Did you know that 4,090 people in the UK are too sick to work because of IBS? That's the number of people who claimed incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance in February 2007 and who cited IBS as the main reason for their claim. (For my further-flung readers, incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance are 'social security' allowances, ie: government money for people too ill to earn a living).
Let's put that 4,090 figure (the most recent figure that has been released) in context. There are perhaps 40 million people of working age in the UK. Now, IBS comes in degrees, and you'd have to have severe IBS to stop you working completely.
So, let's say 0.5% of the 40 million people have severe or very severe IBS, and that gives us 200,000 people, rather more than the four thousand odd who currently claim benefits. Even if we go down to 0.1% of the population, that's 40,000 people, which is still 10 times the 4,090 figure.
To arrive at a figure of 4,090 you have to go down to 0.0001% of the working population. That's quite a small number. And this is out of a total of 2,704,100 people on sickness benefits, which is a startling number in itself.
And things get even more startling if we compare the figures for IBS to those for other disorders - an astounding 506,800 people claim for depression, 50,000 for alcoholism, and 54,320 for epilepsy. I would have thought there would be at least as many IBS sufferers unable to work as there were epileptics unable to work, wouldn't you? Is depression really 123 times as common as severe IBS? IBS is after all often cited as the second most common cause of absenteeism, so lots of us clearly struggle to earn a living. So where's all our money?!
But before we get all worked up about the injustice of it all, there are a few things to bear in mind. First, the stats are "are based on [government] staff's interpretation of what can sometimes be quite vague information about the disabling condition on medical certificates". In other words, the stats are compiled by a spotty 20 year-old who is paid minimum wage to do a crushingly boring data entry task, may occasionally nod off while he's doing it, and has to interpret all kinds of vague medical scribblings and then shove them into just one category.
So that means that all of the figures and categories should be taken with a pinch of salt. Plus, of course, plenty of people will come under more than one category - there might well be a lot us IBS types hidden in the 'depression' category, or the 'anxiety disorders' category, because for whatever reason the depression or anxiety is considered the 'main disabling condition', rather than the IBS.
Secondly, I don't actually believe that 2,704,100 people in the UK are too sick to work. Some people are on benefits fraudulently, and perhaps many more are genuinely sick but not really sick enough to claim benefits - you can find whole towns where huge numbers of people are on incapacity benefit, and it's linked to unemployment and poverty and general grim reality rather than a ridiculously unhealthy local population.
So 4,090 people with IBS so severe that it prevents them from working, who have no other primary disorder such as depression, might actually be about right.
Perhaps the most useful thing we can learn from these statistics is that it is possible to get sickness benefits for IBS alone. One of the most common misunderstandings about the benefit system is that there is a magic list somewhere of all the disorders that qualify for payments, and if your illness is on the list then you're sorted.
That's just not true. It's more about assessing each individual case and exactly how your illness affects your life and your ability to work, and IBS, with its pain and its discomfort and its marathon bathroom sessions, is just as valid a disorder as anything else.
So if you are suffering from IBS, and you find yourself unable to work, for goodness' sake apply for benefits. As any IBS sufferer will know, you sure deserve them.
(Just out of interest, when these stats were first released some of the newspapers had a very exciting time ripping the government to shreds, first because of the sheer number of people on benefits, which is fair enough, but also because some of the medical conditions cited in the statistics were seen as ridiculous reasons to claim sick pay.
I read articles that were sneeringly dismissive about all kinds of conditions, including migraines, sleep disorders, and depression. Because, as you know, migraines are a bit of a headache, sleep disorders make you yawn a lot, and depression robs you of the ability to sing along to Harry Connick Jnr in the shower. Luckily, I didn't see anyone insult the IBS sufferers, but I hate that idiotic brand of self-satisfied, judgemental bleating that comes out of people who are lucky enough to have no real idea of what they're talking about.
On the other hand, I have to admit that even I, who will always be on the side of the sick person, was a little baffled by some of the categories - 40 people claim for 'nail disorders', and 50 for 'acne'? I suspect a spotty 20 year-old with a sleep disorder has got his categories in a bit of a muddle...)
