Its a very hard decision - you didnt say how old your children are but sounds like they are at least fending for themselves with food etc..... I found I had to leave work - not so much because of pain but the loss of balance and extreme fatique (and nausea - I also have autnomic PN) - it was a huge adjustment - but its really impossible for me to be able to do that now (and I can no longer drive) - and I was like you - a whirlwind of energy from am to pm.....

How long have you been with your company? If its large enough and you have worked enough hours in the last year - you would be eligbible for Famiy Medical Leave (also, your company may have a medical leave policy too) - which would give you some time off to rest and see docs - however - as Silverlady stated - its really important to try to determine the cause if its progressing because PN can become very agressive and if there is a treatment you can undergo then you should! But you need to get the tests!

Applying for social security disability can be very stressful - but if it becomes necessary - its important - and the sooner you do it the better (I waited 2 1/2 years and two court dates before it was awarded after applying)..... it does give you the right to get Medicare - but I understand your concerns regarding your kids..... also, I believe they have a program where you can work part-time and are still eligible for benefits.

Bottom line - its a very hard decision - drastic change in income - loss of social contacts - on the other hand - if you become so disabled and you havent taken any proactive steps - you could be really in financial trouble and not able get adequte medical care.

Could you have a serious sit down with your doc? Maybe this would be the place to start - and also check out your company personnel handbook and see what benefits are there for you (they may have a long term-disablity policy too).


Sending you good thoughts.....

Hi Terri,

I'm so sorry you are having such a time of it. Only you will know when it's time to throw in the towel. It's a very individual thing. I know when I couldn't take the pain anymore, the worst thing for me was that the depression set in very hard. Not being able to work anymore was the worst. I loved working and being with the people in the public areas. But, I just couldn't take the pain anymore. The pain and not being able to work made me so depressed, so if you don't have any depression issues, watch for that if you decide to stop working.
I'm glad your kids are old enough to take care of themselves. They sound like great kids.
Take care,
Linda

When and if a PNer reaches the point where applying for Social Security disability is near I strongly recommend that Mike Finkelstein be contacted at:
mike3736@hotmail.com His telephone number is 1-718-966-3736. Mike resides in the Eastern Time Zone so consider that if you call.

Mike has helped a lot PNers get their SS disability and very often on the first try. I'm pretty sure some of the folks here have used his advice and I'm certain some from the old BT forum and TNA site have. Mike does not fill out the forms for you but will guide you all the way through the process. He knows not only what to include but perhaps more important what NOT to include.

Mike does not charge for his expertise but if he were to get me through that process I would certainly give him a nice stipend once the approval was obtained. He is legitimate in every sense of the word and I have personally met and visited with him when I made a trip to NY. He came all the way into NYC to meet with me and we had dinner and talked the night away. I belong to this and a couple of other PN sites so Mike and I remain in touch. I'm certain that Rose will verify Mike's letitimacy as well as Mrs D, Glenn, David, and maybe Lisa Jane and a few others here. Why does he help? Because he too is a PNer, understands the problems, and simply enjoys being of service to his fellow man/woman. Simply put, Mike is the real McCoy.

So, I stongly recommend everyone reading this write down Mike's name, email address, and telephone number and keep it handy. And Mike...if your reading this - thanks for all those you have helped and blessings upon you, my friend.

Just my two cents - without Mike's advice - even with my attorney - I'm pretty sure I would not have gotten the SSDI - agree with Dan 100% He had suggestions that the attorney I dont think had ever thought of - and they heped tremendously!

If you have a very aggressive type of pn, it is really not likely to be the ordinary "idiopathic" that most people on this board speak about.

"Idiopathic" pn is an indolent syndrome. It advances at a slow-moderate pace, and while some people have awful pain early, the pn doesn't usually march up their body this quickly.

I am suspicious that you might have a pn which can be found to have a cause.

While you say you have had many tests, it is not at all clear to me that you have ever looked at the charts I've posted on www.lizajane.org, and compared the tests with what you've had to see if your work-up is as complete as your doctor claims.

I'd like to encourage you to take a look there. If you have an immune cause for your pn, you would benefit greatly from IVIG, and the whole thing might be ended and reversed. I assume you have had a really good work-up for B12 deficiency and gluten intolerance, but that's just an assumption. Many people have been told that they don't have these problems, but when they get a hold of their lab tests results and post up here, they find that people who are very expert can figure out that the doctors were not correct.

So, please, please, before you give up on ANYTHING, ask your doctor for copies of every single test that was run on you. Then make yourself a "chart" and share the results with us. This site is unusual in that it has people here who have made it their business to get well-educated on various types of neuropathies, who are more expert than most neurologists who are "generalists".

Please.