Thanks so much, Lynne!
The thing about accommodations is that unless you're an expert in the field, you may not know what can be possible. Check the chapter on Occupational Therapy — I'd recommend that you consult an OT for help. It may also be a good idea to call the Job Accommodation Network to see if they have any suggestions that may be helpful to you.
it's all how you look at it, isn't it? I think the healthy/able-bodied look at us and just see the "can't," not the possibility for what can be possible and what RA can give you. It's a shift in perspective and I think you have to live inside the situation in order to make that shift.
Thanks for your comment!
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Yes Lene, RA certainly has its positives too - if we can get past all the pain and see it. Your post is strangely apt for me - I too am considering giving up my day job, for exactly the reasons you've said. But, being recently married, I am still settling into my new life and am not sure of taking the BIG step of giving up a well paying job and getting in more change in my life...!
But, RA did give me one really big thing - confidence in myself. I now have this ridiculous confidence - if I could walk again without surgery after RA busted my knee and confined me to bed, I can face any challenge that life will throw at me. It has also made me calmer and more spiritual! But I suppose, we can never really stop re-inventing ourselves!
I've had the same experience as you — RA has given me resilience and I believe that I can do anything, if I just work hard enough. RA does prepare you for getting back on the horse that threw you, because we do that so often, sometimes every day.
My recommendation would be to look into the issue of accommodation in your job. Check out the Job Accommodation Network website for tips on how to accommodate various medical conditions and disabilities, including arthritis. They'll also be able to talk to you about your particular situation. If you want to bat some ideas around, you can message me privately, as well. It may be possible to find a way to help you keep working. You may also want to check into FMLA as an option to provide you support. Check out V's post on her experience with going on FMLA - although she ultimately had to apply for SSD, it was a big helping extending her ability to work.