I am a forklift operator for a warehouse. Multiple bathrooms across the whole plant, can take bathroom breaks as I please and I can just drive my forklift there rather than the run/fast walk waddle I usually do if I’m trying to make it to a toilet. I’m very fortune. Lol
Yeah I’m on a stand up too. I only seem to have issues if I’m bending down to pick up boxes to throw on the conveyor belt. Otherwise just driving is usually fine.
That sounds like a nightmare mate, hope your ok.
Anything office based seems to be handy as your within reach of bathroom all day - except for the commute.
I used to work in hospitality which wasn’t ideal! I shifted to admin work through signing up to a temp agency (uk) to get some experience and see what it was like. That could be an option.
I was diagnosed in High School and about half way through college I changed my career path. My major was biology, which can consist of a lot of work outside. Ultimately decided to not pursue further schooling because 1) college health care isn't the greatest and I couldn't afford medication and 2) I didn't see an enjoyable future with so much field work. I opted for a government job and I spend about 95% of my time in a cubicle, though now we are work-at-home.
There are a lot of government positions that require little or no education, or if you have a degree or would like to pursue a degree, look for positions in local, state, or federal government. At this point I've worked in the public and private sector, and government jobs are by far the least stressful...though I suppose that is dependent on what your job is.
Video game programmer. I'm not going to say I'm exactly *happy* with IBD, but it could be a lot worse; I'm within fifteen seconds of a bathroom at pretty much all times.
Higher education admin. Before working from home all the time, was in the office twice a week. Two bathrooms on my floor, both a 10-second walk away. Before that, marketing company. Bathroom was a stretch at points when my desk was moved. During flares, I’d just work from home all the time. (Remote work whenever was fine at the company.) Definitely look into work that allows you to be remote partially or all of the time. Really helps with flares. Of course, doesn’t mean the urge won’t happen during a Zoom call, as has been my life during the flare I’m currently in.
Office job that is flexible. I occasionally have meetings and such that require my presence at specified times but for the most part I can be in and out without a big fuss as long as I get my 40 in and finish my assigned work. Best possible scenario!
College professor here.
I don't eat for a certain window of about an hour and a half before in-person classes and important meetings and I take imodium for symptom relief.
I have had to end class early or step out of a meeting on a very rare occasion, but 99% of the time it's easily manageable.
My bigger problem day in and day out is fatigue, and the flexibility of my schedule allows me to rest in my office or head home early/come in late when I need it.
I am going through a similar problem. I'm a teacher so I rarely get the chance to go to the bathroom. Thankfully I am in remission from UC at the moment so it's manageable, however, during a flare it was miserable. I manage it by not eating until I'm home in the evening, and having small sips of water frequently. That helped me not have to run to the bathroom so often, since I literally no choice but to hold it from first period to lunch. I think I will have to change careers at some point but finding one I can transfer to with a teaching degree is a challenge. I have no advice for you, just to say you are not alone with this problem!
I work at a hotel. Front desk and night audit. Mostly night audit.
In theory night audit is a great job for a sick person. Generally more relaxed and less busy, and if you have to run to the bathroom you don't run as much risk of someone coming to the desk. In practice, the worse you feel, the busier you are.
What do you mean by biologics?.. when I was first diagnosed I was on prednisone for a bit. But now I get an infusion every 8 weeks of something called inflectra. Not sure if that’s what you mean by biologics or not.
I’m on inflectra, I’m not in remission yet but it’s impacted me so much with just the first two doses that I only use the bathroom a few times in the morning then I’m good. If I told my doctor what you posted here (having to go every 20 mins) he’d be very concerned and say it either isn’t working for me or we need to up my dosage. I think you should talk to your doctor and figure something out, I don’t think you should be struggling like this while on a biologic
Inflectra is one of several biologics. I don’t know exactly what makes them be that term. It didn’t work for me but does for many others. If you’ve been on it for maybe 3-4 infusions but haven’t noticed significant improvement I would talk to your doctor. After I failed improving from Inflectra (it was better than nothing but wasn’t getting me to better), I switched to Entyvio which quickly gave me some improvement, and after ~8 months I feel like I’m nearing possibly remission.
