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As one who is also progressing (?) on that road from lessability to disability and wondering where all the road signs are, I also find the List a lifeline. I now work 30 hours, rather than 40, (My employer does not compensate for the lost hours and penalizes you with reduced benfits. They also agreed to the reduced hours, but still wanted a 5 day work week.) but find it impossible to decide, when enough is enough. It does not help that this damned disease is so unpredictable. On good days I love my job, but more and more Fridays when I drag home depleted I wonder whether the sense of worth I get from working is worth it. Carole Hercun 55/51/37(?) --- Linda J Herman <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Rick, I was diagnosed almost 6 years ago, I am also > working full time, > for many of the same reasons you stated - mainly because > I love my job. I > have aalso begun struggling lately with the physical > demands of > progressing symptoms and full time work. But as Jeanette > said -- we need > to hang in there, do whatever we find fulfilling for as > long aas we are > able to, and try not to dwell on what we can no longer > do. BTW, it was > Rick who coined the term "lessability" which well > describes the stage > all 3 of us seem to have arrived at. It helps to know we > are not alone > in these struggles, and can express our thoughts among > people who > understand exactly what we are saying. It also proves > that this > discussion list can be as valuable to us "old timers" as > it is to the > newly diagnosed. > > The first person with PD I ever spoke to was listmember > Jim Cordy who > responded to my first tearful and frightened list > posting, shortly after > i was diagnosed. He wrote - call me anytime if you have > any questions, > which I did. It was Jim who first made me believe I could > live with this > awful disease and also convinced me that the best way to > cope was to > become involved in Parkinson's advocacy --- at that time > working to > pass the Udall bill. Jim doesn't write as much to the > list anymore, which > is our loss, but I hope he still reads the messages, so > I can say thanks > Jim. The last 5 years i have tried to follow your > example, and tried to > help other new members, as you had helped me. > > I also wanted to thank you Rick for your comments on When > Parkinson's > Strikes Early (btw Rick and I are not related !). Barb > and I are honored > that you allowed your writings to be included in it. The > book could never > be, and surely was never meant to be, a definitive > statement on life with > PD , as you said "The same things will and should > continue to be said > and shared by all of us. Maybe we need to repeat > ourselves, because the > same stuff keeps coming up again and again." > Absolutely true! > > That is also why I feel so strongly that the parkinsn > list must continue > in spite of the periodic squabbles and > misunderstandings, of people > leaving (but sometimes returning), in spite of messages > that seem to have > nothing to do with PD (but maybe have everything to do > with PD). Even in > spite of the occassional rudeness. I cannot imagine what > my life would > have been like without the daily dose of support and > understanding and > wisdom from people on this list. It has been far more > efffective than any > of the meds that have been prescribed. > > Please folks, keep on writing. Keep on helping one > another out. Keep on > fighting for our fair share of research dollars until the > cure is found. > Thanks to you all, > Linda Herman > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals. http://personals.yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn