# Going to work with IBS, is that possible?



## Girl

I'd like to know how many of us can actually go to work? and if yes how you managed to do it?I can say for myself that at the moment I can't go to work.I need to think over and over again if there is a job on this earth that I will be able to do du to my problems of Ibs.


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## Dandaman

its deff gotta be possible but difficult, i havent worked either mostly because of IBS and then some part because i am lazy lol.. unmotivated ;/


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## jms1963

Girl -At 43 I'm no longer a young adult, but I saw the heading to your thread and thought yes it is possible to work with IBS. I was officially diagnosed with IBS about 15 years ago, but had had digestive issues long before that. I have worked full-time since age 18 (except for about 3 mos when I had my son). I have had difficult days and missed days, mind you, but have pushed myself to not let IBS control my life. It's not always easy, but it IS possible. Dandaman - GET MOTIVATED - DON'T USE IBS AS AN EXCUSE TO BE LAZY !







Jodie


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## overitnow

Hey, Girl, like JMS I am long past your age range; but , too, worked consistantly for the 10 years I had active IBS. I was fortunate, in that I was on the low end of discomfort, but with daily frequent D, I know some of the difficulties you face. You may need to find times of the day when you are least discomforted by this and look for jobs that fit into your schedule; you may need to develop typing/editing/bookkeeping kinds of skills so that you can do some portion (or all) of your work at home. You might want to look at the kinds of work you can do over the telephone so that you don't have to deal with customers face to face if you need frequent bathroom breaks. (I spent some time in outside sales and I knew where every public rest room was on my routes.) Etc. Etc.It is mostly a case of figuring out what you can work around and then find the kind of job that will allow you to do that.Good luck with the hunt. It is possible.Mark


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## SBR

Just don't eat anything before going to work or anything late the night before. Get a good nights sleep and be up at least a couple hours before you have to leave so as to give yourself time to get anything out of your stomach if you can.


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## Guest

Hey Girl-I am 19 and have had IBS for 2 years now. In the beginning I found myself thinking about being in social/public situations and it would freak me out. I still have anxiety issues, but I'm slowly working past them. With working, I try to go in the first couple of days(usually training, etc.) and I don't eat a whole lot. Once I get more comfortable with who I'm working with and what my responsibilities are, then I will eat more. Knowing where the bathroom is important. Also, I have found with age that if you are straight forward, like "I'm going to go to the restroom." No one will stop you. It's almost become a new maturity for me. I have just accepted that if I spend a longer amount in the bathroom than that's what happens. There's no way around it and people will just have to accept it. Now if it becomes a problem, such as a supervisor says something to you about it. Then I would suggest talking to them about it or going to HR to discuss your problems with them. That might be too embarassing, which I totally understand. So after this long ramble I guess my suggestion would just to be as relaxed as possible and to keep your stomach as calm as possible during those first weeks until you become accustomed to the environment.Hope that helps!grumpy


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## 16963

currently I work from home, but I've had office jobs in the past and will again in about a month. I'm very interested in a job at the hospital, for various reasons but honestly one of them is that a) people will be more sympathetic to medical conditions, I hope and b ) there are so many floors that hopefully I can sneak out for a "coffee break" and really just find a secluded bathroom to let loose lol


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## dreday

ya um I'm just wondering if anyone was able to work int he film industry witht his prolem. I think its going ot be impossible. ESPECIALLY SINCE i WANT TO DIRECT FILMS....HOW IS THAT GONNA WORK? eVERYONE WILL GET ALL THE SCENES READY AND SET, THE CAMERAS SET UP, AND ABOUT TO start (sorry for the caps, my mistake) taping and im going to be like....STOP! I HAVE TO GO O THE BATHROOM! that is going to be humiliating, and everyone will hate me.


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## Nikki

I work in a hospital at the moment, and you'll probably find they are not as sympathetic as you'd think!


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## MyOwnSavior

Nikki said:


> I work in a hospital at the moment, and you'll probably find they are not as sympathetic as you'd think!


