Are you still able to work with endometri... - Endometriosis UK
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I am a student and because of endometriosis i had to take a year out of my studys. Which was very hard because i could not work, and the goverment does not help students which fall ill durring your degree.
O i so understand, i decided to go to Uni coz of my Endo and now its taken a turn for the worse i may have to take a year out. I cant believe there is no help for us anywhere its unreal its like we don't exist.
That is awfull. This condition should be recognised as a disabilty. It is extremly dibilitating! Best of luck to you and i really hope you are ok xx
Hello I know this was posted 2 years ago but it now is recognised as a disability xx
i too have had to leave uni for the year due to the constant pain and discomfort, and also not been able to get any help from the government.. its ridiculous how they expect people with a recognised and sometimes veryyyy serious medical condition to live off nothing with little to no help 
x
I had a similar problem, I failed my final year exams because I was so ill and ended up having an op. No help for rent, had to retake 3 modules and now I'm broke. Still on a plus side my results are much better this year even if the endo isn't
I have voted that u work full time however when my pain is at its worst, I've needed to take time off sick. Work have been great about this however perception of being off 'ill' is never a good thing for career prospects.
The pain is at its worst when I'm on my period - so you can imagine having time off every 4 weeks isn't ideal. This is why I now make sure I have strong pain killers so I don't take time off. Trouble is, as much they numb the pain abit, I'm left woozy and sickly. Not a great combination to try and carry out a days work. We keep trooping on.
hey i am the same i work although when the pain gets too bad i have to have a couple of days off till its bearable again to walk. i am on very strong painkillers which my doc isnt to keen on but i cant let endo rule my life all the time x
Hi,
Do you mind me asking what painkillers you're on? I'm due to start a new job in a few weeks and having had a laparoscopy 2 years ago I can feel the endo has come back -so I'm very keen to get my hands on some good pain killers so that my job isn't affected this time. Thanks. x
not sure if this helps but i have tramadol they are strong and a lot of people cant take them but they are the only ones that work for me
hey i was wondering if you find you forget things quite easy with taking tramadol??xx
I use tramadol as they are the only ones that help me too
hey buttonmoon, my situation is pretty similar to yours, i experience most of the pain when im on my period and have to take time off work when im really debilitated through pain. i work in the community with patients so it isnt appropriate for me to take my strong painkillers at work but after a visit at the pain clinic at my local hospital, i was prescribed pain patches (versatis). these are great as i can take a lower strength painkiller such as cocodamol along with the 12 hour patch. these have enabled me to take less time off work. hope you get to try these patches, i really reccomend them
Same here
I voted "Yes - have altered work arrangements though" but I did also lose my job because of endometriosis.
I work full time but the alterations made with my employer. This has meant I can work from home 3 days a week and the office for 2 days which saves me the energy I need for the 80 mile commute everyday. I also can work hours that are suited to me, the company and my clients and still meet targets and deadlines. I am also a freelancer, so many spare time can also be full of things to do, but I can manage my hours to suit my body if needs be.
However, my last job had HAD to leave due to Endo. I was diagnosed why working there and the other women in the office started bully and bitch at me for the amount of time in need off work to cope. (I just had 2 major surgeries, been told I might never have kids and suffering from being over exhausted and depressed.) I left after making a formal complaint to my area manager (a man) who was so shocked to hear what I had experienced from other women in the team.
I had never looked back thou. I found a job I wanted, not just did, and the team here have been nothing short of supportive. I am very lucky.
I work full time, I found that my teams support has been at times good and at times confused. Alot of people don't realise just how much pain I was in.... and also, understandably, things were more difficult before either I or the team knew what condition I had. I am hoping that now I have a diagnosis we can work together and make sure that my employment works for me, the team and my employers. x
I am studying at uni at the minute though it is starting to get in the way of my study, but lucky my head tutor is being really helpful and said if I need help or extensions ask for it and they will try their best to help, as they know I normally put as much work and effort in.
i work full time and if i get bad i can go off sick but like you said every single month and i nearly did that but luckily i didnt in the end and had endless appointment to the gynae and found out i have Endo but it minor/moderate and with the pills i am terrible to have my period and it a nightmare and with the pill i am ok and get the odd pains so i am not severe so sorry to say that i have this. i think it unfair to lose the job over this and it think it wrong!! they should make amend and work way round how to help you. i have worked with the government for over 20 years so if anything happened i can sue!! i dont care if that happened!!
