working w/taking narcotics or any meds

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm sorry that as a nurse you aren't educated enough to know that there are

those that can take narcotics for pain relief and it does not cloud their

judgment or ability. Once you are on a stable dose of medicine that " you "

tolerate well, your pain should be under control for the most part, but not

completely gone. I've always been told that the goal of pain mgt. is not to

bring the patient to total pain relief (long-term patients, not those with

short-term issues). Total pain relief usually equals too much of a pain

medication - again, what I've been told and experienced over 13 years. I can't

even begin to tell you how few people I would ever tell when I was taking oral

narcotics because of this blatant negative and prejudicial attitude.

Sorry - but just as you are protective of your career, I am of patients that

need narcotics to survive a life of pain and I can say with 100% certainty that

the meds I've taken did not impact my judgment, skills, or ability. It's this

notion that those that take narcotics can't perform jobs with responsibility

that proliferate the negativity and bias against people that need narcotics to

live some semblance of a normal life.

Everyone is different and I know people whose blood pressure medicines messes

with their head more than beginning narcotics ever have to me. Do you have the

same view for doctors and nurses that take antidepressants? Anti-anxiety

medicines or any others that have the ability to produce side-effects? How

about nurses or doctors that have diabetes? Should they too leave the field in

case they don't take their insulin or aren't monitoring their sugar levels as

well as they should? If I am not on the correct dosage of my thyroid medicine,

I am a horror show and have physical symptoms from it - should I be excluded?

Should we include those with ADD/ADHD?

There are just so many conditions that could interfere with a person's ability

to do any job - most of the time they don't. You'd be shocked if you knew how

many law enforcement officials needed narcotics to control pain and without

these, they would not be employed - with them? They're stable, deal with the

residual pain and are as clear-headed as anyone else (those that take them

responsibly).

I really hope you research this issue and talk to people who have taken

narcotics responsibly long-term.

Kathy

And I'm sorry but I do not want my nurse on narcotics. Also, very few

facilities have less than 12 hour shifts now. Can you do activity for 12 hours

(13-14 with report)? My god I am lucky if I can do an hour or two without having

to lay down. Even school requires hours of sitting...I'm sorry if these words

are harsh but I have either gotten a totally wrong picture of you or you are not

thinking this through. I think its great that you have realized the toll that

your job is taking on you and you want to make some changes but if you think

nursing is easier than sales you are wrong. JMHO, you are free to cuss me all

you want.

[Guest guest]

It is not my education that is faulty in my coming to this opinion, it is my

experience with not only taking meds myself but in working with other nurses,

doctors, policemen who take meds. I have worked with nurses who were diabetic

and yes, it affected their patient care. I had to step in many times to care

for a patient as their speech slurred and they realized they were about to go

down and had to go take care of themselves by eating or whatever. I have worked

with Doctors that were on antidepressants that ordered the wrong dosages or

drugs that could have killed the patient had it not been caught. I worked with a

police officer (was a records clerk before nursing) who took pain meds who

had his weapon taken away by a prisoner putting us all at risk as the now gun

wielding prisoner tried to escape. I have taken antidepressants and thought I

was perfectly normal ( I would have sworn 100% too)and was having no ill effects

whatsoever until I came off

of them and accused the IRS of fraud over an aggreement I had with them for

over two years. Maybe you are right, perhaps it was all just the people and not

the meds. Im sure that meds have nothing to do with the tens of thousands of

errors that occur in the medical field costing lives every year (and the

majority of the mistakes arent even reported). Meds may (and often do) affect

judgement, reaction time, reflexes/response time, memory, critical thinking

skills with most people, even after stabilizing on them. Personally, when I was

responsible for a babies life, I would not take that risk. Call it ignorance,

call it whatever you like, I called it safe. I'm not telling anyone they

shouldnt take meds, I'm saying be aware that they may affect your ability to

perform certain positions safely and to be honest and responsible for your

choices.

