Fibromyalgia Community

Hey kekei,

I too lost a job because I could perform it. I was a dental assistant. I am drawing unemployment right now and have filed for ssdi. I have an apt today with a disability counsellor and we will hopefully discuss a few fibro friendly jobs. I will let you know what I find out. It will be my fist time seeing a disability counselor so these are my expectations for the visit??? I guess....

Good Morning,

Oh yes I can see that wouldn't work well for you...that lifting and positioning, tough stuff!
I have to say though MRI in an out patient setting would be perfect, you have the under education and if you have the cash...go for this. PET,CT and MRI are the future forever.....in the outpatient arena you have little but sitting at the controls to get the work done. Nursing is there for the IV and Radiologist for the read......Just a thought.

The issues I see in any job we take is looking at it as a gym experience, using your head to think about your body and muscles to rest some, use some and repeat. I change it up throughout the day. Work is a medicine in my toolbox too. It is the med of distraction. Once in the "zone" I rarely think of me anymore, until the ride home and the muscles speak*.

We have brought up how so often we live to only work (as it takes alot to do) then work to live (as it pays the bills and the insurance part.

If you want to actually leave the field but still have connections, you would make a great receptionist, secretary( the pay is markedly lower)....you know the jargon, try a medical billing course too( so valuable to an office and marketable for you)

. Medicine has many facets to jump to. DON'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT. Your training proves to me you are real smart........I schooled with Radiology students, tough stuff. SO, hope I handed you some ideas. Good luck. Nancy B

Thank You so much, good info. It's real easy to sell yourself short through the depression part of this but you made me feel good today. I'm going to go ahead and take HIM classes that include coding and billing. I've found the future is thru Health Information Mgmt and electronic medical records. Again, THANKS

Good Luck, Hope you find out something good. Thank You for your reply. I'll look forward to your next message, have a great day!

Hi, Kekei7:
I decided in 2005 that I needed to look ahead & think ahead before I couldn't do my job anymore. Basically, I didn't want to arrive where you are now without a plan in place. My plan was - I went back to school and got an M.A. online. Now I teach online for a university. I do go into the office but I can set my own hours and I work from home a great deal. Eventually, I suppose I will get another job where I don't even have to drive to the office & all my hours are taught from home. For now, I don't mind the few hours in the office.
Another suggestion I have is to look into Internet Marketing and Social Media Marketing. This is what I teach and we have many students who want to work from home and be their own bosses. If you look at some freelance websites, you will see jobs for building links and other Internet Marketing tasks that you can do from your computer at home. You might be able to work for other Internet Marketers on a freelance basis!
My $.02 worth!
Good luck,

Terry

Dear Keke:

I too am looking for a fibro friendly job. I am a licensed counselor and we have to type about 95% of the time doing progress notes and treatment plans. I need something that does not require a lot of typing due to my fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and arthritis. Any thoughts or ideas?

First, you should be seeing a vocational rehabilitation counselor, not a disability examiner. Your job possibilities are individualized from others because Fibro affects each of us a little differently, so it depends on WHAT restrictions you have from Fibro on a consistent basis. The counselor will probably direct you to positions that are DOT classified as light, and working in a dental office such as the front office, office manager, etc. will most likely be your recommendations, unless you want out of the dental field all together.

Hi,
I was a ballet dancer and am going through the same thing now. I physically can't do my job yet I don't know what else is out there for me. I do teach but fibre limits me. I am not a choreographer and I can't teach sitting down.
Jillyx

I'm hoping that with fibro, that I will be able to get my degree as respiratory therapist (spring 2015). I will be taking prerequisites this fall (anatomy and physiology, and microbiology).
I work full time now and between work, school and appointments, I really pay for the time spent away from proper rest!
I think (and I hope) that respiratory therapy will be a good job, because they both sit and stand, but not for great lengths. You can care for people, and meet many new friends along the way.
Have a great night!

I've been trying to find something i can do that does not require a lot of moving around the whole day. I cannot even clean all day long I will feel it after I am done a few hours later. I have had fibromyalgia since I don't even know when. I was diagnosed a few years ago by the docs finally after complaining of pain. I had to quit a part time job because it even got too much for me to do the work I was doing. I still have not gotten relief at all times but i do have good days and bad days. I am interested in what you had said on your post about the internet stuff being at home. I am pretty good with a computer and I also am getting a degree in Psychology in a couple of years.

becky

Dear Fibroreality,
You need Dragon Naturally Speaking software - you speak into a microphone and the software types what you say. The more you use it the more it recognizes your voice and is more accurate. I have it and LOVE it! Cost is $150 online. Just saw it for $90 on Amazon.com.

I'd recommend something with flexible hours or that allows you to work from home - maybe telemarketing?
I'm struggling with the same issue. I am a supervisor for the State of Oregon and am having difficulty working full time. I'm afraid at some point I'll run out of family medical leave and will be faced with taking a demotion (with much lesspay) that will allow me part time hours. I'm the main provider for our family. My husband was a Tile Setter & because of the economy recently went into social work so his pay is a fraction of what he used to make. I plan on trying to keep my supervisor job as long as I can before I'm forced to make a change. In the meantime I'm trying to pay down bills.