Is My Gastroenterologist Wrong for Denying My Jury Duty Excuse?

Was called for jury duty early May.

I have had my colostomy since August 2023. Still not comfortable leaving the house for more than 3 hours at a time. Will go longer if at a close friend's place or a relative. Basically, people that understand my bathroom needs.

Output can be all over the place (literally) anytime, all the time, sometimes.

The idea of jury duty at this point is frightening. I have always happily served. My county does an amazing job keeping prospective jurors happy.

Now? Oh my. Can't do it. They would fine me for bathroom visits, walking out of a courtroom... who knows what.

Reached out to my gastroenterologist. She declined my request for a medical excuse.

Called my psychiatrist. Within an hour, he emailed me a letter excusing me.

I understand that at some point I should feel normal, able to venture out many hours. I am not there yet. Am I wrong thinking my gastroenterologist made the wrong decision to deny me an excuse?

Absolutely.  She was dead wrong.. but I do hope you made your reservations clear to her abt being frighten of a bm ..with it all over the place.  If you did..great..if you didnt..well shame.. therfore the former assumed....

Yur G.I. is a dick..(politically correct noun used in lieu of the " c " word)

just note it to the list " of stupid things doctors just don't get". 

We do. They don't. What a douche.

Your GI doc should have at the very least written a letter explaining your needs, which would have led to you being excused. Funny how they can do these surgeries on us but have no idea how it actually affects us. He's an asshole, find a new one! Thank goodness your mental health provider has compassion!

Hello GraceFalls.
Thank you so much for sharing both these experiences.
I agree with what other responders have said about your gastroenterologist and I have little time for professionals who are ignorant about the long-term effects of the work  they do on their patients.
For my part, I would have expressed my disappointment (probably in rhyme) to the authorities who monitor the professionalism of these people.
These types of rhymes usually have a title which clearly includes the word 'complaint', so that the readers have no doubt about the seriousness of my feelings.
Part of the reason for 'Complaints' is that they are supposed to be designed to try to avoid the 'offending incidents' happening to anyone else in future. 
I am pleased that you found a solution to this problem.
My one and only experience of jury duty was many years ago: The case went on for several days and ended up with a 'hung' jury. The judge excused us all from any further jury involvement. 
Best wishes

Bill 

Technically, there's nothing wrong with you if you're all healed up, so I can see why she didn't write you a note. If everyone got a note for any little thing, there'd be no jury.

Words of Encouragement from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

My GP excused me from jury duty (it was years before surgery when Crohn's was in full flare-up though).

The only time I was called up before then was a rape trial. I think the defense team took one look at my face when the alleged "incidents" were read out and I was immediately told I wouldn't be required when my name was called. I know it's a civic duty, but I'm really glad I live in a small town now that only has a magistrate's court (no jury)!

The doctor thought the patient had no medically speaking issues. It would be interesting to know if the patient spoke candidly to his doctor about his frequent messy bowel movements and being frightened in public places.

He becomes sort of an introvert. If he explained and she felt otherwise, well then she just doesn't get it, which is a disturbing patient-physician relationship. It needs addressing face to face.

He was being accurate and fairly honest about his situation and she blew him off, so there is that question if she knew or not.

An important question to lean in his favor or hers. On the surface though, she needs to be reckoned with.

Makes you wonder what she will write on his disability papers if it's applicable.

Gastro Dr. was probably using the tough love approach to help encourage you to live your life as you did before surgery. To be fair, some people need it, but your surgery is still relatively recent. A physiatrist is a doctor of the soul and understands what's going on in our minds more than Gastro Dr. They all have their own views. Luckily, your physiatrist is a good one and stepped in and helped when you needed it.

Mmm... after eight months, your insides should be settling down?

And yes, I know everyone is different.

Maybe you should be talking to a stoma nurse or similar, or even trying some Imodium?

If you do have a colostomy and not an ileostomy, maybe looking into the irrigation process could be beneficial.

Just Google... it has all the answers.

Keep well.

V.J.

Good point... settling down... people vary though.

Can you imagine the dead silence in court and your stomach starts the proceedings? Even Perry Mason would wonder, "WTF WAS THAT." 😳

No thanks. I'm staying home. 😲

Gastroenterologists don't perform surgery; colorectal surgeons do. Still, you did contact the correct specialty.

I empathize with the excused juror.

Hi all, I was called for jury duty some years ago for a child abuse case of a Native American child in federal court 100 miles from where I live. I wrote a letter to the court stating I had an ostomy and it would be difficult to sit in court for hours. It was rejected, so I went to the first day of selection with 50 others. After the prosecutor gave a summary of the case, the judge asked if anyone had a prejudice, and some of us raised our hands and were each called to the bench to explain. When it was my turn, I told them how my daughter's friend, who was 6-7 at the time, was killed by the mother's boyfriend. I was released from the jury.

I love the concept of being chosen to listen to a case and would typically jump on it. Unfortunately, I got called during a period of time when I was leaking for some unknown reason. I imagined I'd be sitting there thinking about my leaking ostomy and not focusing on the case. How could I be fair in my assessment when I couldn't even be present to listen to the evidence? On the section of the form that said, "Is there any reason you would be unable to do this?" or something like that, I replied, "I have an ostomy that is currently experiencing leakage at times. When this happens, I need to tend to it immediately in order to reduce the offensive odor." I was excused.

You might be excused from jury duty for medical reasons. Also, if you really want to be there, irrigation and/or Imodium may give you more control of your frequency.

My guess is, if you have a ileostomy and you make that known to the court, chances are you would be excused. I can't see how one would even get through voir dire. There is not only the necessity of having to deal with output and/or gas every 2-4 hours, there is also the chance of an embarrassing leak or worse. A colostomy may be less of an issue, but it could still have the potential for interrupting the proceedings. I would think that any judge would not want to put you or his/her court through that.

