Hi Glitter
I read the link too. I got gripped in it all.It really helped w ith my mental health. It was what I needed at the time.
Hi Glitter, I am a School Bus Driver, so the question of should I drive or not was very easy, it would not be safe. I think your ability to work is a personal decision except when it might put other lives in any harm. As soon as I understood what was going on with my health I stopped working/ driving. My Ataxia causes blurry and double vision, dizziness and at times I can not think clearly.
I can tell ya how it was for me why and how I made my decision to quit working at what I was doing daily:
I retired early because of my Ataxia symptoms. I just found it way too hard to maintain the excellent standard that I always had for myself and my clients had of me. Before that I tried everything to continue working, The two major changes I made was to change hair color lines because of toxins which was the best line that was healthier but didn’t seem to be as good but hair it was for me. I had one of my clients build me a stand to go around my styling chair so I didn’t have to lift my arms as high. I made so many changes and I just adapted and changed my environment as much as I could. That lasted for a while. But it was more noticeable to me than it was to my clients and when they started to notice and I couldn’t hide it well anymore that helped me make my decision. One morning I just knew that I was done. And I was ok with that. I knew I was just going into a new chapter and I found that exciting too I had allot of things I wanted to do to take care of myself finally after taking care of everyone elce all the time I finally would have that time to spend on me.
I was a hairstylist and owned my own hair Salon for 19 years. Standing all day just seemed to get harder. I started to drop my sears (and they were extremely expensive and when you drop them you have to get them professionally rebalanced which made it really difficult because I had to send them out to be done and it took a few weeks to get them back. So at $400 I only had 2 pairs).
I cut back on my work days and hours little by little over the last few years. One so I could work on my health more and found I was just getting more and more fatigued. I used props to make work a little easier until that wasn't enough. I worked hard like you do and took pride in my work! I found that it took me longer and longer to recoup on my day's off and the quality life wasn’t great being off. I got to the point that I felt like I was just living to work. I’d work a full day, go home sleep and then go back and do it all over again. I was on a treadmill that I began to really dislike because everything became too hard. I always said if I ever got to the point of not loving my work I’d get out. Because I think it shows.
The stress got to me much more than it used too so it made everything just too hard to do.
I also knew I needed more time to work on my health daily. That became much more important than the money to me because after all I need to live not just exists. I wanted to get much more out of life than I was. I wasn't sure how much more time I had before or if my Ataxia would get worse or not. I wanted to make every effort to head off those problems I heard that most ataxians had. I am doing extremely well only because I take the time to watch my Nutrition, I push myself to have the discipline I need to make myself stay on track with exercising (focused movements). I work on balancing my emotional wellbeing also so it’s all about physical, mental, emotional and Spiritual for me. This all takes up lots of time that if I was working I couldn’t do quite as well I think. Hey whatever works right? :0)
I think you will know when you are just done working when you just can't perform as well as you would like or expect to. One morning you will just be done too. You will know in your heart! Then just know your entering into just a new chapter. It’s kind of exciting to think of what your new plan of attack will look like and what your new life will be like. Life is short anyway why not take charge of it and make it great!?!
What a great message, Jeannie! Thank you so much!
I relate so well to how you felt and how you knew when the time was right to leave work. When I wrote this, I felt as though my world was literally colorless and everything was dark grey. I knew that the time was getting very close that I would need to leave my job and that's exactly what I did in April of this year.
Since leaving work, my world is now bright and colorful......I actually have a life now. I was worried about filling my days once I was no longer working, but that has certainly not been a problem. There are mornings when I feel semi normal and I think that maybe I could return to work, but then as the day progresses I realize that returning is definitely not an option for me. This used to bum me out, but now it just rolls off my back.
My symptoms have definitely not gone away, but I feel much better, more in control and I have the energy to take care of myself with a better diet and exercise. Thank God! :)
That is so great to hear Sue! Go girl! :0)
Sue said:
What a great message, Jeannie! Thank you so much!
I relate so well to how you felt and how you knew when the time was right to leave work. When I wrote this, I felt as though my world was literally colorless and everything was dark grey. I knew that the time was getting very close that I would need to leave my job and that's exactly what I did in April of this year.
Since leaving work, my world is now bright and colorful......I actually have a life now. I was worried about filling my days once I was no longer working, but that has certainly not been a problem. There are mornings when I feel semi normal and I think that maybe I could return to work, but then as the day progresses I realize that returning is definitely not an option for me. This used to bum me out, but now it just rolls off my back.
My symptoms have definitely not gone away, but I feel much better, more in control and I have the energy to take care of myself with a better diet and exercise. Thank God! :)
I was diagnosed 10 years ago with ataxia. I retired from my job (28 years) as a social worker 7 years ago due to my ataxia symptoms. My speech was becoming more slurred, especially as the day went on, and I became more tired. I also started keyboarding with just my index fingers (on the computer) and my writing/printing was becoming hard to read. My balance was becoming more and more compromised Therefore, I went on long-term disability and applied for a medical retirement. I was also advised (by LTD) to apply for social security disability. Eventually I was approved for both and I never looked back. Yes, I missed my job for some time (still do), but I knew it was time to "throw in the towel" when it became physically and mentally difficult to do it to my standards (which were very high). I hung in there as long as I could, and have no regrets! ;o)
I totally get it....tough decision, but looking back, it really shouldn't have been. It's so obvious now that I'm not working; I know I made the right decision. Thanks for the reply, Rose.
rose said:
I was diagnosed 10 years ago with ataxia. I retired from my job (28 years) as a social worker 7 years ago due to my ataxia symptoms. My speech was becoming more slurred, especially as the day went on, and I became more tired. I also started keyboarding with just my index fingers (on the computer) and my writing/printing was becoming hard to read. My balance was becoming more and more compromised Therefore, I went on long-term disability and applied for a medical retirement. I was also advised (by LTD) to apply for social security disability. Eventually I was approved for both and I never looked back. Yes, I missed my job for some time (still do), but I knew it was time to "throw in the towel" when it became physically and mentally difficult to do it to my standards (which were very high). I hung in there as long as I could, and have no regrets! ;o)
Hello Sue,
Im Steven, Ive been having probs for years, but only quit working last 2013, because my problems became more severe so I went to part time & after a few months i started having probs again, so i took some time off & contiplated quiting… I felt “lazy” so I got checked out by a doctor & he was the one that said i couldnt work anymore (he then wrote a letter stating that)
You will always be tired, no matter how much you rest. I wish I had known that. I wouldn’t have spent so much time resting.
What has worked for me is pushing myself harder and harder, physically and mentally. I believe that if you keep pushing your brain will create new pathways. I can do much more now than I did two years ago. It’s exhausting but I was exhausted anyway. I wouldn’t quit even if I had to crawl there!