I find that is true of people in general, unfortunately. It seems like most people don't really care about the condition another is suffering... unless, of course, they have suffered through it themselves. But anyway, what type of work do those of you in the hospital setting do? I ask because I need a job, and soon, but I only have a BA in Sociology and it qualifies me to do absolutely nothing... I mean I'd even do receptionist work (I say "even" because typically you don't need a college degree to do it...) but even with that it seems as though employers want years of experience in an "office setting". But... how am I supposed to get that if no one will hire unless you have it? Hmmm....But as for the more general issue in this thread, I'd have to say that it is posible to work with IBS, I think a good place would be a library if you can. I know that it's quiet and so stomach noises and stuff can create problems, but in my case, I was someone who was off in the "stacks" doing my own thing anyway (i.e. putting books away) and so there really wasn't anyone around me. Which also meant I could sneak off to the bathroom whenever I needed to, which was really nice... Of course, this was only a part time job (and they wouldn't take me on full time) so that's why I'm in need of a new line of work, and soon....


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## snaphappy

ive managed to have a job for 7 months now, part time granted but i hacent missed a day or had an episode yet, lots of needing the toilet before and many days of work feeling #### and going through hot flushes, but if u can deal with feeling like death all day you might as well work and earn money


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## Patient

Funny story actually. The last day I went in to work I'd gotten up, ate a few crackers, and took my medicine before bolting out the door. Nothing unpredictable, but as many will in fact tell you, living with IBS is by no means anything predictable. Naturally, when I got to work, I went in and put my things away, sat down and began to work. Just then it hit me. I remember sitting at my desk with an eye twitching, looking around for the nearest way to bolt out to the restroom without anyone noticing. My co-worker was in the woman's restroom, which I will add is a one person bathroom, so I rushed to the one upstairs. Well, that one was out of order. Just my luck, ya know? Well, bolting back downstairs I flipped, the woman was still in my bathroom! I was about to loose it though, so I just had to dart into the men's bathroom.It was crazy, and when it was going on, I was almost in tears flipping out so bad; which only made it worse. But now that I look back, I laugh, because it was somewhat funny. On a more serious note, however, most days when I go in to work I carry my medicine with me; along with some Immodium AD in the event of an emergency. Like that one I mentioned! I have a pretty comfortable job setting though, and I can run back and forth from the bathroom all day if I need to, though it doesn't mean I'd by any means enjoy it. It's still extremely embarrassing when I need to go.Lynnie, your post made me laugh. And Dreday, they're not going to hate you. If you get to be a big-shot movie director and that does happen, you could always spike anyone's drinks with laxatives if they laugh at you for it. That would make me 'lol'. Only kidding, of course.


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## 16963

I was talking to my friends about taking a #### during work (don't ask me how we got on this topic, they were all drunk guys I was hanging out with last night so it seemed no topic was off limits)apparently they all do it! They all said that they have a BM a couple hours into work. I was surprised - if I didn't have IBS, I know I'd try my damndest to avoid that! Oh well, though, it made me feel better and less freaky for having BMs at work


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## 14472

It's possible, but it's torture for me! I have the LOUD RUMBLING NOISES. I also work in a quiet office. I dread Mon-Fri, and become very depressed on Sundays. The fact that I have to face the work week with these noises. What a life! I want another job that will have a lot of noises to drown out my stomach but I don't know where to look. Also, I have good benefits and the pay isn't bad. I wish my stomach would just shut-up!


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## MyOwnSavior

growlgurl said:


> It's possible, but it's torture for me! I have the LOUD RUMBLING NOISES. I also work in a quiet office. I dread Mon-Fri, and become very depressed on Sundays. The fact that I have to face the work week with these noises. What a life! I want another job that will have a lot of noises to drown out my stomach but I don't know where to look. Also, I have good benefits and the pay isn't bad. I wish my stomach would just shut-up!


Do you mind if I ask what you do in the office? Also, are you stuck in a cubicle? (I'm guessing you are, mostly because if you had your own office I 'm guessing you could just shut the door when the noises started...)Anyway I really understand what you're saying; I used to have the same problem with my stomach as I was studying - or working - in my university's library. Suffice to say I didn't really get as much work done as I wanted to, mostly because of that.As far as other noisy jobs... the only things I can think of are factory jobs, working perhaps with machinery of some kind. On the other hand, you could always try for a job where you're not really around people much at all, although these jobs (like night janitor, security guard, etc) all tend to be lower paying, and will not give you the benefits that you're probably used to (trust me, I've looked). That probably didn't help much but I'm in the same boat as you, trying to figure out what jobs I can even do well with IBS dominating my life....