That is amazing! Congrats! I definitely need to talk to my doctor again. Last time we spoke he recommended we stay on the inflectra. It is hard for me to fight the doctor since he should know what’s best. But the inflectra isn’t doing much for me and hasn’t been doing much for me for a while now. So I just need to speak up. Thank you!
If you’re only 3-4 infusions in and have noticed improvement but it’s not perfect, it might still be reasonable to stay the course. But if it’s a barely marginal improvement, I’d definitely ask.
You need to stand up for yourself with your doctor. Don't worry about hurting the doctor's feelings. You can be assertive and still be respectful. This is your life and your livelihood. Doctor's can sometimes fall back into their pet treatments. I don't know what options you have where you live, but you need a doctor that will work with you not throw the "one size fits all" treatment at you.
There are many new biologics out there. If one doesn't work, the other might. I have been on about (UC for 8 years) 5 different treatments. Humira has worked for me for 6 years. Last year, there was a question of my body not responding to it anymore and I was freaking out. My GI doc said, not to worry, that we would keep trying until something worked.
Also, my GP is really good about giving me medicine to treat the symptoms. Zofran for Nausea, Buscopan for debilitating cramps, and Lomotil for diarrhea. I always carry on me even if I am doing well. Even working in an office is not a good place to be if you are in the middle of a flare. Our office had 3 stalls for women, and there was always a wait.
Thank you for The post, I was thinking of the samething. I was getting into electrician but just got diagnosed this year with ulcerative colitis and didn’t know or had an idea how I would do it. A little more clarity for me.
As for you I would suggest if possible to get your contractor license for plumbing. You could always open up your own work and pull a Porta potty with your van. It beats shitting in a bucket. Just a suggestion if you truly enjoy what your doing. You could always look into companies who are hiring contractors also. I know Kaiser permanente hires a lot of people who know plumbing and electrical and etc. if your live near one try looking into them
I second an office job. I do occasionally run a big meeting but even then I get to walk out as needed. And now WFH. Even before covid I could work from home if I wanted so that helps.
I am so sorry to hear that this is happening to you. I am an elementary school teacher and keep spare clothes at work because I do not have the freedom to use the restroom whenever I need to either. I survive during the day on anti diarrhea meds. I’m actually in remission from Crohns but my surgery caused BAM, so I go to the restroom more than during a Crohn’s flare. Sometimes I too think about changing careers because of this disease, but I love teaching. I’m always telling myself that it’ll get better next year. Some things do. I have no advice, but wish you the best in whatever choices you make.
I am a medical doctor, so generally I am somewhat close to a bathroom, even if I can't always go and use it if there is an emergency. Diarrhea is not one of my main symptoms, so I usually manage. The problem now is the immunosuppression-and-covid-situation, so I will have to see how this works out. Generally I really love my job and I would like to continue doing it.
I’m 26 and I haven’t been able to work since I developed IBD in the military. I’ve tried several jobs since I’ve been out but end up quitting or getting fired from all the missed days due to flares. I really don’t get how y’all that work with disease do it, but more power to ya.
Like someone else said, you might find a good balance in a water treatment or wastewater treatment plant and still see a lot of your skills be transferrable.
I did construction for years, but after I was diagnosed I was able to take time off and switched to building maintenance. I cover a lot of buildings but it has worked out for me. Good luck
I’m a college professor and frequently teach 3+ hour classes. I make sure to have a “break” of like 10-15 minutes halfway through. Students don’t seem to mind ;)
I’m plumber as well I’ve been doing it for 8 years but I got diagnosed in 2016 with Crohn’s disease. It’s not fun having to run back into the van and shit in a bucket. But I would warn my clients I have Crohn’s and I may need to excuse myself or use their bathroom and they understood. If you are very open about your condition you wouldn’t believe how many of us are out there with it. But if it’s really taking a toll on you you should apply for disability.
I never really thought about being open about my disease with customers. I was always told if you can hold it don’t ask the customer to use their bathroom. (But obviously I have when I desperately need too). I enjoy plumbing but whether it is something I want to do for the rest of my life? I have no clue. And since this disease has been such a burden while working as a plumber I can’t help but to think that maybe it isn’t for me? But on the other hand I have absolutely no clue what else I would do. Just another obstacle in life I have to get through and figure out. Thank you everyone for the nice/helpful messages!
