Symptoms Of MS : Chronic Illness and Career Paths
Symptoms Of MS : Making a living can be a real challenge for individuals who cope with debilitating chronic illnesses. Many with chronic illnesses rely on friends and family to assist them both physically and financially. Having a chronic illness should not, however, completely deter anyone from accomplishing important educational and professional goals. We must all learn to utilize our skills and abilities in the most satisfying and profitable fashion. Although it is understandable that disabilities can prohibit the attainment of many goals, taking an inventory of your existing abilities and formulating a realistic career plan can point you in the right direction towards professional goals.
The main problem faced by individuals with chronic illnesses is maintaining fulltime (or even part-time employment) while contending with frequent bouts of illness. One of the most frustrating aspects of chronic illnesses is the fatigue that accompanies chronic illness. Sometimes enduring a full eight-hour day is the most difficult part about working. Qualifying for disability status may provide some financial assistance for sufferers but it is important to note that having a chronic illness is not an automatic qualification for legal disability. The process of obtaining disability status is lengthy and frustrating and involves several medical examinations by a federal or state physician who is usually unacquainted with the patient or the affects of their malady on their particular situation. Other factors that come into play with illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis are the lessened sensory capability and the reduced cognitive functions of the brain. This means that working with numbers and complex problem resolution can be quite difficult at times. I faced this very situation when I became increasingly limited by MS in 2003 while working for a consulting firm as a financial analyst. I had been living with Multiple Sclerosis since 1996 when I was diagnosed and began to experience extreme symptoms that ranged from fatigue and blindness to severe pain and paralysis. Unfortunately this meant that I gradually became unable to work a full forty-hour work week and our household income dropped significantly while the co-pay costs for medications and medical visits continued to increase. It was then that my husband and I had to make some very difficult and drastic decisions about our family’s future and our standard of living.
In June 2004, my family and I moved from the suburbs of Washington, D.C. to Leon, Spain because my husband and I believed that settling in his hometown would be easier for us both financially and particularly for me physically. Moving to Leon would allow us to spend less money and take advantage of the less stressful, more tranquil atmosphere that this small, provincial European city could offer. But making the transition from working wife and mother to housewife and mother would prove to be difficult for an ambitious person like me to accept easily. Unaccustomed to not having my own money and coping with a more uneventful (yes, boring) home life, I soon became lonely and depressed after a few months of living in this beautiful city. I knew that working fulltime would not be feasible unless my health became more stable. So I knew that I had to find a way to earn money and continue along my career path in business administration.
I took an assessment of my existing skills and thought about other types of careers that I had once been interested in. I remembered helping my son’s teachers in class and on school field trips. I always enjoyed being in the classroom and I thought seriously about becoming a teacher. But after interviewing for a few teaching jobs and realizing that I could make more money as a private instructor at home, I decided to start a small home-based business teaching private English language lessons. I augmented each class by creating specialized curriculums using resources from the internet and some of my husband’s books in his collection in our study. I managed to make a little money but, in late 2006, during a moment of frustration I took a job in telemarketing just to get myself out of the house. I soon became fatigued and experienced one of the worst MS episodes to date. This meant that I had to again alter my career path significantly and find a way to stay close to home because by then my ailment required more frequent periods of rest throughout the day. So I was back to teaching private lessons in English at home.
Teaching at home became the most realistic endeavor I could embark upon. While taking online courses to complete a dual major in business administration and public administration, I still had the flexibility to market myself, create student curriculums and develop my English teaching business. I have been teaching private lessons of English in my home for almost four years now. It’s been a rewarding experience for me both professionally and personally. Although my degree majors are not directly related to the field of teaching and private education, I have been able to use much of what I have learned in my business courses and personal life to successfully develop my instructional materials and methodologies in class. I also feel a sense of accomplishment when I contribute to someone else’s success. Many of my students still keep in touch and send me an email from time to time to tell me how well they are doing and thank me again and again for teaching them English.
Honestly, sometimes it can still be a frustrating ordeal for me since I have been accustomed to working in offices in a more formal setting. But the best thing about altering my career path to private teaching is that I have utilized not only my existing skills in running businesses, but also my native English speaking abilities and little to no financial investment. I embrace the philosophy of making something out of nothing, because that is the only route I am left with. I knew I couldn’t do too much physically but I was determined to use what intellect and creativity I possessed to make something work in my life in spite of chronic illness. Feeling useful and capable can help anyone cope with life’s challenges. The truth is that nothing and no one can really make you feel useful, so you have to find that sort of fulfilment within yourself. This means tapping into your abilities and applying those abilities to a feasible, realistic effort. This may mean doing a job that you are not completely satisfied with, but developing that job into something that gives you a sense of accomplishment. The best types of work for people with chronic illnesses may be teaching private lessons in your home, running a small daycare in your home, administrative work via the internet, or writing articles and books. Find out what abilities you have and channel them into regular efforts. Don’t give up too soon! It may take years for something to really work out but trying to do something is better than not doing anything at all? Financial rewards are not the only rewards possible for your efforts. Finding a way to make money and feel useful is important to not only your emotional well-being but also that of your family. I intend to continue teaching private lessons at home until something better manifests itself. Who knows what the future holds. Stay positive and strive to make something out of nothing. It won’t be an easy road but walk it anyway with your head held high and the knowledge that you are at least making an effort to navigate the bends in the road.
Tags:Chronic Illness,Disability,Multiple Sclerosis,Working At Home
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