breathe...in and out. We understand and I certainly wish I could help alleviate your pain.

I am glad you are seeing a Psychiatrist. Cutting is a serious issue and it needs to be addressed.
Your pain is aggravating the depression and I assume your depression is aggravating your pain.

We are here. Thank you for reaching out. Maybe try getting a massage too. Just to get some positive energy flowing and relax those muscles that are so tense right now.

Keep us posted please.

So sorry life seems so tough for you right now. RA can be so very tough at times that is for sure.... My thoughts and prayers are with you. Can you go part time at the job you have? Because you can file for SSDI when you work part time. It might be a bit harder to get but I know of folks that did get it while working part time. I am glad you are seeing a Psychiatrist because they might know of other options that will help you. Take care.

So sad that you are hurting. All of this can get so overwhelming, can't it? Can you implement some of the coping strategies that your Psychiatrist, hopefully, gave you when you feel like cutting? I was worried when I had to leave my career, but we cut expenses, refinanced, got creative and we are making it. Is there some type of job you can do from home? Is part time work an option or telecommuting? I hope things change for the better.

Thanks for the support. Part-time is not an option with my job and if I went anywhere else, I wouldn't get the hourly rate I make now, so part-time would be much less than just cutting my hours in half here.

Besides. we can't really make it on P/T pay either. We need 2 fulltime incomes and I make more $ than my husband, so I'm the one who needs to keep working :(

I feel so stuck!!! I have also researched SSDI for my state and they have a really bad run of denials. I think like only 53% of all claims are approved and that is AFTER 2 appeals!!! So, if I try, I pretty much have a 50/50 chance... Not very good odds.
:(

We had to refinance our house. We paid off debt and I started working from home. The best at home position I had, a tech support position, I made $13-$18 an hour. It was a lot of extra unpaid time studying:

http://www.workingsolutions.com/agentopportunities/

Previous to that I was with alpineaccess.com on a GE Credit Card customer service line. Pay was maybe $10 an hour.

Now I'm pert near full-time daycare for my grandson. I've had him since newborn. He's two now and it's a challenge, nothing like yours though. I so feel for you. My heart goes out to you, truly.

I don't know where to tell you to look and I hope others know of a government program or opportunity.

Oh, check out NTI.com it's for people with disabilities and pays better than average but you have to have a vocational rehab counselor...I think. Their big account was the IRS last I look at them:

http://ntiathome.org/work-at-home-jobs-disabled.shtm

So sorry you are having to deal with all of the pain and everything else. This is a link to a website that lists lots of links to various kinds of help, not sure if any would help you but it doesn't hurt to check it out.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers..stay strong.

http://www.arthritistoday.org/arthritis-treatment/getting-medical-care/health-care-resources/help-with-health-care.php

So sorry to hear that you are in so much pain ! Have you tried wrapping yourself in an electric blanket? That works amazingly well for me and I got the suggestion from this site when I was flaring so badly.
The heat is so soothing to body and mind, like a big warm hug ! I so understand your predicament-I too am the bigger bread winner and my income keeps us afloat. That puts sooo much pressure on you knowing that you must work full time no matter how bad you feel ! I envy some of my coworkers who have husbands that can support them and imagine what a relief it would be knowing that your working is optional. The stress of this alone is a big cause for feeling hopeless. I feel your pain sisterwoman and will keep you in my prayers .Know that you are not alone in your suffering and there are others who understand and sympathize, especially here in the RA family. We are here for each other ok? Warm hugs and comforting thoughts go out to you. Feel better soon and keep in touch.

Life can be so hard. I'm more sorry then I can say that your going through this.
Does your doctor know how much pain your in? Does he know how not working is not an option?
May sound like a stupid question but it can take some major communication to make the point clear.
I had a good friend I met off a support group much like this help me learn to express my concerns over pain & inability to function enough to avoid depression. He advised me to focus on explaining how much my "quality" of life is effected. So I did. We all need & deserve quality.

I'm assuming Prednisone is not an option?
If not then as mentioned pain management can be a life savor.
It's not always about meds they have other methods to help with pain. A good PM will try it all. Sounds like you could use a good PM on your team.
It's awful to feel so pressured.
This is not a great solution but perhaps your husband can pick up extra work take some pressure off you. If he's handy maybe some side work. I'm not sure what you do but maybe there's a more suitable job for you. I realize working period with this can be a challenge. I'm a part timer & that's all I can handle with taking care of my first grandchild I'm dragging bottom. I can't imagine the pressure your under.
My sister is working 2 jobs as her husband has been off here & there & medical bills are zapping their income. I get not everyone can or will do it. Sounds like you need a break. Cutting won't give you the break you need. Your worth so much more.

Stay on your dr to find that med that works. If your nearing the end of a trial period for one ask about starting whatever can be started such as preauth for the other. Know what your insurance covers in advance.

Wish there was more I could do. I have oils I use that can be therapeutic. You ever want to give them a try you let me know I'll send some off to you.
Any time you need to vent I'll be around.
Please hang in there & consider PM.
Bless these friends here. They truly care & are so kind. Use us to lean on.
Hugs, Sammy

I'm very sorry you're having to go thru so much pain because you're having to work so.
If your current dr has given up on finding the right meds for you to get some relief-is looking for another dr or pain management clinic an option?

Just want you to know I was in the same situation job and financial wise. I've been the sole supporter of my household for many years. The last 6 months that I did work I really shouldn't have because I could have easily killed/hurt myself along with a handful of other people. As the RA got worse and worse I just kept working struggling more and more everyday. All I could think about is if/when it got so bad that I just couldn't work anymore. I had visions of loosing my house along with everything else along with it.

That day came in September 2012. I was crippled up to the point of not being able to move. My wife was trying her best to be reassuring that "everything will be OK" but I was having none of that. So besides the crippling RA I had the super stress of walking away from our only income.

I won't go into all the details, but want you to know that it all did work out and I didn't loose a thing. When I look back at that first year after stopping work I just don't know how I did it. But I did.

Everything has a way of working itself out. You aren't going to become homeless - trust me! Yes it was one of the biggest struggles of my life but we made it through.

And I will say this - while I didn't share any of the details of that predicament here, our great group here helped me through it all without even really knowing it. No, we can't help you financially, but we can help you with all the rest which is very apparent just in this thread. There are ways to work out the financial part of it - you just can't see what that solution is until you are actually there.