Community Forum

Hi All! I was diagnosed with UC almost a year ago and this disease has really slowed me down.  The fatigue has prevented me from getting back to work but I'm finally starting to feel like I can.  Any tips or suggestions about going back to work--maybe challenges you faced that weren't a challenge before the disease, what you did/didn't tell your boss about IBD, what to expect when going back to work, how you deal with stress at work, etc.?  I just don't know what to expect about working with the disease. I've worked before, but like everything else it's been a learning experience trying to cope and live life with IBD.  Thanks in advance!

 Reply posted for abitcharmed.

Thanks so much everyone for the responses!  I actually just started at a part-time job (which would be less than a year since my last job).   But very good to know this for the future!  Having this disease is such a learning curve and it's great to have the information and support from others in the same boat.  Thanks again all!

 Reply posted for eyb31.

I just wanted to say, I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 2007 and if I remember right you can't even apply for disability for a year from your last day of employment.... but, after that honey, get that application in ASAP, they take their time but if you are approved they back pay to your application date... and you are looking at Medicare which really helps with all the medical that comes with these wonderful diseases... If you cant go back to work any time soon, this is a next step, it will take a while to get an answer and sometimes people have to apply more than once (don't ask me why .... ugh.. ) so, get in your application as soon as it has been a year from your last date of employment....  
~ I sincerely hope you feel better soon, being disabled is boring! Megs  

 Reply posted for eyb31.

I too am going for my master's degree. I returned to school part-time, while working full-time. I started with 2 courses, a total of 4 credits in 1-2012. I took 2 courses this summer, totaling 6 credits. My master's program is on-line, so I do everything in the comfort of my own home, so that is great with having UC, because even during a flare-up I still can go to school, although it is very exhausting sometimes. I noticed that my flare-up, although very minor at the time, began in 12-11, when I was accepted into the master's program. I'm wondering if stress has something to do with it. After discussing this with my GI dr., he recommended that I take a semester off to get well, and return to classes in the Spring. So, that's what I am doing, it pushes me back another year though, but my health is important. He also said I should only take 1 class a semester if I want to continue working full-time; and of course I have to work full-time to maintain benefits, especially health insurance. I am lucky that my workplace is understanding. I am a nurse that works at a plasma facility, where I perform physical assessments all day and take care of donor's when they have reactions. So, I do not have a physically hard job, mentally on the other hand it is very hard, as I determine whether or not a person can donate based on their health history. So, it is an inside job, where I have restrooms available at my convenience. If I worked outside, or at a construction site, I know for sure I wouldn't be able to work when having a flare-up. When I mentioned disability, I was talking about short-term and long-term disability if you are working. I have not missed enough consecutive days to file for it, and I am on intermittent FMLA, which is a godsend when your dr. doesn't give you much notice about procedures, once he gave me 2 day notice. I hope you feel better soon!

 Reply posted for angel82.

Thank you for the very thoughtful response!  My colitis took a turn for the worse over the last month, so plans for getting a job have been put on hold again.  I'm still finishing up my master's degree too so that has also been put on pause.  Gradually working up to full-time seems like a really good idea.  Not on disability though, still unemployed and I've heard that filing for disability can take a very long time.  But it's something I've been thinking more and more about.  It is just surreal to think that at 24 I would need to start filing for disability.  Thanks for your insight and hope you can feel better soon!

 Reply posted for eyb31.

I guess it all depends on what your job is. When I was first diagnosed in 1999, I was in high school, which is kind of like work to a teenager. My GI dr. would not let me go back full-time. I was allowed to go to school for 2 classes a day only. After a month of that I was at half days and then a month after that full days but every other day and then finally full-time. I am currently in my first flare-up since I began working. I am working full-time through it, but it is exhausting sometimes. I would reccomend taking it slow, see if you can start back at part-time, if your GI dr. suggests this, and you have been on disability, usually disability will continue to pay for the hours you did not work, at least that is what it is like where I work. As to what you tell your boss is at your discretion. It depends on how well you know them. I am comfortable talking about my colitis to the nurses I work with, however I am not as open to my boss about it. She knows that I have UC and am having problems, but doesn't know all the details on how bad it really is or what the symptoms are. Coworkers often ask why you were gone for so long, how you are feeling, if they can do anything to help you out...basic stuff like that. Just be prepared for answering the same questions over and over, and think of how much you want everyone to know. You may be surprised, someone at your work may also have IBD, it is more prevalent than most people think. Hope everything goes well for you when you do return to work.