I had altered work arrangements becuase of endo which the company was forced to make for me but I left when I had no reason to put up with the dirty looks and snide comments any longer. It took me a long time to get a job afterwards because I was honest about my condition. When I did get another job I lost it after being signed off sick for a few weeks because of endo related illness, I haven't been able to go back to work since.
I have experienced exactly what you have with the looks and comments, no-one seems to understand, plus the fatigue that we can feel. I decided to ignore everything and carry on with work because it is part-time but it saddens me, I have even had a counsellor that works there evaluating me behind my back and accusing me of anxiety when I was off being ill. I hope you manage to get a job with understanding xx
hi, i am new to the site. i have a working diagnosis of endometriosis. i have been suffering badly with pain and inflammation since last july. i also have IBS and have had a lot of time off work. I was in a HR meeting today and was told if i have 1 more period of absence in the next 6 months it will become a formalised process. They believe i am genuinely ill but the stress and worry about becoming ill again is horrendous. People have no idea how helpless this can make people feel. I am just taking 1 day at a time and i dont know what else i can do.
HI all, i work 5 days a week at the moment but i have and am having so much time off sick i feel that my job is not safe at all, fi am dropping to 2 days a week as i am struggling to cope with the pain, work life and 2 very active children
hi, im new to the site too. my hr department and manager are aware of my condition as i had to have time off for surgery, on tuesday i had to have the afternoon off because i could not stop crying due to endo. they havent supported be very well with my dyslexia, so i think ive got no chance really with my endo. !
Hello all, I found out I had endo just in October 2011 after suffering from it since Sept 2009, I was made redundant and then had my 2nd baby so I have not yet been back to work. After looking for work for nearly 1 year I am now afraid at how its going to affect me, as 11 days out the month I am horrendous, the pain is frightening and I faint each month. What can I say to an employer? I cant ask for time off for so many days every month
I have been unable to work since my teens due to heavy bleeding every 3 weeks, bowl problems with it, sickness, nausia, migraines, and pain that makes me pass out. Ive had loads of laporoscopies and hysteroscopies, fibroids removed etc, but I also have PCOS and IBS with the Endo, and now in my 40s I also have Rhumatoid arthrits, fluid retention, reynauds, spinal degeneration and am now been investiigated for lupus as well, I have also had atypical hyperplasia of the womb as well. It has blighted my life since the age of 11, i missed a lot of schooling, i was unable to get work due to needing time off every month for bowl incontinance and pain and heavy bleeding, I was unable to attend full time education, and I have had to live in poverty all my life due to it. I can no longer have relationships due to it, and so I am alone. i don't have children, as the endo and pcos made me infertile as well. It is a horrid illness, and no one understands. It should be classed as a disability and women with it listened to and supported. If I was allowed time off I could cope, but this has never been the case.
I was kicked out of college due to having too much time off and being stressed because of it, and when I managed to find a job I was sacked after 2 months because I was always in pain, or at the hospital, and because I needed an operation.
The hospital treating me are dreadful! My last operation was unsuccessful and their only answer is to keep taking pain killers everyday... hardly appropriate seeming as the only pain killers that remove my constant pain are tramadol... not impressed!
I was kicked out of college to! its heatbreaking!
i left school 2 years ago and still cannot go to college or work, and nor can my partner as he has to care for me. im in pain 24/7 and need constant help with everything i cannot get up, ready, washed or anything without my boyfriend and without him this countries government would let us ladies suffer in silence and struggle with everything else never mind our pain. something needs to be done so that people understand the struggle we girls go through with this condition never mind being told were lying and having to try and crawl out of bed to work on a daily basis, i struggle to go to my doctors appointments fortnightly never mind college or work every day. i never get out the house and i dont see any of my friends anymore. the isolation we face is ridiculous and i think the awarness of this condition needs to be upped a couple of notches so we atleast arent ridiculed in the streets by doctors or passers by!!!
I work full time but have had to have 2 ops now and worry that i will get sacked as i have had to have alot of time off.
I voted yes have altered work arrangements
I am self employed mobile hairdresser, i have had to scale down a very successful business from 5-6 days/45 hrs per week to just 2-3 days 10-16 hrs per week, so frustrating. I am in pain everyday, most of my customers do not know, I think if i was in an employed position i would have gone long term sick by now but if i give up my business i wouldn't know if i was able to claim anything, claiming ESA for endometriosis seems a major battle in itself and i don't think i have the energy for it.
