When is time to call it quits?

No. Not talking about quitting CPAP, but rather quitting a job position that you have done for years. First, this is not my first post, I changed my login since my other was too close to be recognized and I wanted to be a little more anonymous.

For over 25 years I have worked for my current employer. I have chronic neck pain as well as OSA, GERD and recently Pre-Diabities among other things. I have only been diagnosed with OSA in the last 3-4 years. My CPAP is doing well. The doctor says he can't believe the numbers are so stable, on CPAP I no longer snore and I do sleep - some. The problem is I am still dead tire almost all day and have memory concentration issues as well as I believe I have microsleeps(sp) during the day. Since I do programming and am behind a computer almost all day, I do not think that will get better. The concentration issues come from trying the read/understand very important documents when noisy co-workers distract me, I normally end up reading a document 5-10 times longer than I should and my work suffers.

My SD has tried almost everything to combat daytime sleepiness, Nuvigil/Provigil. I try and go to sleep early each night, but I also have insomnia and some nights find it hard falling a sleep. Problem with the meds is they tend to race my heart and really play havock with my heart rate. They do keep me awake, but I can't stand the side effects. He said he was willing to work with me, but said there are still some that CPAP will help, but they still have day time sleepiness. The meds from the chronic pain probably do not help. The next day I got a call from my GP wanting me to come in for blood tests, and they said it was from the results of these from my SD. So looks like everything there is fine, but blood pressure continues to be elevated some.

So, here in lies the problem. The more I continue to do this type sedative work, I will continue to have chronic pain. I very seldom take vacations, but when I do I notice I feel/sleep better and I have less upper arm/back/neck pain. And before most ask, I do stretch as much as possible and that helps keep it from really knocking me down.

My work has definitely suffered, as the concentration/short term memory loss are definitely noticeable and impacting. Since I am a huge source of information, not remembering what was said in a meeting the day before does not go well. I suspect within the next few weeks I will be let go, since there is really no job this company can offer that would be less impacting. I am seeing separate doctors for all of the above conditions, so it has been hard to discuss any kind of leave with the doctors and definitely hard to do while working.

My company is going through some layoffs and I often think they would be doing me a favor it they did lay me off. I have 25 years of vested service, but I am only 48, retirement is an option. But would need some sort of income to survive. Layoff would give me a nice benefits package while being let go would be disastrous after so many years of near perfect work.

I am sure there are others that are on this forum that have had to make this same decision. Anyone care to share what helped you make the decision (then again, I may not have a say so).

Of course, I am not stressed about any of this at all.

Are you following your "passion?"

Work gets a lot easier if you are engaged in following your passion in life. Work does not have to be your passion, it is simply much easier to work when you know that it is helping you follow your passion.

If you have no passion, find one - or several...

One of the things you could try at work is to get a "stand up" desk/work station and/or take regular breaks to walk around the building, this should help with the sleepiness and attention problems. Some people have even gone as far as a walking treadmill work station. They have reported that they have lost weight, have a lot more energy, and are more productive compared to a standard desk. At my job at a university, I use a fair amount of computers standing up, i admit I am losing a little weight, and have more energy, if I stand instead of pulling up a stool. among some of the other changes to my life style at work, ie taking the stairs, and walking breaks.

Well, to save money, most likely your company will elect to "let you go" than lay you off.

Take stock of your talents, experience, interests to see what "job fields" interest you for a change of professions. Send out some resumes whilst you are still employed. If you retire you can afford to "take a hit" on new job salary/wages. If you are "let go" unemployment benefits aren't lasting all that long. And jobs are more difficult for the unemployed to find than for those still gainfully employed to find. You''re more attractive if you are still working.

Have you seen printouts of your own data downloads and studied them for yourself? Doctors are much more easily satisfied than we are since we are the ones of endure the consequences or benefits of our therapy. Your data may well NOT support your doctor's reaction to your therapy.

Good luck and God bless.

Hi, so sorry to hear what you're going through, but a couple of things occurred to me, the first being that you said you sleep better on holiday... apart from the obvious (being on holiday is nicer than being at work) have you considered that you might need a new bed?

And have you considered that your Cpap might go better if you e.g. tried a new (different) mask some time, that fit better and possibly didn't aggravate neck pain?

And what about a last look at your meds - either going right off all of them for a breather and only adding back in one at a time to really see what's helping and what isn't, or what might need changing - it's done all the time and often works...

Good luck with everything... let us know what happens.

I can so relate having been in the same boat. Try and negotiate a benefits package with counselling included. Are they offering early retirement for people? If so take it - leaving voluntarily you can get a "golden parachute" sometimes.

Then use that counselling to get retraining in a less strenuous version of your field. Or sell your services back to them on contract part time.

HoseCrusher wrote:Are you following your "passion?"

Work gets a lot easier if you are engaged in following your passion in life. Work does not have to be your passion, it is simply much easier to work when you know that it is helping you follow your passion.

If you have no passion, find one - or several...