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## Patient

growlgurl said:


> It's possible, but it's torture for me! I have the LOUD RUMBLING NOISES. I also work in a quiet office. I dread Mon-Fri, and become very depressed on Sundays. The fact that I have to face the work week with these noises. What a life! I want another job that will have a lot of noises to drown out my stomach but I don't know where to look. Also, I have good benefits and the pay isn't bad. I wish my stomach would just shut-up!


You could try finding a work at home job. Though those are few, and far between. Someone posted me the link to a work at home forum specifically aimed towards people trying to find work at home jobs if you're interested, just PM me and I'll send it over. Not sure if I can post links openly in threads designated for other topics.







I work in a quiet office too, but I'm putting in my two-week notice to quit next Friday. My boss is an <insert foul term here>, and I can't put up with him any longer. It drives me nuts because he's always breathing down my neck, which just stresses me out, and leads to my IBS torturing me all through the workday.


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## vikitty

I have a 40minute commute from home to work and I find the bus ride there and back the worst part. I guess that's where the stress factor comes in because after two IBS-related incidents involving public transit, I'm just trying to get to work each day without haing to get off the bus and find the loo.


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## Brittney81888

I've been asking myself the same question for the past 2 weeks. I've had IBS now for about 6 years (I'll be 19 Aug. 18th) and its been going nowhere but downhill. I was a daycare assistant from about age 14 to 17, then my family and I moved from Michigan to Florida just before I turned 18 and I now work for Disney World as a Hostess in one of their restaraunts. I never could picture myself as a Hostess of all things, I just absolutely hate dealing with people and Disney Guests expect ALOT!







Anyway, the place I work at isn't all that bad b/c I'm about 20 ft. away from 2 restrooms and am usually able to go whenever I need to. I just think of all the different places I could have been put, so I know that God definatley had a hand in it. I still never really leave the house except to go to work, which is sometimes difficult b/c its about a 20 min. drive depending on traffic. (I would rather die than take a 40 min. bus ride everyday so God Bless you Vikitty







) I deal with ALOT of extreme anxiety and panic attacks and for some reason the last 2 weeks or so, every time I get into a vehicle I'm gripping the steering wheel (I always have to drive) and my heart is racing b/c I'm scared I'm gonna have to go which almost always makes me have to. So yeah, I havn't been able to get to work, I've called in ALOT and thank God I have amazing managers or I'd probably be out of a job. But I talked with a manager yesterday and she suggested I take a 30 day leave so thats what I did. Hopefully this will work. I've started seeing a pschycologist and hopefully will find an IBS Hypnotherapist soon. My goal is to eventually work 2 jobs but for now I just go day by day. My dream job is a wildlife photographer and I would love to be active in saving wildlife, one of my biggest fears is letting the IBS and anxiety issues win and I'd be stuck back in doing Daycare!!!!!!!


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## karen3480

I work I have an office job. I hate it but it works. I've called out sick enough times so they know I have stomach problems and if you disappear for 15-20 mins in my place nobody really notices and if someone does happen to ask I just say I was talking to _____ in another department. I also do a lot of filing so I often disappear for hours at a time they just figure i'm in the file room. If it's urgent enough they'll page me. I hate going #2 at work, if possible I try to hold it until I go home but many times I can't do that so I just try and get in the bathroom when nobody (4 stall bathroom) is there, I use the big handicapped stall because there is a vent in the ceiling above it so I think the smell leaves faster and I carry a tiny bottle of perfume in my pocket it, it's cheap stinky perfume I wouldn't normally wear but it hides some of the smell.


