# Irrational Thought #6



## BBolen Ph.D (Nov 9, 2000)

Please take a moment to read the "Irrational Guilty Thoughts". Clair was nice enough to share what she experiences and this provides good material for all."It's wrong of me to take time off from work to get well."------------------This input is provided solely for educational purposes and is not to be seen as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified professional about your personal medical needs and any questions you may have regarding this information.www.irritablebowel.net


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

That one is tough for me because I come from a family where for the most part if your not in the hospital or thowing up you go to school/work. (may be a result of Mom and Dad growing up on homestead farms where the farm animals and crops don't care how sick you are. If you don't feed/milk/plant/weed/clean up after/etc. there will be some major consequences).My brother has had "interventions" at work when all his co-workers en masse demand that he go home and take a sick day.That and having had allergies most of my life if I waited until I felt well to go to work I never would.That being said...What I have found that works for me is that I have found over time that if I take a sick day I get well faster.So the choice becomes a matter of go to work and be sick for many days or stay home and be sick for one or two days. Which at least gets me home for the acute things and the worst of the chronic things.Also I know that people at work do not want to share in my illnesses. So if it is something infectious I can usually use the "why get everyone else sick" idea.K.------------------I have worked for the government and at universities doing scientific research primarily in the area of the environment and the impact of environmental factors on human health, I have never done any independant clinical testing for the pharmaceutical industry, nor have I ever worked for a drug company. I have no financial, academic, or any other stake in any commercial, natural, or any other product mentioned by me.My story and what worked for me in greatly easing my IBS: http://www.ibsgroup.org/ubb/Forum17/HTML/000015.html[This message has been edited by kmottus (edited 08-24-2001).]


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## jane93 (Jan 21, 2000)

This one is tough as I feel guilty taking time off for IBS because many people think I'm a slacker as IBS is invisible. If it made my skin red and blotchy I'd feel better about taking time off sick...even if I didn't feel as bad as I can do now.The way I have solved this one is that if I'm not too sick I can work at home and my boss is OK with that. I still get the guilt and many who don't know me think I'm a slacker for not sitting in the same spot for 40 hours a week. Little do they know that some people in my office watch TV (yes TV) all day or surf the web. So this create a new irrational thought..maybe I'll start that one on a different thread.


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## Clair (Sep 16, 2000)

This is my toughie...but I'm trying to work on it.Like K I do find that taking a few extra days off does help to get me better faster and the extra rest helps me become happier and a more productive employee when I return.So a happy, healthy and rested employee is a more effective employee as opposed to a tired, stressed unwell employee.The main crux of this irrational thought is worrying what other people think of you having time off sick....particularly in an environment where people do not understand how debilitating IBS can be. In my life, this is fuelled by personnel staff in my department not believing I have anything wrong despite the dozens of hospital letters, tests and letters from my doctor to the contrary. I'm trying hard to become less sensitive about what people think..but it is difficult especially if you have always been a perfectionist.. *sigh*Clair


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## MaryBeth (Apr 9, 1999)

Kmottus, I can completely relate to your story about your parents and not being able to be sick! My parents were the exact same way: I wasn't sick unless I had a fever and, if I had a fever, I took an aspirin and went to school anyways! UGH! Even today, I have a hard time just letting myself be sick thanks to that upbringing.Clair, I could empathize with your post too. My own FAMILY doesn't even understand what I deal with with IBS so I am sure my friends and people at work don't have a clue. Developing a thicker skin is what I have had to do too. It isn't easy, but I found that worrying too much about what other people think of me and my illness would get me all tightened up and I would have an attack...no fun! The way I figure it, I am a very good and conscientious worker and if I need time off to tend to my IBS, I do it. My sick days rarely affect my work to a degree where my boss takes issue. We have people in our office that goof off most of the day too.







Guess that just makes me look better...ha ha ha.Mary Beth


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