What careers/jobs best suited for constantly tired people?

[Goofproof]

I was wrong, goof, you MUST be related to Trump.
Your hate and baseless vitriol has no place in polite society.

Be Nice, you will lose your place in Our Tower! Then you will have to room with Hillary and Jane Fonda. Keep a eye open for Bill, and I don't mean Cosby. Jim

BTW: My post was directed more a Bellab's post than the orgional poster. The answer to all the problems is hook on to the Sow, I vote get the treatment to work, if they haven't cut all the necessary parts out.

[Lucyhere]

Jim, do you think you can, one time, just shut down your nasty rhetoric about working people? It's just so much old long-ago-shown to be garbage and is so not appropriate for someone like this, never mind a million others who are desperate to work and wouldn't take handouts if you paid them to do it? Who died and made you the arbiter of everyone? You're hurting and insulting good people, your ignorance is appalling and your humanity nonexistent. Lay off already, we've so had enough.

Not sure about the SOW'S in Canada, but here in the USA ours are running out of faucets to latch onto. In the meantime socialists and liberals, like you continue to express the virtues of not pulling your own weight, to support yourselves and your families. You are bent to extending your liberal ideals over your border, but nowdays borders are bad, kind of like working for a living and supporting your family.

When you get people to work and pull their own weight, I won't have anything to complain about, I'll have to find something else, I'm sure you will provide more ideas.

I didn't know SAD was Depression, also didn't know depression could be cured by lighting, may have to stop those $750.00 risperdal injections my wife has to get every two weeks. I could better afford a few light bulbs. I could tell you about real depression, we have fought it every sense 1977.

I'm all for Lights and O2, for the cure. Unfortunately it took work provided it. Jim

The Government never has, when I checked the Sow was full up, and the Runts were lined up for miles, so I went to work, and fed my family.

Jim... I think you are saying that your wife has had depression since 1977. If I read that correctly, I'm very sorry to hear that!

However, this has nada, nothing to do with the government or whether or not a person is employed. You focus on the type of person who doesn't want to work and not the people who are down on their luck through no fault of their own.

You say the same thing over and over and over and over and over. Half the time you are tripping on your own words.

"Lights" can't and don't cure depression. Lights seem to relax people who have SAD, which is a very real thing.

Try a different subject for a change.

[Goofproof]

Jim, do you think you can, one time, just shut down your nasty rhetoric about working people? It's just so much old long-ago-shown to be garbage and is so not appropriate for someone like this, never mind a million others who are desperate to work and wouldn't take handouts if you paid them to do it? Who died and made you the arbiter of everyone? You're hurting and insulting good people, your ignorance is appalling and your humanity nonexistent. Lay off already, we've so had enough.

Not sure about the SOW'S in Canada, but here in the USA ours are running out of faucets to latch onto. In the meantime socialists and liberals, like you continue to express the virtues of not pulling your own weight, to support yourselves and your families. You are bent to extending your liberal ideals over your border, but nowdays borders are bad, kind of like working for a living and supporting your family.

When you get people to work and pull their own weight, I won't have anything to complain about, I'll have to find something else, I'm sure you will provide more ideas.

I didn't know SAD was Depression, also didn't know depression could be cured by lighting, may have to stop those $750.00 risperdal injections my wife has to get every two weeks. I could better afford a few light bulbs. I could tell you about real depression, we have fought it every sense 1977.

I'm all for Lights and O2, for the cure. Unfortunately it took work provided it. Jim

The Government never has, when I checked the Sow was full up, and the Runts were lined up for miles, so I went to work, and fed my family.

Jim... I think you are saying that your wife has had depression since 1977. If I read that correctly, I'm very sorry to hear that!

However, this has nada, nothing to do with the government or whether or not a person is employed. You focus on the type of person who doesn't want to work and not the people who are down on their luck through no fault of their own.

You say the same thing over and over and over and over and over. Half the time you are tripping on your own words.

"Lights" can't and don't cure depression. Lights seem to relax people who have SAD, which is a very real thing.

Try a different subject for a change.

How about those Lottery Winners, Indiana has a new Millionaire, and he's not related to Trump. He gave Blood to celebrate his good fortune, now he has enough money to give the IRS, to support a couple of families of liberals another year. Maybe they will name a Sow after him. I cashed my 401K out in a lump sum this year, I'm going to support one too, a small family, only a couple of weeks, too small a 401K....

[yaconsult]

Many people use lights like this one to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder: http://www.amazon.com/Sphere-Gadget-Tec ... 004JF3G08/ $60 isn't that big an investment to try it out. And amazon is great on returns if you don't like a product. 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 1,742 customer reviews.