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## misty`eyes

Hey, FYI, I work in a hospital setting and it is true, the doctors and nurses are more sympathetic. But, unless you work directly for them, you might be outta luck. I manager the kitchen (bad idea), because my boss is very rude and gets after me about having to take time off. He thinks that it is all in my head, and that it is just an easy way to get out of work. Hope your experience is better. Peace and Love, Misty


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## misty`eyes

Amen, Girl. I work in the hopsital too, no luck here. It is actually hard to keep your breaks a secret and hard to find time for breaks. Peace and Love, Misty


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## misty`eyes

I have been working through the whole two years, but my boss gets mad about me having to take time off because the pain is so bad. But, I know the company policy states that I am allowed 12 weeks family medical leave a year for problems just like that. It doesn't mean my bos is any nicer about it though. It has been one of the hardest things I have had to do. I have been wondering if others work this way. I was told that alot of people with IBS apply for disability. I also heard that they usually get turned down the first time, but get approved on the appeal. Who could really live on that much money though? Anyways, let me know what the percentage is.....Peace and Love, Misty


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## thecarver84

This is the one thing that scares me to death. It literally terrifies me and I worry about it practically every single day. The doctor diagnosed me with IBS when I was 5. I'm 23 years old now. I honestly think I have a touch of Crohn's Disease mixed up into the IBS. I frequently have sour burps and vomiting spells. I'm honestly not sure how I'll ever be able to work out in the workforce. The work places around here aren't patient. They want you to come to work and they really frown down on folks calling in sick the day you're supposed to work. You're supposed to do it hours ahead of time. How can I do that? I don't know I'm sick until I wake up, burp and see if it's a normal burp or a sour burp. Sour burps always lead to vomiting. There's no use in taking any kind of medication to prevent the vomiting because I always just toss it back up. I just don't know what to do. I feel so embarrassed and ashamed because I feel like the biggest loser ever. And I think of what other people must think...wow, what a lazy ass--she's 23 years old and she's not even trying to work. Why can't they just find a cure for all of this mess? I'm sick of living with it.I would love to find a work at home typist job that doesn't involve transcriptions. I've taken many computer/typing courses in junior high and high school. I'm rather good/fast at it. I just don't know where to look. Everything looks like such a scam.


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## anastasio

I put in my resignation the other day due to health issues including but not limited to IBS. Fortunately I'm living with family at the moment so my bills are a little less than normal but I still have quite a bit to pay out every month. No one around me seems very sympathetic to my issues though and doesn't understand why I only feel comfortable in certain work environments. It's pretty frustrating when your own family doesn't get it.


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## irritablegirlUK

First post...hope I don't mess it up by posting halfway through the thread or something :SI share your worries, I am in my 20s and unemployed, living with parents, they just think I'm lazy and unwilling to find a job. Truth is I'm putting it off because i don't know how i can cope with it.worked in a very stressfull job on a call-center last year and i reckon thats what triggered my ibs for me. they were very unsympathetic. toilet breaks were timed. shifts were 11hrs long. asking to go home early got a lot of umming and disaproval. Got sacked for too much ill time and asking to go home, in the end. and i reckon it was the start of my problems as well. worked in a less stressful job just sorting mail in an office after that. felt quite a bit more healthy thne but it seems have flared up again.i hate the way people don't understand it even when you TELL them. i dont see how i can take a job now cos im just gonna get sacked surely.


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## Ashers86

Hi irritablegirlUK, and welcome!Honestly, if thats how it is, they can keep it. I'm referring to your last place of employment.. nothing is worth your health. That's how I roll anyways - if work is going to affect your health, and you can't go to work, it's not worth it.I've had IBS for over a year now, and I've been okay working full-time, except for the last couple of months. It was right after the complete disaster of a work Christmas party, and about the same time where the President of the company decided to pile so much work on me that I had to take a Mac home over the holidays to work. To top that off, it's a very negative and tense environment. Lately I've been popping Immodium at work just to get through the day. But even then, I find I sometimes get worked up because I'm so anxious for the day to be over - which really is bad considering I've found that time goes by quickly when I'm working. So it's a little hard to give advice on this since I'm in between the lines myself. Part of me wants to seek government assistance (not just financially, but also to find the right employment for me), and the other part just says "this is normal". It really does bother me that I go on like this.. you got to see what works for you. With this, I do recommend following your chosen career path. That may help - I'm even considering taking a college course at night to try and lead me into a more fulfilling situation overall.