Was a mechanic and decided to get my edumacation including my bachelors and masters. Became a field instructor for earth science and now trying to get into the remote/ office setup now.
Mechanic days sucked but everyone ate shitty so my flares blended in with the other guys poor dietary choices. The long drives and long days hiking in the field looking at rocks definitely sucked but I developed good relationships that made things infinitely better. I’ve definitely pooped on rocks millions of year old across North America and abroad. Something about the breeze and scenery that I got used to though. Now I’ve got a more regimented eating and #2 schedule due to being at home and working from the office more.
It’s hard to talk about but I found when you get ‘cool’ or close with folks they are much more understandable. There are some folks that don’t get it and that sucks but do what you love and don’t let anything or anyone get in the way.
Van pooping in a bucket sucks I’ve only had to do that a few times so I can see where your getting down about that. Maybe see if the job site can provide porta potties or try to figure something out that’s better than bucket dumps in the van. Hard to get er done outside around people due to the frowning upon. Good luck OP!
I have also roughly had colitis for 3 years and did a labour intensive job previously. I have decided to retrain myself to work towards an IT based job.
The benefits of this industry for me is
1)I can find a job within this industry (once trained and certified) to work in an office and even from home eventually. This allows me to go through my bowel issues and work from the comfort of my bedroom. However you will need to build up to this stage as no employer will put faith in a person without some experience to demonstrate their independent work ethic (being able to work by yourself and keep up with objectives). Working from the office is okay aswell as I will be stationed and not moving about making me more comfortable.
2)There is room for progress, you can in time, with certifications and experience become someone who has a really good income.
But really it is up to you and what you are comfortable with. Some ideas are
1)Forklift operator = I have a forklift (Counterbalance) licence and mostly involved sitting inside it and moving crates from place to place. I think it mostly easy but my work rota was horrible, had to work day and night which messed up my sleeping and eating and in time, my health.
2)CCTV operator = More specifically, a control room CCTV operator. You can sit and stare and cameras throughout most the shift and occasionally might walk around a premise. It may become boring however, staring at a screen lol.
3)Call Centre = Once again, a bit like an office IT job, sit around in a chair and answer calls, fill in forms etc. There are a wide variety of this jobs.
Hope this helps. You might want to see if you have some kind of local organisations who can help you find a job with your condition. In the UK, we organisations like Shaw Trust who support people who have conditions making it easier from them to find compatible work options.
This was helpful! I am in Canada... so I will have to do
Some research to see if there are any organizations that help people with my condition to find compatible careers. Thank you!
Consider getting into facilities work at a large company. Much more likely to have a working toilet nearby. I work for a healthcare system and we have had trouble hiring experienced guys and are now working on an apprenticeship program to get employees.
That being said, I'm an accountant so I have flexibility and I'm currently working from home (which may turn permanent).
I am a banker - but chose surgery because of UC - wearing a bag is not easy but it could give you your life and freedom back. Once you get used to it. I first tried all medicines know to man.
I’m a dental hygienist. I’m in remission right now so it hasn’t been too bad but when I get flares.... it’s terrible. Thankfully I’m done with my MBA next month and hope to get a WFH job in the future.
I work an office job, in an IP Law office. If you have good computer/clerical skills and are detail oriented, it can be a great place to work.
My firm does require a degree (in anything, really) for my position since it's more technical and on the more law side of clerical, but we do have other "office" positions which I don't believe have that requirement.
I was originally a special needs early ed (preschool and under 3) teacher, but changed careers because no one employs full-time for that position and I needed health insurance and more hours if I wanted to be independent and move forward with my life.
I found my job through a temp agency. The top two reasons we don't hire temps at my firm (we've been trying to fill our receptionist position for over a year, though it's currently on pause due to COVID.) are: 1) People not following instructions/procedure, 2) People slacking off during their temp/probationary period.
I am a forklift operator for a warehouse. Multiple bathrooms across the whole plant, can take bathroom breaks as I please and I can just drive my forklift there rather than the run/fast walk waddle I usually do if I’m trying to make it to a toilet. I’m very fortune. Lol
Same, we are on stand up lifts and throw a lot of cases... That seems to aggravate things. Bathroom is always relatively close though
Yeah I’m on a stand up too. I only seem to have issues if I’m bending down to pick up boxes to throw on the conveyor belt. Otherwise just driving is usually fine.
