WLS and work interference

OK you guys have been excellent with giving me advice on so many things.  I would be lost without you all.  I have a situation and I don't know how to handle it.  I drive special need kids to school and I usually work 8 hours a day.  We are not allowed to drink or eat and I only have 10 minutes in the morning to come home before I go back out again for the rest of the day.  I am NOT getting my drinks in at all and I try to eat something when I get home for the 10 short minutes that I have.  Then when I get home for the evening all I want to do is eat.  I am so off track and I have no ideas on how to change my problem.  I love my job but it's not fitting into my wls needs.  My hubby told me to go talk to the boss and tell them I need to eat and drink on the bus, but I know they will say no because it's not fair to the other drivers.   Any ideas? 

Thanks for being so wonderful and since it is the weekend, I am eating and drinking the way I should be. 

I would see about getting a doctor's note that you have a medical need to eat/drink every x hours, etc.  They do not need to know why, but there are many issues like low blood sugar, etc. that would require regular eating, etc.  If it is a medical necessity and they do not make reasonable accomodations such as allowing you to eat or drink on the bus or allowing you a 10 minute break every hour to hydrate/eat then they could be in violation of federal law.  Since you drive special needs kids, I would expect that they have to comply with such laws and would not like a scene if they fail to accomodate your needs.


You could also try talking to them and finding out what their specific concerns are-- spilling, diverted attention, etc. and see if they are willing to negotiate some time in for you.  I.e. if you are picking up students, do you have 5 minutes, where you can step outside and drink/eat?

Good luck!

I agree with Dawn as this is a medical issue. It has nothing to do with "fair". Also, why would other drivers need to know? I'm sure that the concern is having your attention diverted from the road. Perhaps you could agree to only drink when you are stopped and eat only during a short break where you pull over when no kids are on the bus. Whatever the solution... stand up for yourself! You deserve it

Sorry I had to delete my old profile and start up another one, our old computer crashed on us last night.  I am still the same person lol just under a different name and I also included a picture for once.

You don't say how far out you are from surgery but I know for myself that if I don't have my protiens and water my blood sugar drops and I get nauseous and shaky. That is not something you want happening when driving a bus load of children around. I agree with the others - either speak directly to your employer about your special situation or get a dr note and give it to them. Protien bars are easy to carry - so are cheesesticks - and water is an absolute must. Hope you are able to get this resolved - your health is at stake here. Kathy

I am sure the policy on no eating and drinking is safety related. THey can probably envision the driver who would be balancing a Bic Mac on his lap while tossing back a large Slurpee with a bus load of kids.

But...I agree that you should have a medical letter on file. A couple of other suggestions:

Drink lots before you go to work. If I have a protein shake and a glass of water in the morning with my vitamins, I know I am 20-24 oz. into the day. Of courese you can't go all day without replenishing, but it helps to get a good start.

Cut a protein bar into bite size pieces and put into a ziploc bag. You could put one in your mouth every so often as if it were a breath mint or something, very unobtrusively. Or do the same with a cheese stick. Again, it's not a total solution, but it may help.

thanks again everyone for the advice, I am going in tomorrow to talk to my bosses and yes the main reason behind not drinking or eating is because of safety issues and also because NO child is allowed to eat or drink anything because of choking issues.  We have cameras on the vehicle and we have had drivers already get fired for drinking and eating.  I am hoping they will take this as a medical issue but I am afraid they won't.  Work policy states that I have to be able to perform my duties that is asked from them.  Example:  If you can't fit behind a steering room without a certain amount of space between you and the steering wheel they will not hire you.  It scares me alot because I need the job and I love doing it but if it comes down to driving and messing up my health I will leave it and look for something that can accomadate my needs.  Wish me luck for tomorrow!

My first thought was the doctors note thing too.  First off...NOBODY should go 8 hours without fluids.  Surgery or not.  If you can get "clearance" for even just fluids, maybe a protein shake would work.  Gets fluids and protein in for you.

If not, I'd definately start doing a protein shake in the morning.

I liked the ideas of cutting up a protein bar and keeping it in a ziplock bag and popping a piece here or there.  It might be leading to "grazing" behaviors...but whatever it takes at this point.

Keep us updated!

~P