Also, your GI doc is a jackass, imo.

Daniel

My primary care wrote me a letter saying that I would be making many bathroom visits due to my ostomy and that she was asking them to please excuse me. I also called and told them I'm not feeling well with all my health issues and I have an ostomy. I told them I'm not going to be a good juror and also have anxiety. They excused me and then I went to remove myself from voting.

If I got called for jury duty, I think I'd freak out! I was called once years ago, and my psych doctor wrote me an excuse out of it. I think they are more likely to take an excuse from a psychiatrist because they don't want a crazy person in the courtroom. But I think you should have been able to get a medical excuse. I think it is very valid to say that your ostomy could keep you from performing your duty.

I totally understand just how you feel - I've had my ileostomy for almost 4 years now and I can say…I would rather go sit in a jail cell than sit as a juror in a courtroom! Can't even go there mentally!!! jb

Nailed it... absolutely. He asked the wrong person for the excuse note.

Of course, the doc would refuse to write it. She could have mentioned to get his surgeon to write it... but noooooooooooo. (insert smack)

Voir dire, they say, is the most important part of a trial. There are jury consultants who can assist, but since they charge quite a bit, only well-off litigants can afford them. Ex-attorneys, Ph.D.'s, forensic scientists, psychologists, and other professionals adorn their ranks. A juror's clothes, make-up, hairdo, body language, and shoes are all of interest to them. Doctors, lawyers, and computer folks are usually dismissed since people with their own expertise can pose problems for the prosecution or for the defendant. I would not like to be on a jury as, without ample evidence, I would not like to sit in judgment on anyone. Exemption on the grounds of religion or morality is possible with the concurrence of the judge. In any case, this is all talk on my part since I am not qualified to be a juror in the US or England; you have to be a citizen.

I agree to an extent. Three months out is still a learning curve. Me, I can work a 12-hour shift, drive an hour to work with no issues at all, but I'm going on 31 years now. I'm sure the OP will get there on their own time.

3 months? My calendar must be different than yours. 😁 I just think at some point doctors get tired of writing excuses for people to not do something or to get something they don't really deserve. 🤷‍♂️ I have neuropathy in my feet, which makes them feel like they're asleep all the time, and sitting still with shoes on drives me nuts because I think about it then. I'd never consider saying I couldn't sit at a trial because of that. If a bathroom is provided with adequate breaks, I can see why a doctor wouldn't be willing to write an excuse. Not saying either is right or wrong, just saying I can see it both ways.

Reach out to your primary or urgent care. You don't need your GI to write the excuse. Also, contact the jury services department of the court which has jurisdiction over the jury. I live in California and our county is self-reporting. In other words, I set forth on the jury duty notification form that I am immune-compromised, require monthly plasma therapy infusions, blah blah blah. No problem getting an excuse and no medical note required. (I also have an ostomy, but it behaves pretty well.) It is impractical for all parties involved for you to have to serve. Also, to require you to go through the selection process probably violates the American Disabilities Act.

Hang tough.

My name is Paul, I'm from the UK. I had an ileostomy about 8 years ago.

I got called up for jury service and, like yourself, I was absolutely petrified. I just wrote the court a letter and explained my medical condition and how frequently I had to use the bathroom as I had no control over my output. I then asked the question, how do I contact/get the judge's attention so that I can be excused to use the bathroom? I can guarantee you would be excused from jury service. There is no way the judge would let the courtroom be interrupted and let a jury member leave the courtroom, especially if there's a serious/delicate trial being conducted.

I'm shocked that the GI wouldn't write an excuse. Kudos to the psychiatrist. I would think the surgeon would have also.

Same here in PA. I only had to report to them that my husband had a stroke and ileostomy. No need for something from MD.

I have to empty my pouch every hour and a half or so. Do you think the court would excuse me to go to the bathroom every hour?

I've been on a jury a couple of times in the decades I've had the ileostomy. I guess I'm lucky in that regard; it's never been a concern in terms of "do I get enough bathroom breaks." I'm more concerned about uncontrollable noises ☹️🤷‍♂️. But usually, they think it's just a loud grumbling stomach. (Although some may anticipate an accompanying smell which never comes 👍). I've since learned that in my state of the U.S.A., jury duty is fairly easy to get out of for other reasons, so I wouldn't have to disclose my intimate medical details.

In my teens, I had no problem getting a doctor to excuse me from gym class in high school: I had grown tired of the consequences of the "naked time" (locker room and showers) in gym class in middle school (in retrospect, my classmates were very respectful; in today's world, it could be much worse).

Hi GraceFalls. I think both doctors did what was appropriate for the situation. As far as the gastroenterologist was concerned, the physiological you could serve on a jury. Yet, as far as the psychiatrist was concerned, the psychological you was not ready to serve on a jury. Different sciences. The right one provided the excuse. Hopefully, over time, you'll become more comfortable with this new approach to the world. My stoma life began in 2016 and over the years I've found it isn't my need for "others" to understand, but rather it was my need to accept myself. Wishing you the best...

Hi Gracefalls, just the header "Jury Duty" was enough to make me shudder. I've had my colostomy for years, but there is no way it would stay quiet in a setting like that. It "knows" if I'm in a library, cinema, waiting room - it doesn't sound remotely like a grumbling stomach - it sounds like an enormous long blast of gas/wind. The jury would be moved to laughter/dismay! I would do anything other than be called for Jury Duty, it's always been a fear for me. Thank goodness one of the doctors saw sense. As for the Gastro, he/she is heartless and has no idea of how daunting that situation would be for all but the brave.