IC & Jury duty

[Dona]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I have a question. I just rec'd a questionaire about being a juror. On there, there is a question regarding if you'd be capable of filling the juror requirements. I don't think that I could sit for hrs on a jury w/out having to use the bathroom or having pain in the bladder plus it would cause me a tremondous amt of anxiety! But it says you need a dr note attached to be excused. Has anyone run into this problem and what did you do??

Thanks!
Dona

[tigger_gal]

I got a note from my doctors office and sent it in, never heard anything back. I assumed it was accepted.

[Tracie]

Do whatever you can to get out of it. Doctors note should do it!

[Claredale]

It depends on the state. In TN, they don't have very many exclusions. There was even a lady that went down with me that was the sole caretaker of her elderly mom that was told that she would have to make other arrangements had to serve and another lady that cared for her special needs grandchild and that didn't fly either. I have actually served twice in the 20 years that I have had IC. The first time I never sat in an actual jury room, just the "pool" area for 2 weeks, since it was a mandatory 2 weeks back then. I did alot of reading and cross stitching back then!

The 2nd time...this time I had my note and everything, especially since I had my interstim, but I still had to go and coincidentally I was the first person even called that morning and walked over to the courtroom thinking I could just show them my note, since certainly they wouldn't make me stand around, but they gave me a seat and after alot of questioning by the defendant's attorney and the plantiff's attorney (car accident case) I was accepted in the first jury. It only lasted a few hours the first day and we went back the next morning, diliberated and gave our verdict (probably 2 hours out of my day). I found it funny that it was for a car accident. I told them I was a claims adjuster and they kept me anyway. by 10:00 the next day, I was done. In my county, you only have to serve in one jury and not be sent back to the pool even if they don't use you for the jury. It was fun and I told the court baliff that I may have to use the bathroom more often then normal and he said to just let him know. The seats were nice and comfortable especially for the people seated in the jury. That was a couple years ago, so I guess I have 8 years before I could be called again.

In TN, they don't send out questionnaires, just a notice to be there to pick your week on a certain date. No number to call and ask questions or anything.

Tracey

[kellymh]

I live in Michigan, I fill out the quesitonaire and when they ask if you need anything special to serve on the jury, I put full access to a restroom, list my disease, and my urologists phone number. He told me to do this and also tell them they can call him and he will fax them an excuse. He doesn't write letters unless he has to. They have never called him and I have never been called for jury duty.

Kelly

[Berkshire Road]

In New Jersey, they are not too receptive to excuse letters these days. However, if you make it up to the courtroom, the judge will usually give all the potential jurors some time to approach the bench and explain, quietly and privately, if there is a reason that serving would prevent a hardship. I imagine that IC would qualify, but haven't had to test it. The last time I was called, I had to go and ended up as the jury foreman on a three day trial; the time before that I was nursing a baby and they conceded that it would be an unreasonable hardship to expect me to be there all day. How gracious of them... :rolleyes:

The jurors' seats were really nice and padded, btw, not at all like the hard benches that the audience has to sit on.

[Smokey]

yes just get a doctors note and they will excuse you. I was called once prior to knowing i had ic and they accepted my reason that I couldnt go because i ran the office. it would not be a problem at all, do not stress about it.

[snowgirl]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I have a question. I just rec'd a questionaire about being a juror. On there, there is a question regarding if you'd be capable of filling the juror requirements. I don't think that I could sit for hrs on a jury w/out having to use the bathroom or having pain in the bladder plus it would cause me a tremondous amt of anxiety! But it says you need a dr note attached to be excused. Has anyone run into this problem and what did you do??

Thanks!
Dona

I just recieved jury summons last week. Two questions are specific to physical accomodations. I marked no I was not physically able to do jury duty.I explained under special physical accomodations I would need bathroom access every one hour. I resigned from work and now on SS disability due to IC. I just happened to have an MD appt. that day he wrote me small note on a scription pad. I got home and asked them if being excused by family MD for medical reasons did we have to get into my disease and personal items. The lady at juror's office said no. I wondered if I would have privacy act here- and due to medical conditions again that should excuse me.

I always wanted to do jury duty. I have only been called once and never got into the courtrroom. I really wanted to do it. Get out meet some new people. Probably see people I know from growing up in a suburb outside of Kalamazoo MI. However since my IC has progressed and I can't even give an employer a guaranteed three day a week. You can't call in and take an FMLA day for jury duty day. The longest I could sit would be 2 hours and that's pushing it.
THis was for civil cases otherwise I asked if I have a brother that is a police officer and his wife is also would I be excuse? I always heard they don't want family members of cops. That would have been a double for me on that.

So, I kept the little paperwork and will still call the night before . Are you going to go ahead and go for it? Not me. I can't at this point in my IC career.

Vicky

[ICNDonna]

A note from your doctor should suffice. I know it does in Oregon.

Donna

[yvette]

That reminds me...I have to send the letter I got from my uro...

I got called to Jury Duty last year and filled out the response card....without the letter (the uro hadn't written it yet). I did explain why I wouldn't be a great choice for a Juror...IC, IBS and all that.

