Early retirement

[LynneK68]

Well that’s it for me it’s finally beaten me I’ve had to take Ill health retirement and give up the job I loved and worked hard at. I already don’t know how i managed since Christmas with my poor mobility and speech. Now, which feels selfish, it’s my time. Still can’t help feeling sad 😪 having to acknowledge defeat x

[Paul_and_Sue_Wood]

Lynne, it's not a defeat but a new road with many new daily challenges for you to overcome. Not having to work daily may give some improvements.

Enjoy every minute you have and keep that spirit of not giving in going for ever.

Paul

[LynneK68 in reply to Paul_and_Sue_Wood]

Thank you for comment! It’s at 1 - 0 now I have new challenges to get equal but I’ll keep fighting x

[LynneK68 in reply to Paul_and_Sue_Wood]

Thanks Paul I will try 🙌🏻

[Gerdy]

Hi Lynne, of course it's very sad having to give up things that you love doing!! I had to stop working for the same reason two years ago, it's heartbreaking, not fair and certainly not our fault. We're up against a horrible disease we never asked for. I hope you find your way in doing other things at home that you love doing! Best of luck!!! Love Gerdy

[LynneK68 in reply to Gerdy]

Thanks Gerdy, I will try whilst fighting x

[FredaE]

Hi Lynne

It may feel like defeat because you have lost the fight to keep working.

Try to think of it as a regrouping for the next fight.

You have time now to find out more about The Beast. Many things can be made easier to live with. If not now then for the future. For instance speech, there are all sorts of speech aids - they've moved on a lot since Stephen Hawking got the one he came to regard as "his" voice. It is possible to record frequent phrases in your own voice while it is still working. It is these special phraces that keep your personality alive. My late father in law absolutley refused to correct his pronunciation of the word orthodox - he always said othrodox - and even now over twenty years later I get a vision of him whenever I hear the word in any form. I think he would have got on very well with the predicive text on this computer - that is always determined about its own ideas.

The MSA Trust website is a veritable gold mine of information and so are the nurse specialists. Do make use of them if you have not done so.

Without depressing yourself, find out and be aware of some of the things that can help - ou may not need a riser recliner chair but it helps toknow they exist and where to get advice ( and possiby even money) if you do start to need one so that you don't end up rushing into an expensive last minute mistake

Outside the birds are singing, i won't say the sun is shining but it did yesterday. All that is still there for you to enjoy when you can. Good luck with your new life

FredaE

[LynneK68 in reply to FredaE]

Thank you 🙌🏻🤣

[Yanno]

Hello Lynne. Such good advice as always from our community. Jackie and I frequently say “this isn’t the retirement we planned but we’re still going to make the very best of it”.

In the same way you have had to give up the work you love, I retired early to look after Jax and we both so miss the running, skiing and hill walking that we used to do together. Nevertheless, we haven’t allowed this beast to get us down - everyday we have new challenges but also everyday we have opportunities to do new things or the same thing in a new way.

Try and enjoy every day and never put off to another day things you can do today. Take care, Ian

[LynneK68 in reply to Yanno]

Thank you for your wise words x🙌🏻🤞🏻😘

[Diane831]

Hi Lynne. So sorry that you have had to finish working at something you loved. As a carer I have given up work but with a job to do - caring for Geoff, so I can't quite know how you feel. As many have said, now is the time to change your focus. Working out what is important to you and using your time and energy now to prepare to get the most out of life that you can. As Yanno has mentioned they had a love of active outdoors and have bought a wheelchair that helps with that (I think that I am right there). We wanted to stay in our home and our own bed as long as possible so planned building works and a lift to help us with that as well as buying bits of equipment to help us go on holiday - bed rail, folding transportable hoist - and a wheelchair accessible vehicle when it got to that stage. Recruit your OT and physio etc to help with solutions to problems as soon as you can, and if you do think that your voice is beginning to be a problem you can bank your voice, but you need to do it in advance and I believe that it takes a long time to record all the phrases, not that we have done that. Talk to your speech therapist about that.

How did you ever have time to go to work!! research to do and things to enjoy!

Best wishes, Diane

[LynneK68 in reply to Diane831]

Wise words, I have the community neuro rehab team working with me which is great 😍

[Teresa5]

I had to give up a job that I loved as well but I see this as a new start positive thinking well that’s what I am trying x

[LynneK68 in reply to Teresa5]

Thanks, tough eh but we will get there! Keep positive 😀x