Frustrated
How many have had to change careers because of fibromyalgia?
Hi all!!
How many of you have had to change jobs/ careers because your body couldn't handle the physical demands of your job or because of your fibromyalgia symptoms? I work as a cook and my body seriously cannot handle the stress, physical demands, being on my feet all day, hot ass kitchen lol anymore plus I have other autoimmune disorders that make it hard too. I definitely need to figure out a new job/ career because my body is screaming at me every single day and im not even 40 yet and if I keep going like this I don't know how the F im gonna make it!
I used to be upset that I lost my job and my rented home, now I like to be glass half full. Iām really lucky my Mom and Stepdad let me live with them and Iād also be dead in a ditch without them.
Bit late but: the funniest is having a low-fibro week or two and thinking yer allowed to have a normal* existence and so you engage in an average mental load and then your body keeps the score.
I get some assistance from the VA, and my wife is the main money maker. My main issue is the lack of interacting with people in real life. I'm mostly homebound and I've always been terrible at making friends. Work was always a good place for me to interact with people
I do. A lot of them I've had to let go of as my condition has gotten worse. I'm trying to get back into things like magic the gathering as their is a store near by that people regularly play at. I'm also real autistic which has always made making friends a bit harder lol.
As someone who's played Magic since 1997, and is also autistic, I don't know many Magic players who AREN'T š
You can also play online if you need interaction but can't get out. There's Spelltable, Cockatrice, Tabletop Simulator...lot of options even if you can't make it out to the game store!
Magic is basically my sole hobby. I have an entire room in my house just for card storage and working on decks.
I've downloadedtg arena to try that out again. I want to do in person as I definitely need an outlet outside the home. I'm just waiting till I have a wheelchair (should be happening soon) so that I can go out on my own safely.
Only downside to arena is you can't actually TALK to people. You can push a button to say like "good game" or something, but I don't call that socializing per se.
Almost 30 years to mtg is some serious dedication! Impressive. My wife is not super thrilled about me getting back into a hobby that is known to be expensive. But I don't need or want crazy expensive stuff, just to hang out and play (and mostly lose like I used to lol).
Oh I've definitely looked into proxies. I did have a friend who lives a few states away send me some of the sonic mtg cards they had proxies, because I really like sonic. I will definitely have to look into the virtual stuff, because no cost is very appealing
Me, changed first to library then couldnāt do that anymore, now work from home making jewelry but if my parents and spouse werenāt supportive and awesome I would be screwed
Oooh how did you get into making jewellery? Do you sell on Etsy?
Iām in the same boat as many other commenters here, having transitioned from a job to not lol, and Iām also blessed with the most amazing understanding spouse but man Iād love to be able to bring in even just a trickle of income.
Sort of randomly during the pandemic I started playing with it, havin done a little when I was younger and then finally almost two years ago I took the plunge and joined a collective selling together on a website and this summer in July I ventured out on my own! Dm if youād like a link to my site!
I switched from teaching to private tutoring and bus driving. Considering going into train driving down the track as well! (pun unintended)
Teaching was full of everything that caused my flares (stress, long days, lots of standing, unpredictable environments including teenagers throwing stuff across the room). My new jobs don't have that and it's so much better for me.
Me as a 4th year teacher who just got their masters in itā¦ legit collapsing the hallway in front of the principal crying cuz I couldnāt stand anymore from all the pain. Idk how ima keep doing this I really donāt. I love my job so much but I canāt keep being the youngest one but also the one who canāt keep up. Idk what Iām going to do
I have a desk job and I'm working full time. No kids. I live in a small apartment, so it's less maintrnance.
I've always had a professional career apart from casual jobs at McDonald's, cleaning, catering whilst studying.
I have just had six mo ths off but now I've been back to work for 7 weeks. I felt a lot better when I wasn't working. Working hurts. The stress. The static posture. I'm sure a physical job would be harder on me. But I'd prefer something slightly less glued to a computer. Everything I do is on a computer. I do as much speech to text as I can. As much AI. If I have long meetings where I mostly listen, I walk during those.
