Well I was a Juvenile Corrections Officer fot 3 yrs for the state of Kansas!!! My doc. signed off on paperwork stating "never to return" to that job, or any other... At 24, i dont kno what im gonna do...currently filing for disibility,pullin my retirment,srs, and the dept of labor...SUCH A HASSEL! But,medical requirs so its not if i get it, but a matter of when....Im lucky cause i actually had a good job, so it looks good when i go to apply.... guess ill just go back to school for business, and go in with my family on some small business....

I receive veterans disability compensation. I was a corpsman in the Navy until I was medically discharged.

I work at an antique mall, 3 days a week. I have sold antiques all my life, I love research, and the HUNT- although at this time, the HUNT has been put on hold to some extent. (temporairly I hope).

But I do pretty good buying things on ebay for resale. Sit down, find a deal, take to shop--vada boom vada bang- 100 bucks-woohoo!

I also sell a little bit on ebay when I find something real rare-vada boom vada bang-500 bucks!

I work full time as a teacher. I find that I sit more and when I get home I am so exhausted. It helps me to stay busy, but it is very hard and I have to push myself. I hope I can work 5 more years.

I work full-time as a counselor for students with disabilities at a university. I am tired when I get home at night and often take a nap in the early evening. I also take naps on the weekends and get as much sleep as I can on Saturday and Sunday that seems to help me make it through the rest of the week. I'm hoping to continue working for as long as possible. Another woman at our college has MS and is a little older than I am. She has started using a scooter to get to meetings and events on campus, but she still works full-time also.

Take care,
Neener

I was in the educational field as well and worked as every thing from an Enrollment counselor, to a Director of Education to the Director of a school. I finally had to step down and take a lesser job and then finally I had to quit and go on disability. I am only 50 and it was earlier than I intended to quit working. Hope you stay in good health and can work and if not you have the support you need. Marilyn

I had been working 30 hours 6 days a week but i'm about to start a new job at 40 hours 5 days a week. Hopefully i will also go to school part time as well. If you don't use it you lose it. I usually succumb to laziness but on the rare days when i'm busy and running around i feel great.

I work full time for the county I live in as a Tangible Personal Property Appraiser. I do audits from a desk for 8 hrs a day. It's hard on my back, eyes, and I am so tired when I get home and on the weekends that I am pretty useless. I could retire but I am trying to hold on for as long as I can. I need insurance and my paycheck.

I was working but always exhausted and in pain.I Had to give up on working six months ago due to extreme pain.I am really scared I will become homeless, as I am a single mom with no child support or income other than food stamps.I am praying to get better and able to work again.Disabilty is extremly hard to get here in NC next to impossible.Which I think is very wrong.I have family that took seven years to get it.One who died waiting.It is very hard,so hard I have tried to kill myself due to this illness.

I work 25 hrs a week as a medical assistant but not because of the MS. It is really due to my kids, I like to be able to take them to school and pick them up. I have a 15 yr old and 12 yr old. I wish I could work more but for now I choose just to do 25hrs a week.

I worked 40 hours a week as an RN with a desk/computer job- not too physically strenuous but mentally active. MS never took me off of work. Due to 2 alternate diagnosis I have been off work since Aug 08- I have to say the down time has made a huge difference in combating huge fatigue issues that were never controlled with meds. I also find the tremors less some days and the overall depression lessened some.
I do have a hobby of quilting that keeps my mind occupied.
Good luck

yes i am still working full time. i am a processor, in front of a computer all day. i had to get a note from the doctor so they would lower my production requirements since i was getting written up for it! some days its hard even to meet the lower 59% as opposed to the regular 85%. i take 800 ib's for the pain and have a heating pad at work.the fatigue and problem solving skills really are a problem too. but thank the good Lord i can still make it thru. i cant quit and file for disability cause i have no one to pay the rent while i battle it out with the ss people! there is no husband and my kids are barely making it themselves so i have no choice but to continue on and pray,pray and pray some more. as for the job i am glad to have one even though after 7 years i bring home a little over 1500 a month and i work for one of the largest insurance companies in the nation.. lol..

I am also an Rn, I continue to work in a med surg hospital 3-12 hour shifts a week, I work nights. The fatigue is enourmous, both from the MS and the fact of the hours I work. I also have fibromyalgia, and that bugs me more than the MS. I am trying to hit a happy medium for pain control. My doc. told me the next step is narcotics, and if that should happen I wont be able to work. I'll have apply for disability, I need some advice. We live in Neb. Can I work at a lesser job and still get disability? I need some income to be able to cobra my insurance.
Thanks,
Jalo123

It's funny I've seen this question a few times and each time I question why we wouldn't all still work? I think it's extremely important for everyone to get up in the morning with a sense of purpose and a need to contribute. My nurse friend told me when I was diagnosed: "either you can just sit down, or you can keep going." I chose to keep going. I work a pretty demanding job as an administrator of an assisted living facility. I'm also a single parent, so it pays the bills, and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone with MS, but I do believe we should all "keep going."

SJ - To answer your question, in a non hostile manner, although the words can be read as such. I'm taking them from a famous poitician, it got him elected......"It's the economy stupid"

I think of starting a parallel thread asking how many people are not working with the main cause being the economy and MS being a contributing factor.. I read the #'s in an article a while back, unemployment in the disabled or challenged during this time makes employment in black male youth with a traditional high unemployment rate, comes close to high employment as compared to the disabled/challenged.