How has IBD affected your career or job?
IBD can have a huge impact on one's professional life. Between balancing bathroom breaks, crop-dusting coworkers, and powering through pain, the workplace woes never seem to end.
This is a safe place to share your experiences, frustrations, and coping strategies for dealing with IBD in the workplace.
Ulcerative Colitis has taken a toll on my professional life and career. When I had my first big colitis flare in early 2013, I was out of work for 3 weeks and took the first of many trips to the ER. I was working at the 2nd largest newspaper in New Hampshire and thankfully I had short-term disability.
During that time, I was able to meet with a holistic doctor who suggested I try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, as some of her patients had good results with it. I was able to control the disease through diet alone for almost 3 years.
But when my life imploded in 2018, I landed in the hospital for 9 days. This is when I was a temporary employee for a company that edits and publishes text books with subpar supplemental insurance. That was a $42,000 hospital bill that was thankfully wiped and I was granted free care until June 2019.
I volunteered to be laid off in April 2019 from the same company since they were letting us go one at a time and I wanted to focus on healing. During that time I also started a new job selling people insurance. Despite my disease and need to use the bathroom constantly, I was able to rise to a Tier 3 agent out of 4.
In 2020, I only worked 7 months and in October 2020, I landed myself in the hospital again. This time for 13 days and they removed my colon. I had 2 more j-pouch surgeries and 2 temporary ileostomies. I applied for disability in May 2021 and was approved for it in November 2021. I’m still healing, but I am better than I was before and I am grateful for that.
I don’t want or plan to be on disability for life. My plans include continuing to heal myself and learn different energy healing modalities to help others heal themselves.
Hi
. Thank you so much for your willingness to share your story. You certainly have been through a lot in recent years and had quite the employment and insurance rollercoaster. It is great to hear that you are healing and starting to improve. Following up on what you shared about disability and the desire to return to work at some point, I want to share for everyone out there this article from our editorial team on disability benefits: https://inflammatoryboweldisease.net/resources-disability and this page from the Social Security Administration on the "Trial Work Period" program which allows individuals to return to work for up to 9 months without losing disability payments: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/work. Hoping you continue to improve and please feel free, if you like, to keep us posted on how you are doing. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Well, so far my UC has ruined my life. It keeps getting worse. I lost my job. I was delivering mail as a city carrier assistant, had my own route, in the town I lived in. As soon as I transferred over to get more hours, I was diagnosed a little while later. Going to the bathroom 6 to 8 times a day. Then waiting to get treatment. I ended up I the ER about 5 times. All this is happenening from June till now. I finally have an appointment with a specialist, but no job, no income, no partner, no savings, now homeless and it gets worse every day. Now I'm in pain alot, going about 8 to 13 times a day. Trying to survive with nothing and no one. Now I've got a dog having seizures and owe vet bills on top of it all. I just wish someone would shoot me.
Oh
, my heart goes out to you! You really have been going through so much these past months between your diagnosis and symptoms, job loss, home loss, and money difficulties. I can hear what a challenging and frustrating time it has been. While I know this isn't the same as a partner or in person, please know that this community is here for you. You are certainly not alone in how you're feeling. When is your appointment? I'm hoping that it is coming up soon, and that you can find a treatment that you're comfortable with and that begins to bring you some relief. Please don't hesitate to reach out here anytime, whether you have questions, need to vent, or could use some support. Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
