coping with having a job

[piya]

This is so much painful to listening all that. Have passion & get some treatment like ayurvedic or homeopathic which can help you to heel soon. Go to some specialist & tell him everything about your case study.

 

[Peninha]

The problem is that doctors are helpless piya. I do believe that homeopathy can help though.

 

[Eff fibro]

I feel for you all suffering with the effects of fibro on trying to live a productive life. I was diagnosed with fibro a month ago and am constantly wondering if this will render me disabled. I have no idea how this disease will alter my life so I must live one day at a time. I'm a nurse and a year ago I was working at a busy hospital. I started getting week-long bouts of intense nausea, what I now understand to be fibro fog, and fatigue (that happened in bouts a few years ago but went away for a few years). I was afraid that in my fogginess that I'd make a mistake at work that would hurt or kill a patient, so I called out often. I usually said that I had a stomach bug or a cold and didn't want to expose patients, but that wasn't the truth. How could I say "I'm just too tired and foggy to safely work today"? I couldn't. I was written up for excessive absenteeism and looking into FMLA to cover needed time off, problem was, I needed to work 1250 hrs in the past 6 months to be eligible and I only worked 1246 hours. Four hours shy of financial relief, and the ability to take off the time I needed.
Being a new nurse to the hospital, I was already prey for the hardened nurses. Then to be calling out for several days here and there, I was retaliated against, bullied, mistreated, and made to feel guilty for feeling like crap. I didn't have a diagnosis to even start to explain any of it to them. Not to mention, half of them probably believe its a "made up disease for lazy people" and AMEN JKerner! I started a paper route when I was 8 years old and have worked consistently since, I'm 31 now... I didn't suddenly decide my work wasn't rewarding or I just didn't feel like going. The more I was retaliated against, the worse the stress was and the worse the symptoms were until I almost gave up on nursing all together. I somehow ended up working as a private duty home health nurse so I get 5-8 hour shifts with one patient on a regular schedule. I had been symptom free for 6 months, but in July I started getting debilitating pains. So far the pains haven't struck bad enough during work, but now that I know I'll have flares of this and it may get worse, I worry that it'll start affecting this job too. Today the pain has been awful and I'm praying tomorrow I don't have to force myself through work. I imagine trying to get disability would be tough considering there are no tests to prove what we're feeling is real. But we know it is. And none of us are alone.
Just keep taking one day at a time. Make the best of each day and don't beat yourself up for your limitations, they are not a sign of mental weakness.

 

[Lana]

I am so sorry fellow nurses would bully, and mistreat you like that. My heart goes out to you! That must have caused a great deal of stress, which is something we really have to avoid. Gentle Hugs!

 

[angelstar5]

Thank you all for your replies, its so sad hearing all the suffering. Maybe one day there will be a cure. Until then keep your heads up and don't forget you are not alone.

to all FMS, I have had it for a year, starting with vitamin D deficiency. Lost my job and trying to get another. I just learned that by ADA Law I do not have to disclose this up front in an interview, but if the company has over 15 employees and you need accommodations, by Law they have to help you be comfortable, if your requests don't cause the company undue hardship financially. Unless you want to quit your job, but need some accommodations, speak UP, it is your human rights law.

Also, I just found another site with a petition to sign for the commercial of Lyrica and how it does not show the real truth of FMS. the petition is to Pfizer for making a lame commercial of being able to go to the circus. Heck a lot of us can't even walk very far and even if you could go to the circus you will suffer the next day. There are over 2700 signed up for the petition and thousands of people who say they have or haven't taken Lyrica for reasons they cannot or after taking it, it has hurt them more physically. I know I can't give you the actual link. But we need to make the real world wake up and realize we have a serious disease and they do not understand. Employers need to know. We may not be Ebola, but we are a very serious in pain group of people not given respect.

 

[Lana]

Yes I agree people don't take us seriously! My Doctor is one of those people, I am looking for a new Doctor who knows more about what I am going through. We really need to do something about this!

 

[Brismom]

Im an RN too Eff fibro. I would be up on the floor and just start sweating and get hot and feel like I was going to pass out. My mind couldn't even think straight. I thought I was going crazy because I just wanted to WORK and feel normal but I was in pain from some unknown cause. The worst part is when the doctors wont give you a diagnosis OR even hint at one because they think you just want to get out of work and be on disability! Far from it! I was torn up about not continuing my profession. I LOVED nursing but it was very stressful too at times so it's pretty bad on fibro and lupus. I got SSDI WITHOUT a diagnosis because they based it on symptoms ONLY and at the end the judge believed me more than the doctors! So here it is 6 years later and I finally get a diagnosis of Lupus and fibromyalgia! My doctor even tried to send me to a shrink before >>>I mean the WORST part of this disease is the humiliation! IMO.

 

[Brismom]

Try having hepatitis c Angelstar. People automatically think you are a drug addict loser! Talk about stereotyping. If you have HIV you are hailed as a hero but hepatitis c? Not so much. Fibromyalgia? They automatically think you are faking. They need to come up with a test for it and I would hope that would change things dramatically.

 

[Brismom]

Another thing you may want to think about eff fibro is either a state desk job (I did that until my symptoms got too bad) and/or the hospitals float pool. You could be in several float pools and work when you want but the trouble is still sometimes you start feeling horrible right before work or during..but it something to think about.