What can I do to keep from getting sick again, and to have enough energy to do my job?

Check outhttp://www.fungi.com/supplements/index.html for immune support. Information on the individual mushrooms can be found in thehttp://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm Also, check with a good local health food store (not one of the chains) and ask about live cultures to rebuild the flora in your intestines and a good multiple vitamin. Eat whole citrus, not just the juice, lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Good luck in the new job!

I struggle with abnormal fatigue and brain fog. I've used ideas from David Allen's "Getting Things Done" for years, and I recently picked up this book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/097493044X/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ I like the prioritization model a little better, in terms of how you're guided to organize what you *must* get done, what you'd *like* to get done, and what's on your mind. You can implement the basic ideas in about five minutes. I've found it really saves previous brain energy because I don't have to make as many operational decisions, and I don't get caught in random draining tasks instead of working on the bottom line for that work day. And that means I can go home on time and recover from the day.

Even 20 minutes of exercise a day will give you more energy throughout the day. It may be hard to get started but once you do I think you will find that it makes a huge difference.

Find out if there are any laundries in your area that will pick up and deliver your clothes. Get someone in to help you with the cleaning. If it appeals to you, maybe find out what the cost is on a catering service that can make a bunch of healthy meals, freeze them, and bring them to you. If that's too expensive, you might get together with a friend once a month and make a bunch of food to freeze and keep on hand so that cooking isn't quite so daunting after a day of work. Your health/fatigue sounds very much like mine when I had a job working for people I despised and also wasn't eating right. For me--and this is just me, because I know tons of vegetarians who thrive on a meat-free diet--I stopped getting sick so often when I started eating a small amount of red meat twice a week. It also helped a lot when I was able to leave the job at the badly-run company; working for jerks took a lot out of me. Keep food around that doesn't require any prep time, like fruit, nuts, pre-cut veggies, cheese, or minimally-processed pre-made dinners. I like to have bread and almond butter and low-sugar jam around so that I can always make a sandwich, at least. Drink a lot of water, more than you think you might need, particularly if you have problems with sinus infections. Get some sunlight every day if you can. Good luck. I know how frustrating the cycle of cold/sinus infection/cold is.

What can you outsource? Yes, I know money is tight, but there's a cost benefit analysis worth doing on the cost of having your laundry picked up and delivered vs keeping your job. I'd consider it an investment in keeping my income. (And it's pretty cheap in my experience, too.) I'd also order a week's worth of groceries online and pay the Saturday delivery premium, and maybe think about getting someone in to clean once a week, or just to do the hoovering, dusting and loos once every two weeks. With food, clothing and shelter covered, that frees up a lot of time, energy and mental energy for work.

You don't say what kinds of tests you've had, but I wonder if allergies have been ruled out? I was seriously fatigued all the time and had recurrent sinus infections that left me exhausted and miserable until I was allergy tested and started appropriate treatment for allergies. So, just a thought.

If you have recurrent rounds of sinusitis, perhaps having your GP refer you to an ENT would be more useful in getting it cleared up for good? I know I had a full month of antibiotics once for a vicious sinus bug, and Mr. F's old GP (who knew what people in his line of work get up to in terms of hours and stress) would cheerily write him for antibiotics *and* oral steroids *and* codeine cough syrup ("if you get jumpy from the steroid pack, just cut it with the cough syrup"). It's kind of the "Dwight Yoakam's character in Crank" approach, but sometimes you need to hit things pretty hard. Antibiotics can also wipe you out pretty badly fatigue-wise, so go easy on yourself and don't expect perfect functionality while you're on them. I doubt you smoke, but if you do, you may also want to investigate quitting. Most friends of mine who smoked found their cold-to-sinus-death situation greatly improved once they quit.

To the extent you are battling fatigue even when you are otherwise healthy, you may want to check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil. My life was slowed down significantly for over a decade by MS-induced fatigue. It effected by career and education choices as well as my day-to-day productivity. Modafinil basically wiped that slate clean, got rid of the fatigue and the accompanying brain-fog and allowed me to function without other side effects. YMMV and IANAD, but I do like to mention it because of the difference it's made in my life, and in the life of one other person I know. It does not always work and is apparently less effective for non-specific chronic fatigue, but it still may be worth a shot.

Yes, those antibiotics are wreaking havoc with your digestion by killing the good microbes along with the bad. A probiotic supplement (as SLOHands says, live cultues) will help you recover from that and boost your immunity. I go for the refrigerated ones, and take them before bed as they can stimulate digestion and that can be uncomfortable during the day. Good luck!