OT -- Need job related advice

amandalee · Post by **amandalee** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:13 am

Hi everyone... as my sleep apnea (unfortunately) affects every aspect of my life, I thought it would be ok to post this here.

Last month, out of boredom and curiousity, I posted my resume on monster.com. I wasn't really expecting anything to come of it, but last week a company contacted me about setting up an interview.

This will probably sound weird, but the thought of switching jobs, or even going to an interview makes me feel uneasy for some reason. The interview is supposed to be on Friday afternoon and it would take 2 hours. I am already taking time off tomorrow to go to the dentist, and last week I called in sick one day because I was so exhausted I didn't feel like I could function and get anything done at work. Taking more time off right now seems unprofessional.

At least at my current job, my boss is aware of my sleep apnea and does what he can to be understanding/accomodating. At the same time though, I feel like expectations are set pretty low for me. Sometimes I worry that I am actually not very good at my job, and am just one mistake from getting fired.

I'm worried that I wouldn't be good at this job, and people wouldn't know about my sleep apnea, so they wouldn't be understanding.

Anyway, I can't decide if I should even bother accepting the interview. I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time, least of all my own.

Sorry if this isn't making sense, but any advice or perspective would be welcome.

wabmorgan · Post by **wabmorgan** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:52 am

Talking to them... and interviewing won't hurt anything. You never can tell, you may decide you don't want the new job anyway.

With that being said, if it were me, I would want the new employer to know about the sleep apnea and related problems.

I see little point in changing jobs to an employer that either did not know of your sleep apnea problems, nor if they are not willing to work with you on sleep apnea the issues.

deglorious · Post by **deglorious** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:12 am

How will you know if this new job will even be a good move without even going to the first interview? I say go because it's hard to make an educated decision without all the facts.

Good Luck!

Deglorious

allen476 · Post by **allen476** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:57 am

I would have to say to go as well. You never know what the outcome could be and in the worst case you could decline a job offer. In the best case, they could let you tele-commute (if your job lets you)

Allen

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:21 am

Amandalee,

I think it depends on how severely your sleep is affecting your job performance and daily functioning. I know when I left my job, there was no point transferring to another position, and my cognition was too impaired for me to even consider learning a new job.

You are in a difficult position as there are pros and cons either way. Know yourself and what you are up to. Many jobs have a window of time where a person is in a probationary period. If you are already missing a lot of work due to inability to work (not scheduled appointments), can you make it thru a probationary period, and even beyond that?

If you feel you could meet the demands of a new position, by all means go to the interview and see where it takes you. If this is going to overwhelm you and set you up for failure, don't waste your time. You know yourself best.

Kathy

papoose · Post by **papoose** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:01 am

For what it's worth, I agree with Kathy about knowing yourself, your comfort zone, and acting accordingly. However, I also agree with the others about checking out this new opportunity. Change is good for everybody who needs refreshment, and who knows? This could be a turning point in your life.

My main advice is this: Never interview on a Friday afternoon. Statistically speaking, your chances of landing a job are much better when interviewing mid-week, say on Wednesday. If you decide to check out the opportunity, tell them you have a conflict and schedule the interview next week. Then tell your boss you have an appointment and go for it. If you decide it's not for you, you've lost nothing.

amandalee · Post by **amandalee** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:53 am

Thanks for all these replies. They are really helpful.

I guess there's no harm in going to the interview. It just seems kind of empty and pointless, but then again, I am so tired right now that everything does.

I am just constantly worried about my job. I wake up every morning feeling so tired and crappy that I just want to go back to sleep, or go lay down on the couch and watch TV. It's all I can do to force myself to leave the house and be productive. When I get to work, I am always worried that I'm going to make some kind of mistake because I am so tired and have a hard time concentrating.
Before I got my sleep apnea diagnosis and passed the info along to my boss, I think I was close to getting fired because I had made alot of stupid mistakes. I still feel like a huge failure because of it.

I am worried that b/c of my sleep apnea, I will pretty much fail at everything. But at the same time, I can't NOT work. I have no one to depend on but myself, and I am worried that I'm going to let myself down.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:26 pm

AmandaLee,
Meahnwhile back at the ranch....what's going on with your cpap therapy? Can you share some of the details?

O.

Baitman · Post by **Baitman** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 12:36 pm

Sounds like other problems might be afoot. My understanding was if CPAP therapy is administered properly, the quality of sleep should greatly improve. If you are still tired all day, seems like maybe you have something else going on, leaks, wrong pressure, how long ago was your study?

wabmorgan · Post by **wabmorgan** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:39 pm

You may also want to consult your doctor about either Provigil or Ritalin. They can be used to help you feel more alert on days when you need it.

amandalee · Post by **amandalee** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:02 pm

My sleep study was back in July.

I have an APAP and the pressure range is 8.5-11. I haven't checked the numbers yet this week, but the last time I checked my AHI was below 1, and there were no major leaks. I'll check my numbers when I get home and post the info.

I just wake up feeling so awful. Once I have been awake for awhile I don't feel as bad, but mornings are terrible for me.

I worry about taking any drugs to help me feel more alert. Before I was diagnosed with OSA, I took Adderall to help me stay awake. The first few days I took it, it made me feel like I was high and had tons of energy. I called it a "hummingbird on crack" type feeling. I didn't like it.

After that, it barely seemed to make any difference, other than to raise my blood pressure. It scares me to think of taking something else like it.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:04 pm

I agree that you might want to look beyond OSA for possible problems - it can happen that you go through a bout of depression even though CPAP is working, and looking for a second job because you're worried about the first isn't going to work out well if you immediately transfer your worries to the second job if you do get it. At least your present employer seems to be trying to help, and it does sound like you need a little boost of confidence now rather than rushing into a new place before dealing with problems.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:35 pm

How are your iron levels? I was tired all of the time, even being 100% complaint w. cpap. Turned out my iron was down, way down. I'm feeling alot better now that I'm taking vitamins. Hope you feel better soon.
Andrea

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:36 pm

oops sorry that was me. I forgot to sign in

amandalee · Post by **amandalee** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:09 pm

I've had problems with low iron before, but I take a multivitamin with iron every day. It makes a little bit of difference, but not much.

and it does sound like you need a little boost of confidence now

That's for sure. Lately it seems like I can't do anything right at all. Between that and being so tired, my self-confidence is non-existant.

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