Hiya Everyone
I was just wondering to any of you still work even though you have FM??.
I do 3 x 6 hour shifts a week and it absolutley exhausts me but my work collegues just don't get it and tell me to stop moaning and don't bother going sick etc.I wish they could walk a day in my shoes and feel how I feel when I have a flare up!!. I don't let them get to me I stay focused and do the job I do to the best of my ability.
Soft Hugs
Joanne x
hi Joanne, I have been disabled and not worked in 28 years but my first diagnosis was chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome and I was bedridden for the first 10 years unable to care for myself at all. I think with these illnesses everyone has different symptoms and functioning level. I know it is hard for you to hear your colleagues saying hurtful and less than supportive things to you. sigh.. that is a shame that earthlings are often not compassionate to one another. i hope and pray all the best to you.. huggggs
suzie
Yep - I’m a full time pediatric resident (~80 hours a week). Sometimes it’s rediculously hard to get out of bed, but I do okay mostly during the day. Lots of pain at night.
Hi Joanne,
I work full-time with limited benefits because I work for a not for profit organization. I am also a single mom. I find it more and more difficult some days to go to work, but I also find that sometimes being out and engrossed with my work, I don't feel the pain as much. A good distraction. I use many aids to help me get through the day. I have an office job, so I sit a lot. I make sure I get up and move every hour to loosen the joints and do a bit of stretching. I use a heating pad as well at work, and next winter I am considering bringing my electric blanket, heat does help me. I do take pain meds during the day on days that are on the bad side, I take a T3 every two to four hours, depending if needed. On days that I am not too bad, I take my dog to work so I will go for a walk at lunch, to de-stress and get some exercise, and to be honest, she makes me feel good having her with me. Running a house totally on my own can zap me of energy for the next work day, so I hire someone to cut my grass in the summer and shovel snow in the winter. That helps so much. I am blessed that my teen daughter is a huge help too. My work colleagues are pleasant but very short sighted in only seeing what they are experiencing, and sometimes I feel like I am being judged for not being well or not believed. My job requires me to travel all over Canada three times a year for a few days each time. That can mess me up, with the plane travel, sleeping in a different bed, irregular hours, time change, and hotel/restaurant food. I take extra pain meds with me and don't drink alcohol anymore. I am starting to look for a government job mainly because of the benefits. All these pain meds are costing me a pretty penny and I don't have any short term or long term disability benefits. Sorry for the ramble.
Singingtrees
Yes, I work 40 hours. I sit at my desk a lot which causes a lot of back, shoulder, neck and leg pain, thank goodness for tramadol.
Gentle Hugs,
Stacey
Hi Joanne, I work in the ER and I work 10 hour shifts four days week. My shift is from 10am to 830pm and by the time I get home at 9pm I am exhausted but Unfornately always have a hard time sleeping. Don’t let them get to you. Just do your best!!
Hugs
Trea
I am a surgery nurse and have to stand for a long time . My legs and feet kill me and getting out of bed the next to do it again is so hard. I have to do my meds everyday and when I have a flare I work hard to make it through the day but I can because I love my job.
Oh, Joanne, that's so stressful to deal with, on top of the fibro! They just don't understand. They can't, it's impossible. Only those who have suffered greatly can get a feel for what it's like for someone else. I'm glad that you don't let them get to you because they know not what they say! If they suffered for one day in your shoes they would be appalled over their comments to you! But remember, their goal is getting that work done! And they don't have any impediments stopping them.
Many of us worked for a while, sometimes years, after getting the fibro diagnosis. But it seems that many of us also had to quit at some point. I went from full-time to part-time to no time. You'll know that you're ready to stop when you're tired no matter what and feel like you are ready to drop or die and not get up again...and have no energy, no ability to even THINK about living life, just lie there in pain and not move...that's the time. BUT you don't want to wait to that point! How could you take care of yourself if you can't move? How could you file for disability - if you want to - if you can't even lift up a pen to write information down or lick a stamp? No, you want to be proactive and start thinking about these things now, rather than later. And if you feel you want to apply for disability because your ability to work is rapidly disappearing, then it's time to get a move on and file. And I also recommend an SSDI attorney who only does SSDI cases.
But, of course, that isn't what you asked. However, the two topics are intertwined and if you're at the point to be asking if anyone else works and how exhausted you are, then you're probably ready to hear my thoughts on the matter. I wish it weren't so but that's how fibro treats most of us.
