Frustrated, In Pain, and Running Out of Toilet Paper

Something About Me:

I love to cook and my dog and long time boyfriend also love that I cook. :)

Current Colitis Symptoms:

I’m currently wincing through cramps and diarrhea

My Story:

It seemed to be under control for a while, but the past few months it has been awful. I work in a flower shop and it requires me to be on my feet all day and interact with customers all day- running to the bathroom every 20 mins and dealing with the pain has been awful. My manager is getting frustrated with me missing work and I don’t know what to do. My boyfriend is hesitant about how serious it is….. Even right now I am trying to figure out how to call work, for the second day in a row, and say I can’t come in.  Should I just send them some literature about UC? Tell them that spending all day in our tiny, old hear everything in the rest of the shop bathroom is not cutting it on my bad days? What do I do? I don’t want to loose my job, but I don’t want to force myself to work through the pain. I’m not good at my job when I’m dealing with a bad day.

I hate my doctor, but he is the only guy I can see in my small town. I think my friends and family are starting to think I’m ‘milking it’ to get attention or to get my way. I hate this invisible disease!!!!!!!!
I feel like an awful person taking time off for myself to heal…..

I would love to hear a ‘gold at the end of the rainbow’ story, that it’s all going to be fine. or what has worked for you, i am very open to holistic treatments.
how do you tell people about UC without being embarrassed to no end? how do i tell my boss i can’t leave the toilet to make it to work?

Please.

Thank you.

Medications:

sulfasalazine, two pills four times a day. it’s all i’ve been prescribed, i don’t like it. I have loratab for the pain, obviously can’t take it when i’m at work. and vitamin d pills. because my body can’t take in vitamins anymore.

submitted in the colitis venting area