Do you have a job outside the home?

[Lola_mama]

Do you have Fibromyalgia and still manage to hold a job?  Feel free to leave comments about what your job is and how you cope.

[dai3symae]

I have been a teacher for 29 years but am currently on sabbatical for health reasons.  My hats off to all of you who have fibro and children at home.  I think it is very hard physically to take care of a house with kids living in it.

[MyTau]

I've applied for SSD, I have SLE(lupus) Fibromyalgia, but more I think it is CFS, Osteoarthritis, DDD, Raynaud's, Phenomenon,HBP. So far it's taken over 2 years to get a hearing, but I should have one by Jan. Both my Doctors are behind me, but it turns out SS didn't have my updated files beyond 2006, which makes sense that I was denied the first 2 times because most of my diagnoses, besides SLE, has been since then. I've also got diagnosed with mild to moderate short term memory loss. the only work I have done is house cleaning, home health aid and the past10 years, before applying for SSD has been landscaping maintenance. All physical, all very painful, so I hope I get approved soon; it will be nice to pay off our debts and save some money.

Fibro and CFS seem the same, the only real difference is sore throat and sore lymph nodes which I have. As for the tender points which makes up fibro, just about any place on my body is tender to touch. All this hurry up and wait is hard. Anyone else playing the waiting for a SSD hearing game?

[tera1950]

     I have been Dx'd with FMS/CRS back about 1.5 yrs ago.  Since then I have been on that drug they advertise on tv but it caused too many problems for me so now I am on Neurontin 400 mg 3x's a day (but I take it twice to make it stretch due to funds), Trammadol, and Vicadin to control the pain.  I use a generic of Resteril to help me sleep, and also use carb/levo for my RLS.  
     I held down a job doing housekeeping in a nursing home and it took all that to help me to be able to do my job and I still had pain.  
     I finally got out of there but now I work two part-time jobs and they are less physical but one is still very stressful.  Right now the season closed for one job so I am in the process of finding another job for the winter season.  Then in Spring I go back to my seasonal job and hope I can find a job here with INSURANCE as I haven't had any for four years now and that *****.  I am so afraid to get sick or hurt if you know what I mean???

[luckydzack1]

I was working at the same job for 18 years. This flare started in Oct. 07 & hasn't let up. I was to the point that I could barely walk, hurt to sit for to long, couldn't stand in one place because of the pain. I couldn't think straight, couldn't concentrate etc. The doc put me off of work in Feb. 08. I figured working for the past 18 years I would be so bored at home but I'm not. I can only clean one room a day at my place & some days that is to much to do. I really have to pace myself or I pay for it for the next few days. When I was working I was averaging about 3-4 hours sleep a night which is draining in it's self. He has me on amitryptoline 200mg to help me sleep, some nights it works & some nights it doesn't. There is no way I could go back to work right now. I just over do it one day by doing something extra & I am down for the next couple of days. So right now work is out of the question. I live in Canada, I am lucky that I had coverage at my work & my doc's have helped me alot as far as filling out forms for me. It costs alot to get them to fill them out but they do it. I have applied for CPP disability but have yet to hear from them yet. It has been 6 months but my specialist just sent in his forms last week, so I should be hearing from them soon. I have to go as my fingers are starting to ache.

[kitty51]

Over here you can work up to 20 hours a week and still get disability,but nobody wants anyone with ailments.Every job that i have had i never mention fibro,otherwise there would never had been any jobs!

[zippazappa]

I stopped working 2 years ago, i didnt know what was wrong until my doctor threw a print out at me and said sounds fm  not that he has or will send me for any tests or to a specialist. my body just give up in the end and it was impossable to keep my 3 day a week job... i have since thought about retraining so i can go back to work am in collage and am supposed to be doing my maths and english but i cant even get up for these lessons, some days i have to go back to bed after i have seen my son of to school.. its a nightmare but i have keept going to my art lessons as its somethink i love but latley i have found my arms feeling lifless and my brian cant do what as always come natural to me. am more than peed off as am supposed to be finding volentry employment so i can get on a access course in sept but am wondering how on earth will that work out and so am beging to thingk am kidding myself here. i cant cope with the thought of never being able to earn a decent wage or have a morgage and so i dont know where to go from here..i have qualified for DLA, its helping a bit,better than nothink i suppose..has anybody rertained, gone to collage/ unni?