I came home,on Wednesday and look at my fiancee and said I cant go back to work…my job is so stressful and I have been struggling to work for about 6 months. I have fmla that allows me ro miss one day a week. Which I used all the time, I put my foot down and said my health has to come first, of course im scared I have kids and bills. So doctor pulled me out for 4 weeks. Omg what am i gonna do i have work since I was 15, so Im in day 2. I have had 2 bad pain days and my brain is thinking whats next?! Putting my faith in god, praying for guidance…so for thise who have taken this step advice please and thanks…
There is a group on here that Work at Home, you might want to give them a try & see what they have found. M
Hi Necee
Does you job have long term disability? I have been out on leave a little over a year the company I work for had me apply for SS.
The most important thing right now is to work on feeling better. So you can decide what to do next.
Perhaps you can go into business for yourself. If there is something you know how to do, and it’s something you can just set by appointment, then you might be able to work around your bad pain days, still contribute to the family income, and maintain some of your independence. If you like animals then you could do something like daytime pet care or grooming. Music lessons if you know how to play an instrument. Things like that. If I wasn’t a single income household I’d be all over that.
I understand totally. I only work part-time now. It’s alot less money and I still don’t feel well, but I can make it through the days much better. Disability filing is my next plan.
I was diagnosed with Scleroderma in 1990 after being sick for some time then right before my wedding in 2011, after I received news that I had a torn meniscus in my right leg/knee, I was told I have Fibro.
Over the course of the time I have had Scleroderma I was in a wheel chair, so weak that I could barley move and had to work from home for 3-4 months, thank you to the company who supported this work style.
After my knee surgery I started to deal with the Fibro symptoms and issue, bless my husband, he is still learning about my issues as I do not visibly look ill.
What helped me feel like I had some degree of control over something I had NO control over in reality was to research ways to help me know what I might expect and my alternatives. Pain management is so important and giving yourself permission to rest which is very healing and gives you the energy you need to deal with every day issues.
I recently had an 8 month period where I did not work. Once I got past the shock of not getting up to get dressed and go into work I was amazed at after my body was rested I began to feel that my mind was working better and I could make the decisions I needed to make about my future.
I am now working full time 5 days a week after being away from work for 8 months.
I will keep you in my prayers!
I totally understand where you are coming from. I am sixty years old and was diagnosed with fibro approximately 4 years ago. We are raising our grandson and my husband is on disability. When I had to quit work we lived on his disability, swallowed our pride, and accepted help from the government in the form of food stamps. I also applied for social disability online using a wonderful organization called Allsup who helped me get disability without having to go before a judge. I also did some work at home doing freelance writing. It is hard to have to quit work when you have always worked as my husband and I have always done but there are times that you just have to put your health first and apply for disability. Check out Allsup.com and the Work at Home page that was mentioned in another post. Good luck, prayers and gentle cyber hugs.
I know what you mean. I come home from work in so much pain. Not mental stress but physical stress. I have cried myself to sleep from the pain and thought about how it might not hurt to not wake up. But I do wake up. Put my uniform on and I go back to work. Some days are relentless. I just keep pushing on . Praying and hoping for something easier to come along. I feel so old, aged I guess from pain. And I’m young. Perhaps your Dr. Can push for disability and after a year pursue perm. Disability. I hope you find that answer I can’t seem to find. You are my sister in this illness. We are in this together. I pray that relief comes for you. Gentle hugs…
Hi Sister,
In December of 2012 I had to essentially quit my job on the spot one day because my Fibro was off the charts painful and I was dealing with so much stress. My doctor gave me six months off work (limited pay) and then I retired from my beloved high school teaching job at age 36. It has been almost two years now without work and I finally just went back teaching night school (very limited hours) part time. Yes we took a hit financially but it was definitely what I needed to do. (I also have two young children) I was able to go to the gym more (use the pool and hot tub and sauna), I lost 75 pounds and got down to a "normal weight" and had much more time to rest and heal. I also found God in that time and was baptized in Jesus' name this year in June. What I am trying to tell you is that yes you might have to readjust your finances, get loans, or even move, but reach out and try to find the benefits. My sister also told me that I should have applied for state disability, as more and more doctors and agencies are recognizing Fibromyalgia and the fact that it can be extremely debilitating. I was turned off by the application process etc because it seemed really really daunting and complicated (and requires a lawyer!) but my sister told me that she knows someone who went through the process in California where we live who had Fibro and she is now paid her full working wage etc and getting additional financial benefits. I didn't go that route but now I kind of wish I had. Perhaps look into the filing for disability.
Stephanie
Best wishes to you and all that replied on this thread, many with good ideas to which I have nothing to add. My fibro worsened greatly the last few years and I pretty much was forced to retire and everything is pretty similar to what all of you are going through.
