I haven't been able to work for a while because I got really unwell and then I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I'm looking to get back into work but I'm really worried about managing it with my symptoms (such as pain, fatigue, lightheadedness, headaches, migraines, shakiness and brain fog), does anyone have any advice or tips please? And please feel free to share your success stories! I'd love to hear if you work part time or full time, how you manage your job and life things and if you are happy despite being unwell. I need all the positivity I can get! Thank you.
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Not from my personal experience, but from what I understand. If you're looking to return to work with the same employer, has a phased return been mentioned to you, to see how you get on?
Please also check out Scope (that helps people with a disability) here if you're trying to get back into work: scope.org.uk/employment-ser... I’ve heard very good things about their ‘Support to Work’ programme.
Have you checked to see if you may be able to claim some benefits? You can claim PIP, for instance, & also work. Try this benefits checker: benefits-calculator.turn2us...
Yes I continue to work although part time now but then again I am at the upper age for being in employment. Reasonable adjustments in place thanks to occupational health assessment. Doubt I would still be employed without them. Work gives me a purpose and I have to work to make ends meet. I can't say it is easy but with planning I have a life outside work too. The art of pacing needs to be mastered. Took me ages and sometimes it is still work in progress🤭 I used to compete with my dogs every weekend. That went out the window. Easy for me to give up at that point but I still wanted to see friends and be involved. Answer was to give stewarding a go. Still see fellow competitors but I sit in the stewards chair making sure the paperwork and results are completed and the judges and competitors are where they should be. I can't do it every weekend but maybe 3-4 times a year. I need time off work before and after an event, before to rest and after to recover.
Whatever you did before the dreaded fibro took hold you can probably do again with a little adjustment, as long as it wasn't daily marathon running before a days work and partying in the evening😁.
Brain fog - I used to worry about it but my colleagues are used to it and we make a joke of it. I come out with all the wrong words occasionally - my brain thinks of one word and my mouth says something completely different. I don't take myself too seriously.
You are protected by the Equality Act 2010 and you are entitled to an occupational health assessment and for reasonable adjustments to be considered. You can see any report 10 days before it is sent to your employer so that you can check it is accurate and ask for any errors to be rectified. Your employer does not have to put all adjustments in place if it would harm the business but put it this way, should you ever take them to a tribunal or court they would not be seen in a favourable light if they refused to make adjustments.
PMA - positive mental attitude is needed and sometimes that's exceptionally hard when pain is rife but hang on in there as there is always someone on the site to listen or advise or just empathize and help pick you up. Good luck
A. Lovely written reply from Dinkie, I am not at work now (differently would still love to work few hours but now not possible )but instead juggling running a house@helping my daughter with some childcare etc. I still think pacing method is key and diffently time out when coming home from the work place for sure, focusing on some down time and relaxing the body (long soak in the bath comes too mind ) from the days I did work. What sort of work are you going back into ?xx
Ive been diagnosed for just over a year now, not left my employment since, but have reduced my days to 4. I'd really like to reduce them to 3 days as I am finding it increasingly difficult to have any kind of life outside of work.
ive pretty much changed my view of life and what i need & want from it- but was a case of having to. Ive definately learnt the art of balancing the hard way. Before I was very much a person who did what they wanted how they wanted (not financially obvs🤣)...so if I wanted to drive to the beach on my holidays, I did. if i wanted to go shopping all day- I did etc, you can see where I am going with this.
now I've learnt that I need to keep a limit on number of steps i do in a day (limiting to 8000 max, some days I do no more that 2000 at best).
I try and have as regular massages as possible- ive found the hot stone massage the best, as heat helps me.
also heat patches and hot baths.
My family help out more with the housework and if I'm having one of those days they just takeover the cooking etc
I get out at lunchtime for a short walk, and I try and move every hour (desk job), get a drink, go to the facilities- go and do a meeting in another room. basically just some form of movement.
I have a step watch which alerts me after an hour of sitting.
I take meds which help me sleep, not all will like this, but it gives me a better nights sleep- which decreases the pain. I've tried all sorts of meds- now on pregabalin & paracetamol.
Ive learnt that a low dose of meds gives me the brain function ( a little less fog) but I have to balance the pain or I get irratable. Its not a perfect storm- but i can moooostly manage it now i have reduced what i do in other areas.
I do weights at the gym and low level exercise- if I can twice a week. If I dont do this the pain gradually increases. I can't do energetic exercise, no running, jumping or long walks (this was a steep curve for me).
I eat as clean as I can. I love chocolate, but it makes me feel worse, so I limit it. If I eat vegetables & fruit and good food i feel better that i do if i don't.
(also if i eat rubbish I put on weight & can't get it off as only low intensity exercise.
I drink water or fruit teas, its a gradual process all these changes, but each one as I've tackled it has helped me a little. I'd suggest not doing all of them at once if you want to change anything!
onto to topic of work...I struggle tbh with the memory & mixing my words up- and I do beat myself up sometimes as I can't concentrate or drift off., as I dont feel like the person I was. But as I've mentioned I'm about a year in, so I'm getting there. Just need to find my feet in the workplace & what the 'new me' needs from work, rather than the old me.
Just awaiting my telephone call for my PIP claim next week, so fingers crossed.
Hope this helps, please do feel free to message if you want to talk anything through- happy to help
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