Did your doctor recommend working less if you had bad feet or back pain?

Question

So when I work less than five hours I can handle it, even though my feet and back with start hurting halfway in. But anything over that, just kills me. My feet are the worst. It almost brings me to tears. Then I soak in Epsom salt and elevate them but they're still sore the next day, and I gotta work again. I tried getting shoe inserts and using the pad on the ground at work but nothing helps. I know it's probably from being pregnant so not much I can do. I also get back pain, sometimes it feels like it'll give out. I don't want to ask my doctor if I should work less hours because I don't want to seem weak or like I'm using it as an excuse, but it really is painful. what should i do? do you think it's enough to ask my doctor if I should work less? or should I just deal with it?

Answer

I worked as a chef, decorating cakes in a bakery. I had to get a weight restriction because I was having severe back pain, pinched sciatic nerve and problems walking because of so much pain. I was also given a belly girdle (it didn’t help). I then asked the Drs to have my job provide me a stool, with a note, during my work hours.  Between the pain of even standing for 8-12 hours and hunched over doing decorations, especially during graduation and summer wedding season. I was done, I was in pain all the time and on my days off, I spent it in bed. I asked my doctor to put a 6 hour a day work restriction. I would cry turning over in bed or having to lift my right leg when I would get in a car. While the work hours restriction helped a bit, I was still limping around, in pain,and always stressed out. My work environment wasn’t the best and I ended up quitting because it showed that my employers didn’t care about their employees at all. The only thing Drs told me was to take tylenol, which DID NOTHING and while they could prescribe something else, they considered it dangerous and could be addictive. I said no, and sucked it up as best I could and with lots of crying.
Between the treatment I got at work and my raise, I left. My husband had also gotten his raise at his job and said to quit while laughing. He thought it was funny that his raise was my salary. 🙄 I have the opportunity to be  a SAHM but its hard and lonely. I babysit or nanny neighborhood kids once in a while or make cakes on the side to have extra “me money”, that I use to spoil myself and no one else 🤣 
Not everyone can afford to do this or has the opportunity I got with my baby, but my suggestion is to take a look at your finances, save, and make a plan in case you have to reduce work/ FMLA, or quit. I did physical therapy stretches for my sciatic pain as well as got a pregnancy pillow, did hot baths,massages, to help me along the way. Good luck!

Did your doctor recommend working less if you had bad feet or back pain?

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