Still new to this.

[Guest guest]

Well I saw my doctor on wed and she did listen to me and said that it

does sound like I have all the symptoms of CFS and FMS. But that is

all she really said. I told her about my sleep study and how bad my

stage 4 sleep is. She put me on Elavil to help with my sleeping. I

think I am noticing a difference in how rested I feel. So I have

hope about this drug helping me. My problem is I work full time, I

am a Eligiblitly Interview for the state welfare dept. (food stamps,

cash assistance and medical) this job is VERY stressful, there are

many time deadlines and clients who don't understand why they can't

have their benefits tomorrow and if you make a mistake and it costs

the state money GOD FORBID! Not to mention office politics.

When I was at the doctors I told her I need time off but I have been

sick so much that there is no way they would let me take time off

with out a doctors note. The memory problems and concentration

problems are making it very hard for me to do my job. That just adds

more stress and I feel like I am going to lose it soon with out some

time off and to just rest. I am so exhausted.

The doctor at first didnt' want to give me time off cuz she was

afraid I would stay home and sleep all day. I told her maybe for the

first couple of days but I understand that I have to make lifesyle

chagnes and my sleeping patterns and habits are a major one. I am

willing to do what ever it takes to feel better.

My parents are very supportive, my mom has FMS and my dad does not

but he has a variety of other medical problems (the joke in our

family is while my mom and I have every test come out normal, my dad

is afraid to take another test for fear it will be abnormal TOO!)

My best friend believes I don't feel well but she has a hard time

with everything. She thinks I might get used to not working and feel

so much better not working that I will never go back or when I do

everything will start all over again because nothing at work will

change. The thing is right now I am so tired that I just feel I need

some time to rest, take the elavil let it help my sleep, dothe mild

exercise and all the things that can help relieve the symptoms. But

I just don't feel that I can do that without some time off work. In

fact the thought of going back to work right now, give me tremndous

anxiety, almost to the point of if i to I might have an anxiety

attack. Now my doctor said if my problems were mental and depression

she understood taking me off work but not just for the fatigue. I

told her what I just said above and she took me off the rest of the

week. I am supposed to go back tomorrow and bring the med leave

papers from work (which my bosses still have not gotten to me) cuz

she says she can't fill them out without me there.

I guess my point to this extremly long post (thanks for baring with

me) is from others who KNOW what the fatigue and the cognitve fog is

like am I doing the right thing to take time off work? Should I try

my lifestyple chagnings and so on and continue working? Am I setting

my self up for familiar if I don't? I feel I need to rest, and get

things improving before i can go back and deal with the stress of my

job.my major concerns are the memory problems, concentration and

irrability, I am making many mistakes at work that I know I shoudl

not be making, I am forgetting things left and right.

Thanks,

Robin