I have an older Phillips model that used to be the most popular one but doesn't seem to be produced any more

More info on Seasonal Affective Disorder is available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_ ... e_disorder

And letting the experienced folks here take a look at your detailed cpap data might allow them to make suggestions to improve your therapy.

[SleepyEyes21]

Jim, do you think you can, one time, just shut down your nasty rhetoric about working people? It's just so much old long-ago-shown to be garbage and is so not appropriate for someone like this, never mind a million others who are desperate to work and wouldn't take handouts if you paid them to do it? Who died and made you the arbiter of everyone? You're hurting and insulting good people, your ignorance is appalling and your humanity nonexistent. Lay off already, we've so had enough.

Not sure about the SOW'S in Canada, but here in the USA ours are running out of faucets to latch onto. In the meantime socialists and liberals, like you continue to express the virtues of not pulling your own weight, to support yourselves and your families. You are bent to extending your liberal ideals over your border, but nowdays borders are bad, kind of like working for a living and supporting your family.

When you get people to work and pull their own weight, I won't have anything to complain about, I'll have to find something else, I'm sure you will provide more ideas.

I didn't know SAD was Depression, also didn't know depression could be cured by lighting, may have to stop those $750.00 risperdal injections my wife has to get every two weeks. I could better afford a few light bulbs. I could tell you about real depression, we have fought it every sense 1977.

I'm all for Lights and O2, for the cure. Unfortunately it took work provided it. Jim

The Government never has, when I checked the Sow was full up, and the Runts were lined up for miles, so I went to work, and fed my family.

Jim... I think you are saying that your wife has had depression since 1977. If I read that correctly, I'm very sorry to hear that!

However, this has nada, nothing to do with the government or whether or not a person is employed. You focus on the type of person who doesn't want to work and not the people who are down on their luck through no fault of their own.

You say the same thing over and over and over and over and over. Half the time you are tripping on your own words.

"Lights" can't and don't cure depression. Lights seem to relax people who have SAD, which is a very real thing.

Try a different subject for a change.

Hi Lucy, let me try to explain a couple of things here for you and Jim. As CF pointed out below, SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. This type of depression is usually seen in people who live in places where they go without sunlight for long periods of time (for example, in Alaska), although some people can get this in winter months also, because of staying indoors more. This is where the 'Seasonal' part of the name comes in. SAD actually can be markedly improved by the use of special lights used in a person's home for a certain amount of hours per day, and this type of depression will generally go into remission with treatment and/ or improvement in weather conditions (ie: warmer weather.)

Risperdal is a medication given for a depression that is different than SAD. Jim- I am also sorry to hear that you and your wife have been struggling with depression for many years; I also have a family member that has been dealing with the same for the past 2.5 decades. Not all depressions are treated the same, and some can be treated with multiple approaches. For example, Jim - in addition to the medication your wife takes, getting her outside and into the fresh air with some brief exposure periods to sunlight, can be a technique to help improve her mood (as long as it is not medically contraindicated by her docs.)

Depression can be complicated and confusing. That's why it's best to see a therapist if you are having ongoing trouble with ADL's not related to cpap.

[Goofproof]

Sleepeyes21

Things are level now, as we age, it seems depression levels out a little. We raised 5 children, all turned out ok, two are nurses in hospitals, no jail time all work for a living like their dad, they had it hard as kids but turned our ok, about all you could ask for, all raising children of their own, pay back!

The wife was on many meds about all of them over time, currently four, had 25 ect's, now I depend on her to keep me going, we have been married 50 years, still looking out for each other.

Mental health problems are terriable, many don't get the treatment needed, but for quite a few, the system is being used as a excuse for bad behavior.

Many are treated, Turf and Surf, left on their own with needed treatment. I don't have an answer, no one does. Sometimes we have to get by the best we can, you can't let life get you down. Jim

[tfaff]

Sleepy I am with you, I've struggled for several years to get to work on time since the sleep apnea started. Its been so hard to concentrate and think clearly. I am embarrassed because this isn't my style. My house is a disaster because if Im not working, I am sleeping, this is real fatigue that maybe some of you can't imagine. I get up after 10-12 hours of sleep and all I can think of is going back to sleep. I have anxiety at bedtime so my sleep doc thinks I have emotional problems, (no, my brain just doesn't want me to fall asleep and stop breathing). I went to a psychologist and she agreed with me, I am not crazy or even depressed, yet.

BUT, I have received help in the last month since I discovered this forum, and it has helped. Ive had several great days where the old me returned. I was giddy, it was such a dramatic change.

It does take all I can do to figure out the Sleepyhead stuff and screen shots, but I keep plugging away and it is improving. Constantly feeling so incredibly fatigued is very shaming, and discouraging, and if it goes on too long, would be really depressing, but know there is hope here and keep working with these good people, they know their stuff. Hang in there.

