BarbaraH
02-27-2005, 05:14 PM
Hi -
I need information about what kinds of employment you are able to maintain and deal with Crohn's. I know a young woman who has had Crohn's surgery and has a lot of pain daily. She feels she cannot keep any kind of job due to her intrusive symptoms. As her health is now, she'd need to work from home so the bathroom is nearby.
Any suggestions about job possiblities? Thanks!
Barbara
I need information about what kinds of employment you are able to maintain and deal with Crohn's. I know a young woman who has had Crohn's surgery and has a lot of pain daily. She feels she cannot keep any kind of job due to her intrusive symptoms. As her health is now, she'd need to work from home so the bathroom is nearby.
Any suggestions about job possiblities? Thanks!
Barbara
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BarbaraH
02-28-2005, 10:21 PM
Hi all,
Since no one has replied to my query about possible jobs for a Crohn's patient, is there a better place to ask this question?
Suggestions welcome! Thanks!! Barbara :)
Since no one has replied to my query about possible jobs for a Crohn's patient, is there a better place to ask this question?
Suggestions welcome! Thanks!! Barbara :)
wmtribefan
03-02-2005, 02:21 PM
Hi,
My mother (who is in her mid-fifties) has had Crohn's for about twenty years. She had a very serious flare up in 1993, which required removal of a portion of her colon and several weeks in the hospital, but since then she has been pretty much in remission. She controls it with diet and exercise (lots of yoga), and leads a normal life! She has raised five children, runs her own business (interior design and event planning) and also does tons of volunteer work. So, don't let your friend get too discouraged!
Encourage her to seek a fantastic doctor (even if it means traveling a few hours for appointments) b/c treatment is the key! Also, tell her to see a nutritionist about a good diet for Crohn's. That can cut down on many of those "embarrassing symptoms." Good luck!
My mother (who is in her mid-fifties) has had Crohn's for about twenty years. She had a very serious flare up in 1993, which required removal of a portion of her colon and several weeks in the hospital, but since then she has been pretty much in remission. She controls it with diet and exercise (lots of yoga), and leads a normal life! She has raised five children, runs her own business (interior design and event planning) and also does tons of volunteer work. So, don't let your friend get too discouraged!
Encourage her to seek a fantastic doctor (even if it means traveling a few hours for appointments) b/c treatment is the key! Also, tell her to see a nutritionist about a good diet for Crohn's. That can cut down on many of those "embarrassing symptoms." Good luck!
BarbaraH
03-02-2005, 05:50 PM
Thanks! I appreciate your input!! My friend is just 25 and has had 2 surgeries. It's been rough with the other upsetting events in her life. Her doctor is at a teaching hospital so I'd hope she gets excellent care there. I'll mention a nutritionist.
Thanks again! Barbara
Thanks again! Barbara
actudan
03-04-2005, 11:31 PM
Thanks! I appreciate your input!! My friend is just 25 and has had 2 surgeries. It's been rough with the other upsetting events in her life. Her doctor is at a teaching hospital so I'd hope she gets excellent care there. I'll mention a nutritionist.
Thanks again! Barbara
I just wanted to add that I work with someone with Crohns. As I understand, Crohn's normally affects the part of the small intestine where it connects to the large intestine. My coworker, had to have 3 feet of his small intestine and some of his large taking out. The take out of the small wasn't a problem but the large was. The beginning part of your large is where you stool bulks up so he now has to take medicine every day to keep his stools solid, otherwise food would go right through him. He doesn't feel pain but he did before the surgery. Basically food would get stuck where the diseased part of the intestine was infected.
The bad news is that there is no cure for Crohns and it typically pops back up and you never know when. There really isn't any drugs or diet suggesting that it can cure Crohns. My coworker has colonoscopies every other year (and he is only 38) just to keep track of whats going on inside him. Take care!
