Im sorry for what your work place put you thru Shadow2.. I think all this stress is getting to you as well...dig down deep inside yourself and be calm...let it all go...rise above it, and move past it...You need to get better. So you can be as much painfree as possible... Don't let them bring you down. . . . .
I hear you all. It seems near impossible to get disability, but I've only applied once so far. Some people say it on average takes 3 attempts to get disability for just about anything. It is a scary world living with this condition. It's terrifying not knowing how you're going to survive financially. I haven't been able to work for 3 yrs now. Before that I worked part time as a caregiver 20hrs a week. But it never felt right to be there when I never felt like I was full functioning, and when I had to lay down on the job because of the pain I had to make up stories that I was just really tired. No one would ever hire me if they knew how much this pain consumes my life. At this time in my life, it seems like the only choice for employment is to be a factory worker where you just constantly feed stuff into a machine, in which you don't have to interact with anyone, and think about anything-since thats so much of what triggers the pain to be even worse. And yet I have a bachelors degree. I hate to say it but it's just so incredibly tempting at times to fully give up. But we all need to keep on holding on. We can do it!!
Yes. I cannot even talk about work without getting stressed. Unfortunately, I have been living off my savings and am down to just a few months worth of savings left so there is stress with that as well. As with most of us, the pain seems worse with elevated stress.
Min said:
Im sorry for what your work place put you thru Shadow2.. I think all this stress is getting to you as well...dig down deep inside yourself and be calm...let it all go...rise above it, and move past it...You need to get better. So you can be as much painfree as possible... Don't let them bring you down. . . . .
MJ that is exactly what I've been thinking. too!! Factory work where you don't have to interact with anyone.... I hope we can All find something to get us thru these days .....some kind of financial break...
Hi Beth. I was diagnosed last year and I went out on extended sick leave shortly after because I just could not function, between the pain, trying to adjust to meds and of course, lack of sleep, of course, because of the pain. Luckily, I found the right meds that put me in a better place than before and I was able to go back to work, but it took 3 months.Recently, I began having a flare up, so now I am back at square one. I am still working but I am not sure how long I can continue. I have to talk all day at my job which makes the pain so much worse for me, which then in turn makes it difficult for me to concentrate and focus.
In my job, I work a lot with people who are disabled and are trying to get approved for social security disability and honestly, you’d be surprised what people get approved for. People get approved with medical issues which are probably not as painful and difficult to manage as ours.
Getting approved for social security is a difficult thing for most people to get and it takes a lot of time to actually get approved for. So applying and getting denied initially is pretty common. So it doesn’t hurt to put that application in and to keep on applying if your are denied. Because once your approved, they will owe you money back to that first application date 
What’s most important is getting your doctor on board, because they are going to be the ones providing all the info of why you can’t work. So if you sit and make a specific list as to why this illness makes it that you can’t work, that’s a good starting point. Someone recommended to get a lawyer, which will not hurt.
I honestly don’t know how long I will be able to hang in there before I have to go out of work again. TN is thee worst illness I have ever had to cope with.
I have just recently found this site and I am really glad I have. It has been a great source of support and information
Dawndew,
Thank you for the information about disability. I will need to see a different neurologist, but I think a decent neurologist would work with me. I do think it's time for me to start the process, though.
Beth
I transferred to a less stressful position, however the orientation was so stressful that I broke out in shingles. When I returned, the staff I worked with were so unfriendly, the person in charge gave me the hardest load. I was crying everyday. My boss thought I needed mental help. I quit. I was in such a brain fog I forgot about FMLA. Did sign up for COBRA though at $625/mo, wiped me out within 10 mo's. I researched disability and how to win your case on-line and ordered a book off Amazon. 6 mo after researching and despite my Dr. being against it, I applied and won without a lawyer.