Dealing with a Fibromyalgia Diagnosis: Asking for Accommodations and Overcoming Shame

I found a cane that I consider a fashion statement, and then my husband one-upped it by ordering a hand carved one from an artisan in Ukraine. Instead of it being an object of pity, it’s a conversation piece. As far as workplace accommodations, there are two ways to go about it, depending on your comfort level. There’s the medical route, which is to identify with your doctor the specific accommodations you require and bringing them to HR in writing. This is best, in my opinion, if you work for a large company or want to keep every i dotted and t crossed. If you have a good relationship with your boss, you can have a candid conversation with them about what you need. Remember though that you are not required (at least in the US) to tell them what your diagnosis is. That violates medical privacy. Personally, I’ve used a combination of both to great success. Good luck to you.

A piece of advice I’d give myself if I could go back in time is don’t assume every source of pain/stiffness is fibro. I suffered from excruciating pain in my feet for years… turns out it’s plantar fasciitis. Also have some issues with my ulnar nerve (maybe also carpal tunnel) whatever it is, it’s not just fibro. Thankfully a radiologist pointed out in a random CT scan they saw degeneration in my lumbar spine, so if that becomes a bigger problem, I can’t just blame it on fibro. So always be cautious about assuming a source of pain is fibro. And sorry I can’t give advice on your questions. My younger self didn’t even know I could ask for accommodations back in the day 😭 good luck to you