on medical leave from work

[bladder]

I was granted long term medical leave until the end of the school year to get sorted out mentally. I have to go to therapy regularly and to a depression group. My regular GP is worried that I stress over IC so much that it is making my symptoms worse. All I know is that I would be useless in a classroom right now. I barely get my own kids off to school in the morning. Then I crawl back into bed. My husband doesn't know what I would have to stressed about since I am off work. Men just don't get it. Take that back - my guy doesn't. If I can get him away from work one day I will and take him to one of my appointments. Maybe he will understand.

Just hoping everyone else on this thread is holding on. Some days I feel like I am treading water.

[charmedx3]

that can be helpful to take him to a appt. i hope you start to feel better soon. have you seen a urologist yet? how long have you had ic? I understand needing time off to try to rest and feel better i am off work until dec 29,08. i was able to take only a month off . what type of meds?


(sorry just saw some of your meds listed. have you thought about pain management? that has been a blessing to me. i can now function much better.)

[snowgirl]

I had to do the same thing myself. Take the time rest, heal, relax. Go to therpay yes I am a believer in the therapy helping you with the social and peer pressure you get from going out on fmla. Go to your GP get your med regualted. Go to a pain clinic now is the time if you are off work. Just watch and keep your own personal record how much time you have taken for fmla. 12 weeks total but does you company use calendar to calendar year which benefits you and your health the most or the rolling fmla calendar and with that you better watch your time as they some I should say HR depts switched to that to weed out those who abused fmla. Rolling fmla the time will stay on your calendar till next year this time not go off Jan 1st. Make sure you know from your HR dept which type of fmla your company uses. Trust me I found out and had to resign as I had no intermittent fmla. I would have had to work 9 months straight without taking a day off. 2 years ago I could have done it and did do it for 20 years the last two years of my employment I slide right downhill. Vicky

[Briza]

Teacher here, too, Bladder, and I also this time last year took med leave from work til the end of the year. Right at the beginning of December. I was not only having problems with IC and VV but stress from work was making it all so much worse, so yes, the time off to get my head on straight was very much needed and by February I was in full remission. I went back to work for the last few weeks of school and felt symptoms of Freq & Urg creeping back up on me. I finally made the very hard decision to resign from teaching, it was really hard, but in the end having IC was ultimately not conducive for me being in the classroom. It stressed me out so much, I was like you said, useless. I have a degree in biology and much field and lab work expereince from before I started teaching and I am now applying for jobs again that I can do do with my bio degree, and all my past work expereince, including teaching, but just not jobs that are in the classroom. I will be very happy when I get that job that I am qualified for and interested in, but also is less of a stressor than teaching. Your therapist is right, and many here will agree, that stress is one of the biggest IC symptom triggers...it is for me. And there is no denying that both teaching and IC are huge causes for stress. Put the two together...:evilsmile
I hope during this time off that you are able to heal both emotionally and physcially and that you are able to return to teaching... if that is what you desire to do. It took a long time for me to come to terms that there is life outside the classroom, and that I am qualified and well enough now to pursue jobs that are more to my liking and my abilities, given my health conditions. Very best of luck to you and many prayers.Bri:)
Oh, I did have my first flare since Feb this Thanksgiving weekend...stress and exhaustion induced. It seems to be clearing up after three days in bed with my meds and cold packs. Hope it is gone and doesn't return for a really long time!

[jen74]

This disease is very stressful on anyone who has it I would say. I know that I was in so much pain at one point that I actually wanted to die, I mean really wanted to end it. Severe relentless pain can make one think very illogical. I would not say that you are stressing yourself out and making yourself worse, rather that you are dealing with a devastating disease that is causing you to have a ton of stress. long term Pain in any form can cause a person to be severely depressed or stressed.
I think it is good that you are taking a leave of absensce from work, maybe this will help lighten the load a little for you. Your husband probably just does not get it. Alot of people do not. I am lucky as my husband is very compassionate and understanding ( thank Goodness). Maybe taking your hubby to one of your appointments would do him some good. I would give anything to be able to go back to work and have my life back again! You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Jen

[pj77]

Don't let anyone make you feel bad about taking the leave.

When I was working when I first started with the symptoms , I took a medical leave for 2 weeks, (that's all the doctor would write me up for). That 2 weeks was so short but a godsend. It freed me up to schedule a lot of my tests in those weeks , that they made me take to rule everything else.

jen 74 wrote:
"This disease is very stressful on anyone who has it I would say. I know that I was in so much pain at one point that I actually wanted to die, I mean really wanted to end it. Severe relentless pain can make one think very illogical. I would not say that you are stressing yourself out and making yourself worse, rather that you are dealing with a devastating disease that is causing you to have a ton of stress. long term Pain in any form can cause a person to be severely depressed or stressed."

I felt the same way, and you put it into words better than I could.

My office actually closed a few months later and my whole office was layed off, it was hard becasue I worked there for 10years. But it was a blessing in a way, I needed the time off to come to grips with the IC and rest and heal without added work stress. I am fortunate I was able to take the time off because of my husband.

However I still stress about IC, it does get better as you live with it longer , but a year ago I had a bad flare, that set me off -I got really bad anxiety and depression and had to seek help.