| Re: Hello from Newbie -- Kathy M | |||
| Posted by Carolyn Gerow ® , 2008/04/20, 06:50:13 | Post Reply | Top of Thread | Main Forum |
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Hey, Kathy,
You are in the right place. All of us here understand what you are going through. IBM is very sneaky, and I can see that in retrospect I had this condition for years before it really registered with me that I wasn't just getting "weak" or more "clumsy." I left my job as an ARNP in dermatology after 10 years to see if I couldn't just get my strength back and "work out" my tired muscles. When I found it didn't make a difference I went to a neurologist, who was bright enough to give me the right tests to get a diagnosis in June 2007. Since then I still have times I am in great denial. It is very hard to deal with the diagnosis, for me. I remained out of work for over one year seeing a specialist and trying the drugs that they felt might help (Cellcept and Prednisone). They did not. And the side effects were really difficult for me to sustain. I have been fighting with disability for over a year, but they have denied me three times already. I finally got a part time job and felt very grateful to have a paycheck again, not to mention health insurance. But I do live in fear that I will fall too often and the hospital will tell me that I am a liability, even though I do not work in the patient care area. So, as others have mentioned, the rate of progression of the disease is different for each of us. There is so little known about the condition that it is difficult to make any generalizations. I do try to remain positive, because in my head I am the same I have always been. But, I was prescribed Lexapro by my primary physician because I did get into to such a funk about having IBM. This does help me be less volatile. I sent my neurologist some info on Lithium, just as an FYI, and I was shocked that he called in a prescription. What a guy!!! So I started this yesterday and I will see how it goes. I think your idea about being in a consultative role is a great one. That is something you will be able to do indefinitely. And, my daughter-in-law is a L&D nurse who now works in a center where she is at a desk and calls pregnant women and helps educate them so that they will be able to have full-term, healthy children. I can probably get the name of the organization she works for, if you like. Good luck, Kathy,
Carolyn, Tampa |
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Replies to this message
Re: Re: Hello from Newbie Kathy M [ Apr 24, 13:42, 2008 ] +1 Re: Re: Re: Hello from Newbie Carolyn Gerow [ Apr 27, 09:16, 2008 ]