title: The Workplace Experiences of Women with Fibromyalgia.
abstract: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common pain syndrome that mostly affects women. Chronic pain and other symptoms often chalenge work for women with FM. This study aimed to explore how women with FM experience their work situations.
  
  
  
  A purposive sample of 15 women with FM was interviewed with in-depth qualitative interviews. Data were analysed using a hermeneutic approach.
  
  
  
  The results revealed that women with FM experienced incapacity to work as they had previously and eventually accepted that their work life had changed or reached its end. Since their work had great significance in their lives, feelings of loss and sorrow were common. Women who were working, unemployed, or on sick leave described feelings of fear for their future work situations.
  
  
  
  Women with FM greatly value their work. Their wish to perform work as before is however, not consistent with their abilities. As such, women with FM need support in continuing to work for as long as possible, after which they need support in finding new values in life.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing, Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Päivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Juuso
authors.affiliation: Blekinge Institute of Technology, Department of Health, Karlskrona, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Skär
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sundin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Siv
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Söderberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology*; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Work; fibromyalgia; interviews; qualitative methods; women