Anyone here who works full time??

Are you on any kind of medication to help with sleep? Perhaps you are not getting a restful night of sleep and that's amplifying your pain and exhaustion in the morning. We need sleep to heal! You describe exactly how I felt last year, but after starting Ambien I find I am able to function better. Although I still wake up many times at night, I find that I am getting some segments of sleep that I wasn't getting before.

I hope you find an answer that works for you. When we're in pain and exhausted, it's easy for depression to step in and take over (and I think that only magnifies the situation). I'm in that boat right now and fighting desperately to keep focused on the small sliver of light I am able to see right now. I can't wait until I see sunshine again!

Denita, my hat is off to you! Bless your heart! That was my schedule, many, many years ago, minus the grandchildren then. I worked full time, took care of my son and two stepsons (not every day, but three days a week stepsons were at our house), three dogs, two cats and I managed to go to the health club every morning before work and walk my dogs every day after work and weekends. Don't ask me how I did it, still amazes me when I think about it and yes, had fibro at the time. Over the years, things seem to have gotten much worse. I had to walk away from a very demanding high stress full time job and go to an at home part time job. I still care for three dogs and my house.
As far as the sleeping meds, I have to interject here...not everyone does well on them. Even though Ambien is touted as one that doesn't cause hangover, it did for me. I thought it was fibro fog but now that I'm off of it, I no longer have that awful fog in the morning. Yes, I still wake up very sleepy and somewhat foggy, but not as bad as when I took Ambien. But, I also took Flexeril and at times Ativan at the time too. I guess we just have to know ourselves better than anyone else...we need to be our best advocates and really understand what works for us. A healthy sleep schedule is extremely important for everyone, not just people with fibromyalgia. A warm shower before bed, soothing music, maybe a fan running for "white noise"...a dark room. You just need to experiment with what works for you. I had so much trouble with sleep for so many years that I would become panicked right before bed, because I knew what was ahead of me, how much time it would take to fall asleep. Psychotherapy really helped me with the anxiety and depression. It's not gone, but I was given the tools to manage it.
I wish you well
Miriam

I took a Flexeril last night in addition to my usual Ambien and wasn't able to crawl out of bed until noon today. That was only four hours ago and I've already crawled back into bed once since then, and I could go take a nap right now if I allowed myself. I am just waaaaay too groggy from it. I did sleep last night which I desperately needed after the last few nights, but I can't afford for this to happen on the days I have to go to work.

I work full time. After my diagnosis I had my shift switched from the 5 am to 2 pm shift because it was going to kill me! Now I work 6:30 to 3:30 with a 40 min commute so I have to leave my house at 5:45 at the latest. I'm in bed every night at 9 and I take Melatonin and read for a bit until I'm sleepy. My supervisor and manager both know of my diagnosis and I have permission to be late when I need to...and maybe it is that permission that pushes me to not take advantage of it. I also get PTO instead of separate vacation and sick leave, so every time I call in sick I loose a potential vacation day and I hate doing that!

Each morning when the alarm goes off at 4:45 I tell myself "This is the worst you are going to feel today, so get up and get moving." It is almost always true that I'm in my worst pain when I first wake up. I walk around the work building every day during my lunch because the more I move the better I feel. I even sent out a standing invite to my co-workers to join me when they can. I do stretching exercises at my desk and get up and walk around every half hour or so...I almost never IM or email my co-workers, I walk to their desk to talk to them.

My weekends are for sleeping and relaxing...plus a little cleaning. I need that time to recuperate enough to make it back to work on Monday. Some times I resent that I can't have more fun on my weekends, but I have hope that I'll be able to get some control over my disease and then maybe I'll have more flexibility.

I have three kids (11-17) and a cat and dog that count on me. I also make sure that the kids get to bed at nine (they might not be asleep, but they are in their rooms and quiet) and it is healthier for all of us to get a good night's sleep. I'm also right now working on our diet, trying to eat as much healthy food as possible.

I make more money at the job and I have better benefits than I would if I got disability. I have a kid going away to college next year and I have 20 more years until I can retire, so I'm going to keep plugging away as long as I can. I am an optimist that some day my 401(k) will actually earn some money.

Talk to your dr. about medicines that might help. I'm taking Savella and it has increased my energy. I'm also taking Malic Acid and magnesium. Most of the time 600 mg of Advil is enough to keep me moving, but on really bad days I'll take half a Vicodin when I arrive at work (I don't like to drive after taking one) if my work isn't too mentally demanding that day.

Mainly I found that if I just didn't make not going to work an option, I'd find ways to make sure I made it to work. I feel your pain, some days it really just sucks.

I work more or less full time but luckily I run my business from my home. For sleep, about 1 1/2 hour before bedtime I take 1 x 25 mg amitriptyline (Elavil) and .25 mg clonazepam which generally works pretty well for me. If I still can't sleep I pop another .25 mg clonazepam under my tongue. I prefer to take extra clonazepam than Elavil because I find that Elavil causes dry mouth.

To overcome the temptation to hit the snooze on my alarm I don't keep it beside the bed so I have to get up to shut the darn thing off :)

I just took a masters level employment law class (I'M not a lawyer) but I did learn that the law requires your employer to provide "reasonable accommodation" for any disability. If it is really getting difficult, you could provide documentation from your doctor about your fibromyalgia and provide to your manager. Reasonable accommodation could be allowing you to come in later or work from home on certain days. Maybe this approach would work?

I have a good boss too but understand the feeling that you are so tired and just can't do it. I hope things get better!

Sparklecity,

Motivating yourself to get around for work is definately a challenge for us Fibromites.
I get up every workday at 5:00 am and havent missed a day because of Fibro.

But I am a stubborn man that would limp to work with one leg dragging behind me. :)
I have found that I am going to feel poorly whether I go to work or not..only if I go to work I will have less guilt about missing work.

I generally feel better (than I did anyway) if I get around and get busy.

When I first wake up is generally the worst for me....I get a drink and sit on the couch for about 15 minutes checking news and Facebook....then off to the hot shower.
I quit ALL of my Fibro meds because they made me groggy. I deal much better with the pain than the Fog......
I am an Area Supervisor for a Company and have 16 stores under me. I do not have a physically demanding job, thank God, so I need my mind as clear and alert as possible.

All of our bodies respond to Fibro differently and what works for one isnt so for another. I hope you find what is best for you and can have as normal a life as is possible.

I work full time. I am lucky to have a flexible schedule that allows me to come in a bit later than your average office job.

I think that continuing to work can be good for fibromyalgia symptoms, up to a point. It means you have to manage your time really well to have enough time to take care of yourself, but it also allows you to stay productive and make money that protects you financially. Some people have severe enough symptoms that disability is their best option, but if you can still work, continuing to work is a good choice too.

You should definitely look into the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). That might provide you with some flexibility that would allow you to keep working. If you work at the right kind of job, a flexible schedule might be an option.

Post Edited (Heather Lynn) : 9/12/2011 6:56:25 PM (GMT-6)

I used to use Rozerem and much preferred it as a sleep aid. However, it cost too much out of pocket when I switched jobs, and thus switched insurance.

Develop a routine which supports you and your needs. Sleep is important. So is food and water, not so much caffeine or sugar. Over time, you learn from your body what you need to do in order to do your job.

My big thing is proper sleep and downtime. I work in a professional setting (college professor), so I can control to a certain extent my work time.