Anyone know anything about gerd?

LauraMax

LauraMax

Cathlete
I have an employee who keeps calling out sick for gerd. Coincidentally it's always on a Friday or a Monday.

I googled it & it said it was the erosion of the esophogas due to acid reflux. Is this a valid reason to call out sick? Because I'm starting to get annoyed--I've come to work pretty sick many times b/c I just couldn't take the time off (yeah I know, my apologies to those who don't like sick people to come to work, but when you have deadlines sometimes you don't have a choice), & this girl's taken 4 long weekends in a row b/c her throat is irritated.

That's if she's not lying to me, which is what I think but can't prove. She brought in a dr. note the second time it happened, but it was blank (said please excuse X from work on such & such a date) & let's face it, it's pretty easy to get a dr. note whether you're sick or not.

I hate being in management. I have no idea how to handle stuff like this. You can't discipline people b/c they call out sick & you don't believe them, right? So I'm stuck short-staffed & can't get my own work done. This is really frustrating! x(
 
GERD can cause pain from acid reflux into the esophogas and can cause throat irritation. It can also cause a lot of pain from eating and drinking because sometimes food will get stuck in the esophogus or will agitate an already irritated esophogus. I wouldn't necessarily think that it is a good reason to call in sick, but obviously I don't know her situation.

I don't have GERD, but one time my esophogus was really irritated by some bad heartburn that I was having which I don't usually get, but anyway it felt like I was swallowing knives if I tried to eat or drink water. I still went to work though.

Is it legal for you to ask for more details about why the GERD caused her to miss work?
 
No, GERD is not a valid reason to call off of work....it's just really bad heartburn. Granted, it makes life a living hell, but it's still not a valid reason to call off. All it takes is some Prilosec or Nexium to help calm the acid reflux and she should be good to go. Coincidentally, GERD is becoming more and more of a commonly seen problem due to the obesity issue because the excess weight around the middle adds pressure to the stomach, pushing the acids up into the esophagus.
 
I'm not sure how bad this person's GERD is. But, if it isn't treated correctly, it can be very painful and cause one to lose a lot of weight from not wanting to eat. Stress can set it off too. And, not all people respond to the same medications. I've known people who've had to have surgery and be put on tube feedings if the lining is destroyed.

ETA: Certain foods can also trigger reflux too.
 
I have GERD pretty significantly. I take Protonix (which by the way is the only one that has helped). Even so, it is NOTHING to call in sick for. It mostly feels like a burning on the throat or like you swallowed a prickly golf ball. It can be pretty uncomfortable but not debilitating. Definitely nothing to miss work for.
 
I am glad you mention GERD.

I have had it so bad in my life, about 2 years ago, and I lost over 20 pounds because I could not eat anything because my esophogus was on fire!

Very dangerous.

I took Nexium and healed myself. I now take NO MEDS for it - and do the all natural way ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR! I drink it in water and no heartburn!

IF you suffer from GERD, please go onto www.earthclinic.com and you will read all of the benefits of apple cider vinegar.
GO FOR IT! Give it a try!
There are also many other natural healing remedies on this site. You will love it.

My GERD also came from stress. Your co-worker may have a lot of stress and sleepless nights. Who really knows how bad it is. It is so dangerous though!!!!!

I know - I had ulcers on my esophogus at one point! :(

Take care all! Please check out that website and let me know what you think!!!!!!!!


"Life is too short - Be the best you can be every single day of your life!" :)
 
I lost 15 pounds before I was diagnosed. I tried apple cider vinegar...didn't work. :( Nexium, Prilosec, etc. didn't work. So far, Protonix is the only thing that works.
 
Lorie,

I feel your pain.

I cut out chocolate, pasta sauce (very Italian here!), and liquor (not that I am a crazy boozer!!) and then I healed myself. I could only drink white wine once and a while.

Then I slowly introduced these foods back into my life. I needed to heal.

It is so hard, I hear you!!

Good luck!!!



"Life is too short - Be the best you can be every single day of your life!" :)
 
I am on the eat clean diet so no sugar, chocolate, etc. I rarely drink alcohol. The only thing I love and don't want to give up is spicy foods. I also don't want to sleep sitting up. I have enough trouble falling asleep as is!!!
 
Yes, I did sleep with the special pillow.

Medslant is what is was called - It really helped me!

I saw a GERD specialist for some time - and he said not to eat or drink a thing 3 hours before bed. It worked for me!

I wish you the best. I can relate to all GERD sufferers' pains. I went through it and never thought I would be able to eat anything again!

Over time, you will be able to eat Mexican food every once and a while. Small baby steps....
There are always good days and bad......feel it out and see what you can do.

:)



"Life is too short - Be the best you can be every single day of your life!" :)
 
Do you have a limit on the number of sick days people can take? Where I work it's 7 days. If people exceed that, then they have to start dipping into their vacation time, and if they use up their vacation time on sick days, we dock their pay. I've only ever had one person start using unpaid days, and he stopped calling in sick pretty quickly.
 
Laura,

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with GERD, but my problems were not as severe as others have described. It was uncomfortable but with the change of a few habits, it improved, and I've never needed any prescription meds or special sleeping arrangements.

If this employee is being treated, I can't imagine why she consistently needs to miss work, coincidentally on Fridays and Mondays. (Yeah, right!)

~Cathy :)
 
Even if you can't question her gerd, I would certainly question that doctor's note. It sounds a bit fishy to me, with no reason or anything being filled in.

You DO have some peachy employees, don't you?:

Whatever happened with that other woman?
 
When I had pneumonia and asked a doctor to write me a note (I have never needed one at my work but wanted one because I was going to be out so long), I asked my doctor to write that I had pneumonia and that was why I was going to be out for so long. She said that because of HIPPA, she could only write that I was not cleared to return to work. That might explain the note.

That said, I think it is extremely fishy that she misses Mondays and Fridays. I would think if this is a pattern, you would have a right to ask for more information.

Also, I just can't imagine it being something that would keep you out of work. I have it pretty badly (well, I did before I found the right medication) and another friend of mine at work has it worse than me. Although she often feels nauseous or uncomfortable, she doesn't miss work because of it. I think your employee is making excuses to miss work. How many sick days before her pay is docked? You might see her "cured" once she uses all her sick days.
 
Laura,

At dh's work, a person can only call in so much...then they get fired! Before getting fired, they get several warnings. Everybody gets vacation days (paid time off), but those days have to be planned. I think they are allowed like 3 call ins. People just seem to abuse sick days. My poor dh (like you) goes to work sick. Every once in a while he will stay home, but not often. (He really doesn't get sick too much so he is lucky).

Anyway, does your work have a call-in policy? If not, maybe it is time to adopt one! Good Luck....

Sara
 
Yeah I think there are HPPA issues here re. the dr. note, which is why it was basically blank & probably I don't even have the legal right to ask her what her illness is.

See, I figured it wasn't a good enough reason to call out sick. And we do get great benefits here--15 sick days a year, & they don't accrue, you get them all on January 1. Plus they carryover if you don't use them all.

I'm stuck. There's nothing I can do. I have 2 staff members in this dept. & one of them is a temp. She clearly does not want to work here & I know she's looking for another job--I wish she would just quit so I could hire someone dependable. Honestly, this is a really great place to work if you're not in management--w/the benefits, the hours & the pretty relaxed atmosphere I'm sure there are tons of people who'd not only jump at the opportunity but be grateful for it.

As far as the other chick goes--still mixing alcohol & painkillers, still totally incompetent, still slurring her words & virtually unintelligible, still spending her days playing solitaire on the computer in front of my boss's face. Such a soap opera! x(
 
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