Young but can't retire

[DreaMS]

Well it's my first time posting on MS World, can't believe it took so long to connect to others. I was diagnosed after 3 years of searching for an answer and have now lived 5 years on treatments but my head keeps spinning wondering how am I ever going to get through it all. I'm young and have only been teaching for 9 years but seem to be counting down not only the months and days til summer but the years it'll take before I could retire.

I've had MS pretty much my entire teaching career and am a single mom . . . the years seem endless, I feel like I'm missing out on my son's life. He'll be off to college in a few years and it seems like all he's known is a tired mommy who tries her best to be a good teacher. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to balance it all? I thought I was doing great (single mom with a great son, lead 4th grade teacher, volunteering when possible, helping my mother when needed) but recently my body seems to be shutting down. Brain fog and fatigue is really wearing on me and the thought of not being able to retire for another 21 years is depressing. I definitely need help!

[Camsue]

sorry DreaMS

clever name! ..I too was/am a 'single' Mom and have 3 kids..I am divorced- Dad and his wife have always been involved and we lived in the same neighborhood and shared the kids every other week.

I hope your son's father is involved and able to give you help and some recharging time. Do let others help.

I did retire on disability at 46. If my facility had remained open I probably would have worked longer. I do believe that having children (now grandchildren) to focus on helps keep this MonSter caged.

Stress is an aggravator so try not to worry about 21 years in the future, just enjoy today..that time will pass way too quickly! take care

[DreaMS]

Camsue
Thanks for your words, it's very true that I must take it one day at a time. This week has been difficult but things have to get better. Only 4 weeks left to teach. I'll regroup and start over again on Monday. I also need to see if there's possible another medicine that would help me deal with the symtoms better because I don't want to continue being the "cranky" teacher that I feel I've become this year. I love teaching and want to continue to enjoy being in the classroom. It helps to hear other comments from teachers that are going through similar circumstances. I'll try to stay positive.

[CGMoonbeam]

This is a little long, but I hope it helps:

I didn't think that I'd be able to leave teaching either after only 6 years of full time, but in August my classroom had no air. I was really annoyed because it was the 2nd year that it was like that and I'd had put a letter in my file regarding heat. This was one of the few accommodations I'd asked for.

At some point during this, I lost feeling in the left side of my face. I tried to talk to my neuro, but he was out of town, so waited until my regular appt in October when he stated that it was time to go on disability.

I thought that I'd wait until end of term, but the next day, I lost control of my bladder. Thank God there were no students. I was about to go to lunch.

That was a Tues. Friday was my last day.

I had disability insurance which helped, AZ has disability that I qualified for through the retirement system which allows point accrual, and I received my SSDI on the first try. I have had no headaches since Oct. and the bladder issue cleared up. Talk to your neuro. I was getting cranky with my students too. They knew about the MS, but cranky isn't good for you or for them.

I have no regrets. I miss some of it, but realize now how tired I was.

[jnstaylor98]

In the Same Boat DreaMS

I am in the exact same situation, almost. I have been teaching for 15 years. In our state we can retire at 25. However, in our state we pick up the total cost of our health insurance when we retire. I carry my children on my policy at $400 a month. Retired it would jump to $850 for me plus the kids. They are young enough that thanks to Obamacare I will still have to pay for them even when retired.

There is no way I can pay for my health insurance on a teacher's pension. The moral of the story is, I will probably not retire until they are grown and employed. Disability payments are even lower than pension payments. I already checked.

So far my problems have not prevented me from work, so I will plow ahead and try as hard as I can. I will wait until absolutely necessary to request accomodations. When the time comes that I can't get in front of the class anymore I will request another job. I'll answer phones, print transcripts...maybe become a registrar...

I'd go insane sitting home alone anyway.
If there's a point to this rambling post I guess it's this: Take comfort in knowing you aren't alone in your fight, and just plow ahead and make the best of the situation each day. I'm very optomistic that I will be able to work out the rest of my career as planned, but I'll roll with the punches.

Enjoy your summer break.

[J9orange]

I've been having problems since January. It started with dizziness and severe vomiting then progressed to ON and I've lost vision in my left eye. Now it's mainly bad pains in legs, bladder issues, shaking and brain fog. I teach Special Educ in a large urban school dist. We got a new principal last year and she is NOT a nice person at all. I have been out of work since January and not looking forward to September. I don't know how I'm going to manage. I was just dx last week and going back to Neuro next week to start meds. I can handle the leg pain as my school has an elevator and it's one of the few that has air, hopefully it will continue to work. I have small groups bc I teach Spec Educ and I can therefore work around not having to stand a lot and I figured I would maybe get a cane if needed.

So many of my friends at work said while they hate to see me sick they are glad that I wasn't there bc the new principal is so tough. Luckily she seemed to like me up til January so we'll see when I go back. UGH....