Subject: working w/taking narcotics or any meds

To: tetheredspinalcord

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 12:41 PM

 

Hi ,

I'm sorry that as a nurse you aren't educated enough to know that there are

those that can take narcotics for pain relief and it does not cloud their

judgment or ability. Once you are on a stable dose of medicine that " you "

tolerate well, your pain should be under control for the most part, but not

completely gone. I've always been told that the goal of pain mgt. is not to

bring the patient to total pain relief (long-term patients, not those with

short-term issues). Total pain relief usually equals too much of a pain

medication - again, what I've been told and experienced over 13 years. I can't

even begin to tell you how few people I would ever tell when I was taking oral

narcotics because of this blatant negative and prejudicial attitude.

Sorry - but just as you are protective of your career, I am of patients that

need narcotics to survive a life of pain and I can say with 100% certainty that

the meds I've taken did not impact my judgment, skills, or ability. It's this

notion that those that take narcotics can't perform jobs with responsibility

that proliferate the negativity and bias against people that need narcotics to

live some semblance of a normal life.

Everyone is different and I know people whose blood pressure medicines messes

with their head more than beginning narcotics ever have to me. Do you have the

same view for doctors and nurses that take antidepressants? Anti-anxiety

medicines or any others that have the ability to produce side-effects? How about

nurses or doctors that have diabetes? Should they too leave the field in case

they don't take their insulin or aren't monitoring their sugar levels as well as

they should? If I am not on the correct dosage of my thyroid medicine, I am a

horror show and have physical symptoms from it - should I be excluded? Should we

include those with ADD/ADHD?

There are just so many conditions that could interfere with a person's ability

to do any job - most of the time they don't. You'd be shocked if you knew how

many law enforcement officials needed narcotics to control pain and without

these, they would not be employed - with them? They're stable, deal with the

residual pain and are as clear-headed as anyone else (those that take them

responsibly).

I really hope you research this issue and talk to people who have taken

narcotics responsibly long-term.

Kathy

And I'm sorry but I do not want my nurse on narcotics. Also, very few facilities

have less than 12 hour shifts now. Can you do activity for 12 hours (13-14 with

report)? My god I am lucky if I can do an hour or two without having to lay

down. Even school requires hours of sitting...I'm sorry if these words are harsh

but I have either gotten a totally wrong picture of you or you are not thinking

this through. I think its great that you have realized the toll that your job is

taking on you and you want to make some changes but if you think nursing is

easier than sales you are wrong. JMHO, you are free to cuss me all you want.

[Guest guest]

Because you are coming from a place of education and personal experiences, I

know that I can't change your mind that people that take narcotics, over a

period of time, responsibly, can take on a job with skill, responsibility and

where decisions matter. I'll agree to disagree because for every research paper

I can produce that states the same as I do, there is another one stating the

opposite.

Kathy

working w/taking narcotics or any meds

To: tetheredspinalcord

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 12:41 PM

Hi ,

I'm sorry that as a nurse you aren't educated enough to know that there are

those that can take narcotics for pain relief and it does not cloud their

judgment or ability. Once you are on a stable dose of medicine that " you "

tolerate well, your pain should be under control for the most part, but not

completely gone. I've always been told that the goal of pain mgt. is not to

bring the patient to total pain relief (long-term patients, not those with

short-term issues). Total pain relief usually equals too much of a pain

medication - again, what I've been told and experienced over 13 years. I can't

even begin to tell you how few people I would ever tell when I was taking oral

narcotics because of this blatant negative and prejudicial attitude.

Sorry - but just as you are protective of your career, I am of patients that

need narcotics to survive a life of pain and I can say with 100% certainty that

the meds I've taken did not impact my judgment, skills, or ability. It's this

notion that those that take narcotics can't perform jobs with responsibility

that proliferate the negativity and bias against people that need narcotics to

live some semblance of a normal life.

