# Occupational Hazard



## Consider This (Oct 24, 2002)

*My story - skip to the end for the important part with my actual question if you don't feel like or don't have the time to read all of this* As a 19 year old male who's been dealing with IBS for 3 years now, I still don't know quite how to deal with it. Frankly, I've always been a bit of a sickly person to begin with. I always missed a great deal of school throughout my life for reasons that varied from sinus infections to Whooping Cough (a disease that I, as everyone else, was inoculated for, but somehow fell to along with my brother when I was in the 4th grade). But my faith and intelligence always carried me through despite my physical health.By my second year of high school, I was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program (one of the highest standards of education you can get in a high school), a member of the debate team, in the marching band, and part of a nice, tightly knit group of friends. Sure, I'd miss up to a day of school every week, but it was a relatively negligible issue. I wasn't prepared when IBS hit me.Suddenly I found myself home from school for weeks at a time. If I could have accumulated some sort of equivalent to frequent flyer miles in the bathroom, I could have gotten free trips to see foreign bathrooms in hundreds of countries all over the world. Considering I was never there, my grades at school plummeted. I couldn't very well attend many football games or actual band competitions. I couldn't make it to trips with the debate team. And I sure didn't see my friends much.I was forced to be placed in the "Hospital/Homebound program" in order to get any outside education. It was a program where I called from home into classes full of other students in my kind of condition. Due to the small size of the program though, there was nothing in the area of advanced classes. I barely learned anything new when in my normal school, so that program really had nothing to offer me. All my dreams of attending the best colleges had long since faded away. I wallowed in depression.Finally, one of my teachers suggested that I just drop out, get a GED, and attend a community college where I might actually learn something I didn't already know. A good performance there would also allow for me to prove to prospective universities that my drop in grades and such was not my fault. Heck, it was even proposed that I could garner some sympathy from my medical problems and show a beautiful story of triumphing over adversity to those in charge of admissions (an idea that felt a little dirty, but hey, why NOT get something good out of something so miserable).After discussing that idea with many people, I decided to go along with it. Unfortunately, my IBS has only gotten worse and I've barely been able to attend any of my classes. So the whole triumphing part isn't going so well.What bothers me the most though is how unpredictable my IBS is. On some days, I feel just fine. On some days that I don't feel so great, I'm still able to function almost normally. But then there are those other days when I'm bolting for the bathroom every 30 minutes, completely unable to get anything done. Most of the time I'm struggling with constant diarrhea, but other times, I feel like I'm going to burst but can't get anything out.Stress seems to have an enormous effect on making things even worse. Even the good kind of stress that comes with doing something fun, but challenging will end up causing me to run for the bathroom constantly. But even in the absence of any stress (which is pretty rare), it doesn't just go away. It might not be quite as bad, but it's still there.During all of this, I deal with my family telling me I should be doing things that I don't feel I'm capable of doing. And the thing is, with all of its unpredictability, sometimes I get a bit of a break and wonder if I'm being silly for thinking my IBS is as bad as it is. Complicating this is that the less I do and the less I involve myself with, the better my IBS honestly gets. Because if I'm sitting around the house doing nothing significant, not stressing myself in any way, shape, or form, my symptoms really don't manifest themselves so harshly. I start to think I'm being unreasonable and try to act on that conclusion. Then I'm suddenly reminded of how I got to this point in my life in the first place as the cycle of my IBS shifts into a more painful position.Probably the notion I'm faced with the most is the prospect of employing myself. This is something I've denied so much as the possibility of for quite some time. What possible job that I'd qualify for would be right for me in this condition? What occupation would accept the possibility of 1/3 of my working days being constantly interrupted with trips to the bathroom (that in themselves can last for 20-30 minutes)? It seems ludicrous to me.I discussed this with my brother (whom I've looked up to for all my life as someone highly logical and reasonable, as well a wonderful Christian) and my sister-in-law (whom I also really like and who shares very many of his great qualities) today. My brother, at the age of 22, is already very financially successful. Both my brother and my sister-in-law have been in positions where they were in charge of hiring other people. Unfortunately, they also both seem to have a problem accepting that my IBS is not just in my head. It's not like they'd flat out say that. They just seem to think that it's something that I can ignore and get over if I only tried hard enough.*The Important Part - if you wanted to skip my story, here's where you should start reading if you feel like reading any of this thread at all*Both my brother and my sister-in-law are in agreement that when I'm being interviewed for a job, I shouldn't tell my interviewer about my IBS. Asking about health status in a job interview is illegal since they're not supposed to even take it into account, as that would be discrimination. If I'm hired, they can't fire me due to my health issues, as again, that would fall under discrimination. They also feel that I might just not run into any problems and therefore it might never become an issue.What do you think of this? Is that reasonable? Is that logical? Is that ethical? If I can't get my job done because I'm glued to the bathroom all day, how is it right that I shouldn't be let go? What if that's only 1 in 3 days? How about 1 in 5? 1 in 10? Is there specific point at which a line is crossed into normal, acceptable behavior of an average, healthy person?Can any of you think of an entry-level job in which that wouldn't matter anyway? My brother jokingly claims I should try to be a bathroom attendant, so when I'm stuck on the toilet, I can claim I'm just inspecting it.I consider myself a highly intelligent person. I learn quite easily. I have plenty of skills when it comes to computers. I'm not the most socially adept person, but psychology IS my major. Something involving helping individuals like a customer service type position would certainly be interesting. But I've never entered the job field before. I don't have any sort of degree or certification. So anything that would require such would obviously be out of the question.I live in Orlando, a city with thousands of job opportunities when it comes to tourism. If you can think of a job, it's probably available in some form, somewhere in a reasonable distance. If all of you are in similar positions as I, being fellow college students dealing with IBS, one of you should be able to come up with something. How do you deal with it? Is it possible to be employed with such obvious hindrances?


