i'll be finished!
 
After being made redundant in Jan I was really worried about what sort of job I could get again but fortunately managed to get partime work starting at 1.00 in the afternoon on reception in car showroom , I have found that by having breakfast and then nothing else till after work I can usually avoid any problems, only downside is being only female working with lots of males you do get toilet jokes but try not to get embarrassed any more.
 
I work in the financial services as a Case Manager which means I have my own workload and can control it to suit which comes in very handy. It normally means working like a demon in the morning as my issues tend to be in the afternoon for whatever reason?? I also work for an emergency call service every other weekend. Its a lot of hours (main job 42 hours a week - excluding lunch breaks and 10 hours every other w/e for the other job) considering I feel wiped out so much but I bought my own house and Im doing good. I just went back to work last week after 2 months following my resection and Im finding it a tough slog. I am particularly struggling since I can't have my staple of porridge but they've told me they are buying a microwave so I can follow my diet - yay me! I wish I could have my own toilet but hey, we can't have it all can we! :)
 
I was a "stay-in-bed" mom but since being on the Remicade I have completed my first year of University and started my second - BUT the damn Remi is giving me terrible joint pain so here we go with Cimzia - Hoping to go to graduate school and get my Masters in Teaching...Even if I'm 90 years old by the time I finish...couldn't sit in a classroom for years because of this damn disease -
 
I work as a Telecommunications Sales Engineer. The work is very exciting and requires some travel; but I'm lucky i have a very good manager; so he understands when I am sick and I can also do many of my work from home if needed. Also I can have up to 40 sick days per year as i have been in my company for a while now.
 
I am an office manager for a smaill property management office. I have a wonderful boss who is very understanding. Iam the only employee so I try not to call in unless I am miserable.
 
I am an operations manager for a large dept. store. I am salary so I work anywhere from 40-60 hours a week. I love my job but I have to make sure I don't get too stressed. That can send me into a flare.
 
I'm a stay-at-home dad (Mr Mom) and I'm working seriously (finally) to become a published novelist and I also write screenplays. Nothing optioned yet, but I just started and we've (meaning me and the people I'm writing/revising for) gotten in touch with Paramount, as well as HBO films and Universal. It'd be a great thing to get that screenplay picked up by one of those guys after all the revision work I did on it. When it was handed to me to fix it was not much more than a 50 page rough outline and I was asked to make it into a feature-length film script. It's come a long way from its beginning and is a pretty sweet script now.

I think I was always destined to write for a living. I'm good at it. I think Crohn's has further pushed me in that direction. Almost like I'm being told, "You're not destined to work manual labor, or in the mainstream workplace. Your job is writing. Do it." And so, after over 20 years (nearly as long as I've had Crohn's) of what I call practice, I'm burning toward my goal. I want to be published by a publishing house or optioned for a film by the first quarter of next year. If I keep hitting it I'll get there.

I used to work in retail, produce clerk at Kroger. It sucked. It was stressful. It damaged my body. It made me jaded. It showed me every irritating and uncaring facet of humanity. The bosses were as understanding as they could be, but retail, especially so demanding a job, is not for a Crohn's patient. My doctor even told me back when I got the job, "You know you won't be able to do that forever, right? Get out of it as soon as you can."

And so I write.

I'm a writer. It's what I do.

My Writing blog is down in my sig if anyone wants to check it out.
 
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Lets see, I'm the operations manager for a LARGE company. I do plumbing on the side. I run a non-profit organization. I'm getting ready to start my own business soon. Then I'm pretty much a full time volunteer. I coach little league football and baseball and am an EMT for the county.

Other than that, sometimes I sleep.
 
IT - i do Computer Basd Training......not really the most healthiest of jobs sat behind a computer for 7 or so hours followed by more hours when i get back. but when i'm feeling bad i can just sink in my chair and put some music on
 
I work in the shipping department of a paper mill. Lots of computer work and thinking, combined with physical labor.

My wife and myself also own a medical billing service. Been going since 1993 and have 15 employees.

Dan
 
I used to work as a Golf course Superintendent. It was very physical and long hard days outside. I have given up the position, applied for temporary medical leave from the govt and will embark on a new career when I recover enough from upcoming surgeries. :(
 
My 'career' has been extremely varied over the years!

I did a masters in Psychology and at that time developed Chronic Fatigue and anxiety (precursor to Crones?) and the past 12 years I have had periods of not working at all and other stuff like did 2 years as a journalist - fun but stressful - nannying on and off and cleaning houses - not good use of my brain at all!

Five years ago I started working part time supporting people with mental ilness in the community. I still work there but now all of my clients have intellectual disabilities. Its okay but really a bottom end job and not taxing on my intellect nearly enough, but one does what one can manage. My boss has been great with me getting sick so I am thankful for that and the fact that the government helps me out too!

Currebtly i have also been studying massage/bodywork therapy and nearly finished my qualification. I worked one day a week for the first 6 months of the year out of the back of a helth shop which sadly closed. I now have advertised and had a small numner of clients from a room I have set up at home.

I really ahd intended to start up a proper business and do this and counselling (also studying this) but the blow of Crohns diagnosis has thrown me a bit!

I am also a semi professional photographer. haven;t had any work for a while but have three weddings coming up and am FREAKING about being able to manage them!

Crikey I do go on a bit don;t I?
 