I work full time but I do not have a very understanding employer and get through on painkillers, I cannot afford to lose my job as I have to support my daughter but it's getting harder to cope with
I had to leave my job as I was waiting for my lap before diagnoised with endo. I had had a couple of days of here and there when I was in total agony. Most of the time I had to come into work and take very strong painkillers.
My employer's problem was that 'it isn't fair I take time off to go to Drs and hospital appointments on the rest if the team'. It was exactly fair on me either, I didn't exactly ask for endo. My manager started making my life difficult and with all the stress waiting to be diagnosed I handed in my notice.
I'm now recovering from my lap but I am already stressed worrying how this will affect me getting another job.
Sorry I meant I had a couple of days off work here and there. I wish it was only a couple of days in agony I stead of weeks every month.
I'm in my first year of college, and have been struggling with endo for about a year and a bit really, it was only this year that I found out it could be that due tl the symptoms matching up. I had a laparoscopy this time last year which caused me to miss 3 weeks of school, putting my behing just before my GCSEs, I didn' do as well as I could have done.
This year has been a different story. I've missed a week out of every 4 from September as my endo has gotten worse since my op (which wasn't actually for endo). I may have to repeat the year because I've missed so much and I'm just not getting the grades. College haven't been overly understanding but I'm hopefully moving when this year is done.
It is taking over my life.
If you ask your Drs for evidence of Endo and show the collage, they have to at least try and understand your predicament. Hope it works for you, i took my discharge letters from the hospital to Uni and they were quite understanding after that.
I used to request my days off for when I was due on. This would help. If I missed calculated or I was late, sometimes I would come on at work, in which case my colleagues were very supportive and I would go lie down in the sleepover room for half an hour until the painkillers kicked in.
Now it's not so easy, studying and working in a different job, an outdoors job, there's no cozy bed to go and lie in when I feel rubbish. This week has been particularly difficult. Still........it'll soon be summer 
I lost my job five years ago as the Endo caused an abscess and this burst, so I was extremely ill for a while and couldn't return to work. I then started drawing as i was so bored and as the Drs tried to manage my Endo, I decided to enrol myself in collage and am now at Uni doin a part-time course. Unfortunately after stopping the Zolodex injection, the Endo took three months to come back and now I'm in and out of hospital once a month on the dot; whilst I'm kept hanging waiting for my 7th laproscopy to remove an endometrium and whatever else they cant see on the scan. So now iv got to stock up on the peppermint oil in preparation for the laproscopy .
Ive been thinking and hearing some really bad stories about work...they do not have any disability or sick pay for those too ill to work. They don't even know about it with ESA and will only pay you sick pay when recovering from an op. Maybe its about time we talked to our government about recognizing this illness as one that can stop people working and we get some help if that's the case. M.E which has only a small amount of endo symptoms is recognized as a disability with full disability pay so why not ours? I
i agree with you entirely on this. I have had endo since puberty having a cyst rupture and it being mistaken for appendix age 13. since then as an adult i have left 4 jobs and been sacked from another 3 all for time off ill due to endo , including receiving my p45 on the day of my 2nd lap. i am applying for d.l.a and i will be starting a petition and lobbying for getting this illness recognised not as a disability but as a chronic condition (it is medically categorised as chronic anyway) that can be debilitating for many of its sufferers and that the legal/financial protection afforded by d.l.a would enable many women to be able to work. i cannot hold down a job for more than a few months before either being sacked or cajoled into quiting for being ill and needing indefinite amounts of time off.If we were protected by the disability laws that protect others then working and holding down employment would be a far more attainable possibility for many of us. schools and colleges and universities could not kick out a young woman and ruin her education for being disabled but as the law stand now they can if you have endo because we are not protected by the law. I am a 29 year old mother of one , i failed school because i was kicked out for lack of attendance even though i was a straight A student , i lost my degree one year from completion because i had to take time out for endo operations and lost my funding, ive lost nearly every job ive ever had. I dont want to lose any more of my life to this decease , simply because the government does not recognise it. PLEASE HELP ME MAKE A STAND AND FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHT TO SUPPORT !