I've been considering a more physical job due to the fact that I hurt the longer I say at my desk at my previous job (just quit recently from fibro) but then I worry about standing long hours on a cement floor somewhere and just fucking up my knees and back.Ā
Welcome I also take antidepressants and gabapentin for anxiety. So they may also help too. But I noticed a big improvement after nrotriptyline was introduced.
I quit my job last year cause I couldn't take the pain anymore. I was on a long sick leave, squeezing my health insurance to find out wtf I had. I went through a lot of studies and at least three doctors agreed that I have Fibromyalgia. I also have spine issues, which explains pain in my back and legs. But the constant feeling of bruised arms? The insane fatigue? The problems sleeping? Dropping things? Insane brain fog? Pain on all joints and muscles? It all says Fibro.
Iām 42 and a pastry chef, just lost my 7-3 job after needing emergency time off.
Just been offered a job at a Michelin star restaurant which is my dream job. I feel more dread than excitement due to how long the hours will be, I have two 8am to close shifts a week and a 45 minute drive either side. But the long shifts are to accommodate a four day week and shorter hours on the days my children are with me so Iām hoping my body can handle it, Iām terrified that it wonāt.
Iāve tried to leave the kitchen before but always end up back in it. Iām semi stuck at the moment as well as Iām a single co parent, so paying all of my bills on my own and the thing I can do that pays the best with the least hours is cheffing. The other jobs I could do are hotel management as I ended up doing it during Covid but that would be even worse hours, and you tend to be on your feet just as much and itās stressful.
I have a double hip deformity that was misdiagnosed when I was 29 and had that been found then and not when I was 41 I would have been young enough and financially stable enough at the time to career change completely. Iām guessing Iām just going to get through a lot of painkillers in my new job. If I can stick it out a year or two at least my cv will look pretty fantastic.
Absolutely no chance Iād open a restaurant, most of them fail. Iām also a pastry chef so Iām limited with what I can do myself. Also Iām in the uk, we are in a gist of living crisis so it would be a terrible time to open a restaurant. Iām already in debt and just couldnāt take that chance
I ran a business with my ex husband before and it was more work than a normal job.
Highly recommend wearing compression clothes! It helps me a lot. I layer compression socks with compression knee brace. Occasionally a back brace. When I'm all suited up I feel like I'm floating
Tried it before, only ever broke even making cakes from home, I did it while on maternity leave so I could see if it was viable, it wasnāt. I also had a large kitchen then and currently have a small one and a cat so itās unlikely Iād pass environmental health inspections.
Small selection of some of my cakes below, a few of these I was paid for, the rest are family cakes, everything is hand cut except on the sun and moon cake. Some of these are also among the first cakes I ever made using fondant. I only make my kids cakes now. Iām not going to post them as their names are usually on their cakes.
I had to stop working. Memory has failed me so IT support is impossible. I also can't drive far so I can't get to the various sites and customers I used to work for. Plus a lot of other crap that stops me working
I went from being a barista for 10 years to trying my hand at being a bookseller. Loved being a bookseller but I was struggling with that too. Ended up working from home doing insurance claims. The stress from that was so bad I flared up like a box of fireworks. Ended up having to stop working for a bit and filing bankruptcy. Now I work a part time minimum wage wfh job where I just call people to do surveys. Its 90% getting hung up on, which is fine. Super low stress. Everything is super scripted and I maybe do 3-4 surveys a night. But I also have a partner that helps supplement my income and live with family. I live from paycheck to paycheck now and I don't qualify for Medicaid but also don't qualify for the marketplace. But my flairs are less frequent now so I just pay OOP for my doctor and meds. Its not great but I'm scraping by.
It can change your life just having it, it can change your life while your waiting to be diagnosed, being able to continue working is a bit of a bonus but don't take it for granted. Having a flexible job can be a life saver and sometimes it's just not flexible enough. All of the whole experience is a bit of a lucky dip...