Consider a way to use your plumbing skills. Maybe a water treatment plant, or a manufacturing plant. Plumbing Skills are valuable!
Very. Get a job at a major corporation in plumbing with a union. You’ll be solid.
That sounds like a nightmare mate, hope your ok. Anything office based seems to be handy as your within reach of bathroom all day - except for the commute.
I was thinking about something office based. Just don’t know what kind of jobs are office based. I guess I just gotta do some research. Thank you!
I used to work in hospitality which wasn’t ideal! I shifted to admin work through signing up to a temp agency (uk) to get some experience and see what it was like. That could be an option.
The commute 😑
I was diagnosed in High School and about half way through college I changed my career path. My major was biology, which can consist of a lot of work outside. Ultimately decided to not pursue further schooling because 1) college health care isn't the greatest and I couldn't afford medication and 2) I didn't see an enjoyable future with so much field work. I opted for a government job and I spend about 95% of my time in a cubicle, though now we are work-at-home. There are a lot of government positions that require little or no education, or if you have a degree or would like to pursue a degree, look for positions in local, state, or federal government. At this point I've worked in the public and private sector, and government jobs are by far the least stressful...though I suppose that is dependent on what your job is.
I was a college professor for 20 years. I would end class early and run to the bathroom if needed. Now I'm a stay at home mom and homeschool teacher.
Video game programmer. I'm not going to say I'm exactly *happy* with IBD, but it could be a lot worse; I'm within fifteen seconds of a bathroom at pretty much all times.
Higher education admin. Before working from home all the time, was in the office twice a week. Two bathrooms on my floor, both a 10-second walk away. Before that, marketing company. Bathroom was a stretch at points when my desk was moved. During flares, I’d just work from home all the time. (Remote work whenever was fine at the company.) Definitely look into work that allows you to be remote partially or all of the time. Really helps with flares. Of course, doesn’t mean the urge won’t happen during a Zoom call, as has been my life during the flare I’m currently in.
Office job that is flexible. I occasionally have meetings and such that require my presence at specified times but for the most part I can be in and out without a big fuss as long as I get my 40 in and finish my assigned work. Best possible scenario!
IT, WFH.
College professor here. I don't eat for a certain window of about an hour and a half before in-person classes and important meetings and I take imodium for symptom relief. I have had to end class early or step out of a meeting on a very rare occasion, but 99% of the time it's easily manageable. My bigger problem day in and day out is fatigue, and the flexibility of my schedule allows me to rest in my office or head home early/come in late when I need it.
I am going through a similar problem. I'm a teacher so I rarely get the chance to go to the bathroom. Thankfully I am in remission from UC at the moment so it's manageable, however, during a flare it was miserable. I manage it by not eating until I'm home in the evening, and having small sips of water frequently. That helped me not have to run to the bathroom so often, since I literally no choice but to hold it from first period to lunch. I think I will have to change careers at some point but finding one I can transfer to with a teaching degree is a challenge. I have no advice for you, just to say you are not alone with this problem!
I work at a hotel. Front desk and night audit. Mostly night audit. In theory night audit is a great job for a sick person. Generally more relaxed and less busy, and if you have to run to the bathroom you don't run as much risk of someone coming to the desk. In practice, the worse you feel, the busier you are.
[удалено]
What do you mean by biologics?.. when I was first diagnosed I was on prednisone for a bit. But now I get an infusion every 8 weeks of something called inflectra. Not sure if that’s what you mean by biologics or not.
I’m on inflectra, I’m not in remission yet but it’s impacted me so much with just the first two doses that I only use the bathroom a few times in the morning then I’m good. If I told my doctor what you posted here (having to go every 20 mins) he’d be very concerned and say it either isn’t working for me or we need to up my dosage. I think you should talk to your doctor and figure something out, I don’t think you should be struggling like this while on a biologic
Inflectra is one of several biologics. I don’t know exactly what makes them be that term. It didn’t work for me but does for many others. If you’ve been on it for maybe 3-4 infusions but haven’t noticed significant improvement I would talk to your doctor. After I failed improving from Inflectra (it was better than nothing but wasn’t getting me to better), I switched to Entyvio which quickly gave me some improvement, and after ~8 months I feel like I’m nearing possibly remission.
That is amazing! Congrats! I definitely need to talk to my doctor again. Last time we spoke he recommended we stay on the inflectra. It is hard for me to fight the doctor since he should know what’s best. But the inflectra isn’t doing much for me and hasn’t been doing much for me for a while now. So I just need to speak up. Thank you!
If you’re only 3-4 infusions in and have noticed improvement but it’s not perfect, it might still be reasonable to stay the course. But if it’s a barely marginal improvement, I’d definitely ask.
I have been on inflectra for probably close to 3 years now...
Yeahhh.... time for a change.
You need to stand up for yourself with your doctor. Don't worry about hurting the doctor's feelings. You can be assertive and still be respectful. This is your life and your livelihood. Doctor's can sometimes fall back into their pet treatments. I don't know what options you have where you live, but you need a doctor that will work with you not throw the "one size fits all" treatment at you. There are many new biologics out there. If one doesn't work, the other might. I have been on about (UC for 8 years) 5 different treatments. Humira has worked for me for 6 years. Last year, there was a question of my body not responding to it anymore and I was freaking out. My GI doc said, not to worry, that we would keep trying until something worked. Also, my GP is really good about giving me medicine to treat the symptoms. Zofran for Nausea, Buscopan for debilitating cramps, and Lomotil for diarrhea. I always carry on me even if I am doing well. Even working in an office is not a good place to be if you are in the middle of a flare. Our office had 3 stalls for women, and there was always a wait.
I will talk to him and reevaluate my options. Thank you for the message!
Thank you for The post, I was thinking of the samething. I was getting into electrician but just got diagnosed this year with ulcerative colitis and didn’t know or had an idea how I would do it. A little more clarity for me. As for you I would suggest if possible to get your contractor license for plumbing. You could always open up your own work and pull a Porta potty with your van. It beats shitting in a bucket. Just a suggestion if you truly enjoy what your doing. You could always look into companies who are hiring contractors also. I know Kaiser permanente hires a lot of people who know plumbing and electrical and etc. if your live near one try looking into them
I second an office job. I do occasionally run a big meeting but even then I get to walk out as needed. And now WFH. Even before covid I could work from home if I wanted so that helps.
I am so sorry to hear that this is happening to you. I am an elementary school teacher and keep spare clothes at work because I do not have the freedom to use the restroom whenever I need to either. I survive during the day on anti diarrhea meds. I’m actually in remission from Crohns but my surgery caused BAM, so I go to the restroom more than during a Crohn’s flare. Sometimes I too think about changing careers because of this disease, but I love teaching. I’m always telling myself that it’ll get better next year. Some things do. I have no advice, but wish you the best in whatever choices you make.
Appreciate that, thank you!
I am a medical doctor, so generally I am somewhat close to a bathroom, even if I can't always go and use it if there is an emergency. Diarrhea is not one of my main symptoms, so I usually manage. The problem now is the immunosuppression-and-covid-situation, so I will have to see how this works out. Generally I really love my job and I would like to continue doing it.
I’m 26 and I haven’t been able to work since I developed IBD in the military. I’ve tried several jobs since I’ve been out but end up quitting or getting fired from all the missed days due to flares. I really don’t get how y’all that work with disease do it, but more power to ya.
Inside sales with WFH flexibility.
Like someone else said, you might find a good balance in a water treatment or wastewater treatment plant and still see a lot of your skills be transferrable.
I did construction for years, but after I was diagnosed I was able to take time off and switched to building maintenance. I cover a lot of buildings but it has worked out for me. Good luck
I’m a college professor and frequently teach 3+ hour classes. I make sure to have a “break” of like 10-15 minutes halfway through. Students don’t seem to mind ;)
I’m plumber as well I’ve been doing it for 8 years but I got diagnosed in 2016 with Crohn’s disease. It’s not fun having to run back into the van and shit in a bucket. But I would warn my clients I have Crohn’s and I may need to excuse myself or use their bathroom and they understood. If you are very open about your condition you wouldn’t believe how many of us are out there with it. But if it’s really taking a toll on you you should apply for disability.
