stress & career decisions

[trevvian]

Going through some serious stress at work right now & wondering about the relationship between stress & MS...from those who live it, not just my doctors.

I was just re-orged...pulled from a boss I love & trust enough to disclose my MS to & put on a new team. Now I'm having serious sx. With the former boss, when the cog fog & physical sx got bad, I just put 'working from home' on my calendar & no questions were asked as long as I got my work done.

Now I feel I can't do that-this guy wants to do team lunch, meetings, happy hours...and is asking for some truly non-value added work (probably bc he's new & doesn't know any better).

So I'm wondering: how much can stress really drive MS worsening & has anyone changed jobs due to stress? I know the grass isn't always greener, but I have been staying just because of my boss & that's gone now.

I have good, not great, benefits here. I could go the 'reasonable accommodation' route, but not sure I'm up to the fight. With this dx, my career has already likely been cut short & I want to work as long as I can. Can stress really cause flares that may hasten disability?

[Thinkimjob]

I think "yes". Week from Hades, legs completely numb in protest.

[Thinkimjob]

I don't know. If you google MS, all sorts of reality hits.

Stress is no good, but I defy anyone to have a chronic, progressive, potentially/likely disabling disease and not have any stress.

I'd guess the new boss would already know you have MS - could be wrong, but surely they share stuff? Employers have to be nice to people with a disability these days.

If you quit, will the stress level go down, or will it go up?

[ru4cats]

I am totally convinced stress is the reason for my "subclinical MS" to activate and begin the process that resulted in my diagnosis 4 years later.

Back in 2005-2006 I was under extreme stress. My current boss spent 6 months trying to remove me from my job and replace me with someone I had trained! Then my mother-in-law entered her final months of life that only added to the situation. I found another job for the "replacement" at another school, my ex-boss soon joined her there, and I managed to end my career in the job I loved. Unfortunately, the damage was done, and the MS diagnosis followed.

If possible, I strongly recommend you attempt to find a way to mitigate any stress. MS certainly wasn't in my retirement plan, but it is what it is. I know I couldn't have worked and had MS. K-8 students are anything but stress-free!

[Jules A]

I have been through major losses, stress, change of careers, change of jobs in the 10 years since being diagnosed with MS.

While I would agree excess stress isn't good for anyone's health I personally have not found a relationship between my MS symptoms and stress level, yet-knock wood.

I have said many times for me the thought of not bringing in money for as long as I can would be far more stressful and detrimental to my health than my high stress, high hour work week.

[Temagami]

I´ve had three relapses all preceded by a stressful life event. The overcomingms site has a new research article posted linking stress to specific lesion types.

[4boysmom]

I say try to work as long as you can, doing what you can.

[MSW1963]

Ending a career due to stress doesn't necessarily mean the end of stress in your life.

Will your 'good, but not great benefits' provide for the necessities of life and threatments for a very expensive disease?

I 'retired' 12yrs ago, and while I had no choice but to stop working (entirely too soon/young), the stress for a 'hit the ground running', busy, busy personality, with more fatigue than energy, all comes with it's own stress.

Add the stress of a lower income that comes with retirement/disability, a child to raise and I can attest to how stressfull a life of retirement due to disability is.

When you can no longer work, you just can't. But I would recommend taking advantage of every workplace law, accomodation, vacation, paid leave, FMLA, what ever it takes to continue working, until I just couldn't work any longer. The longer you work the better your income during retirement/disability is likely to be.

On the other hand, for two income households, financially things are not always as extreme as the financial loss of a single income household.

It's not an easy decision to make and I'm sending the best wishes your way.

[trevvian]

Thanks. ..

I agree with all of you, I want to stay working as long as possible. I have no plans to leave without a new job (preferably one with better health & LTD insurance)lined up.

I'm just wondering if a more 'slow & steady' career might , in the long run, keep me working longer. If I'm sacrificing longevity by having so much stress.

I guess it comes down to the balance between job satisfaction, money and health care. Maybe there's a sweet spot where it would combine to be less stressful over all.

[opiegirl]

Stress definitely affects me. Even immediate stress. I saw my neighbors dog get run over by a car and I immediately could not walk....it was awful. When I am stressed at work my body feels it.

[Canary54]

I don't know about stress hastening disability, but I have identified (and my neurologist concerns) that my triggers are in this order:
1. Heat
2. Stress
3. Fatigue

A bad week at works equals all weekend just getting ready to face the next week. I have more good than bad weeks at work. I'd love to be able to afford to stop working, however that's not an option right now.