Thanks again! Barbara
I just wanted to add that I work with someone with Crohns. As I understand, Crohn's normally affects the part of the small intestine where it connects to the large intestine. My coworker, had to have 3 feet of his small intestine and some of his large taking out. The take out of the small wasn't a problem but the large was. The beginning part of your large is where you stool bulks up so he now has to take medicine every day to keep his stools solid, otherwise food would go right through him. He doesn't feel pain but he did before the surgery. Basically food would get stuck where the diseased part of the intestine was infected.
The bad news is that there is no cure for Crohns and it typically pops back up and you never know when. There really isn't any drugs or diet suggesting that it can cure Crohns. My coworker has colonoscopies every other year (and he is only 38) just to keep track of whats going on inside him. Take care!
BarbaraH
03-09-2005, 08:02 PM
Hi Actudan,
What kind of job does your friend with Crohn's have? That's the puzzlement - what kind of jobs can my young friend hope to keep and still deal with her Crohn's symptoms?
Thanks - Barbara
What kind of job does your friend with Crohn's have? That's the puzzlement - what kind of jobs can my young friend hope to keep and still deal with her Crohn's symptoms?
Thanks - Barbara
nikki11
03-09-2005, 08:08 PM
Hi there, u say ur friend needs to work from home, how about child minding?..
actudan
03-09-2005, 10:00 PM
Hi Actudan,
What kind of job does your friend with Crohn's have? That's the puzzlement - what kind of jobs can my young friend hope to keep and still deal with her Crohn's symptoms?
Thanks - Barbara
My friend is an actuary. It requires normal work hours (8:30 - 5:30). Like I said, his mostly stays in remission as long as he takes his meds but he does have flare ups that the doctor says is due to Crohn's but he is able to still work. Let me know if you have any more questions.
What kind of job does your friend with Crohn's have? That's the puzzlement - what kind of jobs can my young friend hope to keep and still deal with her Crohn's symptoms?
Thanks - Barbara
My friend is an actuary. It requires normal work hours (8:30 - 5:30). Like I said, his mostly stays in remission as long as he takes his meds but he does have flare ups that the doctor says is due to Crohn's but he is able to still work. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Rosnor
03-11-2005, 05:41 PM
I have Crohns, and know others with it. It can vary so much. Some people have long periods of time without symptoms, others have a low-grade type inflammation, which is permanent. I have 2/3rds of my small intestine inflammed, and although I get bouts of the runs, it is not too bad. Saying that, I couldn't hold down a job, and not just because of the toilet issue. It makes me very tired. Most days, I have to have a nap after lunchtime. Otherwise I couldn't cope with the family things, after school and evening meal etc. I could probably cope with a job in the morning, come home and go to bed, but when I tried that it made the crohns worse. I have to be fairly careful with my diet, and working was not very conductive to that. I think a lot of added stress didn't help either. Sometimes staying well is enough of a job as it is. It really depends on what else is going on in your life, what drugs you can take, how you react to them, the severity of the condition, and how much help and support you have.
Hope this helps to answer some of your questions.
Hope this helps to answer some of your questions.
actudan
03-11-2005, 11:41 PM
I will add some confusion to this discussion. Rosnor mentioned that he can't hold down a job due to tiredness. My friend with Chrohn's is his antagonist meaning that he has to take meds to help him sleep. And according to my friend, he has to take a pretty strong dose for it to work. Too weird...
Rosnor
03-13-2005, 08:16 AM
I am tired in the day, but do not sleep well at night. If I force myself to stay awake all day, it does not help. I get cranky, feel ill, and cannot cope with being awake for that long. It also increases my symptoms. At night, I think the problem is often digestion. I get restless, itchy, hungry, toss and turn and sleep very light. A couple of Nytol does do the trick, but not something you can take each night, and they make me feel even worse the next day. I take herbal night pills, 5htp, herbal drinks etc, rotating them, for max benefit. My sleep is not always this bad. When the crohns is at its worse, my sleep is also. When its very active, I have to get up in the night to use the toilet, sometimes several times. BTW, I'm female, age 41.