MS and work

By karen Tuesday, June 08, 2010

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I am battling the decision of wether I should keep working or not, would love some advice. I was dx'd with MS about a year and a half ago. I take Copazone and do fairly well. My main symptoms now are numbness in my arms and legs and alot of pain in my legs. Also, I get so tired!!!! If I overdo it all these things are worse. I work as a dental assistant 3 days a week and feel lately like this is taking most of all I have to give. The days I work I get home and pretty much have to go to sleep and after being on my legs all day they ache so bad! My days off I spend trying to catch up on EVERYTHING. ( i have two sons ages 10 and 15 too ) Then im exhausted again. I am managing ok for now but I worry about what this stress and exhaustion may do to me in the long run. Does anyone know, Is it better to not wear ourselves down like this or should I just go until I cant go anymore. I just dont want my future with MS to be worse just because I kept working. Tell me what do you all do? Do you work? Is it possible to get on Soc sec. wit MS? Any input will help. Thanks

Yard work:(

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momdukes

6/ 9/10 11:52am

Hi Karen, the is smomdukes, been there done that. Know this nobody loves you like you, I have always said that! This is not top take waway from the love that your family has for you, but yu have got to take care of YOU! I was DX in 2004 I worked only 2 mopre yrs after being DX, I get disability, only took them a year. I have had excellent jobs in the past good paying jobs. So they did not make me wait long, the back pay would have choked a horse, so they got me out of the way. Sorry to say it only gets worst, not better that is just MS. My peak times are the mornings, I am naturally a morning person, so that is when I am at my best. You have to take care of yourself, and sorry to say not working will work best. I loved work, but I love me more! You will be better for yourself, and your family. Find something that you like, and do it at your own pace, I dop crafts, that works for me! There is no shame in calling it quits, we have paid our dues. Take care of yourself you owe it to yourself. I no longer cook, not that I did a lot of that anyway, I clean at my own pace, it will work out I am a living witness. Take care of yourself, it is yourself

sherry/smomdukes

karen

6/10/10 10:26pm

Thanks for your advice!!! I am so indecisive. My job makes me feel some self worth. But totally exhausts me. My husband says if i quit my job he thinks I will get worse cuz I dont have anything to keep me motivated. I am just afraid of wearing myself down and having a bad relapse..mabey one that wont go away this time. I dont think I would be approved for disability b/c im not that bad.. I cant walk ok. I just get so tired and have alot of numbness. Oh if I just had a magic ball to show me my future it would be easier to make a decision. I will keep you posted what I decide. I have an appt. next Thurs. and am gonna discuss it with my doc. Talk to ya soon!

shakealeg

6/27/10 10:13pm

Karen,

I was struck by your husband's concern that you might lose motivation if you stop working-my husband was also concerned about that. But the opposite has proven to be true. I literally dreaded fitting everything into the day-I'm sure you get up extra early just to be ready on time, and then you are already exhausted. It is now so much easier to pace myself. My neuro told me that once I stopped working, my job would be me - and he was so right. What a relief it is to have the time to fit in the things that help me feel better (like water walking), and to have the luxury of resting when I need to, so I have the energy for things I want to do. BTW, apply for disability. We all tend to minimize our condition. You have a diagnosis and many symptoms.

karen

6/29/10 9:27pm

Hi there. thanks for your response. I am so glad to hear that you are just as motivated (it sounds like more motivated) while not working. Yes, I do feel like I am always in a rush to fit everything in a day and can be exhausted even when not working. For now I have to decided to hang in there for a little bit longer. My boss is 67 and I am hoping he will retire soon and him and I can stop working together. I have had to ligthen my load at work by giving up a few of my responsibilities, it has helped. I am looking forward to the day I can not work and focus on just me and my family:) Have a great day!! Karen

Julie

6/ 9/10 1:03pm

Hi Karen:

Boy, is this a subject close to my heart. I've written about this subject several times here -- swinging toward quitting and then toward working. I'm still working, 7 years after being diagnosed, although I now only work the equivalent of 3 days a week.

