Is holding down a job possible?

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I have been wondering lately. Is it a common occurrence for someone such as myself who is double incontinent to be employed full time? And lately the problems have gotten a bit worse. And I'm pretty sure my supervisor is aware that I have trouble with my bowels. Because for the next several days I will be doing her job and she made a point of making sure I would not use her chair. There was no big deal about it. She didn't say why. She tried to make it seem like it was for convenience sake. I know there is occasional odor so maybe others know too. And there are situations where I have to drop what I'm doing and run and times I have no choice but to pee where I am and deal with it until I can change. Fortunately the fecal hasn't happened at work often. But having to spend so much time in the men's room cleaning up and so many trips. The protection I wear is mostly to keep the rest of me clean until I can clean up, not to keep me out of the restroom. I don't want to go around with my body waste all day. I clean as much as I can. So is it normal to have a job? Working and being an incontinent just don't seem to go together. What should I do?

 

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You are not alone. If the thousands (millions?)of people who are affected with this problem would appeal to the government office for hiring the handicapped, this problem could be solved overnight.

 

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Can a Dr give you Lomotil to stop the bowl movements?Do they say why you go so much?IBS?I had UC for 20 years until I had to have an ileostomy or die.Yes I have worn a "bag" for over 40 years--NO ONE knows, unless I tell them.Could that help you live a more normal,confident life?I worked 21 years in a school not one person knew about my situation.Can't a urologist or internist help you?So sorry for what you are going through.

 

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Thanks. Bowel always happens at the wrong time. Its not daily. I'm an expert at cleanup but every time it happens at work it means stopping what I'm doing and running away. Sometimes I run away forgetting my clean up supplies. Urinary is frequent but much easier to manage. I think I shouldn't be working but I don't really have a choice. I once worked with an incontinent person. I hated being near him. I guess that's the way it is.

 

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Yes it is possible. Ive been about 80% fecal incontinent for about 20 years. I am 100% mobile and you would never know about my problem if you were around me. Diet, timing, and the appropriate protection.

I don't know how bad your problem is but for me I can generally go through a day without having an accident. I go in the morning and head for a bathroom right away if I feel something coming on. The problems usually happen if I do not stick to a good diet or I sneeze or stretch... or something then I can have a total void. I almost always have a brief on with a latex cover over them. For the most part the latex cover keeps the smells inside and I can usually wait to change until I get home.

I also work alone most of the time and am not crammed into tight areas with others.... your situation may be different.

 

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@6932bansheeatv

Even with only urinary incontinence, I find that a latex cover helps a lot to contain odors just as well as leaks.

Only a 'hospital grade' latex cover is durable enough for frequent use, however. Avoid the non-suitable latex covers that are sold for fetish or ab/dl purposes. They are subject to easy tearing or puncture.

 

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Something like that covering me like that all day seems so hot and uncomfortable and with all that stuff collecting inside, Id feel so dirty, i couldn't do it. Even what I wear now, I hate. I'll just keep working until they complain about me

 

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I have been teaching for years now with double incontinence. I have injuries that caused my IC, but only a select few at the school know about the issues. (Boss, school medical, HR, couple teachers) it sounds like this has you pretty depressed and I get that. Everyone has to come to terms in their own way. I chose to not allow my life to end. I love teaching. I also coach football. I do all of that in a brief with a cover. Even in the hot and humid summers and falls of Virginia. The key for me is supplies, understanding you needs and schedule, and supporting people. If you can’t get that, then is may be time to move on. I left my first school district after 7 months because they could not understand my medical issues.
Good luck man. Sorry this has been so hard for you.

 

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I am also a teacher. I sub for the special education classes. Yes it is hard, and at times, embarrassing. Although it would mean telling someone, your work must provide reasonable accommodation for your disability. Look into it. I was fired once from a box chain retail store. I was even an assistant manager. People can be real cruel. But my biggest lesson learned is that it is only as big of a deal as you make it. A dog doesn't get embarrassed when it licks his own butt. It's normal for him.