Everyone is different and I know people whose blood pressure medicines messes

with their head more than beginning narcotics ever have to me. Do you have the

same view for doctors and nurses that take antidepressants? Anti-anxiety

medicines or any others that have the ability to produce side-effects? How about

nurses or doctors that have diabetes? Should they too leave the field in case

they don't take their insulin or aren't monitoring their sugar levels as well as

they should? If I am not on the correct dosage of my thyroid medicine, I am a

horror show and have physical symptoms from it - should I be excluded? Should we

include those with ADD/ADHD?

There are just so many conditions that could interfere with a person's ability

to do any job - most of the time they don't. You'd be shocked if you knew how

many law enforcement officials needed narcotics to control pain and without

these, they would not be employed - with them? They're stable, deal with the

residual pain and are as clear-headed as anyone else (those that take them

responsibly).

I really hope you research this issue and talk to people who have taken

narcotics responsibly long-term.

Kathy

And I'm sorry but I do not want my nurse on narcotics. Also, very few

facilities have less than 12 hour shifts now. Can you do activity for 12 hours

(13-14 with report)? My god I am lucky if I can do an hour or two without having

to lay down. Even school requires hours of sitting...I'm sorry if these words

are harsh but I have either gotten a totally wrong picture of you or you are not

thinking this through. I think its great that you have realized the toll that

your job is taking on you and you want to make some changes but if you think

nursing is easier than sales you are wrong. JMHO, you are free to cuss me all

you want.

[Guest guest]

Having worked in health care in direct patient care and as a person with TC

who uses narcotics for pain management, I can see both sides of the coin.

Both of y'all have very valid points.

I completely agree that a lot of people are not affected cognitively by

narcotic pain management. Most employers understand this. When I applied

for my last job, I had to take a UA for drugs. Before I provided my sample,

I had to fill out a form indicating what medications I was prescribed and

the doses (I also had to provide my Rx bottles for any controlled substances

to prove they were legitimately prescribed to me). As long as the results of

the UA reflected only those meds I was prescribed and at the levels that I

was prescribed, there was no problem.

Now, with regard to working while taking narcotics, my dose was prescribed

to take every 12 hours. I worked 13 hour shifts. While I was allowed to take

my meds and work and my meds do not affect me cognitively, I just didn't

think it was a good idea to take them. God forbid, something go wrong with

a patient and the family (or patient) chose to sue the hospital, and it came

out that I was taking narcotics, I think it would have not fared well for me

or the hospital. Or if I was in an accident, the same issue could arise.

Even though they had NOTHING to do with the patient's outcome. That was when

I decided I had to quit - I could no longer skip that dose and work - the

pain was just too bad. While I think its okay to take them and work, I just

don't think its a good idea.

, I think you said it best when you said its being " safe. " That's

exactly it. Its not illegal. But, it can cause problems. And I know I just

couldn't deal with it if something happened to one of my patients and they

blamed me and my medicine - regardless of the fact it didn't play a role in

the outcome.

Jenn

On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 2:24 PM, wrote:

>

>

> It is not my education that is faulty in my coming to this opinion, it is

> my experience with not only taking meds myself but in working with other

> nurses, doctors, policemen who take meds. I have worked with nurses who were

> diabetic and yes, it affected their patient care. I had to step in many

> times to care for a patient as their speech slurred and they realized they

> were about to go down and had to go take care of themselves by eating or

> whatever. I have worked with Doctors that were on antidepressants that

> ordered the wrong dosages or drugs that could have killed the patient had it

> not been caught. I worked with a police officer (was a records clerk before

> nursing) who took pain meds who had his weapon taken away by a prisoner

> putting us all at risk as the now gun wielding prisoner tried to escape. I

> have taken antidepressants and thought I was perfectly normal ( I would have

> sworn 100% too)and was having no ill effects whatsoever until I came off

> of them and accused the IRS of fraud over an aggreement I had with them for

> over two years. Maybe you are right, perhaps it was all just the people and

> not the meds. Im sure that meds have nothing to do with the tens of

> thousands of errors that occur in the medical field costing lives every year

> (and the majority of the mistakes arent even reported). Meds may (and often

> do) affect judgement, reaction time, reflexes/response time, memory,

> critical thinking skills with most people, even after stabilizing on

> them. Personally, when I was responsible for a babies life, I would not take

> that risk. Call it ignorance, call it whatever you like, I called it safe.

