It is just totally unexplainable how much better I feel since my 'medical retirement'. I now that if I were trying to continue to work along with my MS that I would have several exacerbations due to the stress and no telling what kind of residual I would have had. But quitting was the best thing for me. I quit during an exacerbation so I didn't have to think about it.

I really feel God was giving me a good swift kick in the butt. My work, nursing, defined my life. I had been a nurse for almost 30 years. Loved every minute of it. I was a nurse first then a Mom then a wife. Not the right sequence! I have more energy, have the ability to see my daughters and see both my grandaughters being born. I was able to stay with my daughter for a full week after each girl was born. Now how in the world could anyone schedule that while they were working full time? I can help out with my Moms care. Life is just a whole lot better since I quit work.

But it didn't come easy. I had my days that I cried because I missed it so much. Your proffesion has this living energy that pulls you there every day. Then all of a sudden it's gone. So you just have to fill it with something else. One of my favorite things about nursing was the education I did of students, new nurses, patients and their families. So I still try to educate wherever I am. Even if it's in a grocery store line or telling some one about MS. Oh, I love to tell my husband what to do sometimes!!!!

When I had neuropsych testing the doctor said something that hads always stuck with me. I had been talking about difficulty with word finding and forgetting things. He said that all my memory is still in there. It's just that during times of strss, whether it be physical, emotional or physiological, that the diseased myelin pathways will only let so much go through.