To work in Pain or to stay at home, need some advise!!! - Fibromyalgia Message Board

Beary Tired · 06-30-2003, 08:38 PM

As most of you know I have suffered from FMS for many years. I have tried to just deal with it for the last 5 years. I want to work, but I hurt so very bad sometimes that I have to leave early or miss days. I was on the work at home program for a while and that helped a lot, but that was recently discontinued. I have worked all my life for such an awesome position. My company is still trying to work something out with my main contractor so that I won't have to leave. I have short/long term disability but it will reduce my pay by 40% and after 12 weeks I could lose my job permanently. I do not know of anyone that has had to make such a tough decision, this is very heart breaking. I feel that FMS is robbing me one aspect at a time. I need some advise from some of you that have had to face going into so called early retirement due to Fibromyalgia. I would appreciate any advise any of you can help me during this time.

Thanks.

Creeping Crud · 06-30-2003, 10:17 PM

Hey Beary Tired,

I know exactly how you feel about fibromyalgia robbing you of your life one aspect at a time & I'm extremely sorry to hear about the predicament you're in with work.. We lose so much to this disorder & having our sense of self-worth and pride taken from us just isn't fair..

Because of my symptoms (especially the dizziness), it made working outside the home next to impossible.. I can't drive anymore, or rather I don't drive anymore because I started blacking out while I was on the road.. I can barely stand to ride in a moving vehicle because I get such horrible motion sickness.. Also, working can be difficult when you aren't sure when your body is going to completely freak out on you.. You generally only receive so much sick time before your company starts viewing you as a liability rather than an asset..

That being written, I'm not sure that I have any real suggestions for you.. Because fibromyalgia didn't manage to rob me of my credit rating, I started my own business.. My fiance' does all of the physical labor (it's a seamless gutter business) and I do all of the customer service, advertising, record keeping and general office manager/owner type duties..

I know that isn't an option for everyone, but at 28 years old, I personally couldn't handle the thought of not working for the rest of my life.. I had to find something that I could do even when I felt horrible.. Is there any way that you could look for work with a company that's more work at home friendly? Or perhaps approach the main contractor yourself and explain your situation? I'm not sure that it would help, but they might admire your desire to work enough to put the wheels in motion quicker..

I'm sorry that I can't be of more help.. I just wanted to let you know that I totally understand how frustrating trying to find a balance between work and fibromyalgia can be..

Take Care,
Melanie

pixiepoodle · 07-01-2003, 11:22 AM

Hi Beary,
I see that you are from Houston too, so before you do anything else, please look into getting a pain pump. The manufacturer of the pump, Medtronics, has a website with lots of info. I work as a paralegal and came close several times to losing my job because of "Fibro fog" alone and suffered with unbearable pain no matter how many drugs I took. The pump gave me back my life and my boss just can't get over how much its impacted my job performance. Even my husband can't believe the difference its made.

I have posted on this board and the pain mgmt. board many times about all the benefits of having a pump. The 2 main benefits are a great reduction in pain level and being totally alert and not exhausted from dealing with pain 24/7.

If you decide you are interested in seeing a dr. to discuss it further, I highly recommend my dr. who is Hassan Chahadeh with Interventional Pain Management L.L.P. (he has 3 offices in the Houston area).

Let me know what you think.