Let's put that 4,090 figure (the most recent figure that has been released) in context. There are perhaps 40 million people of working age in the UK. Now, IBS comes in degrees, and you'd have to have severe IBS to stop you working completely.
So, let's say 0.5% of the 40 million people have severe or very severe IBS, and that gives us 200,000 people, rather more than the four thousand odd who currently claim benefits. Even if we go down to 0.1% of the population, that's 40,000 people, which is still 10 times the 4,090 figure.
To arrive at a figure of 4,090 you have to go down to 0.0001% of the working population. That's quite a small number. And this is out of a total of 2,704,100 people on sickness benefits, which is a startling number in itself.
And things get even more startling if we compare the figures for IBS to those for other disorders - an astounding 506,800 people claim for depression, 50,000 for alcoholism, and 54,320 for epilepsy. I would have thought there would be at least as many IBS sufferers unable to work as there were epileptics unable to work, wouldn't you? Is depression really 123 times as common as severe IBS? IBS is after all often cited as the second most common cause of absenteeism, so lots of us clearly struggle to earn a living. So where's all our money?!
But before we get all worked up about the injustice of it all, there are a few things to bear in mind. First, the stats are "are based on [government] staff's interpretation of what can sometimes be quite vague information about the disabling condition on medical certificates". In other words, the stats are compiled by a spotty 20 year-old who is paid minimum wage to do a crushingly boring data entry task, may occasionally nod off while he's doing it, and has to interpret all kinds of vague medical scribblings and then shove them into just one category.
So that means that all of the figures and categories should be taken with a pinch of salt. Plus, of course, plenty of people will come under more than one category - there might well be a lot us IBS types hidden in the 'depression' category, or the 'anxiety disorders' category, because for whatever reason the depression or anxiety is considered the 'main disabling condition', rather than the IBS.
Secondly, I don't actually believe that 2,704,100 people in the UK are too sick to work. Some people are on benefits fraudulently, and perhaps many more are genuinely sick but not really sick enough to claim benefits - you can find whole towns where huge numbers of people are on incapacity benefit, and it's linked to unemployment and poverty and general grim reality rather than a ridiculously unhealthy local population.
So 4,090 people with IBS so severe that it prevents them from working, who have no other primary disorder such as depression, might actually be about right.
Perhaps the most useful thing we can learn from these statistics is that it is possible to get sickness benefits for IBS alone. One of the most common misunderstandings about the benefit system is that there is a magic list somewhere of all the disorders that qualify for payments, and if your illness is on the list then you're sorted.
That's just not true. It's more about assessing each individual case and exactly how your illness affects your life and your ability to work, and IBS, with its pain and its discomfort and its marathon bathroom sessions, is just as valid a disorder as anything else.
So if you are suffering from IBS, and you find yourself unable to work, for goodness' sake apply for benefits. As any IBS sufferer will know, you sure deserve them.
(Just out of interest, when these stats were first released some of the newspapers had a very exciting time ripping the government to shreds, first because of the sheer number of people on benefits, which is fair enough, but also because some of the medical conditions cited in the statistics were seen as ridiculous reasons to claim sick pay.
I read articles that were sneeringly dismissive about all kinds of conditions, including migraines, sleep disorders, and depression. Because, as you know, migraines are a bit of a headache, sleep disorders make you yawn a lot, and depression robs you of the ability to sing along to Harry Connick Jnr in the shower. Luckily, I didn't see anyone insult the IBS sufferers, but I hate that idiotic brand of self-satisfied, judgemental bleating that comes out of people who are lucky enough to have no real idea of what they're talking about.
On the other hand, I have to admit that even I, who will always be on the side of the sick person, was a little baffled by some of the categories - 40 people claim for 'nail disorders', and 50 for 'acne'? I suspect a spotty 20 year-old with a sleep disorder has got his categories in a bit of a muddle...)
hi i am 48 years old had ibs since i was 26/ had ibs for 22 years now never heard of this drug for ibs can you only get it in the usa .can someone let me know if i can get this drug here. my name is martin.2 years ago i stopped earting lost 2 stone. all the meds on am on dont seem to help take meds 365 days a year i am to ill to work. this illness makes one feel very down most of the time.most folks dont know how ill we are.sometimes i just take sleeping pills to stop the pain. my new gp knows i am hook on drugs i only got like it because of this illness.i cant go far from home i could mess myself at any time over the years it just got worse.i feel for all the others like me who have to live with this all the time. ps its not in our head. martin.