> I'm not telling anyone they shouldnt take meds, I'm saying be aware that

> they may affect your ability to perform certain positions safely and to be

> honest and responsible for your choices.

>

>

>

>

> Subject: working w/taking narcotics or any meds

> To: tetheredspinalcord

> Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 12:41 PM

>

>

>

>

> Hi ,

>

> I'm sorry that as a nurse you aren't educated enough to know that there are

> those that can take narcotics for pain relief and it does not cloud their

> judgment or ability. Once you are on a stable dose of medicine that " you "

> tolerate well, your pain should be under control for the most part, but not

> completely gone. I've always been told that the goal of pain mgt. is not to

> bring the patient to total pain relief (long-term patients, not those with

> short-term issues). Total pain relief usually equals too much of a pain

> medication - again, what I've been told and experienced over 13 years. I

> can't even begin to tell you how few people I would ever tell when I was

> taking oral narcotics because of this blatant negative and prejudicial

> attitude.

>

> Sorry - but just as you are protective of your career, I am of patients

> that need narcotics to survive a life of pain and I can say with 100%

> certainty that the meds I've taken did not impact my judgment, skills, or

> ability. It's this notion that those that take narcotics can't perform jobs

> with responsibility that proliferate the negativity and bias against people

> that need narcotics to live some semblance of a normal life.

>

> Everyone is different and I know people whose blood pressure medicines

> messes with their head more than beginning narcotics ever have to me. Do you

> have the same view for doctors and nurses that take antidepressants?

> Anti-anxiety medicines or any others that have the ability to produce

> side-effects? How about nurses or doctors that have diabetes? Should they

> too leave the field in case they don't take their insulin or aren't

> monitoring their sugar levels as well as they should? If I am not on the

> correct dosage of my thyroid medicine, I am a horror show and have physical

> symptoms from it - should I be excluded? Should we include those with

> ADD/ADHD?

>

> There are just so many conditions that could interfere with a person's

> ability to do any job - most of the time they don't. You'd be shocked if you

> knew how many law enforcement officials needed narcotics to control pain and

> without these, they would not be employed - with them? They're stable, deal

> with the residual pain and are as clear-headed as anyone else (those that

> take them responsibly).

>

> I really hope you research this issue and talk to people who have taken

> narcotics responsibly long-term.

>

> Kathy

>

> And I'm sorry but I do not want my nurse on narcotics. Also, very few

> facilities have less than 12 hour shifts now. Can you do activity for 12

> hours (13-14 with report)? My god I am lucky if I can do an hour or two

> without having to lay down. Even school requires hours of sitting...I'm

> sorry if these words are harsh but I have either gotten a totally wrong

> picture of you or you are not thinking this through. I think its great that

> you have realized the toll that your job is taking on you and you want to

> make some changes but if you think nursing is easier than sales you are

> wrong. JMHO, you are free to cuss me all you want.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Awwwhhh... its all sunshine and rainbows and kittens and puppies. One big

happy....

: )

>

>

> I'll agree to disagree because for every research paper I can produce that

> states the same as I do, there is another one stating the opposite.

>

> Kathy

>

>

[Guest guest]

Very interesting. I have worked on meds ALL of my life. 18-26 antidepressent.

Now on morphine.

I have moved around to different jobs and never had an issue.

I would assume a large percentage of people are on some type of medication. I

have to say those examples don't point to drugs but individual circumstance?

(Esp the cop one)

>Having worked in health care in direct patient care and as a person with TC

>who uses narcotics for pain management, I can see both sides of the coin.

>Both of y'all have very valid points.