Gentle hugs,
Petunia
i know it is not easy but i do want to applaud all you ladies that manage to keep your jobs..
huggggggs
suzie
Hello ladies. Just joined this site maybe 45 minutes ago so still figuring out the navigation. I work 42-45 hrs/week and my supervisors are spawns of the devil. I get in trouble for coming in on bad days because, even though I work hard & am not messing around, they can tell I don’t feel well so I’m not being as “productive” (unlike some of my colleagues who waste an hour chit chatting or doing online shopping). Like a lot of people posted, it’s like nobody believes you or feel you just need to tough it out. In addition to my recently diagnosed secondary fibromyalgia, I also have sciatica, cervical & lumbar disc disease, spina bifida oculta & complete heart block. And my supervisor told me I should try to be more like a good friend of mine at work who has plantar fasciitis in her foot; she limps & complains but she’s working, too. I would love to lose my temper one day, but I work for the U.S.Government & could probably get in big trouble. Lol. So I just started Savella but had a bad flare- up & played hooky today. My mother drove by & saw I wasn’t at work & called. I know she was disappointed but I have to care for myself. Has anyone made you guys feel like you are selfish for dealing with this condition? <3 to you guys!
Hiya Wendy
I've been on the site for a couple of days..I don't think anyone has made me feel selfish but they look at me and think there's nothing wrong with you..Workplaces don't understand this condtion.
Hugs Joanne
Evening everyone
Thanks for replies ladies, WOW some of you work really long hours!..How the hec do you do it??.I work in a care home for the elderly and my shift pattern is 3 in 3 off..working 8am till 2pm and this practically exhausts me!!.
Soft hugs all xxx
Hi, Joanne! I have an office job and my husband bought me a lumbar support & a “U” support to sit on (to help the inflammation in the iliac joint & sciatica. Plus I’m on Furosemide which gives me great excuses to get up & move to the ladies’ room. But lately I have days where I lay down & rest after work. I have my cubicle flooded w/pics of my little boy & sometimes he’s the ONLY reason I keep going! You should be pretty darn proud of what you do!! I could never do that kind of work! Of course, we should all step back & be proud of all the accomplishments (big or small) we can achieve daily! 
Before I got pregnant I was working 30-35 hours a week a lot of 10am-9pm. I’m a photographer but I have had to slowly cut back my hours due to pain. Now I only work like 15-20 I’m 35 wks pregnant now and only fibro med I’m still taking is gabapentin.
Hi I work minimum 20 hours a week as a sales person. My co workers know about my fibro and under stand … Most of the time. But recently I have come off all tablets and trying to just get in woth things like they were before. I am terrible at remembering to take them and don’t want to be on constant tablets at 24 years old, and I am doing ok for now. Hope this helps.
I got sick christmas day 1989 and i managed to keep going until sept.1999.I got my ssdi in sept of 2003.
I am working a full-time desk job and I have a difficult time. I am humbled by those of you working on your feet as nurses or sales people who manage through the insufferable (sp.?) pain of this condition. You’re fibro rockstars!!
Yes, I was diagnosed over 15 years ago. At first I thought there is no way I am going to be able to work, that was not possible, a newly divorced mother of two getting absolutely no help from ex. Thankfully, I worked for a small business and my boss was a fatherly figure and he worked around my aches, pains, dr. apts, etc. I was very blessed in that aspect. Today I have been with the same company for 20 years. When I first started it was a ten person team we now have over 100 employees and new owner but we have managed to keep that family atmosphere and the new boss has been just as great as my "fatherly figure" boss. I still have my good days, and my bad days. I am currently going through a pretty big flare-up supposedly due to hormone imbalance thanks to wonderful perimenopause. For me, I try not to talk about it, just grit my teeth and go on. I use this forum to get advice and do my griping. Honestly, most people that do not have this disease cannot grasp the severity of the pain or the other symptoms that go along with this horrible stuff. I also find work theraputic is some ways. If I were at home all the time I would probably obsess about my pain and make matters worse, at least at work I get distracted. Hope you feel better soon. Hugs
I quit my nursing job over 1 1/2 years ago. I tried to use my vacation time and they only gave me 2 days of my 10 days even though I put in for it almost 2 months in advance. I was hurting so bad and was so tired. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I couldn't go on anymore. I left for vacation and never went back. My husband and I have a flea market now, but the pain, exhaustion and then brain fog got me down. I was told less than a year ago (cant remember exactly) that I had FM. I have not worked in over a year. I do try from time to time, but if I get the least bit stressed I get confused and am unable to perform the job duties. I plan to try going in a couple half days when pain flare settles down. Hoping I can do it.
I work a full time desk job now. I worked in retail before, but it was too much physically. Although this job is pretty laid back and I can sit I don’t get any paid time off or sick leave, and it still hurts to be hunched over a desk/computer all day. I’m only 29 and I want to keep working as long as I can, but I’m constantly worried about the days I can hardly get out of bed and always afraid of losing my job due to my pain. I’m not married either, so no fall back if something like that does happen. Not much choice but to grit my teeth and stick it out for as long as I can.