I don't mean like someone brought in food and it made you sick or you slipped on the stairs, I mean ill from stress or the way you are/were treated.

Last week I had to move from my nice, quiet, calm office that I shared with one person to a huge, chaotic open plan room with 8+ other people, most of whom don't know what "inside" voice means, among other issues. To make a long (and complicated) story short, I am convinced there is more to the move than just having me be close to the rest of the "team" (which is the lip service reason). I think my supervisors want me closer to them so they can start trying to find reasons to fire me. (I show up for work on time, get my work done, do it well, etc. it's purely "office politics" imo.)

So anyway, by last Friday I had had a headache for 3 days straight and my entire torso was covered in a rash: arms, shoulders, entire back, stomach, and it was creeping up my neck. This week I feel sick to my stomach and my chest feels constricted--like someone is squeezing my esophogus and windpipe together everytime I breathe. The only thing in my life that has changed b/t last week and the week before was the office move...

Any one else ever dread their job so much it makes them ill?

i don't know if this counts as illness, but there was an incident at my previous job where my boss was ranting at me and i was so frustrated that i got light-headed and nearly passed out. i remember being less worried about what happened to me and more relieved that something happened to give me an excuse to leave my boss's office.

Anxiety said:

Geez, where did you work -- the Pentagon?!?

Lammastide said:

close - a law firm.

Back when I worked for EDS, I had a horrid supervisor. One day I was shopping at Costco and saw a 200 count bottle of Tylenol.

I said, "WOW I REALLY NEED THAT!!"

That's when I decided I needed a career change.

Yes. Along with being stressed out of my mind, I out of the blue developed serious migraines.

I left that job and the migraines stopped.

DevotedPuppy said:

Poor you. You might want to update your resumé. You shouldn't have to live like that.

DevotedPuppy said:

That sounds terrible! You need to get out of there, especially if you think they are trying to get rid of you.

DP, i think what you're experiencing might be 1/2 the job being evil (which i am not even trying to downplay at all), and 1/2 your mind and body trying to tell you it's time to go into crisis priority mode and get the hell outta dodge. i'm sure you probably already figured that out, but i would definitely listen to your body and start updating those online resumes and putting out calls to headhunters. even if you just go to a couple of interviews at places you'll end up turning down, it's an empowering feeling simply to put the wheels in motion for an escape from the hell job.

i think my job and my living situation gave me an upper respiratory tract infection.

Both went away after i moved to go back to school.

School has made me physically sick before.

Stress tends to make me more prone to GI infections and being there stresses me out alot

psychodelicide said:

I know. I estimate I have a "shelf life" of anywhere from 3-9 months. My company has a very prescribed policy for terminating employees (which I have in writing) so they can't just fire me without warning/notice. I figure once I get the first "this is going in your file" talk I have about 3 months. So my goal now is to not give them any reason/excuse to do that. But it's hard when everything I do/say is not right according to my immediate supervisor. (Seriously, I get told that I am sending out emails incorrectly because I did it as a 'save the date' instead of an Outlook appointment; yet other people in my department do the same thing and it's fine. )

Anxiety said:

You're exactly right. And I've already done everything you (and Lammastide) have suggested. I've been applying for jobs for about 2 years now (the last six months more seriously). I've had several interviews that didn't pan out, but most times I don't even get a call back. Since the new year, every week I either apply for at least one job or try to do something to network. The museum world has very few job openings & many applicants, though, and frankly I'm at the point in my career where I literally can't afford to go back to something entry level (and have been told I'm overqualified for those types of positions); while on the flip side I only have 2 years of managerial experience and most places want 5 or more. I've contacted headhunters and even applied for jobs that would require me to move out of New York (which I don't really want to do).

I have tried dumbing down my cover letters (not using "big" words) and downplaying my experience/academic credentials b/c I think people think I'm overqualified. (Not trying to sound arrogant, but like I said, I have been told this...)

I am just at a loss of what else to do. I am open to changing careers, but I don't even really know where to begin looking or what kind of job to look for because I have only worked in art museums. I would really prefer to stay in the museum world, but where I am now is just not a good fit for many, many reasons. I know I have transferable skills but not enough for a corporate gig. (e.g. I have excellent writing & proof-reading skills from graduate school, but no for-profit would hire me as an editor b/c I don't have any work experience in publishing.)



At least the dermotologist gave me a prescription for the rash.

Hells to the Yeah...my job has made me sick...

