work and ME

[Amanda556]

hi everyone I am new here .

I have had ME(cfs) for years .

I used to work full time before surgery now back three days and this week had a half day trail at work 8 until 12 and that tired me out . I seriously thinking I cannot do extra work just to earn extra money it’s never worth it as done me in . I want to work hard but I can’t anymore

[ButterflyPrincess1]

Hello and Welcome.

You'll find that this page can be pretty quiet, due to the nature and impact of M.E/CFS.

Also, nobody here is medically qualified, obviously.

There's nothing wrong with having a strong work ethic, in my opinion.

However, it's tricky when your body etc won't cooperate, as you've found.

There are certain sacrifices that have to be made, when you live with a chronic illness, like this.

These might make us unpopular, but they're necessary, for the sake of our health and overall well-being.

[strongmouse]

Having had ME for many years I know that the ability to work varies along with how much the ME is effecting you. Back surgery sounds pretty major and probably takes time to recover from for a healthy person. I know from my experience that any additional stress on the body from an infection to surgery or dental work has always set me back a lot. I once had to take ten weeks off work after dental work and I was working part time.

It sounds like your body is saying that the amount you are doing is too much for you. Whether in a few months or a year it might improve is always one of those unknown things. For me pacing and not overdoing it is important. I ended up having to take ill health retirement when the ME went from moderate to severe because I was pushing myself to cope after having a bad bout of 'flu, and I was working part time with flexible hours. Do look after your health. ME is a long term illness and working within (not outside of) your energy window is important.