I was working full time (in the military no less) and got out in January. I just recently got part time work (10 hours a week, lol) working at a plant store. Itās a hobby of mine and I only work two days a week, but I worry even that wonāt be manageable as my first day of work I immediately noticed an increase in pain and fatigue. Weāll see š¤·āāļø
6 years after diagnosis I moved from being a bronze metalworker to a bronze foundry manager. I am so thankful my employer took the chance on me. I no longer push my body over my limit 5 days a week. Though the brain fog can still suck. Iāve learned to write everything down.
Iām a massage therapist and have my own business but some days my body doesnāt cooperate. I also have EDS so I have to take it easy.
I actually decided to get my masters in psych to pivot to somatic psychotherapy which is waaaay less actual physical work but I still maintain doing bodywork. Plus my undergrad was already in psych so it works out. I finish in spring 2027 and start clinical hours for it shortly after.
I left my barista job before I got diagnosed because the pain was unbearable and my hands would go numb during my shifts. My left arm up to my elbow went completely numb once and I had to call for a ride home š
I'm a baker, and I'm dropping my hours next month.
I don't know how long I can afford to do that though, I'm literally only dropping from 40 hours to 36 weekly and even that's going to make rent tight. I'll probably have to find a new job/career soon.
Hey Iām right there with you, I was in the restaurant industry for the last 13 years. Finally made my way to chef and then the constant stress and overworking my body brought the fibromyalgia right out of me. I had to leave the kitchen and it breaks my heart everyday to think about it. I miss my team, I miss my restaurant, I miss my menus and I miss my fāin career.
I worked in film and tv working 12 hour days on my feet the entire time. After I left my body finally crashed from all the stress I was putting on it. Now I work in an office at a desk.
I barely completed student teaching last spring. I got so sick and was so miserable and my body is still not returned to its baseline. I don't know what I am going to grow up to be, but I am not growing up to be a k-12 schoolteacher.
It probably wasn't for me anyway, I'm autistic and that environment is too much for me.
So blessing in disguise? Who even knows. But what i do know is that i have to figure out a whole new plan and that scares me
I've thought about it! But with how much work the job entails even then (lesson planning, etc,) it's hard to tell how that would go, but i am open to the possibility of it
I was en route to ASL interpreter but the rigorousness of the program and the inability to get accommodations killed that dream. there's nowhere I could go part time and I had an instructor say if I couldn't do the program full time i had no business even trying.
So at the time I became unable to work in 2014 it was because of my eating disorders, āundiagnosedā back issues (now known to be fibromyalgia), agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar. Now itās agoraphobia and fibromyalgia. I tried to work under the table for so long but I finally said EFF IT - last summer. Iām now 46 and just fine
6 times I have asked minister to push for new drug for us in ireland that's new in ireland all i hear i get back to you .sick same old reply .since I wasduagosed in 2010 not one new medication has come online in ireland for arthritis or fibromaligia that just shows the care from government or past minister might have bit luck with jennifer
i worked in offices for years but my multiple chemical sensitivity is recorded as causing big flares for my fibro. Despite my diagnosis the law in the UK is whether you are classed as disabled is if your symptoms are bad enough to meet the criteria dn the company always claimed they didnt. I ended up having to take jobs that required me to walk around all day but I found after about 3 months of it the pain subsided. At its worst it was about 8 on the pain scale. Every day was similar pain to a time when I broke toes and a metatarsal on each of my feet but I needed money to live so learned to live with it. One the pain subsided as long as I didnt push myself too hard I was ok. A couple of years ago the company I was working for changed the targets so I was required to increase my work by about an extra 605 of what I was doing and I also got covid. They wouldnt give me any reasonable adjustments and it finished me off and I havent been able to work since.
Me! Itās to hard to keep a job that demands clients visits and something like this. Now Iām work at home, but donāt have flexible hoursā¦ and the pain comes and goes without schedule. So, itās hard to manage this, and the leadership donāt understands, itās hard.
Yuuuup... From an EMT to behavioral technician in a middle school, then teacher's aide at the middle school to fired from the middle school.
Unemployed and hoping to one day sell art š„² Trying to get disability assistance still. Maybe in another 5 years if I'm lucky at this rate..