All I can add is my hope that all of our pain lessens so getting up in the morning and getting through the day is not so painful and difficult.
I had to retire in JUly 2014 because of my illness. I hired an attorney to file for SSDI and my retirement job from my job after healthcare deductions just pays my mortgage. I had to figure out how to bring more money in the house for me and my 12 year old and became a home based travel agent. I know that things will be ok and they will for you too.
We all know stress makes things worse - so a stressful job clearly isn't doing you any good. I would suggest retraining to work for yourself. There are lots of things you could do from home or mobile trades that you could book in around your own capacity to work. Piano tuning is quite well paid when costed per hour as is nail technician and that is a roaring trade.
Hi Necee,
Have you thought about retraining to go into a less stressful position or field? I know that some states offer retraining programs. Also, what others suggested of working from home could be a good option for you as well because you can control your hours and the environment. I previously had employment where I worked from home and I loved it. I could take a nap in the middle of the day if I needed to and could adjust my hours related to my physical symptoms and what my body needed. Unfortunately, that ended due to the company going out of business, but I'm thanked for the job I have now and enjoy it very much : )
Take care of yourself and I hope you find the solution that works best for you,
Sara
Hi Honey,
About three years ago now, I lost my job due to missing work, even though I had fmla. They found some bogus reason to fire me and they did. It took almost eight months but I won my appeal with the state for unemployment benefits. I was out of work until very recently. I prayed and prayed and prayed and finally figured out that God wasn’t going to provide me with a job until He allowed me to let Him provide for me. It has been the hardest two years, sad and painful and discouraging. But as someone who has found new recent employment, let me tell you…God was screaming at me that a high stress job was not what was best for me. Even if I liked it, even if I was good at it. There is a plan. There is a bigger picture. God was trying to tell me that I needed to take the time given to me to work with my doctors and with myself to get a hold on this disease. God does not give us more than we can handle. He does not give us bad things in our life without it holding a bigger, better outcome for us. People that have this disease, people like us, we can’t handle stress. Living daily with knowing that you’re going to wake up to go to a stressful job is not a life that we can handle. We need to save our strength and energy and stress tolerance for things that really matter. REAL bad things that happen. That happen to us, that happen to our families, that happen to our friends. Life happens every day and we never know when it is going to go south. When I was at that job, my youngest brother ended up on a ventilator in the PICU, and the combination of the stressful job and the horrible thing that happened to my brother, I couldn’t function. I was stuck in bed and my brother almost died. I felt so helpless. And it was because I was dealing with so much negative energy on a day to day basis that the extra stress was just too much. I didn’t know it at the time but I lost that job because even though I didn’t know it, God knew that I had no business doing that job in the first place. We are limited but we are survivors. I know you have children and I know you have bills to pay, but God always provides, even if it’s not in the way we think He should. I’m going to send up a prayer for you, for understanding and peace. Sometimes, even though it’s maddening and even though we have so little control over what happens in our day to day lives, when it comes to the big picture, we have to let go and let God. You’ll get through this. Please message if you need to talk, I understand what you’re going through and I have been there before. And let me just say, the other side is good, it’s really really good. Love and hugs.
I LOVED my job very much and it became increasingly difficult.my mom's sister aunt Linda said you should see a Dr because if it's a debilitating condition you'll have to have a des diagnosis to apply for disability.I went to 3 des before receiving a diagnosis of hypothyroidism scoliosis and fibromyalgia and Marian habitus.I applied was denied.I REAPPLIEand was denied again.I applied the first time Jan 2011 or 2012.I was denied 2 times and hired an attorney summer of 2012.the talk HEARING WAS JUNE 19 2013.I was approved in 4 weeks.you could look into as disability.you'll have to read what the others have done and make your own decision as what's best for you.you are in my thoughts and prayers.let us know what you decide.I didn't want to give up the job I loved so much I miss it very much but it was the right decision for me.
D
Thank you all for your support and advice! I am looking into working at home, so many scams out there. I dont plan on going back it not worth my health, this is scary but I have faith in god and my family will be there and of course all of you! I wanna apply for disability but want a lawyer so I will have a better chance hopefully around tax time i can do that. Again thanks for all the advice means the world to me!
I’m a huge music person, and when I read your post this song came to mind:
The first thing to remember, and it's a hard one, is that part of your anxiety and worry is from the fibromyalgia. When you have a bad day it's not just your body that suffers. Let yourself rest (oh, and start exercising if you haven't already). Then tackle the work problem. I can understand that you may feel panicked, but I have seen from other posts that there are answers out there. Remember you're not alone!
Madeena
odesk.com Virtual Assistant website for all types of jobs.
Hi never I remember seeing on good morning America websites that were real and legit where you could work at home.the lady's name that has the segments is Tory Johnson.go to fan and look for the work at home sites.good luck.sorry I didn't mention it earlier.