Holding Down A Job W/ Celiac

[bellybattle]

Hi everyone! I'm still fairly new at this - I'm still in the diagnosis stage. I was just wondering though, for those of you who feel sick all the time, how do you manage this while on the job? I have been feeling soooo sick for the past few months and have been missing a lot of work. I'm lucky to have an understanding boss, but sometimes I wonder if this is eventually going to get me fired. For the most part and try to suck it up and go to work, but I've basically been missing about 4-7 days of work a month so far! On the days when I feel sick and still manage to go to work, my coworkers always mention how tired I look or ask if I am feeling well. I had to call in again today because I was feeling horrible and I practically burst into tears when talking with my boss over the phone. I just want to be normal! How do you guys manage feeling sick everyday with your careers?

Luckily, I have a position where the whole office won't fall apart if I'm gone. However, I'm a recent college grad and would love to begin a new career. I am so afraid I will never feel better that I refuse to look for new jobs until I can get this straightened out. I'm having an endoscopy done next week to find out for sure and I pray that they find something that can be fixed. I don't know what I'll do if they tell me nothing is wrong. Something has to be wrong with me to feel this way every single day! I am becoming really depressed. I never go out anymore, I cry over everything, and I basically miss having a life. My husband is very supportive and understanding, but it makes me really sad when he has to go to family get-togethers by himself.

Sorry this is so long, I just had to vent. Please, any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot!

BB

[lovegrov]

I missed too much work before my diagnosis, and by the time I WAS diagnosed I was so sick I was out for 10 weeks. I was established in my job and it was waiting for me when I got back.

I definitely would not try to start a new career or job right now. You need to get well first. Have you had blood tests? What were the results? Are you still eating gluten until you have the biopsy?

Even if the biopsy comes back negative, you can always go gluten-free to see if it works. And keep your boss up on what's happening.

good luck

richard

[jenvan]

BB--

Try and be patient and give yourself time to heal. There are many here to struggle to work full-time or who have had to quit. And there are others who have recovered and work harder than ever! The biggest thing that has helped me be able to work full-time and get throw those days is to simplify my life outside of work. Which means for example, not cleaning as much as I'd like to or getting help from others (ie. my mom and husband); choosing to bow out of some activities with friends...not be afraid to say no. I often have to tell my husband--I can't go out Friday night and Saturday night, so you need to choose which event you want me to be at more. For me it also means lowering my often grandiose hopes for myself--meaning, I don't have to cook at homemade meal everynight, I can leave mail and newspapers on the table, I can skip watering the garden for a night and if I have to skip some workouts to lay on the couch and rest--that's okay too! Be good to yourself and ask for what you need...that's the short end of it.

[bellybattle]

I've had blood work done. IgA was 4 (negative) and IgG was 25 (weak positive) - both with a reference range of < 20 units. My doctor still strongly believes it is celiac disease based on my symptoms, that's why he wants to do a biopsy to find out for sure. I've also had stool testing done, and fecal leukocytes (white blood cells) and moderate yeast were present. My doctor hasn't mentioned anything about this yet (I only spoke with his assistant briefly over the phone since the tests). I really hope we can find out something next week! If I am just diagnosed with IBS I don't know what I will do! I've tried all of the treatments for IBS and nothing seems to work. It always seems like I can get one symptom under control, but then a new one will show up. It's a neverending cycle!

[NYCisTHEplaceTObe]

i completey understand where you are coming from. i absolutely hate it when i have to call out of work that i get hysterical crying when i hang up the phone. i feel as though i am disappointing people and just being lazy and irresponsible. I work at a school for children with autism part-time and i absolutely love it. it really upsets me because i know that there are kids depending on me and those teachers need all the help that they can get!! and it worries me that when i do graduate college i won't be able to hold down i job. i am going for speech therapy and it is a demanding field, but i love it. i keep hoping they are going to find something wrong that can be fixed, it would just make things easier and easier to explain to people. you are definetly not alone in feeling this way! i had bloodwork done and we are awaiting result currently, maybe i will finally have an answer! good luck to you!

