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I have had Colitis for 11 years and have experienced flare ups when I work night shift, and it calms down greatly when I work a Normal Day Shift.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? and if so has your employer been willing to work with you? or have you had to pursue any action?

 Reply posted for katya.

I have been working shift work for 11 years. At first I strarted off on nights (thats when my colitis symptoms started appearing.  After 2 years of dealing with it I switched to a day shift.  After a year of being on days my symptoms slowly started to improve (very slowly).  After being on days for about 5 years. I had to go back working a night shift rotation again and my symptoms came back worse than ever, I was so sick I could barely make it through the day. After doing that for about 4 months I was able to go back to days and have been on days since for about the past 3 years. Since making the move back my symptoms have completely went away (Although I am still taking my Imuran daily).  But there has been a recent change in scheduling to where I am being forced to go back to night shift hours again.

Fearing my symptoms will come back I asked my employer for reasonable accomodations in work schedule allowing me to keep my daytime hours (with support of a doctors note recommending the same).  To which my emplyer refused.

I am contemplating filing a complaint with the EEOC and ADA but wanted to see if anyone else has had problems with their symptoms when working an odd schedule vs a normal day schedule so I would be able to have some reference to go by.

Thanks for your help. 

 Reply posted for bam1014.

I worked night shift in a nursing home before I was diagnosed with CD, but remember not feeling well most of the time that I worked night shift. At that job I ended up needing to work elsewhere bc I had a hard time transferring to a different shift b/c they wanted to find someone good to replace me on night shift b4 doing a transfer, and it just wasn't happening.   Anyway, without being diagnosed with CD or even thinking that I had any kind of chronic condition at all, I had chalked it up to circadian rhythm... there are a lot of people who can't work night shift just bc their bodies feel that they need to sleep at night.

With the company that I am with now I've only worked night shift one time to help them out in a pinch, and I was on prednisone at the time, and IV antibiotics due to abcess in by liver... and about halfway through the shift my symptoms were worse, and got better after I went home and slept through the rest of the morning, and I was back to baseline by the next day. But... with this company, I know that if I was working night shift and asked to be switched to another shift they would do it for me.  They've been more helpful with my schedule than what I'd asked, and really always go above and beyond for employees... so it really just depends on who you're working for.  Personally, if my employer just can't be understanding when I need them to be, I'd just as soon find another one who will be understanding rather than legally make my employer be nice to me.  That being said, when I am able to do something to help them out, I make sure to do it,  and I let them know how much I appreciate their support.

 Reply posted for bam1014.

Although I don't have a job with shifts, I do have a high stress level and like others on this post ever since entering this professional world I have had uncontrollable health issues.  I started working part time last year and actually achieved remission for about 8 months but now I am back in a less than part time position (it's complicated haha) and I am again struggling to balance work and gut.  There is something called the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) which provides some protection for people with chronic medical conditions such as ours but I honestly don't know much about the details because my bosses have been great in working with me.  It may be worth checking out and I hope you can get things in balance soon!

 Reply posted for bam1014.

I myself have Crohns Disease for about 24 years now.   When I became a police officer in 03, the department I joined was still on 12 hour shifts.  It wasnt until later in 03 that the Crohns became really active and had a operation for it.  Once I got back on the road from recovery, I had been on the 3pm to 11pm shift for basically the rest of the time due to we went to 8 hour shifts,  In my case, my Crohns was so out of control, all medications stopped working, Remicade, Imuran,  it was inevitable, the shift work in my case was not a issue.  Mentally it was tough though, dealing with cronic issues. 

So, I had to retire and work on getting the Crohns under control.  8 more operations later, about 5 when I was a police officer, then in 09 I went ahead and had a partial colectomy with a permanent ostomy.  I know everyone is different, but shift work with IBD I think definitely can effect your Colitis and Crohns.  I have read that stress cant cause the disease to get worse, but stress can certainly help nudge it along sorta like any health problem.   With shift work and the IBD, I know   One thing is for sure, you body will let you know if its having a hard time.  Like you said, if you feel better on the day shift, dont worry about that just being in your head or its just a coincidence, Im sure that the Colitis just doesnt agree with the crazy hours.  Consulting with your GI doctor is of course always the best approach.  I always say to go with your GUT feeling.  I know that in my case, I wanted to continue to work so bad due to being a cop was always my goal.  In heindsight,  I should have not pushed it and retired at least a year earlier.  20/20 though, and now I have never felt better and stronger, am playing ice hockey and cant wait to start working again.  Try your best to get back on days, I know thats easier said then done, but its seems like it works best for you.

 Reply posted for bam1014.

if you want to pursue legal protection for your job, or a medical reason to force your employer to modify your schedule....
from my own personal experience-
1) talk to your doctor and make sure they agree / support your plan and willing to support that with documentation
2) talk to your HR department and request a medical accommodation process because you have a health condition.
3)generally you need to be employed for more than 12 months  before you can request medical accommodation. time to educate yourself on FMLA and your states labor laws about accommodating illness and limitations.

Is your shift work constant/ rotating/ periodic?  Did you just start and it was a terrible experience? 
The stress of a change can cause your symptoms to spike....  I would encourage you to make sure you are getting enough rest, hydration, healthy meals.  If you don't like working at night- you might be self-sabotaging with poor choices. 

I worked overnight for 2 1/2 years... in some ways it was better because it freed me up in the daytime for lots of  medical appointments and I didn't have to worry about delaying a doctor visit or risking my employement.
Good luck!