 

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thanks steven. i understand your point and i actually even agree with it but if i were a coworker of mine and had to work near me and i was unavoidably odorous, i’d want me to be made to leave. i know the wrongness of that. and i do believe that if i am noticable that way, i think it is not really very much so i don’t really worry about losing my job but i hate the ordeal i need to go through and i worry anyway. and i can’t bundle up. as it is i go to thte mens room several times a day and just get into a stall and pull my pants down and cool off. snug fitting layers are just too much for me. so i do have to make compromises. that may make the odor issue worse but i clean up frequently too. there are tims i wish i would get fired. i worked with an incontinent man once and he was offensive.

ok, i wish i was a dog. they can do that people (or me anyway) cant. but like i said, i understand your point an i do agree. what you say makes sense and is right.

 

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I know my issue is not the same and much more manageable than yours but here is my comment. I deal with bedwetting. Happens few times a month.

So for work I have had to make adjustments. I do travel sometimes for work. At home it is a bedwetter pad and if an accident I do the dreaded 'bedwetter laundry' first thing in the morning. But when on a work trip I need to take precautions, just in case. I wear adult pull-ups at night when on road trips. It has been awkward packing my 'night protection' for flights, wondering if TSA will call me out because of them in my bag. Awkward having to discreetly dispose of wet pull-ups at a hotel if I have an accident. But all in all I manage. Cope, Deal, and move forward.

My advice is find what works for you. Accept what you can do and not worry about others. My pull-ups leaked once at a hotel and I was so embarrassed that the sheets were wet. I did the walk of shame to the front desk during check out and informed them that I had an accident in the bed. They were VERY VERY professional and told me not to worry, it happens. I was informed that housekeeping would evaluate and that there may be an extra added charge on my account. I was okay with that. After all I had wet their bed. Thankfully the leak was not big and only the sheets and bed pad were wet. Only a little wet area on the mattress.

I got an email a few days later telling me that there would not be any extra charges. The 'wetting', as they put it, was minimal and no 'need to worry'.

So do what you need to do and live life to its fullest.

 

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Thanks. I originally posted 2 months ago. It was in the back of my mind though I didn't fully realize my urinary is getting more uncontrollable like suddenly gushing and great difficulty slowing it down. I've been having more frequent overflow. It's liquid after all. It's gonna go where it's gonna go. That has to be expected especially because I refuse to bundle up like has been suggested. I have to balance and accept. I realize it. If I bundled up, I'd be in the men's room with my pants down most of the time cooling off. So having wet pants is just I thing that goes along with my condition. I am doing much better with the fecal. But it is like full time job itself. Incontinence isn't going to go away. Hopefully I'll discover that I can retire and not have to experience this in front of other people.

 

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Being born with Spina Bifida occulta iv been urinary incontinent since birth. Although I’m ambulatory unlike the more serious forms of Spina Bifida I do share some disabilities like bladder control. I went to school in the mid 60s till the late 70s and my incontinence products came from sears,wards,and a JC penny’s! All cloth and very bulky. But it was what I wore until I was 34. It was then the better disposable diapers became available! Until that time I worked full time as a male attendent and laundry worker at a local nursing home here in Tacoma wa. I remember how difficult it was to tell my employer about my disability during my interview! She asked about my incontience issues and I told her I had to wear adult diapers and I was very embarrassed about it but she said it’s no big deal. Over the years I did get over it and I’m still working full time and in diapers as well. Just keep a positive outlook and don’t let incontinence keep you down!

 

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That was tough and you did it. If you can, we can.

 

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I work full time and wear nappies 24/7

 

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I have worked with people with non-incontinence related body odor issues not related to a medical condition (poor hygiene/cultural differences) and you adapt. You should try to work with doctors and other professionals to find a solution that works for you. You are just as good and important as anyone else.

 

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etamilbus,

I know others have seen a note or two of mine previously...and perhaps you have as well. The message that I have is that you can substantially reduce urinary leakage with the use of an external device. I confess that, in my opinion, most on the market are uncomfortable or inconvenient and so I use a soft silicone unit that can be worn all day. The primary message is that you do have a choice between managing the leakage and reducing the leakage. I have info, if you are interested. dglisan@comcast.net