Having a full-time job can make your fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms feel worse. Even part time employment can feel like it's too much. However, you need your job, because you need the steady income it provides. You're like most people that way, but you have some bigger obstacles to get yourself over in order to do your job. You may experience a lot more pain because you have to sit or stand in a certain position all day. You may require some modifications that your employer is unwilling to give you. However, there are ways that you can deal with your condition while you keep on working.

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Being active is good for you. Not only does working provide you will an outlet for your talents, but it also keeps you moving and gives you a reason to get out of bed each morning. Even if it doesn't seem like it, being gainfully employed can play a big part in keeping your mind off your troubles and helping you avoid becoming depressed. If all you did was stay at home, you'd get into the habit of doing nothing and just moping around. Neither of these occupations is going to help you feel any better, so you might as well be at work even if you don't feel completely comfortable.

Start by keeping a journal in which you jot down times during your day when you feel worse and times when you feel better. Analyze your notes and see if there are any patterns there. Is there something that really stands out in making your condition work? You may think there's no point in even knowing this, because your employer is unsympathetic, but there are laws to help people with disabilities, like you, in the workplace. Employers have a legal responsibility to accommodate your disabilities as long as you're capable of doing the job you were hired to do. Many of the modifications they can make aren't going to cost them much money, and as long as you're a good worker, they're going to want to retain your services.

Employers will be willing to allow you to make some changes to make yourself feel better while working as long as you don't take it to extremes. If you can just turn from your computer periodically in order to relax your muscles, or sit on a high stool to do your work instead of standing, they will most likely go along with you. Don't be unreasonable in your demands. If you tell your employer that you need to rest for a half hour during every hour of the work day, you'll probably find yourself out on your ear. In the same way, if you constantly miss work and blame it on your FM, you may be required to bring medical documentation to prove the need for all of the absenteeism.

You do have rights in the workplace, but you need to keep in mind that employers have the right to a workforce that meets the demands of the jobs that need to be done. Having worked in a factory personnel office for many years, I can tell you from experience that if an employer wants to get rid of an employee, no matter what the employee's disability is or his union status, the employer is going to find a way to do just that. And although employers aren't supposed to discriminate against people with disabilities who apply for jobs, there are always ways around that, too. So do yourself a favor, don't be unreasonable in your demands, don't use fibromyalgia as an excuse for poor work ethics, and you'll be able to keep working for many more years.