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Pushed into early retirement? - Member Topic for February 2018

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    Pushed into early retirement? - Member Topic for February 2018

    Your Member Topic for the month of February is here!
    You made suggestions and we listened!
    Thanks to all who participated in January's Member Topic of the Month!

    Many of us have been forced into early retirement due to MS. How have you coped with giving up a professional career, and the security of a good income (both financially and emotionally)? Are you taking steps to plan for the future in case this happens to you?

    Please join us and share you thoughts, stories and concerns. Your comments are always welcomed.

    Thank you all for your participation and stay tuned for more topics from your suggestions in the months to come! We appreciate all your thoughtful ideas and hope to hear more from you! You can add more suggestions here: https://www.msworld.org/forum/showth...TH-suggestions!
    1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
    Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

    #2
    rough at the beginning

    I had a rough beginning to the forced retirement.

    It put me into a deep depression. I did two weeks of outpatient group counseling.

    It gave me tools to deal with the downs of this life.

    I do what I can.

    The most recent thing I have delved into is ancestry. Familysearch is free. Library connections sometimes from your home computer with your library card. Or, maybe just going to the library to get out if you can is good.

    I also volunteered at a local elementary school, at first, helping with a reading program. You don't have to be an expert. It is a program just trying to catch those that would fall through the cracks.

    Do what you can. Exercise how ever you can. Even if it is leg lifts and arm lifts.
    God Bless and have a good day, Mary

    Comment


      #3
      No choice in retirement

      Hi, I'm Dave, long time member here, chat sometimes too. This retirement force blew up in my face several years ago now, in 2009. At the point I was diagnosed, I think I mostly wrote any chance of recovering, due to my limited skill set. I could drive a big ol' transit bus, and was just getting comfortable with that job when diagnosed. Lots of learning went into arriving at that comfort spot. These skills do not transfer to other lines of work that may be available. So for seven years I put my feet up and tried to get comfortable with what was thrown at me. More accurately, I gave up. Seven years of well meaning family members telling me how I felt having no idea what this disease does to a person caused me to get more and more aggravated.

      Today, in 2018, I've left the all knowing family, and migrated, slowly back to my home town. I know that I have to find a purpose, exercise is good, but I cannot do this just for the sake of exercise. I need to move around, and I still can, but increasingly need some type of assist device. What works best is a shopping cart. With this, I can walk around quite a bit. Kinda slow, but I get there.

      Where the purpose is concerned, it is something that I have to have. Just walking around with nothing else to do, will not work. I get bored with that, and then sit down. When I have to do something, accomplish something, I can get up and do it. When I finish it, I look for something else that has to be done, and then do that. After a while, I get worn down to a point I can't move anymore and I stop.

      Making these things create some kind of income is my goal. And something that I haven't figured out yet. Sitting at this most excellent laptop is not going to be real workable, since sitting for a long time causes me to get even more numb and tingly in the feet.

      Needless to say, I'm a mess dealing with this "retirement" that landed on me. But I continue to look for the thing that will make a difference.

      Dave Hall

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Seasha View Post
        ...

        Many of us have been forced into early retirement due to MS. How have you coped with giving up a professional career, and the security of a good income (both financially and emotionally)? Are you taking steps to plan for the future in case this happens to you?
        I "retired" in 2008 at the age of 46 after working part time with 6 years of MS. Initially, it was difficult emotionally. I'd worked, mostly, in the social work and early childhood development fields, although my last job was four years with the local school district as a para. I worked with kids in all grades during those years.

        I told myself, right away, that I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing. I dived into filling my time with volunteer work. I could get by with fewer hours per week than my 28-hour work week had been. I probably started off volunteering in a variety of places about 10 or 12 hours a week. I have, gradually, over the past 10 years, cut back on that. I still volunteer, but just a little.

        However, at first, it was important to my self-esteem to have something to do. After about 3 years, I finally realized that I had moved into "acceptance" about not being employed when my response to "What do you do" changed from "I'm just a volunteer" to "I get to volunteer".

        It hasn't changed our income much. What I get from Social Security (SSDI) and long term disability is similar to what I'd been making part time. If it hadn't been for MS, however, I likely would have gone back to college and obtained a master's degree and worked full time. That didn't materialize.
        ~ Faith
        MSWorld Volunteer -- Moderator since JUN2012
        (now a Mimibug)

        Symptoms began in JAN02
        - Dx with RRMS in OCT03, following 21 months of limbo, ruling out lots of other dx, and some "probable stroke" and "probable CNS" dx for awhile.
        - In 2008, I was back in limbo briefly, then re-dx w/ MS: JUL08
        .

        - Betaseron NOV03-AUG08; Copaxone20 SEPT08-APR15; Copaxone40 APR15-present
        - Began receiving SSDI / LTD NOV08. Not employed. I volunteer in my church and community.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Dave Hall View Post
          Hi, I'm Dave, long time member here, chat sometimes too.
          Welcome, Dave. I can see that you've been a long time member, but I haven't been on chat for years, so I've missed the opportunity to get to know you. Please feel free to post more frequently here on the message boards.

          Best wishes in finding a purpose. I know that was really important to me in my adjustment to life with disability.
          ~ Faith
          MSWorld Volunteer -- Moderator since JUN2012
          (now a Mimibug)

          Symptoms began in JAN02
          - Dx with RRMS in OCT03, following 21 months of limbo, ruling out lots of other dx, and some "probable stroke" and "probable CNS" dx for awhile.
          - In 2008, I was back in limbo briefly, then re-dx w/ MS: JUL08
          .

          - Betaseron NOV03-AUG08; Copaxone20 SEPT08-APR15; Copaxone40 APR15-present
          - Began receiving SSDI / LTD NOV08. Not employed. I volunteer in my church and community.

          Comment


            #6
            Thanks for bumping this up, Mamabug, and your story.

            I had to stop work 9 years ago due to increased fatigue, cognitive issues and a host of other issues. My hours were reduced to 24 hour from 36 and I still struggled, even tho I loved my job.

            But the "straw that broke" me was due to my boss who was not understanding of my situation. She was a micromanager, picking on me and being mean to the point that she made me cry in front of the public. I complained but it didn't do any good. I realized that I could no longer work in such a toxic environment and was close to retirement age anyway, so I applied for SSDI and was awarded in 3 months time.

            All in all, it was a bittersweet moment. It was an extremely emotional sad time and but also liberating. I had to then reinvent myself and my goals for the future and like you, Mamabug, I started doing some volunteer work.

            Luckly, after 30+ years of income, I had a couple pensions plus SSDI, so I haven't had to struggle that much financially. I urge those of you who might face this decision in the future, to financially get your ducks in row and make plans now!

            P.S. I love retirement now
            1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
            Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

            Comment


              #7
              This is a good topic for me. I'm in my mid-50s. I've had MS for many years. I successfully dealt with it until recently. In the last year, it has hit me hard. I'm struggling right now.

              Comment

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