# To Moldie



## Guest (Nov 10, 1999)

Moldie, I didn't see a current e-mail address for you so I will just do a post. I see that you were in the health care field. I work as a surgical assistant for a periodontist with a large busy practice. My job is very stressful and physically demanding. This has become increasingly difficult as the pain has become worse. I am hoping that the pain is going to be less since they finally discovered the main source of my severe pain has been a dislocated pelvis from a car wreck in May. Right now I don't have a lot of confidence in doctors and feel few are taught to be sensitive in med school. My question to you is was fibro the reason you quit nursing? It is so hard to concentrate when you hurt. I am trying to decide at what point the fibro is going to impact my ability to work. Thought you might have some insight.------------------deb


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## moldie (Sep 25, 1999)

deb, I worked for a few years with fibro on a cardiac/lung step-down unit, helping in ICU and on a lot of other units when we weren't busy. We had no NA or Ward Clerk on the PM shift so that meant you had to do a lot of running around. Then I started to get abd pain and swelling, plus my feet ached too much being on them all the time. I then moved to a psych. floor on the night shift for two years, ending in '95. Two years was about all I could take of working nights, and with patients with behavioral problems. I had two teenage sons at home at the time, which was about all I could handle. I also hated the smoking they allowed for the patients and whenever we had to put people in restraints. Some of the patients could get violent. I then went for a Ward Clerk position. During my Orientation period, however, I came down with vag, bladder, and bowel prolems (IBS that changed to D). I decided to take a LOA to find out why I was having these problems. My GP, GI, GU, and another GI specialist at a medical college could not pinpoint my problem over a period of about 4yrs (In 1996 I had a hysterectomy thinking it might be Endo on the bowel following a lap.- my symptoms came back after the operation though). I went to a quack allergist, (who was really a psychiatrist I found out later), that advertised treating people with fibromyalgia and IBS. He never did "treat" me. I then found a conventional allergist a few hrs. away; as I felt strongly that I had food allergies and possibly candida. He has been treating me for a year and I seem to have the frequent painful stooling and constant abd swelling discomfort under control now. Seems it was caused by the oral antibiotic I had been on about a year before I quit work for adult oncet acne. I had been on birth control pills after I first got married, so it may have been the beginning of my bowel problems when I got C. I am trying to collect disability for the time period (Feb 1995-April 1999 at least; as that is when I had the severe bowel problems that prevented me from going back to work). I am left with much fatigue and weakness after this, and also lost about 15#s. I am currently trying to be trained on computors through job service companies so I can work myself back into the job market in one of those sitting jobs; as my abd. still tends to swell and ache when I am on my feet too long. I also have short periods of bowel relapses if I don't follow my diet closely, which happens about once a month. Doesn't seem to take much sugar for it to kick in and I have to back on the antifungal. Time will tell if I can make it back to the work force. I know my tolerence level is 4hrs. of work before I become overwhelmingly fatigued; as I have tried this at home and even on the computor for that long, my brain and body seem to shut down after 4hrs. Therefore, I am searching for a job that is only for 4hrs to start out with. Sorry this was so long. Someone at a fibro meeting (who by the way seems lot heathier than me); said she took a 6hr test at an Arthritis center to see how long she would be able to work. She didn't pass, so she got her disability. The Fibro network out of Arizona that puts out a CFS/FMS newsletter printed an 800 ph# for disability lawyers in your area that you can call if it comes to that. Take care deb. ------------------[This message has been edited by moldie (edited 11-10-1999).]


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## Guest (Nov 11, 1999)

Moldie, I wish you luck with your disabity claim and also finding a job that will allow you to work without much discomfort. Just a suggestion but have you thought of medical transcription. It doesn't take much additional schooling and with a home computer you can do all your work at home at your own pace. Just a thought! I am feeling so much better since they relocated my pelvis (sounds like it was lost) last week. The senior physical therapist noticed that it was dislocated when he was doing the final evaluation to dismiss me from therapy. It took two sessions of manipulation to get it back in place but he checked it today and said it looks like it is going to stay if I just work on strengthening exercises. I have decided to go to a new physical therapist that deals mainly with stretching techniques. She will work one on one with me and hopefully a lot of the chronic pain will go away with time. Not being in severe pain the past few days has given me a better outlook about work. I had gotten so fed up with the doctor telling me I shouldn't really have so much pain (kinda like "It's all in you head!!")My boss is being really great too about working in a position that doesn't cause too much discomfort for me. I guess it will just be one day at a time.------------------deb


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## Guest (Nov 11, 1999)

Moldie, I wish you luck with your disabity claim and also finding a job that will allow you to work without much discomfort. Just a suggestion but have you thought of medical transcription. It doesn't take much additional schooling and with a home computer you can do all your work at home at your own pace. Just a thought! I am feeling so much better since they relocated my pelvis (sounds like it was lost) last week. The senior physical therapist noticed that it was dislocated when he was doing the final evaluation to dismiss me from therapy. It took two sessions of manipulation to get it back in place but he checked it today and said it looks like it is going to stay if I just work on strengthening exercises. I have decided to go to a new physical therapist that deals mainly with stretching techniques. She will work one on one with me and hopefully a lot of the chronic pain will go away with time. Not being in severe pain the past few days has given me a better outlook about work. I had gotten so fed up with the doctor telling me I shouldn't really have so much pain (kinda like "It's all in you head!!")My boss is being really great too about working in a position that doesn't cause too much discomfort for me. I guess it will just be one day at a time.


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## Guest (Nov 11, 1999)

Not a clue why that posted three times. I have had a lot of trouble lately on this board with it telling me the connection has timed out. That was what happened when I posted and when I looked it was there three times???------------------deb


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## moldie (Sep 25, 1999)

Wow, only posted twice this time, you're getting better! Don't worry about it, it's happened to me and lots of others as well. On the IBSgroup board they at least allow you to delete it. Here they don't. Sometimes I think it happens if I accidently double click to post. Don't know if that's right or not.Medical Transcription, huh, interesting you should mention that. I was going to go for Medical Records Technician until I started having more problems. We have two kids in college at present, so funds are tight. Now that I am becoming more confident on the computer, transcription might be something to consider for the future; as I hear you can work at home sometimes, unlike a medical records technician. Glad your pelvic pain is better djr. ------------------


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