All i hear is things with doctors are improving but i think not ....

I think the problem is we do not distinguish the true meaning of the word 'stress' this can be both physical fatigue and mental but in todays world it is still ;

>>considered personal failings/lack of ability on the individual to preform a task/s adequately>> it is made out to be some sort of lacking in the person affected.

employers endorse this belief, as it remove the onus on them to correct issues and provide a healthy work environment and sort out the real issues (mainly overworked), bullying, lack of resource, etc.

i am not demeaning mental stress either, but it is important the true definations of stress are bought out in the open.

we all know stress is one of the key associations for many fibro suffers, yet all the groups try to not focus on it or find out the statistics behind it in our cases.

since being ill i have met a lot of very capable high ranked career people whom due to their work environment feel they have developed the severe form of condition. this information is important and needs to be highlighted.

we all know it is the A type personalities, from either creative and care giving backgrounds that tend to develope this. maybe there is some sort of association with woman and their bodies nurturing responses that results in us coping with extreme levels of stress until we break. woman multi-task, men generally do not! obviously not all men but you understand my point.

stress needs to be properly defined and its association brought out correctly with the condition. if it is not addressed i fear dr's are always going to close their ears or keep trying to firstly shunt us down the physiological excuse/path/

my analogy is during war soldiers were systematically tortured, over prolonged periods of time. the torture did not even have to be too physical, the Chinese dripping tap for example. well at some point they mainly break. we face a similar existence but somehow manage to carry on with some bad days of anxiety or feeling down. it should be preached from up high the firbo suffers is strong, given what they have to contend with. would any doctor not do whatever it takes to help a tortured solider recover. yet we are mainly left looking and finding out about our own illness and educating doctors.

we deserve to be commended for our true grit... but more importantly helped urgently

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ps i have been up since 2 o clock because it feels like someone is twisting a spike in the nerves all over my body. i can not get comfortable in bed and have had to get up but now standing my feet, legs, lower back and shoulders are in pain. i feel tied but i can not sleep, i feel pain but it will not go and i know for sure i will feel dreadful pain with chronic fatigue tomorrow. i still have to get my 13 year old to bus stop for school and i have my 6 month old gran daughter having a rare night with us.

please someone tell me they agree with me........

[Rach1977]

I TOTALLY agree with what you are saying about stress. You obviously feel very passionate about it.

I was in a powerful job being exposed to the most awful things you could image and had to manage my own workload along with training others and constant demands from the bosses. I was so strong for years and funnily enough when I went to my medical officer within my job he said I was just Stressed!!!!!! I knew I sort of was but that was not what was causing my pain. He told me it was all in my head ( I was so upset ), In April 2010 I just cracked and couldn't go to work and layed on the sofa for 2 weeks and during that summer I led a pretty solitary life which i enjoyed. Not having to listen to anyones issues, just concentrate on myself for a change and get a sun tan as I lived by the beach!!! It was bliss!!!

I have not been back to work since!!!

What you have written has opened my eyes in how to deal with a situation that I have to face soon with my employers, so thank you for your question, it may have just jogged my memory and help me explain myself a little better!!

xx

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rach1977 i feel extremely passionate about it my situation was much the same as yours for 5 years building responsibility with lesser and less experience, good luck to you let me know how you do x

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of course i agree acknowledge there are probably genetic markers, however this does not mean they cause severe fibro with cfs/me. i also accept and understand accidents such as whiplash or brain damage or virus can cause this. however patients need to be listened too. i had no accidents no virus yet i have both these conditions, i was exposed to unrelenting long working hours with ridiculous building responsibilities and lesser resource to me. as head of department i was told i had to meet all work deadlines. our jobs were under threat. for five years this went on with no release. work environment played a massive role in my case. no occupational health officer and no grievance guidelines ever issued despite numerous requests.

how many of us feel the same?

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Ive always been exposed to servere stress , my sister is thalidimide victim, my mum was always ill when I was growing up either with a real illness or more than not a pretend one, I married at 18, that marriage hasnt been easy, Ive got 5 kids after god know how many miscarriages 1 stillbirth, 10yrs of interfertily, working had trying to bring kids up, when bang this hit, yes Ive had a trauma to my spine so that doesnt help

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Lally, you have been through a great deal my heart goes out to you.

coincidentally, my mum took the drug thalidimide too and my twin was affected but not me (nonidentical twins).

my mum also died aged 45 years.

stress does seem to factor for us both. thinking of you. big hugs

happe xxx

[Butterfly54]

Strange you use the analogy of the dripping tap as torture,my rheumy said that lack of sleep was aform of torture in itself.

The sleep depravation method.But then this whole thing is torture.

Hugs xxx

[Rach1977 in reply to Butterfly54]

and thus increasing our god damn pain!!!! Grrrrrrr!!!! xx

[Rach1977]

Happe, I wonder how much research has been conducted on stress at work and FM patients???

Research also shows what happened in our childhood can have an effect on us and therefore be a trigger for FM.

I will keep you updated on my work situation, the day I get pensioned out you will all find out....we will be throwing a cyber party!!!!!! xx