[dell]

Hi everyone! I'm still fairly new at this - I'm still in the diagnosis stage. I was just wondering though, for those of you who feel sick all the time, how do you manage this while on the job? I have been feeling soooo sick for the past few months and have been missing a lot of work. I'm lucky to have an understanding boss, but sometimes I wonder if this is eventually going to get me fired. For the most part and try to suck it up and go to work, but I've basically been missing about 4-7 days of work a month so far!    On the days when I feel sick and still manage to go to work, my coworkers always mention how tired I look or ask if I am feeling well. I had to call in again today because I was feeling horrible and I practically burst into tears when talking with my boss over the phone. I just want to be normal! How do you guys manage feeling sick everyday with your careers?

Luckily, I have a position where the whole office won't fall apart if I'm gone. However, I'm a recent college grad and would love to begin a new career. I am so afraid I will never feel better that I refuse to look for new jobs until I can get this straightened out. I'm having an endoscopy done next week to find out for sure and I pray that they find something that can be fixed. I don't know what I'll do if they tell me nothing is wrong. Something has to be wrong with me to feel this way every single day! I am becoming really depressed. I never go out anymore, I cry over everything, and I basically miss having a life. My husband is very supportive and understanding, but it makes me really sad when he has to go to family get-togethers by himself.

Sorry this is so long, I just had to vent. Please, any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot!

BB

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[bluelotus]

I have already been diagnosed, but like you, BB, a sort-of master's program grad (finishing thesis now) and have just started an internship. Most of my bathroom/stomach issues happen in the morning and evening, so I am lucky there and don't have to face that stuff at work. The hardest part for me is brain fog and headaches. I was dx'd in Nov 04 and ever since have noticed very bad brain fog with glutening (noticed it prior to dx, but had no idea what was going on, thought I was tired) *should note that I get other symptoms as well that are off subject*. It (the brain fog) has killed my self-confidence. Before, I was sharp with a great memory, now, not so much. I am so worried that people at work will think that I am lazy or slow, but that's not it......just takes me 2x as long now to think things through. Yikes.

Also, I hate how at work, so much is based around food. I haven't been forthcoming with my celiac disease to my bosses, and, for now, I've just said I have allergies. But, all the meetings, there's food, all the get-togethers have to be based around lunches or dinners. OMG, no wonder we (USA) are an overweight society! We can't do anything that is not based around food!! I am so scared too b/c in the meetings, everyone around me is eating sandwiches or brownies and what if I breathe that in? What if it gets on my food? It happens too as I found out today when a chunk of someone's sandwich came flying at me when they opened their carton. Nice.

And, the workplace is full of crumbs!! Counters, microwave, whatever! I never expected to have nightmares about crumbs, but now, I fear them like some may fear plague. Not to worry you (or anyone else), but I found having to think about these issues a bit much. It has cut into the quality of my life, and as you can probably tell, I am pretty down about it tonight. It sucks. Enough said.

[GC1]

Hang in there... you're lucky in many ways, you found out about Celiac at a fairly young age. I had my first asthma attack at two weeks old, and have had lousy health to my current age of 48. I always thought the asthma was the root of a life far from what almost anyone would want, but as of 10 weeks ago; discovered Celiac has been FAR worse for my health. Don't remember feeling good, so it likely started as a child. Even though I spent countless time in doctors' offices and hospitals, the term 'Celiac' was never mentioned... back then, knowledge was much more limited, and even less available/utilized her in the south. Even now, I figured out having Celiac myself... especially getting lucky by talking to an old Cherokee man in Kmart one day. He told me he had it, and that I might too after telling him of being part Cherokee myslf.

I follow (except the beef thing) Dr. D'Adamo's Eat Rigt 4 Your Type food lists, which helps tremendously... and avoid "modern foods" as much as is possible not being well-to-do....... you might want to check out the blood type diet, and modify as needed.

GC

[gabby]

You can do this (what's the alternative?). What it takes is lots of educating yourself on the ins-and-outs of this disease, and then you must be prepared. Always. Don't feel ashamed or embarrassed or sorry for having this disease. Sure it might be a bummer when it comes to things like picnics and office functions, etc. but that's all it is: a bummer and over time, people will get used to you and your needs. And there's no need to feel left out. Just carry your 'supplies' with you ALWAYS.

eg: gluten-free snacks

-gluten-free creamers (for those times when they only have Coffee Mate)

And then bring out these snacks and eat them while everyone else is eating their stuff. I found that people were not so hung up on me not eating muffins and bagels, they were actually hung up on me just sitting there eating nothing while they were eating. So I find that if I bring out my bag of home-roasted almonds and munch on a bowl of grapes or cherries, nobody makes a stink about it. I also make sure to offer my snacks to others so that there is a reciprocity going on. usually they decline, but you wouldn't believe how many people enjoy fresh grapes and nuts.