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Hi there consider this! Nice to have you on board!Firstly, i understnad how frustrated and alone you must feel with regards to your IBS. I know until i found this board i thought that i must be the only person my age that was suffering with this thing, well i have discovered i am by no means alone.Have you been tested for IBS? Do you know that this is definately what is wrong with you because if you haven't been diagnosed then this is the first thing you need to do before persueing any other avenues.Thinking of jobs that you could do with your IBS.... well, in my opinion you should do whatever it is that you want to do. If you want to go into caring for others then go for it. The fact that you have IBS will only make you more sympathetc and understanding of those who have problems because you know what it is like to be suffering. If it is the qualifications that you are worried about then can you do a kind of Open University degree. I know they run one in the UK. There is as much choice through Open Uni as there is through actually attending one. You can do all of the work at home. Requires no turning up to classes and worrying about your stoamch going in the lecture. That alone could be a huge weight off your mind.I think that as long as you are honest with your boss then he or she will try to be pretty understanding. I personally do not hink that i would drop it in at the interveiw. Maybe after a week or so. There is always working from home, depends what you want to do really. Tourism you say? Hmm...I'll have to have a think about that one. Or Psychology?Could you be a samaritan? Do you have the samaritans in the USA? Oh, wait that is unpaid?Well, your IBS will improve most likely, but bear in mind the more you worry about it the more likely you are to have an attack as you said so yourself. Try to remain calm and positive if at all possible- I know it easier said than done!Are you on any medication? You could try taking an antispasmodic for cramps and if its D that is your problem imodium could help you until it settles down a little. There is lomotil also but its not recommended to take long term.Look into alternative stuff such as hypnotherapy, calcium and also things like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy- there are forums for them all on the BB. I'm afraid i don't know much about Calcium or CBT but i can say whole heartedly that hypnotherapy DOES work for IBS. It has helped me a great deal. I am also 19 and at uni full time and i am surviving. Yuo will find a way to cope. Hope you are ok.Spliffy


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## Consider This (Oct 24, 2002)