>

>I completely agree that a lot of people are not affected cognitively by

>narcotic pain management. Most employers understand this. When I applied

>for my last job, I had to take a UA for drugs. Before I provided my sample,

>I had to fill out a form indicating what medications I was prescribed and

>the doses (I also had to provide my Rx bottles for any controlled substances

>to prove they were legitimately prescribed to me). As long as the results of

>the UA reflected only those meds I was prescribed and at the levels that I

>was prescribed, there was no problem.

>

>Now, with regard to working while taking narcotics, my dose was prescribed

>to take every 12 hours. I worked 13 hour shifts. While I was allowed to take

>my meds and work and my meds do not affect me cognitively, I just didn't

>think it was a good idea to take them. God forbid, something go wrong with

>a patient and the family (or patient) chose to sue the hospital, and it came

>out that I was taking narcotics, I think it would have not fared well for me

>or the hospital. Or if I was in an accident, the same issue could arise.

>Even though they had NOTHING to do with the patient's outcome. That was when

>I decided I had to quit - I could no longer skip that dose and work - the

>pain was just too bad. While I think its okay to take them and work, I just

>don't think its a good idea.

>

>, I think you said it best when you said its being " safe. " That's

>exactly it. Its not illegal. But, it can cause problems. And I know I just

>couldn't deal with it if something happened to one of my patients and they

>blamed me and my medicine - regardless of the fact it didn't play a role in

>the outcome.

>

>Jenn

>

>On Wed, Mar 23, 2011 at 2:24 PM, wrote:

>

>>

>>

>> It is not my education that is faulty in my coming to this opinion, it is

>> my experience with not only taking meds myself but in working with other

>> nurses, doctors, policemen who take meds. I have worked with nurses who were

>> diabetic and yes, it affected their patient care. I had to step in many

>> times to care for a patient as their speech slurred and they realized they

>> were about to go down and had to go take care of themselves by eating or

>> whatever. I have worked with Doctors that were on antidepressants that

>> ordered the wrong dosages or drugs that could have killed the patient had it

>> not been caught. I worked with a police officer (was a records clerk before

>> nursing) who took pain meds who had his weapon taken away by a prisoner

>> putting us all at risk as the now gun wielding prisoner tried to escape. I

>> have taken antidepressants and thought I was perfectly normal ( I would have

>> sworn 100% too)and was having no ill effects whatsoever until I came off

>> of them and accused the IRS of fraud over an aggreement I had with them for

>> over two years. Maybe you are right, perhaps it was all just the people and

>> not the meds. Im sure that meds have nothing to do with the tens of

>> thousands of errors that occur in the medical field costing lives every year

>> (and the majority of the mistakes arent even reported). Meds may (and often

>> do) affect judgement, reaction time, reflexes/response time, memory,

>> critical thinking skills with most people, even after stabilizing on

>> them. Personally, when I was responsible for a babies life, I would not take

>> that risk. Call it ignorance, call it whatever you like, I called it safe.

>> I'm not telling anyone they shouldnt take meds, I'm saying be aware that

>> they may affect your ability to perform certain positions safely and to be

>> honest and responsible for your choices.

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> Subject: working w/taking narcotics or any meds

>> To: tetheredspinalcord

>> Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 12:41 PM

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> Hi ,

>>

>> I'm sorry that as a nurse you aren't educated enough to know that there are

>> those that can take narcotics for pain relief and it does not cloud their

>> judgment or ability. Once you are on a stable dose of medicine that " you "

>> tolerate well, your pain should be under control for the most part, but not

>> completely gone. I've always been told that the goal of pain mgt. is not to

>> bring the patient to total pain relief (long-term patients, not those with

>> short-term issues). Total pain relief usually equals too much of a pain

>> medication - again, what I've been told and experienced over 13 years. I

>> can't even begin to tell you how few people I would ever tell when I was

>> taking oral narcotics because of this blatant negative and prejudicial

>> attitude.