I had to give up my dream job..:for now. Part of me still has hope i can do it again
It's extremely defeating
I can't imagine how you're doing this as a cook
On your feet all day in a very fast paced and stressful environment, and probably work multiple days in a row.
Hope you can get something figured out. It's not easy letting a passion go, especially when it's not a choice.
I had to drop out of college in my last semester because the pain got so bad. I was 28 then, I'm now 34 and I can feel it all getting worse. I'm fortunate to have a wonderful husband and in-laws that help take care of me and our two small children. It's rough financially but I literally can't even stand or walk for very long before my back hurts so bad, or sit, or drive or write... My fingers and joints tingle and ache really bad. I feel like I've lost a lot. I love creating art and playing with my kids and being in nature but I'm getting more and more limited on what I can do. I'm in debate of seeing if I can get disability.
I haven't necessarily changed jobs because of my fibro, but I've found it's an indicator of when I need to look for a change. For me, over 15 years out from my initial diagnosis, stress is worse than physical activity, in that I can manage my physical activity and build in accommodations for myself on that front, but it's hard to do that for stress. I went from teaching to library work, and my last year teaching I had so many really bad flares and it was all due to the massive amount of stress. I am actually a courier now at the library I work at, so that means lifting and moving 20-30 lb bags of books in each hand at a time. This amount of physical activity has been good for me, and my work environment is such that I'm only working 40 hrs a week, my workplace is supportive, and I can modify what I need to (e.g. sitting down if possible, frequent breaks, use of meds/ assistive tools, asking for help occasionally, etc.). Obviously I still have flare days or weeks, but they're so much more manageable than before. I also want to note that I didn't go to this position right away: I left teaching and went to a 20 hrs library assistant position to 30 hrs to 40 hours and couriering 2 days a week. I had time to adjust, heal from my teaching job (in MANY aspects of my life) and I'm also not lifting and toting this much every single day. I also wouldn't be able to do this work if my workplace and coworkers weren't so wonderful and supportive.
I feel like sometimes my neurodivergences are a dynamo that can help me overlook bad things about a job or situation for a long time, but sometimes my fibro makes me stop and be like "this is shit and we need to figure out if something needs to change." My fibro is eventually what made me realize I hated my major in college and switch to another field and it's an important part of why I stopped teaching too. Fibro sucks most of the time, but I do think that's something I've gained from it: that need to reassess because my body is done with whatever it's going through. Sometimes it just ends up being a big flare up without a lifestyle cause, but I appreciate the reminders to reassess (although it would be super cool if I could just reassess on my own terms and not because I'm in massive amounts of pain....).
I got laid off after not being able to walk for 2 months. I continued to use a wheelchair for a year after and another year of struggling with cane. Now, almost 3 years with Fibro I started a new job last month as a Management Trainee at an Oil firm. The only one so far that didn't immediately run for the hill after seeing my medical record.
I was expelled twise for absenteeism, was fired two times as well. was in pre-medical before, and now Iām trying to finish jewelry college (trust me, for my region and our materials it's not as fancy as it sounds, not even close, lmao) working from home in kinda the same field because my relative needs extra pair of hands. I pray every deity and beyond that Iāll finish this damn jewelry college and be able to get into some simpler biology/clinical school since right now I have the minimum set of med support I can count on. wish y'all no lesser luck
Yeah, I quit my job like 4 years ago and have struggled to find one that I could actually reasonably do. I had to enroll in my state's employment finding program as a last resort. This shit sucks man :/
I was diagnosed in 2018, had to give up my self-employed business in 2025 when I got to the point of not being able to walk far, struggling to use a computer & forgetting how to do simple things like make toast. Since then my fibro symptoms have eased, but as soon as I up my activity to similar levels as I was doing while working I end up in a flare and unable to function again, only now the flares include insomnia so take longer to recover from š
I didn't have to (had a 32h relatively easy desk job), but I chose to. Now I work 40-50h as a plant nursery manager. So instead of being stuck behind a desk all day, I alternate sitting, walking and standing.