[49er]

I can't function well with anything in life anymore (despite having a cpap and surgeries).
Ultimately, I'm trying to avoid homelessness. Since, being tired and in a fog all the time isn't considered a disability (it just dooms me to a meager financial existence and lack of freedom and control), after decades, I need to stop trying to work in intellectual fields that I went to a top university for. But I can't imagine what employer would hire and KEEP me. I can't manage my (dead) career and I've had a series of jobs now that I've lost due to my poor performance. I'm not even confident minimum wage job employers would prefer me over someone who isn't like me. And, of course, the frequent change in jobs and unemployment have effectively caused me to not have access to medical care that is compounded by all the delaying hoops I have to jump through to get care (I've had 3 insurance plans in 2015). Again, what jobs can someone like this be of use in?

Sleepy,

The first step is to use the link in my signature to list your equipment so members can better tailor their responses to your situation. What types of problems did you have with the cpap.

I totally understand where you are coming from on the jobs issue. I might start by thinking about what you think you are capable of right now and then focus on which employers might hire you. Your negative thoughts are understandable but don't let them get in the way of the process.

And by the way, don't be so sure employers wouldn't prefer you. Hmm, have you dealt with employees at various places recently where you wondered how they got their jobs? You might do a much better job in your impaired state than they would without any difficulties.

This is kind of a long shot but have you considered contacting the California Voc Rehab Department since they help people with disabilities find jobs? Not sure what they would say about sleep apnea. But I do know the jobs accomodation network says that if apnea causes problems like cognitive difficulties, that would be considered a disability. What might happen is they will send you off to be tested by professionals like a psychologist to see if something like that exists. And if they feel you have a disability caused by apnea, then hopefully, they would accept you as a client and help you find a job.

Hang in there.

49er

[49er]

""Risperdal is a medication given for a depression that is different than SAD.""

Sorry for this OT response but Risperdal is an antipsychotic. Many times, antipsychotics are used to augment depression meds that aren't working.

As far as the effectiveness, a retired psychiatrist has written several blog entries greatly questioning whether they work as an augmentation strategy.

http://1boringoldman.com/index.php?subm ... psychotics

For the horrific side effects that these drugs cause, frankly, I question whether the risk/benefit equation favors the patient. Obviously, each person who is suffering from depression has to make that decision but sadly, they are not given enough information many times to make a truly informed choice.

49er

[Goofproof]

""Risperdal is a medication given for a depression that is different than SAD.""

Sorry for this OT response but Risperdal is an antipsychotic. Many times, antipsychotics are used to augment depression meds that aren't working.

As far as the effectiveness, a retired psychiatrist has written several blog entries greatly questioning whether they work as an augmentation strategy.

http://1boringoldman.com/index.php?subm ... psychotics

For the horrific side effects that these drugs cause, frankly, I question whether the risk/benefit equation favors the patient. Obviously, each person who is suffering from depression has to make that decision but sadly, they are not given enough information many times to make a truly informed choice.

49er

So true, it takes years to find the damage done by some drugs, even then it's not black and white, we all react differently to everything. BTW: what we are using is a injection, and things are going as close to normal as we can hope for, they have been for a few years. Things can always be worse, we give thanks they are as good as they are. Jim

[Lucyhere]

...it takes years to find the damage done by some drugs, even then it's not black and white, we all react differently to everything. BTW: what we are using is a injection, and things are going as close to normal as we can hope for, they have been for a few years. Things can always be worse, we give thanks they are as good as they are. Jim

Very happy to read this, Jim. I hope you and your wife take care of each other for many, many more years!

[SleepyEyes21]

Sleepeyes21

Things are level now, as we age, it seems depression levels out a little. We raised 5 children, all turned out ok, two are nurses in hospitals, no jail time all work for a living like their dad, they had it hard as kids but turned our ok, about all you could ask for, all raising children of their own, pay back!

The wife was on many meds about all of them over time, currently four, had 25 ect's, now I depend on her to keep me going, we have been married 50 years, still looking out for each other.

Mental health problems are terriable, many don't get the treatment needed, but for quite a few, the system is being used as a excuse for bad behavior.

Many are treated, Turf and Surf, left on their own with needed treatment. I don't have an answer, no one does. Sometimes we have to get by the best we can, you can't let life get you down. Jim

Hi Jim, glad to hear your wife's symptoms are settling down a bit now. It sounds like you both did an excellent job raising those 5 kids, and I know that couldn't have been easy Congrats on being married 50 years too! That shows your true love and dedication to your wife 'for better or for worse,' because I know all too well how difficult a severe and persistent mental health disorder can be. It truly can be a life struggle and 'life sentence' for the person who has the diagnosis.