I used to work at a place where the management culture was NOT to call in sick, work long hours and be happy about it. So, I'm one of the "chosen" ones who have been honored to grand open a store. I'm in the beginning stages of a life threatening stomach virus and all I'm around is paint fumes all day long...takes it's toll, but I keep dragging my ass to work (so as not to ruin the culture). After about a week of this crap and not taking care of myself, I have a break-down while driving home one night. I thought I was going to pass out behind the wheel. My wife rushes me to an emergency room where I'm severly dehydrated, virusy and so on...it took another week and a half to get right. That's when I decided that I needed to step back from management.

Your body can definitely internalize stress and manifest it into physical symptoms. Years ago I had a manager that started coming after, picking on me and trying to catch me messing up. For awhile I thought I was imagining it, but soon enough his motives came to the light.

A few hours after I had a meeting with him, I broke out in hives ALL OVER MY BODY. I'd never had hives before and thought something was crawling in my bed. I literally got up to change my sheets at 2 am. All to no avail. When I went to the doctor he ruled out everything medical then asked me if I was under stress. I quit that damn job 2 days later. It's not worth your health and sanity so do what you gotta do to make tracks.

DevotedPuppy said:

well, from my experience, you've got one thing on your side: if you can figure out some kind of alternative job or career path, you're in a great city to pursue something new. when i lived in new york, i never had to worry about being without a job, and when it got to be too much, there was always SOMETHING decent out there waiting. of course, i left NYC 7 years ago and the job market could be different for you now...but i can't see it being THAT much different. i hear your frustration, though...but you're resourceful. once life pushes you enough, i bet you'll have that AHA! moment and take a sharp swift turn toward some new possibility that hasn't even crossed your mind yet. i hope that happens for you.

DP
no one should go thru that at work


i started getting stress migraines at my old job- then anxiety,panic attacks

how i stayed there so long

it got to the stage where i was late ever friday- to avoid the weekly staff meeting

stress from takeovers and company sales has done me in several times

I worked at a mail order pharmacy for six years. Our building was really old with a leaky roof. The leaks were so bad that every night before leaving we had to cover everything important with plastic. After a long battle with management to do something about the leaks, the employees went to OSHA to complain. When OSHA came in to inspect they found asbestos and lots of black mold behind the walls in the ceilings. Many employees were ill with respiratory infections and sinus problems including myself. They eventually condemned the building.... AARP was having too much trouble competing with Eckerd's so they ended up closing the pharmacy for good at that point.

DevotedPuppy said:

YES, YES YES!!!


9 months out of the year I work 14-16 hours a day 6.5 days a week

and the rest of the time I file my paperwork in banker's boxes and take all my crap out to our warehouse....

headaches, lack of sleep, under/overeating, dust in the eyes, etc....
all make me sick

just started and have been having sleepless nights

The job I had before moving was mold poison. The building was old as hell and literally smelled like dog food when it rained. It was infested with mold and the neighborhood we worked in....wow. Hookers and crackheads! I remember finding condom wrappers in the parking lot behind the building when going into work. Then my nasty apt was moldy too.

That's why I hate Charlotte...the city. I'm sure if I lived in a mold free apt and had a job worth two pisses I wouldnt hate the city. But Charlotte can go to Hell for all I care

shanti0608 said:

Yup, that mold will kill you. I had crazy sinus headaches all the time in that shithole.

AARP? THat company is sooooo loaded! A girlfriend of mine just got a contract with them to handle their marketing for ONE project...$70,000

JasmineFire said:

that'd be all the donkey meds down your back

Yes, teaching at a primary school (K3 and P1) here in Thailand. I was the only foreigner at the school. My colleagues and bosses kept me out of the loop, never spoke with me about their expectations or about my performance, and I used to wake up filled with dread and anxiety.

I was just a bundle of nerves on the 1st nite at a new job.Got the runz and threw up,then everything was okay.

DevotedPuppy said:

Sounds like office politics to me, and that your boss is just finding things to pick at you for. Some offices seem to have different rules for different people, which is something that I just don't understand .

yes. one time i was sifting through a bunch of moldy ears of corn that we'd done a disease test on. i got really sick for a couple of days.


plus, the near-fatal disease i had in 1994 may or may not have been pesticide-related.

Raze said:

even with masks and gloves on? (which I hope you have to wear doing work like that)

ZombieKitten said:

i wasn't, unfortunately. moldy corn is nothing new. but the amount of mold and other diseases in it got to me, i guess.

Raze said:

crap.
you know I always wonder about that black powdery mould on onions. Ever since I saw a doco on the ten plagues of egypt, where they speculated about the tenth plague being a toxic fungus growing on stored grains, I get nervous about things like this