I am wondering if you ever tried acetyl carnitine?

This may help with the fatigue. The carnitine enables the mitochondria to move in fatty acids for energy if glucose is low.
It can strengthen heart muscle, and skeletal muscle and provide some energy.

Start at 500mg a day and increase by 500mg /week and see if you get benefits up to 2000mg a day. Take in divided doses, as GI absorption reaches a limit maximum per dose.

some studies:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15616239

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430690/

I did at the outset for about six months but it was rotated out. Perhaps I will rotate it back in.

Yeah, I'll rotate it back in. Why not, eh?


Icelander- couldn't agree more. There was only so high I was willing to go on said ladder and it would have been for my family. This choice makes more sense for my family than any monetary one, though.

Ken- It is indeed the proper choice. I have a rigorous work ethic and a boneheaded style at times that can work against as much as for me. I'm just glad I didn't wait to make a call like this until it "had" to be done. Perhaps this will offer me a glimpse at halting progression a bit.

Pinky- I agree, work has always been a function of necessity for me. With two pipsqueeks it alters that attitude a bit. Still, I often muse that simpler times were likely where my soul belonged, not the bottom line margins mean everything 21st century. But here I am, peephole open and amazed. So it goes.

Debi, I have high hopes and will certainly keep jabbering away.

To infinity, and beyond!

Jon

(And) So it goes... Were you channeling Kurt Vonnegut in your post? I understand this has nothing to do with the topic at hand but I couldn't resist knowing you are a fan.

between that and the peephole comment, yes I was, just a tad.

My husband decided 28 years ago that he wanted to spend more time with the family and less time at work. He moved from data processing manager to consultant, working 3-4 days a week. We were very fortunate and it worked out, we always seemed to have enough. As the years went by he was offered very tempting jobs but never wanted to give up that much of his life to work. He finally took a job, but works at home and sets his own schedule. They know he is not interested in any promotion. He has been paid for knowing more about the field he is in than most other people. I suspect that you, Jon, are capable of knowing more about your field than your coworkers and will have a secure place even if you bypass the ladder. There are advantages in being the one who can synthesize all the disparate bits of information and the skill is in short supply from what I hear.

All any of us really has is time and the more of it you can save for the important things the more successful you will have been in the end. If increasing disability should be your lot, and I sincerely pray it is not, why should your job have gotten the best you have left to give?

I guess I finally got it through my head that exact thing, Susanne. I've known for some time I was only likely to travel so far for a few reasons, neuropathy set it at a different level. I had left doors ajar hoping for improvement. Now I feel it is more important to get more quality time. It has been in far too short supply.

Besides, it is not as if I couldn't reverse course if I improved, but as I told a friend at work - if I mention that remind me I am likely forfeiting anything I gained.

It was rewarding that to this point my experience was easy. I was greeted with understanding and respect. The big cheese was pragmatic more than anything, measuring the gain in the new place over any loss at the old. Fine by me.

My modest goal is a few more quality family hours a week. My large goal is Family game night and cooking dinner a few nights a week.

It is not something that is known office wide yet. That is going to be an interesting onion.

Jon,
Ill or not, you made a good decision.
Lessening your stress and spending time with family will always be the right choice in life and I respect you for not waiting until you were ready to drop before making the decision.

When I got ill, I Had to make the tough decision of stepping down from a mgmt position( that I loved) and went back to a staff decision. It was so difficult to make that decision but I wasnt being fair to the folks in my department or to my husband. I stayed in staff position for a year then ran out of short term disability benefits time and was forced to "retire" to full time disability.

Jon, if you think that one day you may be unable to work full time, please look into your companies disability policies. I was so naive, I did not realize I would lose my job because I was working a less than full time schedule. I thought I could move to part time permanently but my company policy did not allow it. If hired for full time, Inhad to work full time. Once I was first sick and fell into the short time disability category, I did not know I was on a disability continuum. Now, this was a huge company, your company may different.

Thanks for keeping us informed.
Diandra

For what its worth I've known healthy in their people 30's & early 40's that took a "sideways position" that has less room for advancement to spend more time with their families.

Myself I could have made more $ but it would have been less time at home. I wouldn't trade my time spent with our daughter at the basketball games & practices, swimming practices & meets, piano lessons etc for more $ in the bank.

I hope it works our well for you and you find relief.