You're right, Jim- mental health treatment in the United States is a mixed bag, although access to it has opened up somewhat in light of the recent Affordable Care Act. But there is still a long way to go here- there are still people who don't qualify for ACA. If you are below the poverty line of $11,400 (I think for 2015), you didn't make enough money to qualify for any government subsidies, which means you didn't qualify for any health insurance last year. Even if you did make just enough to qualify for a plan, it's likely a low end plan or an HMO and you would have deductibles and max out of pockets to reach, and they can be extremely expensive. If you are barely making an income above the poverty line annually, you then might be in the position of having to decide between your MH medications/ treatment or food to feed yourself/ family/ gas for car/ utility bills/ rent/ mortgage, etc.

Let me share with you a major Medicaid nightmare that was beyond tragic, in my opinion. Back in 2003-2004, Medicaid was looking to cut costs (at least here in FL.) They decided to have EVERY mental health patient either start or change back to the most basic form of medication for their condition, and to try that particular medication before the patient could be tried on a different one. But before the patient could be approved for a new medication, their psychiatrist/ MD had to write a letter to Medicaid explaining why the patient needed the new medication. Myself and every other therapist/ MH professional & psychiatrist I knew was absolutely stunned; this was incredulous and like something out of a movie, yet this is exactly what Medicaid did.

To fully appreciate the ramifications of doing something like this to people, is not that difficult, I'm sure. Let's say you had a history of blood clots and were taking a prescribed dose of 325 mg. of aspirin per day. Then Medicaid changed it one day and said, now your back to 81 mg.- let's see how you do with that. (Unfortunately, your probably not going to know if it makes a different or not, until you have another clot.) Yet, to change medications for people with severe and persistent mental health diagnoses, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia- that was horrendous and potentially life-threatening also. Many people with these two disorders in particular, use a combination of medications to treat their illnesses, and many had already tried the basic or less intensive drugs without successful results. But Medicaid didn't think of that and didn't care- they wanted to save money.

I'm certain this was a terrible time for many people who had to experience it. Like Jim said, sometimes " the system is being used as a excuse..."; there are also times when 'the system' deserves it.

[Lucyhere]

Such an informative post, Sleepy. Thank you! And yes, I agree that the system deserves it, especially as it pertains to mental health issues

[MrGrumpy]

There are none. Being constantly tired from sleep apnea or depression or whatever...you fill in the blank means either your doctor is withholding necessary care from you. Or you are not following doctor's orders. One of the two. Or you are not pursuing proper specialist care for whatever reason, financial, too tired, apathy from depression, etc.

Maybe apply for SS disability if you are too far gone to help yourself and save employers the hassle of having to deal with overly fatigued, disabled employees

[sleepwiggler]

I fell your pain. I just came off three months of sick leave because of the same reason. I was in a fog, I knew I was exhausted and my doctor put me on Provigil it ony masked the symptoms for a while. I could not understand and frankly I still don't. My numbers were good, I was consistently below 1 as far as my AHI goes, not many leaks etc... However, this did not stop the loss of concentration, the memory loss, the constant tiredness and sleepiness. Depression set in I got to the point to where I did care if I woke up but I believe I even prayed for death as I could not live the rest of life like this. One morning I was taking my son to school like usual and I fell asleep but I woke up quickly, went to work and I was exhausted again then I had a friend tell me the t couple days I have looked really tired and bad the worst he had seen me and during that conservation I was standing and fell asleep while talking I started falling and I woke up. When I left work that day I went to the urgent care because I had an appointment with the Sleep doctor on Monday this was Thursday he could not see and neither could my pcp. At any rate luckily I ended seeing a doctor who had OSA and he could tell I was suffering he talked to me better than any doctor I had seen. He stated he was once like that but not as far as I was he convinced me that I needed to be out of work and that I needed to be forceful with my sleep doctor. Fast forward while out my doctor and I had many arguments and I ha to raise a little you know what but he change my medication to Nuvigil (useless only worked three hours max). I demanded another study and I finally got it. Turns out I needed to switch from CPAP to BIPAP. The pressures were not that accurate so with a little help from the group here I did some tweaking but I was still tired so I just recently got put on Adderall and it is helping. I am seeing a counselor and pschyscarist for my depression. The three months of no work stress did me good. I decided t was time to give work a try again, There are morning/days I can what I call the rabbit hole approaching but I am doing everything in my power not to go down that hole again. It's tough and I hoping I can stay on the right course, I have since fired my sleep doctor and going to a new sleep clinic in about two weeks, the doctors come highly recommended. Hopefully with their help and my determination I can keep from happening again.

My point is there is hope don't give up. I know my journey towards complete wellness is just beginning but I refuse to fail because a doctor fails to listen and document and tells me there is nothing he can do. Don't let this get you down, find the right help at all cost and kick it the rear. I am right there beside you kicking.