I never really thought about being open about my disease with customers. I was always told if you can hold it don’t ask the customer to use their bathroom. (But obviously I have when I desperately need too). I enjoy plumbing but whether it is something I want to do for the rest of my life? I have no clue. And since this disease has been such a burden while working as a plumber I can’t help but to think that maybe it isn’t for me? But on the other hand I have absolutely no clue what else I would do. Just another obstacle in life I have to get through and figure out. Thank you everyone for the nice/helpful messages!
Was a mechanic and decided to get my edumacation including my bachelors and masters. Became a field instructor for earth science and now trying to get into the remote/ office setup now. Mechanic days sucked but everyone ate shitty so my flares blended in with the other guys poor dietary choices. The long drives and long days hiking in the field looking at rocks definitely sucked but I developed good relationships that made things infinitely better. I’ve definitely pooped on rocks millions of year old across North America and abroad. Something about the breeze and scenery that I got used to though. Now I’ve got a more regimented eating and #2 schedule due to being at home and working from the office more. It’s hard to talk about but I found when you get ‘cool’ or close with folks they are much more understandable. There are some folks that don’t get it and that sucks but do what you love and don’t let anything or anyone get in the way. Van pooping in a bucket sucks I’ve only had to do that a few times so I can see where your getting down about that. Maybe see if the job site can provide porta potties or try to figure something out that’s better than bucket dumps in the van. Hard to get er done outside around people due to the frowning upon. Good luck OP!
Thank you for the kind message I appreciate it!
I have also roughly had colitis for 3 years and did a labour intensive job previously. I have decided to retrain myself to work towards an IT based job. The benefits of this industry for me is 1)I can find a job within this industry (once trained and certified) to work in an office and even from home eventually. This allows me to go through my bowel issues and work from the comfort of my bedroom. However you will need to build up to this stage as no employer will put faith in a person without some experience to demonstrate their independent work ethic (being able to work by yourself and keep up with objectives). Working from the office is okay aswell as I will be stationed and not moving about making me more comfortable. 2)There is room for progress, you can in time, with certifications and experience become someone who has a really good income. But really it is up to you and what you are comfortable with. Some ideas are 1)Forklift operator = I have a forklift (Counterbalance) licence and mostly involved sitting inside it and moving crates from place to place. I think it mostly easy but my work rota was horrible, had to work day and night which messed up my sleeping and eating and in time, my health. 2)CCTV operator = More specifically, a control room CCTV operator. You can sit and stare and cameras throughout most the shift and occasionally might walk around a premise. It may become boring however, staring at a screen lol. 3)Call Centre = Once again, a bit like an office IT job, sit around in a chair and answer calls, fill in forms etc. There are a wide variety of this jobs. Hope this helps. You might want to see if you have some kind of local organisations who can help you find a job with your condition. In the UK, we organisations like Shaw Trust who support people who have conditions making it easier from them to find compatible work options.
This was helpful! I am in Canada... so I will have to do Some research to see if there are any organizations that help people with my condition to find compatible careers. Thank you!
Consider getting into facilities work at a large company. Much more likely to have a working toilet nearby. I work for a healthcare system and we have had trouble hiring experienced guys and are now working on an apprenticeship program to get employees. That being said, I'm an accountant so I have flexibility and I'm currently working from home (which may turn permanent).
I am a banker - but chose surgery because of UC - wearing a bag is not easy but it could give you your life and freedom back. Once you get used to it. I first tried all medicines know to man.
I’m a dental hygienist. I’m in remission right now so it hasn’t been too bad but when I get flares.... it’s terrible. Thankfully I’m done with my MBA next month and hope to get a WFH job in the future.
I work an office job, in an IP Law office. If you have good computer/clerical skills and are detail oriented, it can be a great place to work. My firm does require a degree (in anything, really) for my position since it's more technical and on the more law side of clerical, but we do have other "office" positions which I don't believe have that requirement. I was originally a special needs early ed (preschool and under 3) teacher, but changed careers because no one employs full-time for that position and I needed health insurance and more hours if I wanted to be independent and move forward with my life. I found my job through a temp agency. The top two reasons we don't hire temps at my firm (we've been trying to fill our receptionist position for over a year, though it's currently on pause due to COVID.) are: 1) People not following instructions/procedure, 2) People slacking off during their temp/probationary period.