September 2004 Archives

Two incidents at work:

1. I am on a training course. The course leaders tells us that to reach the toilets you have to walk halfway around the building and through a security door. To go through the security door you need a photo pass. If we need the toilet we are to go to the front of the class and ask him for the pass. Only one pass is available.

2. I receive an e-mail, which has been sent to everyone in the building. The e-mail says that the water supply will be turned off for two hours this morning so that a new water pipe can be fitted. Drinking water and toilets will be unavailable. The e-mail is sent at 10.30am, and the water is turned off at 11.00am.

All adults can control their bowels. And the ones that can't? Well, they go up to the front of the class, say to the course trainer "I would like the pass for the toilets please, and I may need it for half an hour or so to allow this pesky explosive diarrhea attack to pass", walk halfway round the building, and get relief. Or they just keep quiet.

Guess which one I did.

Would you mind if I asked you a personal question - how many sick days did you take last year? Actually, thinking about it, that's not a good question - I presume that because you're reading this you have at least a passing acquaintance with IBS, so your answer might be a little skewed. Let's ask a normal person instead. Look, here's one now. How handy.

"So, Arthur, thank you for walking past just when we needed you."

"My pleasure. Bit chilly out."

"How many sick days did you take last year?"

"Well, I had two days off for a bad case of flu."

"Is that it?"

"Yes."

"And would you normally go to work if you felt sick?"

(Arthur looks puzzled). "No, I would take a sick day if I felt sick. I believe that is where the name 'sick day' derives from."

"Thank you Arthur."

"No, thank you."

There goes Arthur, with a grand total of two days of sick last year. Now let's ask an IBS sufferer how many days they had off sick. Let's use me, just because I happen to be so handily accessible. Well, I had no sick days last year. None. Diddly squat with invisible sugar on top.

Wow, I hear you cry. That's even less than Arthur! How did you manage that?

Because I go to work when I'm sick. I go to work when I'm nauseous, or constipated, or bloated, or in pain. My sick days can't be used because if I use one up then what about the next time, when it's worse than today, when I can hardly breathe from the suffering and I've used up all my sick days?

I go to work every day. My sick days are today and tomorrow and the day after that.

It's alright Arthur, don't look so sad. You've gotta keep hoping it'll get better.

IBS Tales is a blog about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which I have suffered from for around 14 years.

My name is Sophie Lee and I live in England, and basically this blog is my general wonderings about IBS and the difficulties of living with this stupid condition.

I welcome comment from visitors - just click on the 'comment' button below a blog entry and write away!