Teaching with fibromyalgia

[Takedon]

I've heard about a single woman teaching with fibromyalgia. Congratulations and good luck with doing it further!

 

[Kree]

I am a teacher and was ldiagnosed with fibro. I teach in Taiwan, as an Esl teacher. I tooo deal with the aches of fibro fog. I truly love my job, and can't imagine giving up my job. With God, and determination I know it's possible.

 

[Takedon]

Well, that would be the second human I ever hear about to have fibro and teach. Congrats and good luck!

 

[spannah]

How lovely that people are still posting! I forgot to check this for a while (dam fibro fog). I am struggling getting around at the minute and have just gone back to school so am now enjoying a PJ day seeing as I am exhausted despite 12 hours in bed. Bananatree - Takedon is absolutely right - the students are wonderful if you give up a little bit of yourself to them. I don't see the point in telling them to mind their own business when they see me struggle on a daily basis. I tell them where it hurts usually and if they comment or ask why I am always in pain I tell them I have something like arthritis but it is the muscles and it won't go away. They usually respect the fact that I turn up everyday despite my pain. I do honestly find it easier to teach all day than sit down feeling sorry for myself. You will have to be honest with your employer about your needs - point out to them you need to be parked close to where you will be teaching and that your movement will need to be minimised in order to help you make sure you can attend everyday.

Katie - I went to the doctors last week about my migraines (they actually got me in on the same day after having a doctor call me to make sure I wasn't wasting their time) and the doctor told me my dentist needs to sort it out. She then prescribed with antibiotics in case I had sinusitis because it hurt when she pressed on my sinuses - funnily enough I did tell her I am suffering with hayfever at the minute! I would be lucky to get any sort of help from a neurologist as the doctors won't refer me or help me the rheumatologist that diagnosed me put me back under the care of the my GPs and they just tell me to take hot baths or showers. They won't give me anything for the pain or the migraines. I have tried to change GPs but had to put my name on a waiting list for a fibro friendly doctor and they never got back to me so I need to chase that up. The dentist knows my teeth are impacted but unless they keep causing problems I can't get them out. I will keep pointing out the migraines to him but he seems to be adamant that I am grinding my teeth at night so probably have TMJ but my boyfriend has never heard me grind my teeth, I have complained about him doing it but not the other way round haha. I guess my GPs currently don't really believe in fibromyalgia...

 

[katydid]

That's awful! I'm not sure how your health care/insurance works in the UK, but here in my state, I can call my gp up and tell them I need a referral and they fax it right over to the other Dr. Actually now, with my new insurance, I don't even need referrals (unless a Dr demands one I suppose), my health insurance allows me to see any Dr with out a referral! Maybe what you should do is ask some friends and family if they know of a good neurologist and do some research on neurologists in you area online, and approach the gp with "I would really like to see a neurologist for my migraines to figure out possible triggers and also see what treatments are available" don't undermine him or negate his care, but explain it in a way that you want to see a specialist who deals with issues such as yours on a daily basis..
And I'd hate to break it to your Dr, but your wisdom teeth could even be causing your sinus pain too! I'm no stranger to own sinus problems, as I've had 2 sinus surgeries already and I'm only in my mind 20s! Lol you didn't mention if your wisdom teeth were upper, lower, or both, but if they're upper, it could cause more problems than you could think of! You said he gave you antibiotics incase of an infection, hopefully, regardless if it's an infection in your sinuses or wisdom teeth those will help clear it up... I strongly suggest that you keep pressuring them into listening! This is your health and body were talking about after all! Don't let them dismiss what's you're feeling!

I actually had a coworker who's teenage daughter passed away because of drs dismissing her sinus infection. She had complained for months and they kept saying it wasn't an infection, just allergies, colds, etc. She ended up I the hospital, brain dead, because the infection got so bad it spread to her brain. There was nothing they could do at that point. Very scary that our lives are literally in these incompetent Dr's hands. Do Do get me wrong, a good majority of drs are competent, but the ones that aren't scare the h3l out of me! And I've had my fair share of bad Dr's, let me tell you! I'm sure we all have!

Maybe do some research on your health insurance plan or how ever it works over on your side of the pond lol and see if you have any loopholes, or if you can call thins nhs and override the referrals or simply explain to them that these wisdom teeth are painful, adding in triggering migraines, and possibly aiding in sinus pain? Couldn't hurt to do some investigating, right?
And as for these Dr's, they could send you to an ear nose and throat Dr for your sinuses, they need to send you to a neurologist ASAP in my opinion, I mean they could be doing a CT scan of your sinuses to make sure they're no pollips or infection. I mean, not to sound gross, but do you have green mucus? Like I said I'm not stranger to chronic sinusitis, I actually have a sinus infection now that I have to call my ENT Dr about tomorrow... My first surgery, they had to not only clear out the infection that no medications would touch, but they also too out a mass, and had to scrape some bone out because my sinus cavities weren't fully developed as they should have been. The second surgery was only on my left side and they took out the infection and 37 pollips! All on one side!

Sorry for the novel, lol, but these Dr's drive me nuts! It's too bad that provide g health care can't be about the patients and their wellbeing, no, it has to be about getting rich.
Please update us! And good luck! I really hope they start listening to you!

 

[Jmarie]

It helps to hear the the cold bothers others and it's not just me. I was getting scared as I can not stand to be cold because it is SO painful. No one else seems to understand that I'm not trying to be different, I just need the heat. I live in Iowa and I teach. Sometimes the heat is not turned on in the school because the custodians and others don't consider it cold. It is cold outside! So cold in school! I have a heater I bought to keep in my classroom to aim on me when needed.

 

[Jmarie]

I am an elementary special education teacher and have had fibromyalgia for probably all 15 years I have taught. I was diagnosed a while ago, but have had the symptoms for over 15 years. It's my passion for teaching that keeps me going, but it's not easy! The last 6 months have been so bad that I actually took a couple days off work because of the pain and the headaches. I'm praying it gets better instead of getting worse.

 

[Jmarie]

I teach and have fibromyalgia too. Keep up the determination and the faith in God! It's what keeps me going through all the pain.

 

[Andrei]

There are at least 2 teachers here with fibromyalgia. I have one as well at the University. I bow my head before you, since you are doing a difficult job while having a very difficult condition!