I have a lot of help at home... I have 3 daughters (12, and 9 year old twins and I have 2 step-daughters (9 and 17) and my husband is helpful. Just don't know about work. I still have about 8 months of disability but I don't want to have to use it now. What will happen if this progresses even more and I need it in a few years. Social Security doesn't seem like a good option, I looked at it and my disability monthly is much less then what I'm paid monthly.

Thanks for listening to me vent... I know we are all in the same boat.

[4boysmom]

I am one of those very-lucky teachers! My last 3 years of teaching were my absolute best years, with memories to last a life-time. I had some health issues, but my PCP kept chalking them up to stress. I had been in the classroom for 17 years!

WEll, I also got my master's in instructional technology, and made myself useful in the district teaching technology classes to other teachers, etc. The technology director recognized my work/potential, created a position for me at the district level as the educational technology specialist!

8 months later I was diagnosed with MS. I was able to work at my own pace, still be useful to others in the district. I've had this position for 7 years. I occasionally go to the classrooms to help teachers, and after 45 min. I know I can never go back to teaching full-time. I get dizzy leaning over to help kids with their work.

I admire those of you who can continue to do the hard work of teaching! More demands and stress are added all the time! I know because I help add some of that in my district . I look a lot at data, and who is doing well and who isn't. I find my work extremely fulfilling, but also look forward to the day 7 years from now when I am retired!

[woodstock]

DreaMS, I would suggest that you take advantage of the retirement workshops that most school districts offer. Start going to them and ask questions about disability retirement. It may be more of an option than you think.

Another suggestion I would give is to see about having a neuropsych exam completed to at least give you a baseline for any cognitive issues. This will help you to prove your case for disability retirement at a later date if necessary.

I'm 49 yo and just dx last year. In one more year, I will have five years in the public school system here where we live. At five years, you are considered vested for retirement purposes. I already checked with the state teachers retirement board (called them anonymously) to find out that if I were unable to work after I hit year 5, that I would qualify for disability retirement, however I would have to first apply for and be approved for Social Security Disability or SSI. The other question that I will be asking (and I suggest this for others out there as well), is if I were to have to retire on disability, does that make a difference in the cost of disability/retiree insurance premiums?

I have an appointment in July for my first neuropsych testing for a baseline score as the majority of my sx that I've noticed are cognitive in nature. As much as I love working with kids, particularly because I am a counselor, I worry about my memory issues impacting what I do.

[J9orange]

Great info

Woodstock... thanks so much for that info. I never thought about disability retirement. I'm 43 and just finished my 8th year. I still have 150 days of disability through the school dist and if I can't go back in Sept that will at least get me though next year so that I will have 9 years. I teach for a large Urban Public School and I know that our pension is through the state.
I may call my Union to get more info.

I too have a lot of cognitive issues as well and my 20/20 vision is now 20/50 with my reading glasses and even then my left eye is very blurry. I teach Special Educ and as of late I feel like they can do more to help me then I can to help them. The doc at the school district has to see you every few weeks and decide if you are ready to go back to work and since January she has told me No. Most people are complaining that she is making them and she just looks at the reports from my PCP and Neuro and tells me that she'll see me in a few weeks.

Thanks again for this info. I've been going crazy trying to figure out how to live on SS and SSI alone with 3 daughters and 2 step-daughters that I provide benefits for. I'm hoping disability retirement is an option.

[tspaulding]

I RECEIVED SSDI RECENTLY AND MY TWO SONS RECEIVE HALF OF THAT WHICH IS VERY HELPFUL. SO IF YOU RECEIVE 1200 A MONTH THEN YOUR TWO CHILDREN WILL RECEIVE $300 EACH A MONTH. THIS IS HELPFUL TO SAVE MONEY FOR THE CHILDREN AND TO PAY BILLS.

RRMS DX 95 GILENYA 1.5 YRS

[kimsoon]

retirement security

We think of the United States as a progressive leader among countries. Typically thought of a first-world nation, is rapidly losing its standing if one considers the security and life-style of its average citizens after retiring from the work force. According to a brand new survey, the United States ranks low in terms of retirement security and even lower in health-care.
Source for this article: personalmoneynetwork.com "Retirement Security"

[mfog023]

I am also a Sped teacher and thankfully am still able to keep up. Luckily, my principal and vice principal have been so supportive after I disclosed a few years ago.

Because my groups are smaller in a resource setting and I do my own scheduling I schedule in breaks. Plus when I do whole groups, I have a stool in the front that I can use. My assistant and I are in tune and she step in and helps so naturally.

My students love that I understand the limitations of a disability viewing me as "getting it."

So I am thankfully not ready to retire physically or is my husband ready for that. He fired me as a housewife years ago. I got so bored and miserable at that time that I did nothing but shop for household items. We both know the time will come and are preparing. Preparation is the key here.

Hang in there.