Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Harassment at work due to IBS!

When I was 14 my mother was diagnosed with a terminal case of cancer. My father is disabled and we had no income while my mother was undergoing treatment. It was a 3-year battle that she eventually won, much to the amazement of her doctors who at one point gave her 6 hours to live. Needless to say it was stressful on the family and as a result I became the parent. I dealt with the bill collectors and took care of the farm and made sure everything ran smoothly while going to high school. I grew up in a small town and everyone knew everyone else's business. We had no income and lived on food basket donations from local churches for most of the 3-year time. As a result ALL my peers knew my financial situation and many of them would tease me for being poor. The straw that broke my back (when I was 17) was a comment something like "Wish my mom had cancer." As a result of my frustration with the situation and the clear ignorence of my peers, my health teach invited my mother (still undergoing treatment) to speak to the students about cancer, what it is, how she was treated, and what happens to the family unit when one parent is terminally ill. As a result, I received many apologies and if nothing else, some respect. I never heard another word uttered about my mother or financial situation again.

So the point here is that it may do you some good to shed light on what is going on with you. I realize that aspects of IBS are embarassing and you don't always want to talk about it but honestly, knowledge is power. The reason IBS is not treated with the same level of compassion as Cancer or other terrible diseases is the sheer lack of knowledge the general public has on the matter. I often explain it to people as having the worst case of the flu you can imagine only worse and on a daily basis. That often gets some attention.

Best of luck to you! I hope you are able to find some resolution. You may want to consider at least looking for a job that is more flexible and does not require you to be sitting at a phone for hours at a time.

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