Hi, Laura. Your thread was one of the reasons I finally got around to registering. It's a topic (along with so many others about PD) that interests me, so I wanted to respond. I left my job just last Fall, after many years as librarian for a company (3 librarians on this forum--you, me, & Linda; no occupational linkage to PD I hope!)

My library & my position were eliminated, supposedly just a budget decision in a bad economy, but it was time for me to go. Even before my diagnosis 2 years ago, I had noticed symptoms for many years that made me less effective in my work (pain, stiffness, fatigue, harder to multitask, not quite as sharp, easily stressed, slower, low energy, depressed, eventually a faint tremor in right hand). After diagnosis, I was also anxious & extremely distracted by the many new required actions & decisions & thoughts running through my head (choosing doctors, meds decisions, financial dilemmas, work decisions, family issues, disease research, progression fears, etc.), so I became even less effective. It's always hard to tell what is pure PD & what is emotional reaction to having any disease, some mix of both, probably. Whatever, I needed less stress, but also needed the paycheck & was afraid to quit. So in a way, it was a relief when they made the decision for me.

At 63, it is probably an easier decision for me than for those of you not near retirement age, and probably also easier to get disability. I applied for (what a bureacratic nightmare!) and eventually received short-term state disability & longterm SS disability, plus supplemental private insurance disability. Altogether, I hope this combo will get me by for a while. I miss some aspects of my work, but overall I think it was clearly the right decision for me--as long as the money holds out! And hopefully reducing the stress & focussing on what matters most will help directly with PD symptoms/progression, or at least with my ability to deal with whatever comes.

Best of luck,
Peony