>>

>> Sorry - but just as you are protective of your career, I am of patients

>> that need narcotics to survive a life of pain and I can say with 100%

>> certainty that the meds I've taken did not impact my judgment, skills, or

>> ability. It's this notion that those that take narcotics can't perform jobs

>> with responsibility that proliferate the negativity and bias against people

>> that need narcotics to live some semblance of a normal life.

>>

>> Everyone is different and I know people whose blood pressure medicines

>> messes with their head more than beginning narcotics ever have to me. Do you

>> have the same view for doctors and nurses that take antidepressants?

>> Anti-anxiety medicines or any others that have the ability to produce

>> side-effects? How about nurses or doctors that have diabetes? Should they

>> too leave the field in case they don't take their insulin or aren't

>> monitoring their sugar levels as well as they should? If I am not on the

>> correct dosage of my thyroid medicine, I am a horror show and have physical

>> symptoms from it - should I be excluded? Should we include those with

>> ADD/ADHD?

>>

>> There are just so many conditions that could interfere with a person's

>> ability to do any job - most of the time they don't. You'd be shocked if you

>> knew how many law enforcement officials needed narcotics to control pain and

>> without these, they would not be employed - with them? They're stable, deal

>> with the residual pain and are as clear-headed as anyone else (those that

>> take them responsibly).

>>

>> I really hope you research this issue and talk to people who have taken

>> narcotics responsibly long-term.

>>

>> Kathy

>>

>> And I'm sorry but I do not want my nurse on narcotics. Also, very few

>> facilities have less than 12 hour shifts now. Can you do activity for 12

>> hours (13-14 with report)? My god I am lucky if I can do an hour or two

>> without having to lay down. Even school requires hours of sitting...I'm

>> sorry if these words are harsh but I have either gotten a totally wrong

>> picture of you or you are not thinking this through. I think its great that

>> you have realized the toll that your job is taking on you and you want to

>> make some changes but if you think nursing is easier than sales you are

>> wrong. JMHO, you are free to cuss me all you want.

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Yep I am totally good with agreeing to disagree. No hard feelings towards

anyone and I apologize to if I overstepped my bounds or came across too

harsh. I recently went through something very similar after my last surgery. I

was doing SO GOOD!!!

 I immediately started making plans to go to massage school, I was so

excited!!!! I went to several schools interviewing and such and checked into VR

etc. Then my nerves woke up. Then the reality of sitting in class for 8 hours

set in (even alternating sitting and standing....just committing to being

anywhere upright for 8 hours day after day is not possible as I would be in bed

for a week after the first day LOL) Then I realized that even if I did make it

through school..patients would be counting on me to be there 100% and there are

just too many days that no matter how hard I tried I would not be able to give

them that. Then I realized the toll I was about to put on my system and that I

would be doing more harm than good. It was a hard fall. My friends and family

told me after the fact....we thought you were cutting off waaaay more than you

could chew.

But....I changed the dream. Being a caregiver, of course I want to help people

but I have to help myself first or there is nothing to give. Now I focus on ways

that I can help that dont hurt me and make me suffer or cause further damage.

, I have been very concerned about you with your pain and knots and

arm/hand numbness and dropping things and brain scans etc...being the Mama bear

that I am, I just want you to get better not cause yourself more pain and

stress. You are so young! and have so much further to go...

I hope you find something that you love to do that is kind and gentle to your

body.

 

 

 

>

>

> I'll agree to disagree because for every research paper I can produce that

> states the same as I do, there is another one stating the opposite.

>

> Kathy

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

You are totally a " mama " LOL I forgot to mention (and this

would probably have helped), I did decrease the Neurontin and it helped A

LOT. No more dropping things etc. It was for sure some type of OD or side

effect. I don't think I was paying that much attention to it until it got

really bad.

The knots are the only thing that is left and I was told the hip

is inflammation, as are the other knots, as is my sitting etc. That is why I am

pushing for a different environment work wise. When I traveled and was

getting up, lifting, walking, driving.. I was feeling GREAT. I couldn't believe

it! The extensive travel actually had a good effect on me vs. making me worse.