I had to use all my holiday in my last job for operations/treatment/appointments etc linked to endo and because they were flexible and my job was somewhat too, I was able to use my holidays for any time I was ill with endo. Hence, I haven't had any actual 'holiday time' for rest or fun since 20010! I have been in my new job for a month and have had to go into work when I shouldn't be there because of pains and meds. but U have no choice, I cannot afford to be on sick. I was told in my induction that if you have 3 separate periods of illness (doesn't matter what it is) they can sack you, so I am loathe to have any sick unless I really really have no choice. I think the amount of pain we have to endure on an almost daily basis and just 'carry on' in agony without any help is shameful. I get quite annoyed when colleagues whinge about a bad cold or a bit if an upset tummy - try excruciating bowel movements where the shooting pains up your backside and sicky feeling in lower tummy makes you faint off the loo, waking up covered in sweat and body shaking, and then tell me you ain't well enough to come into work. Sorry for rant it just makes me so angry that we have to put up with this horrendous disease and don't get any help financially but other illnesses are classed as a disability. And breathe...... xxx
I work full time for the government. Ive just had a month off to receover from my Laperosopy. ive had the odd few days for me periods too.
Im so fed up of being in cinstand pain and totally agree with all the previous posts.
Not only is it painful, but also discusting (bowel probs) but also depressing and totally controls my life. Ive got three weddings and hen parties coming up but not even sure if i can go on them due to the timing of my periods etc.
We need this to be recognised as a disability desperatly. Your right, ME has nothing on Endo. Im so shattered all the time. I have to sleep for two hours after work every day xxx
I work fulltime but have altered my working habits. I can work from home if I am too tired to get up early for work. I am currently on Zoladex so having some temporary relief (although still so tired). I would stay at my desk at work until I was so off my face on painkillers (Tramadol), I would be helped home to rest and recover. When I describe to people it is like going into labour for a few days every month they gasp and are shocked - but this is only one part of it. The tiredness, the nausea, not being able to walk, the pains in legs, back, and pelvic area for the rest of the month. The friends and social outings I miss out on (and my husband). The tears. I could go on.
I am lucky - my work support me anyway they can, as does my husband. But why should they suffer for this awful disease they don't even have.
I hope and pray I can have a hysterectomy with ovary removal and diathermy. I didn't bring this disease on myself - I deserve some quality of life. I hope people who are having operations for things they have bought on themselves or because they don't feel confident read these messages and think about the bigger situation and the money they are using that I feel should be put to more good use - for people with diseases they cannot help.
i have lost count of the number of sick days i have had off work. the times i push myself to go, i am doped up on that many painkillers i cant concentrate anyway. i have asked for a hysterectomy numerous times but am told i,am too young and may want more children. i dont want more children i just want to be able to enjoy the time with him now pain free.
I lost my job eventually - they were very supportive though. I started taking alot of time off as i was in so much pain during periods and lower back pain. The pain is so unpredictable and its always a mystery as to when you will have your good and bad days. I went on to sick pay but eventually that went. They kept trying to get me back and it was so frustrating not to be able to say when i will be able to return as I honestly have no idea when this pain will end. I have had 3 ops and been on a pain management course. I take tramadol, pregablin and citalopram but its not doing the trick. I guess its just frustrating as there is no answer to the condition as it is different for everyone and I dont think it is sympathised with enough by people. Best of luck to all those who are carrying on in their job and keep positive xx
I work fulltime - and I work in a clerical capacity in the NHS. Considering this they are not helpful or supportive. I'm on a final stage of sickness which means that if I have another period of sick I can loose my job. The HR dept. and my line manger are aware of my condition as I have had time off for appointments and am awaiting an operation but the support shown is minimum and lack of understanding is frightening. I'm just glad I have the support of my GP and of my Union.
I work full time, and luckily they are very understanding when I have to take time off when I am in absolute agony. It's depressing though, as I'm fit and look after myself and hate the fact that I don't know when it's going to hit. However, have a laparoscopy next month and hopefully this will verify what/how bad it all is.
I have been signed off work for a month after 16 years of managing to work very frustrated as feel this could have been avoided withe more expedient treatment waiting for the definative surgery asked for this last september .
I have good days and bad, but while being diagnosed my work have been so supported due to the lenght of time i've been with them . I'm not sure that would have been the same case anywhere else.