Hi Martin - sorry to hear you're a fellow sufferer, it's not easy at all is it, and no it's definitely not all in our heads!
I'm not sure which drug you were interested in, but I'm afraid if it is Lotronex or Zelnorm then they are only available in the USA (and Zelnorm has been recalled even in the US now). Sorry about that.
Hi Martin. Sounds like your really having a bad time. I was on a course of antibiotics back in Oct 2006. Since then I have fallen into the dark world that is IBS. I have been to the docs and hospital more times than I can count. Changes in diet herbal remedies and nothing helps. Exercise when I can face it helps a little. It is definately not in our heads. I am a short term sufferer compared to yourself and am desperate to feel like I used to. Back to the main topic I find my work very difficult and my performance has greatly suffered. Do you think an employer could legally fire you due to poor performance caused by this condition.
hi dave yes they can fire you. you should be on dla and ipb. the sick money go to your gp and they should sign you off sick long time. dave the sad thing is most poeple who dont have ibs dont know how ill we fill from want you said you are to ill to work i might be wrong maybe they cack fire you go to the cab they will know please get back and let me know all the best dave martin. dave i tried all the things you tried its a waste of time. most gps dont know why we have ibs. the whole thing drives us crazy.
i must say sophie is right if you have ibs and too ill tio work apply for benefits like i did been sign off for 2 years. my last gp did not help me get any benefits so i got rid of him since then my money gone up.a lot. i am sad a lot of men and woman gps seem to think were a wasted of time not happy with your gp charge them. or go to the cab, sophie your a star martin.
I'm so glad (and relieved) to hear that there are people out there with IBS who've been able to claim incapacity benefit. For some reason it really surprises me, though of course it makes perfect sense. It's reassuring to know that the state does take care of people whose IBS makes it impossible for them to work.
I recently had about 2 months off work due to depression (caused by IBS) and my employers were really lovely and supportive. I do work in the public sector though, where employees are generally treated better than they are in the private sector. I don't know much about these things, but I imagine that it's illegal for an employer to fire somebody due to ill health. I really hope I'm not wrong about this.
I too developed IBS relatively recently (about 4 years ago) and am also desperate to feel like I used to. GPs have been no help at all. I have tried so many different treatments, and the only thing that helps (but only to a small extent) is being careful to avoid certain foods. There's still lots I haven't tried though, and I promise that I will share my story (on this website), if I have the good fortune to find a treatment that does help.
Hi, there are two books from amazon.com that should check into:
No More Heartburn, (Sherry A. Rogers)
Why Stomach Acid is good for you (Janathan V. wright)
It cured a lot of people, I my self feel good right now.
Hi Sophie,
I just wanted to drop you a quick message to say thank you for running such an informative website for people suffering with IBS! I suffer from Moderate IBS-D but i've tried not to let it get in the way of my life too much. I've been to festivals, done a lot of air travel (many close calls) and lots of other activities that leave you wondering if 'today's going to be the day'.
The reason I came across your site is that I've taken the plunge and decided to go travelling. As i'm sure you're aware this is a big step for someone with IBS and it is only just dawning on me how much of a problem this could actually be... long coach trips, shared dorms, boat trips and foreign food aren't a good combination!
Having just recovered from my latest episode, I thought it was probably a good idea to look into some preventative measures before I head off. The information on your website is invaluable and with the reviews is an excellent resource.
Having spent a couple of hours browsing I am heading down to boots tomorrow to stock up on Calcium/Vit D tablets to see if they do the trick. If not, well then I'll move on to the next supplement and so on...
Thanks again for excellent site, I'll be sure post reviews of anything that I try.
C
Hey, thanks Chris, I appreciate it! I'm very glad you like the site. Good luck with the travelling - the calcium helps a lot of people with the big D, so hopefully it well help you too.