*"Have you been tested for IBS?"*I've been tested about as much I possibly could be. I've had colonoscopies, endoscopies (which luckily found an esophagial ulcer, but nothing responsible for my intestinal troubles), GIs, everything. I've seen specialists of all sorts, sent one place after another. It was only after about a year and a half to two years of that that they finally gave up and labelled it IBS. My symptoms are described quite well on this site.*"If it is the qualifications that you are worried about then can you do a kind of Open University degree."*I'm already attending school in the pursuit of a degree. I'm just wondering about the kind of job I could get right now. The kind of job I could get right now would have nothing to do with the kind of job I would be getting in the future after completing my education.*"Thinking of jobs that you could do with your IBS.... well, in my opinion you should do whatever it is that you want to do."*Well I'm looking for something a little more specific, like the kinds of things people with similar cases find themselves capable of doing. I mean, let's say it was my life's dream to wash the windows of skyscrapers for whatever reason. Well that's a job that I couldn't do. Standing on a scaffolding hanging 20s stories up, you don't exactly have easy access to a bathroom. I have no interest in washing windows, I'm just giving an example that illustrates that I can't just do whatever I want.







I already know of the kinds of things I would LIKE to do. I want to see if anyone could give me some feedback and ideas about things I CAN do. Catch my drift?*"Tourism you say? Hmm...I'll have to have a think about that one."*Being from the UK, you're probably not familiar with the city of Orlando. It's home to Disney World, an amusement park I'm sure you've heard of if not been to before. People come from all over the world to see Disney World, so many other companies, hoping to profit from that, also set up shop here in Orlando (including Universal Studios and Sea World). Along with all of those theme parks, we also have bunches of smaller entertainment businesses looking to cash in on all of the tourists comming through. Therefore, many of the job opportunities in this city have to do with the tourism trade. I have no special interest in tourism as a career. I merely mention it because if there's a job you can think of, I could probably find it here because of the effect that industry has on this city, whether the job has any direct relationship with tourism or not.*"Are you on any medication?"*The only IBS-related medication I'm on would be Bentyl for abdominal pain. They've tried a few other things on me, but nothing's had much of an effect.*"Look into alternative stuff such as hypnotherapy, calcium and also things like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy"*I happened to see my doctor today for non-related issues and I asked him about calcium. Though he noted that it's of course something that isn't in any way proven or anything, he said it couldn't hurt, so I'll probably be trying that soon. I'll probably be looking into the mental approaches too. Doctors generally don't offer up that kind of stuff and I only found this site last night, so I haven't looked into any of this kind of stuff previously.Thanks for the response.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Well, being from the UK i have in fact been to Orlando. I've been and done the Dinesy touristy stuff before so im not completely unfamiliar with it. I do bar work with my IBS and i do office work. Today i was having stomach issues and i managed to get to the loo while i was working without much trouble- its on the front desk as well so not normally an escape route. You probably CAN do a lot more than you think you are capable of. I find when i am in a situation where i am busy and doing other things my IBS won't bother me so much. Too much time to think for me leads to bothersome IBS.Have you thought if doing telesales? You could prbably do that at home. The company could fork out for your phone bill. Bit of extra money anyway.I would highly recommend trying hypnotherapy. http://www.ibsaudioprogram.com


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## Tamgirl21 (Sep 2, 2001)

Consider This, You mentioned customer service might hold some interest for you as a possible part time job. I work as a customer service rep for an Insurance company thats open 24 hours. I work from 1-9pm but the night shift is 5-1am. I find working at night is much better b/c there are not alot of people around and the phones aren't as busy. Also, if I need to run to the bathroom, I usually run to the 2nd floor b/c there is no one working on that floor and I have it all to myself. I know its tough having IBS and finding a decent job, thankfully I talked to my supervisor and she knows of my stomach issues but of course if I take too many days off, I will get written up!!! Anyways, good luck!!!


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Consider this, how is the job hunt going?Any joy? Spliffy


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