hi there girl i'ts april. if work keeps you going and not thinking of your ms i say don' t but if your tired and hate it when you work and if you could get disability do it. quality of life is what we want . you taught me that you are my hope . if you can live with ms as long as you are so can i. who cares if i need a cain or a walker or a wheelchair . i want the scooter. haha . you are a caring loving person do whats right for you and your family. relax and enjoy the time we have here on earth remember we only have till 2012 hahaha but i'm going with they will find a cure in my life time. you know i love ya girl. take care.april

Hi all. I retired because I was basically told at Savannah fire that they couldn't find work for me after twelve years because I had MS ( the rules). I got a retirement and disability but that only accounts for about half of my pay when I was working. It has been very hard for me with such a big change physically, mentaly and monetarily. I couldn't go to work everyday now if I wanted to so I made the right decision. Now when I can, I occupy my time with a bunch of things that I wanted to do back then.

well I'm not officially retired but I haven't worked in 10 years. I am on a Provincial(like a State) social assistance disability. It doesn't add up to much so I have been at my parents the whole time. Kind of a bummer. I woke up today and it was the first day since late September that my legs didn't feel like they had been whacked by a stick. I am on bed rest mostly for the last 13 months. I went out very little but I still managed to tweak my back bad and twist my ankles three times and fall down three times and bang my head bad once. Well I hope I've got that all out of the way...hahaha...I have only been out once since end of November and I have the Winter blues bad...well tomorrow's another day I quess, I'm so tired of TV and Computer, I have to set up some different lighting in my room so I can do more reading, which I like but haven't done much of for close to 20 years. Typing improved a bit in the last three years that I have had a computer anyways, That's one thing. I still have goals....cheers...

Hi Lynne,
It is a difficult decision at any time to retire or not. It really depends on the situation & type of work you are doing & how you are coping. Also what effect it is having on your health.

All I can relate to is my decision to keep working while I can. I dont like being home all day everyday by myself. Friends say they will "catch up soon" & it rarely happens. It is only hubby & me, we dont have kids or anyone to keep us busy. mum will sometimes come over every 2-4 weeks when I am home sick or working.

I have changed (or had changed) the duties I do at work so I am not doing stress type work but basic clerical work, walk out the door & dont have to worry about it at all. I have also gradually decreased amount of hours I am doing. I am now working 14.5 hours a week over 3 days - 5 hours mon & wed & 4.5 on Friday. I know it sounds weird amount but if I work 30 hours I lose disability pension. Thats our government rules here if you got pension between certain dates. It is so stupid to say the least.
I have found that my health is a bit better by not forcing myself to work every day & having the day off between. It (supposedly) means I get to relax that day. What a joke. I try to go to physio on both days, often have medical appts & tests so that takes up a lot of the time but at least I dont have to keep taking time off for it.

We have gradually got out bills in order to the point where if I need to I could resign. I dont because I find it gives me a purpose to the days, keeps me out with other people (mind you team has changed & now all younger which makes a difference). Still good to have a routine & to get some good laughs & discussions too.

We know that if/when I have another relapse or other issue that means extended time off work it will keep getting harder each time to go back & they make it harder too. Probably will end up resigning in next 6-12 months or when I have a medical issue with a lot of time off (like 2-3 months).

I use what ever aids I need to use to continue working. I am getting an electric wheelchair hopefilly end this month. Currently I go to work on a scooter & have a walker to use during the day but fatigue is a real issue for me.

I know I havent answered your questions but just said how i am working through the issues of to work or not too. Hope it has helped you to see how I am working through it all & not just confused youLOL
Whats the saying "act in haste, repent at leisure" that says it all I think.
Work through all the issues of financial, mental, support sustem around you, what you willl do with the spare time & how that will affect your mental moods too.

Take care & let us know your decision too oleae

Retiring was the best thing that I did. I do not know how I got anything done when I was still working. Actually, I did not do much except work and come home and go back to work. I did a horrible job at work. So now, I am so glad that I retired when I did and could at least enjoy what time I have left. I do not miss working AT ALL. You learn to live more frugal and will spend much less by not working (although since you work at home it might not affect you as much).

Good luck in this decision.

I made my decision out of necessity. I just haven't functioned well enough to work. It's a little different for me since my son is all grown up now but when the day comes that I am healed, I will be finding a way to earn a decent living again.

when i was first diagnosed at 23 i was paralyzed on my left side so being a vet tech i was forced into retirement cuz the docs thought it was permanent. 6 months later i got partial use back now i just have weakness and went to work part time as a secretary for 15 years but stopped working altogether 7 years ago cuz of the toll of the ms and anorexia had on my body really put a strain on me physically and mentally. so now i do PT and volunteer as much as possible its the best thing i could have done for me, but i hate having to explain why i retired at age 23. guys just dont get it and think im a loser.which is what MS makes me feel like at times.good luck with ur decision.