Can You Keep Working With Fibromyalgia or ME/CFS?

Those who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome may have issues getting through the workday or workweek. You may be wondering if you can keep working if you have one of these conditions, or is it better to quit and go on disability?

The problems you may be having with work are similar to what a lot of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome go through. Monday isn't bad, but by Wednesday you're longing for the weekend, and when the weekend comes you can't do much but try to rest up for Monday.

The answer to the question "Can I keep working?" is a complicated one, and it really depends on your unique situation.

Man tired at work
10'000Hours / Getty Images

Symptoms & Severity

Some of the major factors that influence whether you can work include:

  • What symptoms you have
  • How severe they are
  • How your job impacts your symptoms
  • And how your symptoms impact your job performance

When I first developed fibromyalgia, for example, I was working as a TV news producer. It was an intensely stressful job in a noisy, chaotic environment. The more stress I was under, the more pain I was in. Pain led to fibro fog (short-term memory impairment, word loss, inability to multitask, etc.) The noise and chaos made me anxious and, combined with the stress, pushed me to panic attacks. The job I used to love became a nightmare scenario.

As hard as I tried to prevent it, my job performance gradually declined as my illness became more severe. I realized I had to leave. If I hadn't, I'm certain my boss eventually would have found some non-health-related reason to fire me. While that seems like a lousy thing to do to someone, I see that he'd have needed to do it for the sake of the company and my co-workers: I missed too many days, and I couldn't do the job well enough when I was there.

If I'd still been at an earlier job, though, it may have been a different story. When I was a reporter for a small newspaper that only published twice a month, I worked in a nice, quiet room. I rarely felt any deadline pressure. Perhaps if I'd stayed there instead of going back to a TV job, my symptoms wouldn't have become so severe. As long as the fibro fog hadn't got too bad, I may have been able to keep working. Working from home, at least some of the time, may have been an option, as well.

Staying on the Job

The good news is that many people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome—millions of them, in fact—do continue to hold a job. However, sometimes it requires some adaptations.

Most employers are legally obligated to make reasonable accommodations so that you can work in spite of your health problems. That could mean something simple like an ergonomic keyboard, or a stool so you can sit instead of standing. It could also be giving you written instructions to compensate for memory problems, or modifying your hours.

Some people with these conditions have to switch to a different job. In my case, I was able to find work as a freelance writer, which allowed me to work from home, set my own hours, and determine my own workload. Other people have moved from a physical job to a desk job, or to part-time instead of full-time.

If you come to the conclusion that you do have to quit working because of your condition, you may be able to qualify for disability insurance through your job. Be sure to ask your supervisor or human resources department about it. You may also be eligible for Social Security Disability through the government.

A Word From Verywell

Whether to continue working is a big decision with a lot of variables to consider, including income, health insurance, and much more. While you'll likely want to talk to your family and your doctors about it, in the end, you're the only one who can make that decision for you.

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Article Sources
  1. Palstam A, Mannerkorpi K. Work ability in fibromyalgia: an update in the 21st centuryCurr Rheumatol Rev. 2017;13(3):180-187. doi:10.2174/1573397113666170502152955