Fibromyalgia pain and nursing tomorrow

[sunshineandkindle]

Can't sleep due to fibromyalgia pain and have a 12 hour shift at 7am as a nurse on a very stressful ward :( feel like calling in sick but know it may trigger a sickness review.
This job is very stressful and is making my fibromyalgia worse.
WWYD?

If you've been awake most of the night in pain you are in no fit state to work a twelve hour shift. Ring in sick.

Would a sickness review be a really bad thing? It sounds like you need more support: better treatment for your fibromyalgia pain, maybe Occupational Health at your work to assess you and see if anything can be implemented to make work easier for you, and if you genuinely feel the stress is exacerbating your symptoms, then you may have to find another job where you can use your training, possibly community nursing or private nursing. But no, you can’t just go on like this. I don’t know how many nurses there are with fibromyalgia, but it can’t be too many (and the existing ones are probably suffering like you), I would think, since the stress and 12-hour shifts would not be recommended for anyone with fibro.

I know I couldn’t do it.

I’m suffering too.

Fibro sucks and you shouldn’t have to prove anything - especially that you suffer from this debilitating condition.

Don’t go to work because you’re afraid. @sunshineandkindle
Go because you’re fired up and ready.

If you’re not - stay home.

Sending love from faraway ❤️

If you have a disability any related absence cannot be added to you sickness record. Ask your union rep about this.

Im in terrible pain due to fibro, I could not do a 12 hour shift. Im on strong meds and they just see me through. May be time to look into working less.

If your trust cares about its staff as much as mine does. (Not at all) go off sick. The ward will cope.

It can. But it’s managers discretion whether you get staged. I don’t if I’m off with MS. But I don’t think fibromyalgia is officially classed as a disability in the same way. (Maybe wrong)

Another fibro sufferer here too, I also have psoriatic arthritis but that pain is helped somewhat by biologics medication. Don’t forget it’s an illness which is seen as a disability so you can’t be treated the same as someone with a headache or stomach upset - can you ask for some Occ health support?

Fibromyalgia absolutely is a disability.

You should also look at a disability passport

https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/nhs-health-passport#:~:text=This%20editable%20health%20passport%20has,guidance%20PDF%20(334%20KB)%20Download

Thanks everyone I called in sick and asked them to log it as fibro.

Disability is any long-term condition which has a substantial effect on your function. There is no hierarchy of disability based on the diagnosis.