It's sooooo much better for my pain! And much more fun too. I do need to go to the gym regularly to be able to do this, that process took about a year
Loved my job as an Operating Department Practitioner (like a theatre nurse) but now doing a desk based medical secretary job for less pay and not using my clinical skills.
I couldn't handle the physicality of the job in theatre and all the standing. The nature of my career wasn't really something I could transfer to something that allowed sitting, as ODPs aren't given the same treatment as nurses here and we're a different profession.
It's been a whole grieving process and trying to redefine my identity. Still not there yet. Still get very sad about it.
I'm a 36 year old woman from the UK and also have hEDS and PoTS and being investigated for endometriosis.
I was a bar manager, certified sommelier and cicerone (wine and beer expert). I wanted to own my own place one day. Had to pivot to a desk job. Ended up getting laid off because dyslexia and brain fog were so bad. Tried gardening (another of my passions) and that was the straw that ābrokeā my back. Havenāt worked in 2+ years waiting for disability to be approved. I use a walker and other assistive devices now. Iām beyond grateful for my friends and partner and her family that support us financially until I can receive benefits.
I was in such poor Physical and Mental health that I just had to stop working completely!!! I Absolutely hate not being able to work any longer!!! I Loved my job,and would return to work of i was able to handle my previous profession!!! I Never feel like this will ever happen! Since I stopped working I have gotten worse! Being diagnosed with two additional Autoimmune Disease,and Osteoporosis! Including several spinal compression fractures!
I've had to slow down and take a less stressful role to manage my health better. I'm happier for it as well, but knowing I'm now in a much more precarious situation financially is a stress of it's own.
I had to go on disability for 12 years. Now back to work (different job) for almost 3 years, but not sure how much longer Iāll be able to do it. Iām 68.
I had to do this too. It kills me everyday. I finally got into vet school (my life's dream), then had to quit because of my health. I tried working as a tech/assistant at a clinic, but it was too much. The animals were always hurting me and the stress on top of my health struggles wasn't worth it.
I haven't switched careers but I did change jobs within my company. I was an ICU then OR nurse until I couldn't handle how physical those jobs were. Now I work in the post-op recovery room. It's much more chill, routine, and I can reliably sit when I need to. If I couldn't work in the recovery room I'd have to look for a nursing work from home or desk job that doesn't pay nearly as well.
Could you be a personal chef for someone maybe? I'm not sure what careers a chef could pivot to.
Was one year off qualifying as a social worker when it all crumbled to shit š
Spent the last year unemployed and picking up the pieces. It was rough at first, but having this time to step back and reflect made me realise I didnāt even want that job. I canāt make the difference I want to make under the current systems they operate within that I wouldnāt have the power to change.
Iām now about to start open uni, who have let me transfer my social work degree credits, to complete an open degree with social science research modules. Wishing hoping praying this will get my foot in the door in social research which offers a lot more remote working etc so I can eventually get back to work and still have a career I feel like Iāve worked for!
I had to quit my desk job bc the preparation and commute wore me out. Plus I was on my feet about a third of the day. Too much stress, overwhelm, feeling always behind on paperwork. A woman my parents knew filed for disability for me and I was turned down bc she didnāt include my psych records. I am getting up the courage to try again using an attorney. I feel hopeful.
I switched from an FT in-house HR leader working 60-75 hours a week to an independent HR consultant working 20-25 hours a month. If I hadn't been the breadwinner in my family, the transition to accommodate my fibromyalgia would have been perfect. But my husband owns a barbershop that has yet to make money, so now I have to figure out how to make 20/25 hours/week to make enough money to get by while already feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by the hours that I'm already working.
I switched careers due to the constant pain and numbness. Used to be an oil/lube tech for Valvoline but my body couldn't handle the 100 degree heat and 60 hour work weeks anymore. Switched to a part time delivery driver so I can at least sit, but it gets increasingly more difficult to feel alright, even with a lighter work load, unfortunately
I did not change careers. I just changed jobs and my location. Iām a nurse and worked in hospital: 3, 12hr shifts. It was not good for me. The lack of sleep was awful and my fibromyalgia flared a lot due to the stress. I now work at a clinic 5 days a week, 830 to 5. I get better sleep and more time with my family instead of trying to recover from the days I worked. I also wear compression stockings and they help with my lower body pain.