I'm constant mental battle of getting through the day and trying to own my life rather than have it owned by endomeriosis!
x
I done this and burst my stitches lol. And, didn't bother to go back to get sewn up - and that was an op after having cancer cut out of my cervix! My friends call me manky foof woman! If its gynae related - its in me! Keep chipperxx
I have not been able to work due to endo for about 18years
im on the sick and have been for 20 weeks now but will probably lose my job
i left work a year ago due to other personal reasons, but when i was working and it was that time of the month i was in so much pain i could hardly get out of bed to have a shower let alone work a full day, it got to the point where i was having 2days off a month because of this and my manager at the time obviously found this very annoying and was constantly informing me of how bad my attendance was and i was also told that if it was to carry on i would be put on a disaplinary!!! i found this so unsupportive as i had given them all the proof from doctors hospitals etc that i had this condition, in the end i was just relieved to hand my notice in and not have to worry anymore about if i was going to make it into work
I have ensured I now have a working life where to a great extent I am in charge of my hours, within a daily framework. I have one day off, from my main job,during the middle of the week and a day and a half off at the weekend. This means I have time to manage my health, and my art career. My employer is incredibly supportive, and I always keep the family I work for well informed (I am a housekeeper and an artist). Communication is key!
Akin to a lot of you women here, I have had time off due to endometriosis. The added complexity for me is that my endo is on the lung and so collapses of my right lung were frequent until I had specialised lung surgery.
My endo on the lung (Catamenial Pneumothorax) was diagnosed when I was a mature student at uni, four years ago. I think compared to many of you here, I have been incredibly lucky as the lecturers at University of Derby were incredibly supportive and ensured I completed my degree on time. Much to my amazement, I hasten to add! My part time employers of the time were also incredibly supportive.
I agree totally with you all here. Endometriosis is debilitating. Not just physically, but also mentally. This needs recognition especially as roughly 3/10 (or higher?) of 50% of our population may experience endometriosis at some point of their lives!
My story, probably like most of us endo ladies, is a bit complicated, but I think I can currently say I'm doing OK now.
I went through school as one of those annoying people who hardly got ill, and literally didn't have a day off sick for 5 years. In Sixth Form, I think my endo was just beginning, and I felt constantly drained, but still hardly had any time off really, despite my teachers constantly asking if I was OK because I looked so pale and ill.
But I made it to Uni, but I was one of those annoying people who was constantly going to see my tutors, and it was a different thing every time: fatigue, stomach bug, back pain etc, so it must have been so difficult for my tutors to believe me, but thankfully they did (probably because I always looked tired and drawn, but wasn't anaemic). I got extensions for my work, so eventually handed everything in, and somehow got a fairly good result. So I stayed on and did a Masters, a 1 year course and the world would be my oyster...
Except, my health took an even worse turn and the doctors just couldn't work out what was wrong with me. So they just kept telling me I was depressed. I started to believe it. Actually, I did have, it's called reactive depression. So I took on loads more responsibilities outside my course and became College President to take my mind off my 'depression'... hmmmm that went a bit wrong, and I quite badly neglected my Masters, just about doing enough work of a high standard to be able to convince my department that they should allow me more time to finish. In the end, I had to take time away from my course, in which time I was thankfully (finally) diagnosed with endo. 4 years and 2 months after I started my 1 year course, I finally finished it.
But now I'm struggling to get a graduate-level job... the market has changed since 2008 when I would have originally graduated. I do have a job that I took on during my time off from Uni, and I began full-time, really struggled and had lots of days off sick, then discussed my diagnosis when it happened with my manager and went part-time (which helped me finish my Masters, didn't help my finances!).
I've now found treatment that helps me, feeling (touch wood) the best I have done in ages, and I'm back to working full-time, but I have a limited life outside work. I occasionally come home and sleep, rarely socialise, and about 3 out of 4 Saturdays I tend to have a duvet day. I have (touch wood again) not had a day off ill since April (when I had 'flu), so I'm very proud of myself, especially because I was bedridden in December and on long-term sick before my Cerazette kicked in and started working for me. There is always some hope, so please don't give up ladies.
i got sacked from my job 4 getting rushed in hospital. but i am now working in a better job and i dont jst hav endo i have epilepsy to xx
I'm studying because I'm too scared to get a proper job in case I get sacked due to having days off when I'm in pain.
many employers are unaware of what endometriosis is. and therefore are sceptical of frequent sicktime. i altered my job, fortunately, i was able and worked for an agency, so that if i went off sick the only person i was letting down was me.