I am an analytical chemist for a paper and packaging company. It works out well for me. Even though it is technically a 9-5 job, I am pretty much self-supervised, so I can plan my day according to how I feel. Fortunately I have not missed much unplanned work due to my disease (although I can't count the number of days I WISH I was at home in bed), but I do come in late an awful lot because I tend to have "morning" problems. I sometimes feel guilty about all of the doctor's appointments, tests, etc. My boss is super understanding in that aspect though. All in all, I guess I have a pretty good job for someone with Crohn's :)
 
I work from home after being laid off as an IT technician for a huge trucking company. I do web design/graphic design, and oddly enough pottery restoration out of home now. I had to get a little creative when the job went. But after about 6 months I'm finding my way being self-employed. It's alot more fun than being an IT tech, and it's empowering and builds my confidence to actually be earning a decent income on my own.

This spring I'm going through a program to become a medical transcriber, which I can do from home, so we'll see how that works out.
 
I'm an Executive Assistant to the CEO/President of an appraisal firm. I've been here since I was 16 (so 12 years). I'm currently looking for a new job (I think I've done my time here lol).
 
Santos61198 said:
I'm an Executive Assistant to the CEO/President of an appraisal firm. I've been here since I was 16 (so 12 years). I'm currently looking for a new job (I think I've done my time here lol).
Click to expand...
Let's start our own business. What we gonna do?
 
I am a teacher. I currently teach pre-k at a private school. :) When I'm not "going to school" for this degree, or that degree, I work at a center for abused teens/women.
 
I think I am lucky with my profession at least, because I spent most of the work-day sitting quietly in front of a computer. I am a systems analyst.
 
I am an IT systems analyst for a toilet paper manufacturing company. You have to get some perks :)
 
Cog said:
I am an IT systems analyst for a toilet paper manufacturing company. You have to get some perks :)
Click to expand...


Can you give us some recommendations??? Something with the least amount of chaffing. Maybe you can recommend making a brand with Calmoseptine built in. Well, at least you have job security.:ylol2:
 
I work part-time as an assistant accountant so I'm sat behind a desk most of the day. If I feel poorly I'm really lucky as my boss is really understanding and tells me to go home, he knows someone else with Crohns too. When I'm not at work I'm usually running around after my two year old son .
 
I have been retired for 9 years. My husband and I were self-employed with our own Insurance firm. (33 years). After retirement I have learned the violin, viola and oboe. I play in a stringed quartet, professionally. I am learning photography, I sing in my church choir, have started my own Crohn's blog and stay active. All I do these days, is have fun. We have a total of 13 combined grandchildren all over the U.S.
 
Thank you Shantel. My Crohn's improved after retirement. Have you noticed that the majority of us that posted have very stressful jobs? That has to be hard on the Crohn's.
 
Hiyah, I'm due to start a new job as a psychological therapist in two weeks time. Just hope I can rely on my body a little bit more by then. Cross your fingers for me everybody.
 
I am an HR Manager for a food retailer and the amount of ill people that aren't really ill annoyes me as I struggle into work ill most days. I love my job and I only work 3 days so the stress is managable.
 
I was finding hard to work a fulltime position. I was a real estate agent before I got sick. So I sighned up to be a substitute teacher. There is enough work that i can work every day if I am feeling well but if i am sick I can just tell thenm no i can't work today and not worry about getting fired It's been great for me. You don't have to have a degree but usually you do have to take a class mine was only 4 hours and of course you have to pass your back ground checks Just contact your local board of education and they will let you know what they require. It is the perfect job for us Cronies
 
I have been out of work for almost a year out on disability. Before I was working in a Lab, we did testing on clinical research studies. The job was too many hours because of shortage of staffing, and I kept on going in and out of the hospital. After the last bout of going downhill, my doctor wanted me out before I did wind up back in the hospital. I thought that even though I love science I had to change careers. I went back now for the career change and am working on my Masters for Mental Health Counseling. Hopefully this will be a little less demanding on my body for number of hours worked! No more 60-70 hour weeks...And I will be working with people face to face!! not the samples that are taken from them. It will be different!
 
I'm a photographer, running my own business. It doesn't add upp to full time, so I do other jobs as well when I can. This year I've worked for two different NGOs, beside my photography. I've had a very stressful year. I thought that stress and Crohn's weren't directly linked, but now I read in this thread that it might be. Is it? Or is it not? Or is it, as I've discovered many things about Crohn's are, it-might-be-and-you-have-to-find-out-what-works-for-you?
 
I am a youth worker for the Salvation Army. I work with homeless and at-risk young people aged 12-20. I really enjoy my job and the young people I work with and am thankful that my work has an outdoor toilet block which I frequent regularly. My employer is pretty good if I need a sick day and allows me to take unpaid leave if needed. I am lucky as have not needed too much time off work anyway.
 
I am a client placement manager i work for an amazing company, my role is to assess people with learning disabilities and mental health and find them suitable homes within the community. I have worked for my firm since 2004 and must say that they have been fantastic. I only have so say that I am not feeling well and can juggle my appointments and work from home. I had 9 weeks of from this June as I had bowel surgery and my appendix taken out. My director even came to see me as they were so worried about me. I am have a colonoscopy on 4th November and they are happy for me to have the day off prior for the prep and the rest of the week to recover! I have been so blessed that I have a very understaning employer!
 

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