I am new to this, so bear with me. I am trying to figure out what I can do for a living that will accomodate my disability without filing for disability. Any ideas? I have been in sales and am very able to telemarket. I have a great work ethic, am internet savy etc. Any virtual things out there. I checked into Intel, however I need a Ticket to Work and I can't get a Ticket to Work without getting disability. I still have many more years left that I can work (I am 54). Ideas? Help? Single mom.

Welcome to NeuroTalk, SweetP!

Can you still type? I know women who do medical transcription from home.

Good luck!

welcome to NT sweet p.
i 2nd what twink said.

phone or computer work is what i would think.
i'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to this topic.

Howdy Sweet pea and welcome to Neuro Talk. I too am trying to figure this out cant sit too long cant stand too long cant be too hot cant be too cold my vision has ups and downs so not sure data input would be good or how bout answering service, you know when you call doctors when they are on lunch, any chance of you being able to do the at home medical transcriptionist or some other work at home idea? this way it could be at your pace

I am able to type. I have been a recruiter and am used to making over 100 calls a day. The fatigue and pain are my main complaints. If I can work from home, I can continue working. I can keep my feet up and reduce the stress level. Any further ideas. My next choice is to live with my 86 year old mom, I love her, but would be away from my children. My 17 year old would have to go back to live with their crazy dad. What do people do in this situation? My understanding of the disability time line is that you have to unemployed for a period, apply, wait for another period and possibly get approved. You then wait another two years for health care benefits. Does that sound about right everyone? Yuk

Do you have Long Term Disability (or even Short Term) through your employer? You generally have to apply for SSDI when you receive LTD (at least I did) but it can provide you with some sort of income while you're waiting for SSDI to be approved. I'm not sure what the rules are for Short Term Disability.

I used to have a link to a website for at-home work for the disabled.....I'm going to try and find it now. If I can locate it I'll post it here.

Sweet P,

The filing of your disability can be done and depending on your situation many times it is an automatic approval. I submitted my husband's disability for him(he too had MS) and it was approved the very first time submitted. I did some research at the SS/gov website and very deep into the maze, there is info that tells you how to submit a good claim. This is what I did: I obtained a letter from his regular physician and his neurologist that stated his condition and that they concurred that he had MS and was not able to work due to extreme fatigue and memory proplems etc. I also obtained medical records from both doctors including written reports about labs, MRI's etc. I also kept a detailed journal for 30 days and wrote down every little detail of his day and how his body was reacting on each day. For example, on some days he needed help out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to take a shower. It is important to really put down the amount of difficultly you have have with your daily living activities. Daily living activities are very important in the approval process. I know that most people with MS that I have met, still try to do everything without assistance no matter how long it takes. It is very important to disclose how difficult it is just to get through the day. Once you have all of the information, put it in order and insert a dived in each section and label it. I put the physician letters firsts, the journal, then MRI/ CAT scans and medical records. Make the info very easy to review for whomever is going to work on it.

The most important thing to do , even before you obtain the above, is to call the Social Security office and set up an appointment to talk with someone and personally file your claim. It took a few weeks to get on the calendar, but you will not have to wait for a long time and you will have their undivided attention. You will need to have with you the folowing info: names, dates of birth, marriage dates and divorce dates of any spouses; basic summary of jobs you have had and appoximate salary from them. If you have all of this info available to them, it will make their job easier and you will be pushed through disabilitywebsite for women and filing for disability and other programs available to you. I will look up that site for you and send you the link later.

Also, there are lots of other available programs for you. The National MS Society even has special apartments that are available all over the USA. There are also programs that will help you make your home more user friendly.

I had to do lots of research to get as much help as possible for my husband. I was so overwhelmed by trying to find help for him but it can be done. I am avaiable to anyone that I can help.

Let me know if you have questions and I will try to help in any way I can.


P. S. Don't forget the Americans With Disabilties Act, get a copy of it for yourself, review it and know your civil rights.

I just came on this site, however I cannot tell what an impact this has had on my spirits. I nearly cried when I read all of the great responses. Thank you so much. Unfortunately, I have been laid off some employers with STD or LTD. I am now working at $12.00 an hour for a firm that does not have any insurance (not even health). I am struggling to work full time. The fatigue and pain is overwhelming. I really appreciate your guidance on all of this. My boss has agreed to let me work two days from home, however she does not think she will be able to be in business past February. It is a recruiting firm and no one is hiring. I have the potential of living with my mother and waiting for the approval, but it would mean my children being one hour away from me. This is all so scary. Thank you for your guidance. My motto in life is "We do this together." That means even more here.