by asdf123456 » 28 Mar 2014, 18:28
Hey...I am also 26 and was just starting my first corporate bullshit job as this problem was presenting myself. I was under massive stress to heal it without letting on to my young colleagues that there was anything wrong me, specifically, a chronic ulcer in my asshole that makes me want to jump off a bridge after every shit. I seriously considered resigning, or killing myself, because I didn't think there was a way out of it without them knowing. I was wrong. First of all, do not feel obligated to tell anyone at your job a single fucking detail about what is wrong with you. If they prod and ask you, make something up. That's what I did. Make up some bullshit story so that they can gossip and share details all they want while you are getting better. Tell them your liver is failing or you got bit by a shark. Seriously, the stress of this type of trauma is enough to make you want to blow your brains out *without* the added stress of having to share it with your friends and colleagues. FMLA means you can take off of work, I believe for up to six months, without loosing your job. But if you work in a corporate job, HR, likely has a third party disability servicer, i.e. aetna, cigna, who handles the claim and will be the only ones you need to tell tell about your disability. They will not tell your employer anything about your medical history other than that you are sick and unable to work. (As I double-check, I called them multiple times and ask a number of different people if they would share any medical details with my employer. Every representative I spoke to said they do not under any circumstance without my express permission.) As a California resident, I *believe* you have short term disability insurance provided by the state, so you are in a better position than most actually. I am not an expert on this stuff either, but having lived through it also as a young guy, I know what it is like to have to worry about the job and the gossip at the office. Seriously, F**K every single one of those people. Put it out of your head. If they knew what is wrong with you, they would regret ever asking, and they would certainly tell you to take as much time as you need.