UC and missing work
Mon, September 26, 2011 7:42 AM
i was diagnosed with uc a few weeks ago after missing a month of work. my treatment initially went well, but lately i have had some flare ups. due to them, i am out of work additional days. im nervous i may lose my job over this. the days i am at work, my coworkers think im back to normal, when im clearly not. so i fear that they are getting frustrated with me and can no longer rely on me. in the past week, i worked two full days and two half days and needed a day off. this week i will be out at least two more days due to the flare ups. its very frustrating to say the least and i dont want to lose my job because they dont know what days i will be in or not.
Joined Sep 15, 2011
Sat, October 22, 2011 10:06 PM
Reply posted for turtlepower.
Hey there This is what I did I dont know if anyone else has done this or
would advice against it but I told my boss in private that I have a
autoimmune digestive disorder which I am managing. I thought it was
important to be upfront with you considering this and do not expect it
to impact the quality of my work. However with my condition I will
occasionally need to use the sick time provided by the company, due to
the nature of my illness I might look healthy but I assure you I will
not use my sick time inappropriately and will only miss work if needed
for my health condition.
I told this to my boss with confidence
without going into gory details obviously I AM NOT suggesting you do
this during a job interview or the first few days or weeks of a new job.
But when you get comfortable with your supervisor I would share this
information and be direct. Also it might not hurt to discuss this with
HR or the disability department if your company has one and get their
advice. Best of luck.
Joined Feb 12, 2009
Tue, October 04, 2011 10:39 AM
Reply posted for turtlepower.
If you are thinking of leaving work- I suggest that you look at the cost of your medications and doctor visits without insurance. After that- make a decision.
As a loooong time undiagnosed sufferer I have a couple of tips.
One- you need to change your priorities. If you had an honest conversation with your co workers you wold find out that most of them dont care if you have to make the 50 yard dash ten times a day. They are more concerned that you are doing your job.
The next two tips were given by my gastroenterologist. When he suggested that I wear suspenders and diapers to work, I looked at him and said that I was not to that point (out of embarrassment).
However, I also just got over a month long flareup up, I got SICK of being sick, so I started doing both. The diapers that they make these days are not that bad- discreet and comfortable. The suspenders when worn under the shirt (over a t-shirt) are also doable. The main thing that is stopped the internal bleeding.
The overall feeling lousy and the 50 yard dashes were still there.
I had a choice to feel lousy at home or at work. Staying home doesnt change the symptoms
I know it is a decision that no one can make for another, but when you do make it, be educated and prepared for the consequences.
What ever you do- good luck
mcandersonJoined Oct 4, 2011
Mon, September 26, 2011 10:28 PM
Reply posted for BluSkye.
Wanted to add that the "Everyday Health" website has a fairly good article, "Managing Ulcerative Colitis at Work."
bluskyeJoined May 18, 2011
Mon, September 26, 2011 9:38 PM
Reply posted for turtlepower.
If you are in the US and your company has 50 or more employees, and you have worked for them at least 12 months or at least 1250 hours in the last 12 months, please look into the protections you may have available under the Family Medical Leave Act. You can read about it on the US Department of Labor website. The FMLA provides certain employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year (sometimes it can be used intermittently for illnesses that "flare-up').
Even if you don't have protections under the FMLA, if you are a good employee, your employer may be willing to work with you around your illness.Some people still do discriminate against people with chronic illnesses, so it is a risk to disclose your medical information at work, and a personal decision. However, I chose to be upfront about it at work, and I even brought in a fact-sheet about what ulcerative colitis. I was becoming very stressed missing so much work this flare-up and feeling like people might be judging me to be a lazy slacker, since I look perfectly healthy when I am at work. I am upfront that although I might look fine, this is what is going on in my colon, and this is why I sometimes just can't come to work. I've found that people seem very understanding now that they know what is really going on.
I do worry that I may lose my job eventually, because ultimately, an employer is paying you to be available to do all the work they need done in your position. I've been really lucky in the past, because my few flare-ups were easily managed without me having to miss all that much work. Like you, I've missed about a month, off and on, this time. I had leave to cover it, but am just about out. So, it is a scary concept that after being so dedicated all my life, that some bleeding gut might derail everything. I've decided to do all I can to keep my job for the time being and will deal with my options if I might lose it if I have to actually evoke FMLA and am still not recovering from this flare-up.
bluskyeJoined May 18, 2011
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