Another thing that helps is this: buy lots of those Ziploc baggies and fill them up with "just-in-case" stuff and carry them with you, especially when you are traveling. And tell yourself: if I end up not eating this stuff and throwing it away in a couple days, well then the cost of staying healthy is well worth it. I NEVER eat airplane, train or any other food offered. I always carry this type of stuff in baggies:

-nuts

-cheese cut into cubes

-washed and chopped veggies (like red pepper, cucumber, carrots)

-some type of gluten-free preserved meat like prosciutto (usually only for very long plane rides)

-gluten-free crackers

-my own coffee creamers

-my own tea bags

-fruits

It sounds like a lot of stuff, but you don't have to carry it all, just enough to keep you going just-in-case.

And as for working: the other members have great advice. don't do it all, and don't do it all by yourself. Me and my husband decided to move out of our large house and now live in an 800 square foot apartment that is soooooooo much easier to take care of. think about living downtown so you can get rid of your car and walk to the grocery store and walk to work. Walking to work means you can walk home for lunch! And it means built-in exercise so that at the end of the day, you can just go home and rest.

[kimjoy24]

I can totally sympathize with everyone on this issue. Being sick at work has plagued me for the past several years. The episodes became more frequent and severe, though I still maintained an almost perfect attendance record somehow. Luckily, I have a cubicle job that allows me to disappear for big chunks of time to the bathroom without anyone noticing I'm gone and without it affecting job performance. I even have a special designated bathroom that I prefer to use when I'm really having a bad day! But the torture of trying to function in public with severe nausea, loose stools, and brain fog can definitely lead to depression and physical exhaustion.

Luckily, since becoming hardcore gluten-free, I rarely have severe bad days anymore. But as I mentioned in another thread, knowing that I have to go to work the next day hampers my ability to self-test myself for other food intolerances, because I'm afraid of the consequences. The most frustrating thing of all is that my job could easily be performed from home, and in fact, other companies in the industry do have home workers. But the company I work for is light years behind in the technology dept.

I definitely think those with our condition should put getting their health back on track above career aspirations. The next boss might not be so understanding, and we all know how expensive the "gluten free lifestyle" can be, so as far as jobs go, the best case scenario would be an employer who will not penalize you for your medical condition.

[Guest BERNESES]

i'm so glad you started this thread BB. I too am very scared right now. I had my bloodwork done back in February and mine was similar to yours- weak positive. I went gluten-free anyway because I was sick as a dog. My biopsy came back negative- it was done in April and no one had told me not to go gluten-free before the biopsy (it's a LONG story).

I am a doctoral student but I also had a pretty demanding teaching position last year. I missed some classes (that I was taking). One professor was really understanding, the other was not. As far as the teaching position went, I just did the best I could. If I had been teaching full-time, I would have had to take a leave of absence. No doubt.

And I'm scared now too because I'm entering the dissertation phase soon and then the hunt for an academic job shortly thereafter and I know I couldn't work full-time feeling the way that I feel right now. You have to take care of yourself, in whatever way you can. I wouldn't start a new job right now- if you go gluten-free you may notice an improvement in as little as 2-3 weeks if it is Celiac's or a gluten-intolerance. Hang in there!

[jenvan]

I just got a potential job lead...but similar to some of you, the idea of going full-bore into that stress and extra hours is a bit worrisome. It is hard to be motivated at times....

[debmidge]

Sorry for the long post, and it doesn't just cover celiac disease as a topic:

I would disagree with the notion that you can escape from your desk better with a cubicle. My husband has celiac disease, I just have lactose intolerance. I had been working in office/cubicle world and had a co worker who would run into the boss whenever you were away from your desk too long (in her opinion).

One day, as it would happen, I had runs from eating dairy at lunchtime and of course was in ladies room for approx. 20 mins. right after lunch on company time and believe me, I heard about it from our manager afterwards. I heard about it weeks later and I couldn't remember why I had been gone from my desk for so long (I forgot about the incident), but that's all management remembers is that I "waltzed" away from my cubicle for a long period of time. Since I had forgotten about the incident, I didn't /couldn't defend myself when confronted. So I have to live with this on my record now. This co worker of mine was a trouble maker and a kook.