Hey Sophie,
I am 24 years old and live in South Africa (born and bred in the uk and immigrated to sunny SA at the age of 6). I have a bachelor's degree in law, have completed articles and am due to be officially admitted as an attorney in August this year.
When I was 16 years old I was admitted to hospital to have my appendix removed and was in and out of hospital for a further painfull two months thereafter due to "abdominal pain". After a series of invasive tests I was advised that I had a cyst on one overy, however, the cyst had burst and therefore did not explain the persistent abdominal pain.
More tests, and a biopsy of the bladder, later...... the doctors decided that I had a kink in one of my urethras and had somehow contracted bilharzia, "eureka! this must be the cause of all your pain and discomfort!" said the urologist. I was then given a hefty dose of medication, whilst still in hospital, which was sure to absolve me of the dreaded bilharzia and hence the pain too.
NOT.... a very exhasperated doctor then decided to send me for an abdominal x-ray and discovered that I was constipated just about up to my eye balls. (what do you expect when a person has received endless amounts of morphine and endured three successive doses of ansthetic). So after drinking almost two liters of a putrid tasting concoction which I could scarcely keep down the long awaited clear-out occured.
But why still no releif? "she must have a spastic colon" said the doctor. "there's not a lot we can do for that." And with that, I was discharged from hospital, no longer a patient worthy of a sick bed.
At that time the spastic colon, as it was so affectionately termed, was associated with people who's tummies went dodgy on them in times of stress. I was placed into this category and, as you explain so well in your ebook, probably still am.
I continued with my IBS through warsity and had various bouts of it where i really would be flat on my back, or in the foetal position, in pain. I am one of the constipation predominant IBS sufferers.
I became hooked on a certain appitite suppressant as I found it kept me awake and I could study the entire night through. With this comes almost no eating and therefore no bowel movements. I would go for a week without going to the toilet.
The 'spastic colon' I had been diagnosed with had been fairly mild compared to what I suffer with now.
I put a stop to the appetite suppressants shortly after I started working. I have been working in a law firm for two years and seven months now. In the first two years I rarely took sick leave, the odd days here and there perhaps for normal illnesses like flu or bronchitis.
Towards the end of the second year in my job I started developing severe bladder infections for which I was placed on antibiotics almost every time. With each of these infections came excruciating abdominal pain.
Eventually, at the begining of this year my GP referred me to a speciallist to sort things out in this department. But before the date for this appointment arrived I found myself in casualty with unbearable abdominal pain. I was admitted to hospital.
After x-rays and cat scans the doctor told me that I have IBS, that various nerves surrounding my bowel were 'abnormal', that I will have to live with this for a life time, and that I should never let myself get into this state again. ?????????
And so, I was promptly discharged from hospital, not yet having seen my urologist even, and with so many unanswered questions, having believed that I was in pain for a problem with my bladder not my bowel.
I have been in pain ever since, although the problem with the water-works has been successfully sorted.
Two months later and I'm on my way to a gastroenterologist. I am on probiotics twice a day, other tablets for bloating three times a day and have been prescribed colofac which, I have to agree with you, does absolutely nothing for me. Oh yes, and one more thing called movicol, a non-addictive gentle way to deal with constipation. It is definately what it says on the box.... gentle, to the extent that it only has an effect two to three days later.
I have taken so much sick leave this year, and am currently on sick leave (and in much pain) as I write this. I'm not in a very happy working environment at all at the moment and can't cope with IBS as well as dreading to go to work at the same time. I have been booked off for the whole week.
I have no sympathy from my employer. In fact he made a mockery of my condition in front of a client who had informed us that his girlfriend could no longer drink alcohol due to her condition. My bosses reply was "oh does she have this IBS thing that's going around too?".
I wouldn't be surprised if I'm out of a job by the time I return. I'm sure the perception is that I'm playing hookey or being a 'malingerer' to coin your own phrase.
This week has been very painful and very bloaty. I've been bloated for about two weeks now. Very unattractive and very uncomfortable.
So all of the above along with not knowing the what? when? where? how? and why? of the inner workings of your own bowel makes for one very miserable individual.
I have recently excluded all wheat and dairy, on doctor's orders, from my diet, which I am finding difficult to follow but am adhering strictly to this regime.