I work part time due to endo and even as such my absent rate is too bad cos when the pains start I have 2 be off work for days and my employer keep threatening by suggesting that I take a career break or I get the boot but am not bothered about their threat just worried about what I will do with my life when I can't work cos I use the work to keep myself sane from this my curse(sorry if I upset any1)
I have stage iv endo and have been diagnosed since 2005.
Pray that the government look into the plight of endo suffers so that my irritating employer can stop frustrating efforts of people like myself
I am lucky as my boss is very supportive.
I work full time and each month I end up either taking time of sick, using my annual leave or working from home a few days at a time if I suffer over a weekend or upto a week otherwise.
Anyone that suffers from Endo is covered by the Equality at work act which I found out about after being asked to be referred to my works Occupational Health dept just to see what advice they could offer. None as it turned.
Sue
x
In the future for this survey you should include other options for those that are not able to work with endo. With the only option being you lost your job because of it (quite an extreme case). Personally I chose to leave my job to take a sabbatical to try to deal with endo and get treatment as I couldn't carry on in my job with the pain I had. I imagine there are loads of people who have done similar things or who chose to change their job/ company/ type of work they do to make the symptoms of endo more manageable.
Just a thought for next time! xx
I got let go because of endo
I work part time in a nursery and Im a mother of 3 ,Ive only been back in the work place a year, but I have already had 6 days off due to endo, its not so much the pain , because I think after nearly 20 odd years Ive become used to it, its the fatigue that gets me and Im also starting to suffer with joint pain lately which really gets me down....Im always ready for bed around 9pm and then I could easliy sleep all day ....I just hope that I can carry on with working because i love it so much ....and It gives me a bit of independence ..but I agree this illness should be regognised as some sort of disabilty as it is very dibilitating !!
I worked at a supermarket for 7 years when my endo was bad I had to take time off unfortunately I lost my job because of that a year ago.
I answered this poll as yes I manage to work full time - but then only moths later got sacked due to my endemetriosis. As the main wage earner you can imagine this has been stressful. Ironically I had my laprascopy in June and she told me if I had any chance of conceiving I should do it as soon as possible. I feel devastated as have now lost my job and I am in no position to try to get pregnant - at 34 it really could mean I now will never have a child. This disease sucks.
I still work full time and I'm also working through an MSc at uni part time but it is a massive struggle some days. I have had attendance review meetings at work because there are days when I can't move from the pain so I have to phone in sick. This upsets me as I hate letting people down, but some days I just can't function. I have in the past been signed off by the doctor for a few months at a time but I just got even more depressed being stuck at home! I force myself into work when I am feeling bad and should probably have stayed at home just to avoid the reviews. It's difficult at times but I will continue to push myself.
I tried to go to college to complete A Levels in September 2012 but just a month into it I had to leave due to the extra stress. I couldn't even get out of bed. I have mental health problems too and endo just adds to those problems greatly. Luckily my doctor has recognised it as a major problem for me and I do get help towards care but I REALLY want to go and study for my A Levels. I can't believe there isn't more help out there for people who are ill and wish to further themselves.
I work full time and also doing a degree in my spare time (sleeping is overrated). I tried doing 'normal' uni after college, but having to sit still in class when you're having contractions is horrible! At work, I can get up and do filing or get tea or go to the bathroom or find any other excuse to stand up and move if it is hurting too much, but a day of back-to-back classes/tutorials was impossible. Plus, I bleed a lot and suddenly, so need to be able to just walk out and clean up or take medication if it's bad (I hate taking meds in front of people as I don't want to have to explain why). So studying in my own time without fixed lessons has been much easier. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is struggling with attending a normal uni. I study through the Open University and they have been amazing.
I try very very hard not to take time off work for any reason, although I have had a couple of days in the last year. I always feel really guilty if other people have to cover for me. But other people have been off with flu or other things, so it wasn't out of the ordinary. I've only once had pain so bad I had to leave early, but fortunately my boss didn't ask questions (I imagine he would need therapy if I had to honestly explain things! haha).