When my husband first came down with celiac disease and it was in the mis-diagnosed stage, his job was delivery person for heating/air conditioning place. He used a pick up truck. He remembers being in bathroom on toilet at work several times in morning to the point where he felt like crying, he also was stuck in traffic during a delivery and had to go to bathroom many times, sometimes before his delivery he'd run home to do Number 2. He had to leave this job because the diarrhea and additional bowel movements were too much. Little did we know that the root of the problem was mis-diagnosises from inept doctors.

Corporate America has little tolerance for unhealthy people, that's an unfortunate fact (I know others who had intestinal disorders - other than celiac disease - who were warned and fired due to taking time off). Since the ADA was passed, perhaps employers are more accepting, but my experiences and those of my friends and loved ones haven't proved that out.

Corporate America might nod their heads in acceptance of ADA, but they are always trying ways to find the loopholes. If your being out really ticks someone off, they'll find ways to either discipline or let you go. (Hate to say this, but because of this, I am big on Unions. Unfortunately, there's no unions for office workers who are not management).

My advice: I know it's expensive, but consult with an employment attorney to know your rights and find out what you need to do: for example, do you put your situation in writing to management to take advantage of the ADA? Do you keep a diary of each day of what was said to you about absences, etc.? I think some legal guidance is in order at this point, not to create a lawsuit, but to avoid one by knowing the law, your rights and how to handle this to protect yourself from an illegal dismissal (or Wrongful Termination). However, many states are "right to work" states and can fire you without a reason. Which can complicate an illegal dismissal.

Did you know that if you are covered by ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and get dismissed without reason for being ill (Wrongful Discharge), you can try to sue the employer? Employers can buy insurance for this, it's called "Employment Practices Liability Insurance." All I know is that employers who still go by this "old fashioned" practice of bullying their employees who have health issues should take out this insurance. One of the buzz words to throw around is "Hostile work environment", "discrimination" but only an attorney can guide you to determine if you are being subject to this treatment and what to do about it.

For a living I sell and service Employment Practices Liability Insurance (among other insurance products) to large/mid-sized companies. I am sure no one is surprised to know that the companies who have the most potential for this type of claim are the ones who do not buy this coverage. The coverage is expensive ($15,000 a year is average cost and it is based on number of employees, type of business, whether or not business has employee handbook and written rules, and written guide lines and must submit financials to get quote). If the company is a known violator, they probably can't get this coverage.

Anyway, that's my feeling on this and my advice.

D.

[AM63]

I can relate to all of this so much I am awaiting diagnosis,but due to lon g wait for a first appointment at the hospital I have gone gluten free by gp advice and will then have to go back to gluten after my appointment whilst I wait for a gastroscopy appointment. I have been mis diagnosed originally, but found gluten free diet has started to make a big difference,however I have been glutened twice now, both times I had just returned to work,my firm is very unhelpful and are not interested in understanding,I fear I may lose my job,but I have really tried to get well,this has been bad since Jan 2016, but I have had symptoms for a lot of years. You are not alone and must do what is best for you.I too have been in tears it is frustrating,especially when we are trying so hard to get well, and this time I have no idea how I was glutened,which makes it worse telling work,who now have no sympathy at all. I even fought to go temporarily part time but have blown that as off sick again with the dreaded d and v, bloating, fatigue etc.

 

[cyclinglady]

10 hours ago, AM63 said:

I can relate to all of this so much I am awaiting diagnosis,but due to lon g wait for a first appointment at the hospital I have gone gluten free by gp advice and will then have to go back to gluten after my appointment whilst I wait for a gastroscopy appointment. I have been mis diagnosed originally, but found gluten free diet has started to make a big difference,however I have been glutened twice now, both times I had just returned to work,my firm is very unhelpful and are not interested in understanding,I fear I may lose my job,but I have really tried to get well,this has been bad since Jan 2016, but I have had symptoms for a lot of years. You are not alone and must do what is best for you.I too have been in tears it is frustrating,especially when we are trying so hard to get well, and this time I have no idea how I was glutened,which makes it worse telling work,who now have no sympathy at all. I even fought to go temporarily part time but have blown that as off sick again with the dreaded d and v, bloating, fatigue etc.

 

Welcome to the forum!  I sure hope that you are able to find a proper diagnosis.  I am sorry that your firm is not very understanding about your medical problems.  I hope you feel better soon.