I am also seeking alternative employment in the hopes of finding a better environment in which to pursue my career. So hopefully brighter skies ahead in that department.
Much is unanswered for me at the moment but that is my IBS tale thus far. I was inspired to write on this blog after reading your ebook. I find it very informative, comforting (especially to know that I'm not the only one who has take a long time off work for a "simple tummy ache") and think your input is great. Especially the parts on accusations that we have caused our conditions with our minds.
Many thanks and best wishes with the IBS!
Jayne
finally i have found people that no what im going through im 18 and found out i had IBS last year after a few years of not knowing what was wrong, my doctor was rubbish and didnt have a clue,so i changed GP and thats when i was diagnosed with IBS! it now a year on and im suffering mentally and physically no body understand how much misery its putting me through. ive tried all different medications they help a little but not much. I lost my last job over it and am struggling to hang on to this one which is only 2 hours a day, i have got to the point were i dont no what to do anymore i have no money no social life and all i ever get off people i thought would be there for me is im making it seem worse than it is. I need support and help this is a horrible ordeal to be going through im at breaking point do u think i would be entitled to claim incapacity benifits because every one keeps telling me i cant because its not serous enough??? please help
Hi Faye - I'm sorry to hear you're a fellow sufferer, IBS can be very tough to deal with whatever other ignorant people might think or assume.
I would advise getting in touch with your nearest Citizen's Advise Bureau, they offer free advice on all benefits and can help you with an incapacity benefit claim. There are people who claim benefits for IBS so it is possible, and if you are finding it very difficult to work then you deserve some help.
You could also contact the Gut Trust for some advice from their helpline.
I really hope things improve for you soon.
thank you sophie you have been very helpful! its nice to no there are people that understand you have made me feel a lot better in my self and im going to try out the information you have given me!
Thanks again
I just want to say that the whole benefits issue and getting a good G.P. is a nightmare!! I have CHRONIC I.B.S. which affects me so badly that I lose control of my bowels frequently - I have also had 3 colonoscopy's and am under a Gastroenterologist.
I am now in a position when I have developed SEVERE neuropathic pain in my left leg - the doctor I am seeing now is baffled but I KNOW the reason - and please don't laugh!! It is because of the large amount of time I spend sitting on the toilet! My lower back became very sore last year and I developed numbness in my leg - this has now progressed to pain in my left leg permanently. I am sure this is due to a trapped nerve due to sitting on a hard toilet seat for so long every single day - but I just don't know what to say to my G.P. - sometimes, he just looks at you as if you are completely mad!! I am now on Codeine, Tramadol and Gabapentin for the pain, and it does not work at all so this is just adding to the misery of having the severe I.B.S. I am going to the chronic pain clinic when I get an appointment through - which is about 15 weeks away at present. Do you think I would be better off waiting until then and telling them my suspicions? I cannot handle my G.P. treating me as if I am an idiot any more - he really is very condescending at times!! Advice, please!!
Hi Meredyn! My first piece of advice would be - change your doctor. No-one has the right to treat you like an idiot, and if he makes you feel like one then he is a bad doctor, you are not a bad patient. You have the right to feel supported by your GP.
I know a lot of people feel strange about changing their doc, but the fact is that we'd never go back to an optician or dentist who made us feel like crap, yet a lot of us troop back and forth to docs who seem to think we're two slices short of a breadbasket.
If you feel a bit weird asking for a new doc you could always ask for a lady doc, I'm sure that GP surgeries hear that request a lot, or just say you'd like to find someone with an interest in IBS.
Best of luck with the pain clinic. Have you tried calcium for the diarrhea at all? It might just take the edge off, you never know.
I'm really glad that there is other people out there that understand what i am going through. I have been diagnosed with ibs not so long ago and i'm sure no1 takes me seriously and people think i am over exaggerating. I have just started a great job wich i love but i am so scared off loosing it, i have had 3 sickness's since i started in june/july. Is there anything i can do 2 make work understand so they are more aware of my condition?
just found your site good to know you can claim benefits as my job is thinking of pensioning me off on the sick not that old yet or never used to feel old until this started. My job is very stressful and have been advised to find different employ easier said than done just have to wait and see what they come up with