HASHIMOTO'S

[telynn]

Just wondering if you are able to work full time have hashimoto's disease?

[danie17075rm]

I was just thinking about this today.  I will graduate with my masters degree in a year.  I have a 5 year old son.  I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's when he was 2.  There is NO WAY I could function at work.  I can barely do what I need to do here.  Right now my thyroid attack is so bad that I am almost completely debilitated.  I can maybe make it out of the house once or twice a week.  It's terrible.  I wish there was more help for us!  I am so worried about how I can ever find a job like this.

[MelissaG7]

I am in need of help finding an MD to help me with this thyroid disease.  My family practice doc wouldn't listen to me.  I did a ton of research, but she kept telling me she has done a ton of research too.  I don't believe here...and my symptoms were still bad.  How do I find a local doctor who can adequately help me./

[stella5349]

Litterally I was off for years while I was sick and was terminated because I wasn't at my best. I thought I was going to die and then to be depressed knowing I couldn't work was unbearable. I considered disability then but knew that alone was not my answer and finding out why I was still so ill was my only recourse to living again.

Blessed, I am working again after I was recently laid off and working more now than I ever did in 20 years. I can handle the day again as it comes but pushing myself like this has made be improvise my therapy to help.

[lisa0948]

Honestly, I have been on FMLA several,several times already. I used it intermittently. I also have a daughter that has epilepsy and vertigo and I have used it for her as well. Its been 1 and 1/2 years since i was diagnosed, but in reality if your company feels that you are taking advantage of them(they really dont understand) they will find OTHER ways to get rid of you. It will protect you in some ways,I agree, I just put it in gods hands.

[Barb135]

FMLA does not have to be used in a 'lump sum"; it can also be used on an intermittent basis.

[Brucergoldberg]

YES but i wasnt there a full year.  LISA you need to file for FMLA.  You dont have to take it, just file for it.  That way you are protected.  Its a safety net against you if your employer fires you.  also get a note from your doctor stating your illness and give it to your employer.  

[Totie]

To: Brucergoldber & lisa0948

Could you guys have tried using the FMLA? I could be wrong, but every company is suppose to allow employess to use that. They allow up to 12 weeks without the fear of being fired.

[lisa0948]

Every day is literally a battle.  I work fulltime but am on my last leg at work. Some days are okay but some you just do the best you can. I had my supervisor write me up 2 weeks ago and he said that I really needed to work on my attendance. I looked him in the eye and told him that this write up was the last thing I was worried about and told him I was battling a disease and left it at that. God is my only hope. Ihae 3 children who need the insurance so its not an option for me.

[Brucergoldberg]

I announced 3 months ago to my job that I was wanting to go on disability for 10 weeks to get better.  They fired me and now I'm in a lawsuit against them.  I buy and sell air miles on the side and my wife works,   I wish I could work, but the afternoon attacks ate bad.   I have a bad foot that has flared up as well since all this started.  I'm in retail so it's been tough.

[medicmommy]

Hiya!
I feel fortunate so far...With the exception of Drs using me for medical "practice", I am lucky in that my thyroid levels aren't horribly wonky (except for the antibodies). I have been through a ton of issues the last 4 years and as each issue is resolved, I feel just a bit better than before. I WILL manage this thing no matter how many Drs I annoy in the process (Oooh, they just hate it when you prove them wrong!) I completely empathize for those who have become debilitated by thyroid issues (or any health issue for that matter!) I was (and still am a little) worried that I was also on that path. May we both find better health in this new year! (((((((((((((((HUGZ)))))))))))~Melinda

[telynn]

Thank you for the service you do everyday, saving lifes is a very rewarding job. Not many peeps can do that so thank you!  How you can do that kind of woek being hypo must be hard. do you also have Hashi's? Also I think you will just be fine with remembering what to do in an ER situation it's like riding a bike you just do and do not have to think about what needs to happen. I do hope you get your thyroid under control, I still having trouble and feel like crap. this been over a year for me and can not take it much more , so I know how you feel. As for working no way could i work.

Bye4now Terri

[medicmommy]

Until recently, I was an undiagnosed Hashi's and I'd contributed my hypo symptoms to aging and "getting too old for the job". Over the last few years I've had increasing fatigue, joint pain, weight gain, hormonal issues, and "brain fog" with increasing short-term memory issues. I had blamed it on "the job" as I work 12-24 hour shifts on an ambulance as a paramedic and I lift a LOT of really really big people (average weight of 350 lbs. -many up to 600 lbs). I'm only 5'6" and 46 years old, and am turning into an "old gray mare".
So, for me, I've been able to plod through shifts hoping and praying that I wouldn't have to carry anyone up (or down) stairs or drag anyone of considerable girth out of a wrecked car. -Even more, I live in fear I will make a mistake because of a memory lapse. My job really does "lay on the line" because, if I don't get this fixed, -and soon, I fear I will be removed from the field as coworkers are noticing my "issues"...~MM

[Totie]

It will be difficult, but like someone said, NOT many have the opportunity to stay home. A lot of people suck it up because they have no choice. I survived my hypo working days....that was about 16yrs ago once I had the TT. I became clinically hypo until my dosage was correct, and that took a year....So a person can continue to work if they want. It was a mind thing with me....If i allowed myself to think I couldn't do it, then I probably would not have done it. Still working full time..never stopped..

[Barb135]

Since depression is a major symptom of hypothyroidism, I would be interested in seeing your latest lab results for TSH, Free T3 and Free T4........

[DreamNaut]

It really depends on what the job is and how hypo you are. When I was hypo and undiagnosed at the time, I could no longer do any jobs that were physical. I would be to exhausted. I switched to desk jobs which helped some, but often had trouble falling asleep after lunch.  

Now the last couple months I went hypo again, this time with major depression. And let me tell you theres NO WAY i could have worked a full time job..

[LazyMoose]

Once your not hypo anymore, it will get better. We all do what we have to do to get by. If you dont need to work full time - that is a blessing many don't have. If you have to full time -and if you have 'flex time' lunches , nap in the car 15 minutes if you can, obviously away from where you work, as this does not look so good! A 100% desk job is the worst for trying to keep your eyes open. In bigger companies you can walk around more - you have to, and thats a good thing if your hypo.

I always carried a can of energy drink when driving just in case I needed it - it saved my life I bet. That stuff is not very healthy to drink (neither is soda) but it saves lives every day on the highway.

[Barb135]

I couldn't afford to lose my job, so even at my very worst, I never missed work because of being hypo.  There were days that I, literally, dragged myself out of bed and into the shower to get ready for work. The blast of warm water would wake me up enough so I could finish getting ready.   My job has me "on the road" a lot from one place to another and I used to pray that the lights would stay red a few seconds longer so I could get in a cat nap........ some days, when I felt really bad, I would leave all the things "in the field" for another day and go back to the office and work on paperwork --- I was safe there and so were other drivers......  getting home from work was another challenge........ I couldn't keep my eyes open...... I would pray everyday to just get home safely and bedtime was whatever time I totally crashed.........

I still have days that are hard to get through, but they are getting fewer and further between...... the whole process of getting better takes more patience than most of us would ever dream of having............ it's very slow and very miserable; if not for the support of members here on MH, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be where I am today.........

Hang on....... there really is light at the end of the tunnel.........

[redheadaussie]

I wish I could! I only do some ebay only when I feel up to it and lately I haven't had the concentration to do it. Man, I 'd be sacked the first day I was employed full time! I 'd be taking more nap breaks than working!