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Self diagnosis

Posted , 10 users are following.

Abbyleanne86
Abbyleanne86

Hi all, another newbie here!

For the last couple of month's I have been feeling physically exhausted and always tired with extreme brain fog. I did what most of us do and put it down to working too much. I am 28 years old, work 38+ hours a week as a retail manager for a very demanding independent company and I never get 2 days off in a row so rarely get a chance for a proper rest.

I have been off work for the past 3 days as it has all got too much for me to handle. I am physically struggling to get out of bed because my body aches, constantly have the feeling of lethargy, my head never feels clear, concentrating and motivation is near impossible, I struggle getting my words out sometimes and the one that gets me is that even upon waking up it feels like I haven't slept at all. On top of that I constantly have a sore and dry throat (which I originally thought was down to the air conditioning at work) and I have also noticed an increased sensitivity to bright lights, including the sun!

I had similar symptoms a few years ago, but not this severe and I was tested for anaemia and also hypothyroidism which came back normal, so I just went away and did the whole healthy lifestyle/exercise thing.

Exercise is now near impossible, either because I'm too tired to even start or because when I do the after effects make me feel worse.

I am going to the doctors again tomorrow and from reading other posts in this forum I understand it takes a long time to be diagnosed with CFS. Has anyone here self diagnosed themselves beforehand and then later had it confirmed by their GP? I've been researching this condition a lot today and everything I read describes exactly how I feel.

Would it be a good idea for me to talk to my employer and express how much I am struggling? I don't think I can physically continue to work the hours that I currently am, but I can't afford to not work. What would you suggest?

Thanks in advance smile

2 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

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  • mark57938
    mark57938 Abbyleanne86

    Posted

    Hi Abby,

    You will need to address the stress in your life. My PVF was caused by a hectic fast-paced work cycle in a retail business with no real rest time. But if you don't take away that stress this won't go away. I just carried on and in the end I got tonsillitis, and then 5 weeks sick followed as I struggled with initial stages of understanding my PVF. So i was no good to my work at all like that! My work have, and still are, finding it difficult to accept that I am providing sick notes even now (diagnosed in Sept last year) so 7 months on. But what do you want to do? Is this job more important than your long term health?

    I don't want to scare you, but you may be on the brink of having that decision made for you, if you are carrying on whilst knowingly piling stress onto your immune system, you are asking for trouble.

    Don't tell your GP you think you have a particular condition, just tell them your symptoms, and they will offer a diagnosis. They will also provide a note that offers guidance for your employer. ie 'Abby is fit to work IF the following conditions are met'. This then gives you something to take to your employer.

    Be careful  with yourself, no job can be as important as your health. Trust me, I have learnt that lesson the unpleasant way smile

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