And they responded with the attitude: You better show up or else....so fine, I got the excuse letter and was ready to go in there and explain. They're not going to want someone who is disruptive to the court proceedings with bathroom breaks every 5-20 min. They ended up dismissing me and I didn't have to go.

I still have the letter but I think I'll make a copy and send it to the State of Mass and see what happens. Thinking about it still stresses me out.

But the letter from your uro should work OK. Good Luck adn try not to stress-out, k? :)

[mary124]

Doctor note should do it, I know that the first time after I was diagnosis with IC, I had Jury duty - didn't even think about getting out, till I meant someone in line whose husband has it, she told me what to tell the Judge - so I did, and he said "wow, sounds painful-you're excuse-- he did tell me that I have to have a note sent so I did, and I haven't heard from them since, its been over 15 years.

[Claredale]

My town/county isn't that friendly, but I must say that I did enjoy the experience. I am thankful it wasn't a long case, or I might not feel so good about it. And the first time, I was glad that I could be off of work and read. They had called way too many people for that time period...It was over Thanksgiving week, so there weren't alot of cases, so we mainly read or watched TV.

T83

[JanL]

When I got called, I was living in a smaller city in Tennessee. I got my uro to write a letter explaining that I could not sit for extended periods of time, needed lots of BR breaks, etc. Well, I went the first day and the judge read everyone the riot act about not being excused and dismissed everyone unless they felt they had a valid excuse. I went through the line and had already asked the baliff if I could bring my own chair and heating pad if I had to serve and she said yes. Well, the judge read my letter and said I coud be excused, but he said he really would have liked me to be on a jury. I told him that I had always wanted to be on one, but just the hour and a half of sitting on hard wooden church pews had me in so much pain that I was going home and taking a pain pill so I did not think I would be very effective on a jury. The pain would have probably made me a very grouchy and mean juror anyway. LOL. The lawyers would have probably not wanted me anyway. LOL.
So... get your doctor to write a letter and you will probably be excused.

Janice

[Dona]

I saw my dr today. She said that she would type up a letter and I could pick it up and send it w/the questionaire. Serving on a jury w/IC & IBS would be a nightmare alone, but I also have a critically ill father on a ventilator in cardio ICU right now. So she didn't balk at giving me a note at all. Hopefully I can pick it up by the end of the week and forget about this! I appreciate all your responses and hopefully this will work for me!

Thanks!
Dona

[Tracie]

Good luck!

[snowgirl]

Filled out my questionaire. Said I was an RN on disabilty. Wrote I needed BR access every 1 hours. My MD wrote on prescription pad to excuse do to medical reasons. I called and asked if they needed more medical information. I do want some privacy. They said no. I mailed it with my MD"s note. Got a card in the mail yesterday I have been excused from jury duty. Too bad I could not do jury duty. I think it would be neat.

Vn

[Julie B]

I am sort of giggling here at all of the IC patients from Michigan who have had to get out of jury duty. Who is on our juries here? lol I was actually on a jury a few years before my diagnosis and it was very cool. (I can't even remember what the issue was now, but we found the guy guilty.)

BTW, after I was diagnosed 10 years ago, I had to send my doctor's note. I actually got called two more times after that...the last time the man was exasperated, "So when are you going to get better?" I was not as bold as I am now, and it stopped me for a moment. I finally said..........never........I will never get better.

That was what I was told, anyway. Ten years ago a lot of IC patients were told that: "At least you won't get any worse, but it is unlikely you will get better." I AM better now though......hmmmmmmmm.........should I tell them?

[snowgirl]

I would love to have done jury duty. I think it would be cool. For me my IC was progressive and I am end stage with a very little scared bladder. Ten years ago if they would have called me I could have done it. I would have done it............ I just had pain and frequency and lived with it. Now it has been 22 years with IC and I could not do jury duty. I was bummed out to sign the form I could not go. It would have gotten me out of the house and you meet some people at jury duty. However, if it was a criminal case they told me since my brother and his wife are police officers I would stand a good chance of being dismissed. For years I wanted them to call me then when they do I am out on SS disabilty. That was hard for me to write down disabled. I don't like saying that disabled= something we discuss in therapy sessions. I have not reached the acceptance part of the grieving process that I am disabled. My therapy continues. Vicky

[bigred]

My doc. has always go me out of jury duty. In CA they shouldn't call me back for 2 yrs and then he will give me another note. Since he is part of an HMO they will only allowed him to excuse me for 2 yrs. at a time even though I have a per. disability parking plaque.

[MakinIT]

Funny, I just got a summons last week. I've been summoned 3 times in 10 years. I was just thinking the DAY before the damn summons came...hmm...isn't it about time for a jury summons? Anyway, I submitted my medical info...I know my last summons i got the flu halfway through, on the day my number was called and I called the clerk and I sounded SICK. She was very sweet and said "please don't come in". But this summons I wrote that they would have to excuse me to the bathroom frequently...ect..plus I included aa list of my narcotics. I think that will exclude me.