I do worry that I will faint or bleed on the chair or something. I've come very close to fainting a couple of times, but I don't think anyone noticed (or at least they didn't say anything). There are separate toilets right off the main office, so a few times I've just gone and sat on the floor until my head cleared again. I generally just take each day as it comes and hope that nothing serious happens. I made the mistake of telling my manager in a previous job a few years back, and she wasn't that understanding and assumed I was trying to get time off or less work (which isn't the case at all - keeping busy really helps distract you from pain). I mainly worry about bleeding on the chair, as that happened once when I was younger and was really embarrassing! Although the older I get, the more I think 'sod it, if it happens then it happens'! I did end up telling one of the guys I work with, as a couple of times I had a bad reaction to the medication I was on (fortunately not taking this any more) and couldn't stop being sick. I don't think he had heard of endometriosis and I didn't want to explain the fun details, but I think he realises I 'have some female medical thing' and doesn't ask questions if I randomly disappear or zone out mid-conversation!
I don't really know what the answer is. I have to work as I need money, so just deal with it and hope for the best. I'm very ambitious and want to do well, and I know some people will judge others on any perceived weakness. I don't think telling my managers would help much anyway, as most people have never heard of endometriosis and you can't really understand how much and in what way it affects someone unless you experience it for yourself (or know someone who has it really well). It's like any ongoing illness in that respect. I'm aware of diabetes and what it means medically, but have no idea what a diabetic person goes through every day or how it really feels. I can be sympathetic, but I can't really understand in full. My managers can't really do anything to make it stop, so there's no point telling them.
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I have lost jobs before due to endometriosis. For 6 months I couldn't even get out of bed and no one knew what was wrong with me until I did my own research and opted for a laparoscopy. The job I work at now knows my situation, but occasionally get irritated when I have to leave work an hour or two ahead of time. Drug testing is always awkward because I have a vicoden perscription and I tend to fail all my drug tests then I have to reinform my company it's because I have to use narcotics to treat my condition.
Normally work full time- but have been off sick on and off for about 6 months now, been signed off completely since new year but hoping to go back in a couple weeks as had lap last week hope this lap has worked!!
I am so happy for you that you got signed off, how did you do it? I had lap last year in November and now the symptoms and unberabe pain is back. I really don't know how to cope anymore. I don't want to loose my job so if you get singed off does that mean you would have your job until you are back?
I've had a lap but still get pain each month so months more bearable then others but I'm one step away from loosing my full time job. They don't support me and I work for the healthcare trust. How can employers get away with this?
It's awful so many of you suffering as much as you do in your employment. I too did and could never seen myself going back it now, not since finding and starting up my business. I work from home, around my other commitments and teach other people to do the same. It's a blessing as I'm my own boss and take days off at a time if I need too cos of the pain. I wish you could all do the same but I know it's not always that easy. Sending much love.
I'm on a gap year but my A level years of studying at school were seriously effected by 4 surgeries and trips up and down the country to see specialists. I sat one exam when I should still have been bed bound from surgery. But the exam boards aren't interested, there is no help available at all!
I work as bank staff at a care home meaning I choose me hours as and when I want to work. Previous to this job I was working in a hospital and because I the endo pain I ended up loosing my job for having to much time off sick
I work full time however I realize my situation is fortunate - I work as a project manager in the field of IT - desk job and thanks to the advances in technology I am permitted to work from home and sometimes at adjusted hours (to cover for time zones) This is a significant relief and means that even on a bad day I am able to remain productive - cutting out the need of having to commute, getting ready and the comfort of home (hot water packs, laying down for 15mins rest) are "perks" others don't enjoy. I have recently obtained 2 vocational and 1 postgraduate degree using online - distance study - again something that I would not have been able to do 10years ago, however with the advance of online universities it is absolutely manageable. Endo should be recognized as a disability so that workplaces can make allowances - this is good both for employee and the economy - less nr of sick days, more productivity etc. Distance working can do this - why stuck in the 1980s of everyone having to show up in the office at 9am..a little bit of flexibility goes a long way here.
Work for NHS which as flexible as they can be I continually have to hide pain or suffer through it just so I can save sickness absence for surgeries when really need it. Total respect to anyone with endo who can work, study or keep mind on anything!
I am self-employed and have had to take months at a time off. Financially, not good. I am currently working when I can, trying not to go too full on in case it brings back severe fatigue. If I worked for someone else, I think I would probably have lost my job by now.
I am a student but due to my endo and other health problems combined i cannot work and have to study online at home...it can be so awful