As soon as I got back here Tuesday I started to feel horrible. Yesterday I got

home at 7, took an Ambien and went to bed, I could not handle taking a shower

even. So basically back to " normal " .

I plan on starting more extensive PT, trying Botox etc and most likely switching

jobs.. then figuring out what my next steps are.

I need a career change though! I am so sick of the constant pressure and

expectations. 

Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it

>

>

> I'll agree to disagree because for every research paper I can produce that

> states the same as I do, there is another one stating the opposite.

>

> Kathy

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

You have my complete empathy. Our oldest daughter is 100% healthy and after

four years was almost emotionally broken and was physically drained from her

sales job. I was shocked at the pressure they place on sales - the quotas, cold

calls, referrals, the outrageous hours, the constant dangling of a carrot for

this or that amount of sales and constant competition with all other sales

people.

She was on the road five days a week and used her home as her " office " - which

may sound ideal, but she had an infant and it was really difficult. She was

always torn between putting our granddaughter in daycare when she was home or

having her home with her and not able to get her work completed.

She was laid off about three years ago (this company is the largest supporter of

the Boston Red Sox) during a down-sizing. It was the best thing that ever

happened to her. She is now a loan officer for a small credit union and her

sales experience, drive and ambition has already gotten her two promotions and

countless awards, but thankfully no commission work at this bank/CU.

I agree --- do not quit work. I left teaching in Sept. and still am considered

employed and under contract by my school district (I know it's a bit different

than your situation). I do get some disability pay and do not need to formally

resign from my position until November of this year - even then though, I can

apply for (I think) a 90 day extension. I first left under FMLA.

Modifications would not have been practical for my career and they wouldn't have

helped enough to allow me to remain employed and fulfill my job duties. There

are strict guidelines that the employer has to follow and that you have to

adhere to also.

If you think you will be out of work for a year or more, you can apply for SS

Dis. If there's even a remote chance you will be out for a year or longer, you

may want to consider applying asap. It takes seven months from your date of

leaving work to receive your first payment, if approved.

Does your employer offer any type of disability pay? I had no idea I was

eligible for dis. pay - I did not pay into the dis. insurance so assumed that

was that and that we were just going to run through our savings until I figured

something out. But, turns out there was another disability fund that was

available and the one that coworkers paid into was a supplement to this. I

lucked out and hopefully you will to.

Let us know how we can help.

Kathy

Re: working w/taking narcotics or any meds

,

You are totally a " mama " LOL I forgot to mention (and this would probably have

helped), I did decrease the Neurontin and it helped A LOT. No more dropping

things etc. It was for sure some type of OD or side effect. I don't think I was

paying that much attention to it until it got really bad.

The knots are the only thing that is left and I was told the hip is

inflammation, as are the other knots, as is my sitting etc. That is why I am

pushing for a different environment work wise. When I traveled and was getting

up, lifting, walking, driving.. I was feeling GREAT. I couldn't believe it! The

extensive travel actually had a good effect on me vs. making me worse. As soon

as I got back here Tuesday I started to feel horrible. Yesterday I got home at

7, took an Ambien and went to bed, I could not handle taking a shower even. So

basically back to " normal " .

I plan on starting more extensive PT, trying Botox etc and most likely

switching jobs.. then figuring out what my next steps are.

I need a career change though! I am so sick of the constant pressure and

expectations.

Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it

>

>

> I'll agree to disagree because for every research paper I can produce that

> states the same as I do, there is another one stating the opposite.

>

> Kathy

>

>

[Guest guest]

OMG!! I am so glad you are doing better! It is truly amazing how insideous the

side effects can be sometimes....especially for those with neural deficits, I

truly thought I was just declining neurologically as a natural course of having

TC. Thank goodness we figured out it was the Neurontin! I'm happy for us!

>

>

> I'll agree to disagree because for every research paper I can produce that

> states the same as I do, there is another one stating the opposite.

>

> Kathy

>

>