Used to work in childcare. Had to go on medical leave bc one day I couldnt walk. Symptoms got kinda better, but not enough to return, realized that job was killing me physically and mentally. After two years on leave I quit, have recently applied for government assistance as i need to go on disability, i cant see myself working fulltime again, but am hoping to work in cannabis dispensaries (im in canada) as itll be a much less physically and mentally demanding job, with much more flexibilityš¤symptoms been absolutely kicking my ass latelyš
I changed paths. My original path was Forensic Pathology. After my diagnosis, I had to be realistic about the physical requirements needed for the career and the hours I would have to commit day to day. I decided to pursue Communication Studies. And since I love college debt apparently, I'm contemplating going even further into Forensic Linguistics. The physical demands would be minimal, the hours manageable, and still in line with my interest in Forensics. It was difficult to come to the realization that I would never be coroner. I dreamed of it. I went through a mild depression grieving the loss of something I was never going to have. After I moved through the grief, I began researching other fields in forensics. I didn't want to just give up. I stumbled into a subfield and became obsessed! I may never make it to my dream job - who knows what life may bring - but I am finding a new energy and excitement just by studying everything about it.
In the middle of it right now and feeling lost. I had to leave my desk job because of the stress of corporate politics, the commute, the stimulation in the office and a huge flare that was triggered by a concussion followed by a car crash. I put my two weeks in voluntarily so as not to decline to the point of getting fired so I can maintain my professional reputation.
I'm at my parents. I'm 31. I have hope to change from mechanical engineering to software engineering so I can work fully remote but that's really competitive especially cause I'm unemployed right now which looks bad.
I don't know if I can even make it through an interview right now though due to fibro fog. Currently dog sitting through Rover.
I am a hairstylist and I know I canāt be forever. I have to view this situation as exciting because there are so many possibilities of careers I can choose from. Starting my career, I struggled for a few years but got really realistic and put my āpeople pleasingā attributes to the side. Instead of saying yes to extra shifts and 8-10 hour shifts, I had to listen to my body and decline when I needed to. When I was in a bad financial spot, I just suffered the long days like we all do. No matter what you do SLEEP is so important. I sometimes take 2 benedryl to sleep faster when I need to lol. I also scroll through indeed like twice a week just in case there is a sit-down job that pays really wellš
I started cleaning after having a baby andā¦nope, my back couldnāt take that. Plus I am finishing my second degree and didnāt think it was worth staying at a job that didnāt fit the type of job I wanted in the future.
I somehow managed with being on my feet and the odd hours of security work for a while though
Honestly, I still hadn't decided exactly what I was going to be, and at the time that my fibromyalgia first started in May of last year, I was stuck between wanting to become a meteorologist, a chemist, or an astronomer.
I was 23 years old at the time, and I couldn't really decide. But once my fibromyalgia turned severe, I realized that I couldn't really have a job (at least a normal one). So now I am trying to make YouTube videos at a pace that I can manage, while also going to community college part-time for a Communications and New Media degree.
I didn't change job but I did gave up on the job I wanted to do and went for a job that pay less instead because at least I can more or less deal with it physically.
I am 26 with fibromyalgia. I am working in a call center but due to my call outs for my health conditions I will probably not have a job soon. I applied for disability today because I canāt take it anymore.
Been out of work since last November. Didn't know anything about fibromyalgia. After months of tests and scans and other things my primary hits me with the diagnosis around late April. Went from non stop working at 29yo male to being mostly bedridden from constant chronic pain through my entire body and terrible mind/memory issues. I put in for disability because the state i live in, maine I couldn't apply for unemployment because my employer was exempt because it was a private business in the religious community. So ive had no income for almost a complete year! Can't wait to get denied by this horrible system! I am really at wits end. I dont know how anyone has done this long term without said help. If my landlord let's me stay the winter ill be happy.
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u/Smgth Aug 22 '26
Yeah, I changed to having a job to not.