Actually no. I got this job when I was moved over in the last layoff about 10 years ago. Didn't want the job but took it anyway, and considered critical and that makes it hard to move to another department.

physicsbob wrote:One of the things you could try at work is to get a "stand up" desk/work station and/or take regular breaks to walk around the building, this should help with the sleepiness and attention problems. Some people have even gone as far as a walking treadmill work station. They have reported that they have lost weight, have a lot more energy, and are more productive compared to a standard desk. At my job at a university, I use a fair amount of computers standing up, i admit I am losing a little weight, and have more energy, if I stand instead of pulling up a stool. among some of the other changes to my life style at work, ie taking the stairs, and walking breaks.

I did ask about one a while back and the response was they didn't want everyone wanting one. So was the comments about I was an expensive employee, so I figured I would not push my luck. I can say a treadmill would definitely drive me crazy:) Hard enough to type as it is.

Julie wrote:Hi, so sorry to hear what you're going through, but a couple of things occurred to me, the first being that you said you sleep better on holiday... apart from the obvious (being on holiday is nicer than being at work) have you considered that you might need a new bed?

And have you considered that your Cpap might go better if you e.g. tried a new (different) mask some time, that fit better and possibly didn't aggravate neck pain?

And what about a last look at your meds - either going right off all of them for a breather and only adding back in one at a time to really see what's helping and what isn't, or what might need changing - it's done all the time and often works...

Good luck with everything... let us know what happens.

No, It's not the bed or meds, it is not sitting behind a desk and staring at a computer all day when on vacation. That is something that is really hard on anyone with neck/back problems. My bed is fine.. But for the meds, we have worked on different types till I found some that work, so that has been exhausted. Even stopped taking some all together. As long as I stay semi-active that will help.

BlackSpinner wrote:I can so relate having been in the same boat. Try and negotiate a benefits package with counselling included. Are they offering early retirement for people? If so take it - leaving voluntarily you can get a "golden parachute" sometimes.

Then use that counselling to get retraining in a less strenuous version of your field. Or sell your services back to them on contract part time.

No early retirement packages, so it would just be starting over - somewhat.

I went through a similar problem about 12 years ago. At the time I was probably suffering from OSA but was not diagnosed until recently. I had the neck pain,stress,depression,brain not working as it used to,lack of energy. Like you it was being noticed and I realised I was not contributing as I should. I was the financial controller of a large manufacturing company and I needed to be on top of things all the time. We were going through a lot of restructuring and other finance people were being laid off but I was always selected to stay. Sometimes i felt I should volunteer to go.

It got to the point where I simply walked away from my job saying I needed an extended time off for health reasons. I felt a year would do it. However except for a few temp jobs I never went back to work. I tried once,I took on another stressful role and only stayed 3 weeks. Fortunately having been in an executive position for many years also placed me in a financial position to enable me not to have to work otherwise I would just have had to make myself continue on.

Sure I have less money now but I have never regretted my decision and at least I am still here.

ozze_dollar wrote:I went through a similar problem about 12 years ago. At the time I was probably suffering from OSA but was not diagnosed until recently. I had the neck pain,stress,depression,brain not working as it used to,lack of energy. Like you it was being noticed and I realised I was not contributing as I should. I was the financial controller of a large manufacturing company and I needed to be on top of things all the time. We were going through a lot of restructuring and other finance people were being laid off but I was always selected to stay. Sometimes i felt I should volunteer to go.

It got to the point where I simply walked away from my job saying I needed an extended time off for health reasons. I felt a year would do it. However except for a few temp jobs I never went back to work. I tried once,I took on another stressful role and only stayed 3 weeks. Fortunately having been in an executive position for many years also placed me in a financial position to enable me not to have to work otherwise I would just have had to make myself continue on.

Sure I have less money now but I have never regretted my decision and at least I am still here.

yea, I have well over a month and 1/2 of vacation, considered using it for FMLA and then try things in order for short/long term disability. Just don't know which doctor to approach that would agree with the long term disability.

Start w/your family doctor since he most likely is "in the loop" w/all of your specialists and most likely you know him best and have the most rapport with? He should be seeing you as an entire person instead of a body part or parts as the specialists do.

Then go from there one specialist at a time. Drop any that don't support you in this. And you don't necessarily have to replace any you find it necessary to drop. Quite often once we get the necessary Dx from a specialist and started on a treatment regimen we really no longer need the specialist unless something new crops up. I know I don't like being seen as "just" a heart or a pair of lungs or whatever and transfer back to my family doctor ASAP.

You don't say what blood work was done at the request of the SD... did they do tests for other fatigue causing triggers such as thyroid, B12, D3 levels, magnesium levels? TSH and D3, especially, can bring on a lot of the symptoms you are describing. Furthermore, having a doctor say things are 'normal' and not knowing what the actual numbers are doesn't mean that is so.... For example, labs score D3 levels as 'normal' when in the range of 30-100 when the latest research now shows optimal sleep and benefits come from a narrow range of 60-80. TSH is normally scored as normal anywhere up to 4; whereas the American Thyroid Association recommends a 'normal' range at .5 - 2.5. So....if you have copies of all your blood work results, and you did, in fact, have these done.....check the scores. If you didn't have those test done....ask for them to be sure you are in the optimal ranges. If you had them done and are outside the normal ranges, you should get the supplementation needed.

I don't have any advice for you, but I am following this thread very carefully. You are not alone in how you feel.