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Career options for limbo landers with cognitive difficulties?

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    Career options for limbo landers with cognitive difficulties?

    I began having a wide range of neurological-ish symptoms about 9 years ago. I can deal with the numbness, the dizziness, the headaches, the trouble pronouncing words, the frequent urination, eve the night time hallucinations, but what I never figured out how to get by in life with are the word-finding/aphasia issues and the concentration and memory problems.

    Employers all seem to demand more than I can handle. They not only want the job done right, they want it done very quickly. Most jobs require good communication abilities and being able to clearly articulate ideas in words, but I am constantly having problems remembering words when I speak or write. I also have a very difficult time concentrating and am very prone to dumb errors, like there have been dozens of times when I went shopping and came out of the store with the wrong items despite triple checking to make sure I had the right ones, and I do things a lot like putting my deodorant in the fridge because I'm so spaced out all of the time.

    I have managed to get random mindless jobs here and there that allowed me to do simple tasks like basic data entry from home, but these jobs are getting rarer and rarer. I lost the last one I had back in August and have been struggling financially ever since. My father's financial assistance was the only thing keeping me afloat, and now he has been laid off and cannot find another job either after several months.

    I don't know what to do. I'm going to wind up homeless. Every time I go on job sites looking for positions to apply to, I get frustrated and just start crying reading through the descriptions of jobs I'm either 100% unqualified for or know I just wouldn't be able to handle due to them involving so much verbal interaction with others. I'm a 100-lb woman, so stocking jobs that involve heavy lifting are typically out of the question. I have had several MRIs, an EEG, various blood tests (b12, hormones, thyroid, lyme, folate, vit D, iron, among others), inner ear testing, a sleep study, and probably other stuff I can't remember. All negative. Doctors say I'm crazy, make sure I drink enough water and get enough sleep and exercise, etc.

    Any thoughts on jobs I can look into would be appreciated. I feel so hopeless and am such a burden.

    #2
    First of all -- welcome to MS World. I'm always sorry when someone needs to join us, either because they are in limbo, newly diagnosed, or, in your case, have had symptoms for many years, but are dealing with new challenges. But, I'm also always glad when someone reaches out, and I hope someone will be able to provide helpful suggestions.

    I wonder if a professional could help, instead of you attempting to navigate the job search alone.

    The state of Kansas has a Kansas WorkForce Center is a one-stop resource center for job seekers and employers. They offer all kinds of services, including help with job searches, training, they offer job fairs, etc. They work through the The American Job Center, and out of our local junior college. They can help you to assess what you're able to do and what your options are.
    I think that other states offer something similar. Try starting here and searching for help in your community -- https://www.careeronestop.org/site/a...ob-center.aspx

    It's also possible that your local National Multiple Sclerosis Society would have some referrals to resources regarding who could help you.
    ~ 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.

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