For me, the main difficulties with MS are fatigue and nerve pain on my left side. When I worked full time, I began to feel like you -- like I was giving up everything else just to keep working. I would work, sleep, recover on weekends, and then start it all over again. I felt terrible almost all the time.

My employer allowed me to reduce my hours to 24 hours a week and spread them over 4 days. Now, I feel better when I get home and have enough energy on weekends to actually have a life. And I still get to work, which I really enjoy doing. I like the social contact, the work satisfaction and creative outlet that comes from working.

I still have challenges with fatigue and pain. Work stress does come up and that can give me some cognitive issues. For now, these things are manageable for me.

I also want to point out that I do have bad weeks that seem to stretch on forever and I can't imagine continuing work. But fortunately those bad weeks get better and I'm glad I stayed.

My advice would be to see if you can work shorter hours, even if it means working more days. Ask your employer if there are other options -- perhaps even taking a month or two off. If that doesn't work, then you may really need to give up your job.

But I agree that you need to take care of yourself and not let yourself get too run down. Take care.

karen

6/10/10 10:35pm

Hi there. Thanks for sharing your story with me. Knowing what to do is such a hard decision for me. I feel like alot of my self worth is in my job. Since I was dx'd with MS I dont always feel very good about myself. I already cut my hours to 3 seven hour days a week. I dont think my boss will change that anymore for me. I am going to talk to my doc about it next Thurs. I would just try to hang in there...Im just afraid of what im doing to my future with MS if I wear myself out like this now. Does that make sense? Plus Im not the best mom and wife I can be when Im so worn out. But bringing in some income to our family helps...UGH what a dilemna. What to do?? I think I need to do lots of praying on this onewill keep ya posted. Thanks

momdukes

6/11/10 7:40am

I do not want to hear you say that you are not a good wife and mom.....You are you just have a health issue. You did not ask for it, it just happened. We will understand it better all by and by. Sometimes all of us with MS feel that way, because our capacity to do what e use to do has been attacked. Keep a positive attitude, that will mean the world to you and to others. I also worked until about 3 years ago, MS hit me when I was 44 I am not 52. I was told that I had it all my life. Be that as it may, I keep on keeping on, I have no choice, and neither do you. We have loads to keep going on for, never think any less Apply for disability it is going to take some time. No shame in getting disability, you have to know when to say when. When I broke my shoulder from a fall at work, my doc said WHEN! I hopped around with that broke should for 3 moinths before I went to the doc. that is just how I am, not everyone can do that. Over my span of MS, I have broken my ankle, leg, knee, and shoulder, and I am still going and willl continue. Stay positive, I promise it will help. If you have to cry I say use the shower method. Cry in the shower, and was all those bad feelings down the drain with the soap. No one will know that you have been cryingm you are clean, and most important you feel better. Take care and keep me posted!

sherry/smomdukes

karen

6/11/10 9:21am

you are so sweet! i know i have to keep a potitive attitude i just forget that sometimes:) no its not our fault we have this stupid disease. i think God chose us b/c he knew we could handle it...so i gotta handle this and make God proud, right?! I will keep on keepin on! and yes crying in the shower is the way to go, i do always feel better when i get out clean and refreshed. thanks for being so sweet and sharing your experiences with me. it sure helps to talk to others going through the same thing. have a awesome day!

karen

6/14/10 5:42pm

Heres an example of how work affects me.... I worked from 8:15-4:30 today, picked the kids up at my mom in laws and I have nothing left in me now. I am beat, my body is aching so bad. BTW does anyone else experience this..extreme pain in your arms and legs? Its totally undescribable how they feel! Anyway I still need to make supper, take my son to VBS and the house needs cleaned up laundry needs done etc. etc. and I just need to go to bed:( Mabey not working would be a good thing????

MS and work

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