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## damiand66

i can relate to all your problems i hate the feeling of having to go in the middle of work to go #2 and im a manager in the food service industry which means i have to be on call at all times and it sucks when there is an emergency and im in the bathroom and when i come out everyone is just staring at me with this disgusted look on there face


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## WavyDavey

I think a lot has to to with your choosen profession or job. I got IBS when i was in college and lets just say i didnt do very well in my course from there on but i got a degree out of it. For the first 6 months after i thought id never be able to cope with a job. Also there was little or no possiblity of finding work around my home town and being able to live at home, let alone the issue of dealing with ibs in the job. I finally found a job and moved out. Just living with other people in a house again that i didnt know while dealing and hiding my ibs was incredibly difficult and very stressful, which dosnt exactly help.I got lucky with the company i starting for. I just happen to be very good a what i do and so they gave me a lot of slack with regard coming in late or not coming in at all and working from where i live. But this was only possible by telling my boss what was wrong with me, and he has been very decent with me. In work i have to avail of the tiolet facilities 4 to 5 times in the day. The job is very stressfull and as such there have been many times when ive wanted to pack it in. Im still going 2 years on but lately I am going through a very bad time. I hope to get 3 years experience in the job i work and then come back home and try working on contract with different companys i can get work for. Failing that ill have to figure out a different profession that my ibs will alow me too. Its not easy but all ye can do is try


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## TonyMontana

Im 23, ive been working for a few years with IBS, its very hard.. i dropped outta school because of IBS, but unfortunatley you cant just drop out of working... gotta pay the billsevery morning i am stressed the hell out about getting in the car, and driving in traffic...it aint an easy life thats for sure.. gotta push yourself through it though, what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger


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## 16229

Dre,I work in broadcast television, with some occasional film thrown in. It can be tough at times, for sure. Still, the people I work with are human and can be understanding. Just work hard and work good and no one in tv/film cares about the rest. Hell, when I started with Fox I didn't even need a resume, they just stuck me on a set and saw what I could do.Sure, the 14 to 18 hour days can be hell to deal with, but if you love what you are doing you will get over it. Also, I've worked with quite a few Emmy winning directors so I'll give you a little advice on that front. Even the best of them have to go to the bathroom on occasion. Surround yourself with quality staff and let them do what they do best. People you can trust in. That way if you need to take a break, your dp or producer or floor manager, etc can take over for you. It happens all the time with the best directors I've worked for (for bathroom breaks and other stuff). Only the micro-managers are there for every bit of footage. And those are the ones that cast usually abhor anyways. They stifle creativity, which is the last thing you want on a production.Good Luck,AJ


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## sacha

Hi,im sacha. I have lost two jobs now because of my ibs. So i am currently not working at the moment. I am finding hard to cope with things at the moment, and trying to think of jobs to do which wont get effected too much by my ibs. I am new on here but have found it really good, i only joined today, it is nice to let it all out, without feeling like your moaning about not being well. hope we can talk again x


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## Lilpebbles

I work as a teacher's asst. My job is really fun and not stressful. I know a bathroom is close and I can use it whenever I wish. A job I believe helps IBS. It puts me in a routine where I am waking up the same time and eating the same time and keeping busy. I am hoping to become a full time teacher soon in the future.


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## tapcat21

Ok, I'm a person who hates to be treated differently from everyone else, unless absolutely necessary. So, I just resolve to go to work and do my job as best I can. Of course, we all know we have good days and bad days (or even good months and bad months), but I deal with it when it comes. I work (part-time of course) in my university's library. When my IBS first showed up (before I was diagnosed) I was incredibly ill every morning, but often ok by afternoon. So I'd end up calling in sick for morning shifts and showing up for afternoon ones. This looks sketchy, of course, so I explained my health issues to my boss. She believed me, because she saw me struggling to be there as much as possible. Now my flare-ups are much less frequent, so it's generally not an issue. If you show people that you deisre to work hard and are not a slacker at heart, they generally take you much more seriously when you tell them this is a chronic thing that sometimes is bad and sometimes isn't, sometimes even within the course of one day. You just have to resolve to beat the illness. I know that's hard on the bad days, but in the end, it's the best we can do.


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