[kmrmom42]

Ex Techie,
Everyone always tells me that it is stress that causes me to have exacerbations but I am not really sure that is true. They just seem to come whenever. Life always has stress and you can always blame something but I am not sure that this is true. What does everyone else think?
Karen

[iwanna]

Wow, these stories are absolutely inspirational. I do not have MS, but I had an aunt that had it. And, I know that Montel Williams has it. One of my best friends may have it. The drs. are quite certain that she has MS and hat she will never work again. She is an RN, but has not worked in years. She has a case still ongoing with workmen's comp in CA. She has the absolute longest case ever going in CA. She slipped and fell at work, but then the possbile MS dx came up. So, now they are thinking perhaps she fell due to MS, and not the negligence of warning "wet floor".

I am an LPN with sarcoidosis. I have not worked in three years. And, I did not have much experience before that. I only worked about 6 years, and it was in behavioral health field. Well, I lasted 3 months in a nursing home.(my first job - way too strenuous)Then, I found a job in a drug rehab that lasted 18 mos., then I worked in psych hospital for 4 years.

I started out by going to be an RN, however, towards the end of my junior level, I became overwhelmed with fatigue. I was overwhelmed with all of the work with school, and preparing for pre-clinicals, and the post clinical work, then studying for the tests. I was totally exhausted and could not handle it. I failed my last course of junior level.

So, then I went to LPN school for 12 weeks(actually only 10 for me). I became very ill and went to hospital two weeks before I was to graduate from LPN program. I was in hospital for 25 days. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. I took my boards in March 1997. My first job was in May 1997, and I left in August 1997. I was too weak to handle nursing then. After that, I obtained a job at a drug rehab. They closed about 18 months after I started. Then I got a job in psych hospital. I went on medical leave summer of 03 and collected STD. Then I returned to work Feb. 04, then had to leave in June 04.
I feel like my sarcoid is pretty much stabilized. However, I am on immunosuppressants and pick up every germ. I am on methotrexate. Everytime my grandbaby gets a cold, I get it too. Nothing serious, just a cold. But, I don't think that I would be able to return to nursing being around sick people. Although, a cold is no big deal, I have also had the chkn pox(and had full blown cse as a child). Then, a year later I had shingles.
So, I am limited with my LPN. My sister said that there is a nurse that does chart reviews, but I cannnot do it because I am only an LPN. And, I know of another RN tht works from home doing insurance work.
I was kind of thinking getting my RN via online, and not actually doing clinical nursing. I am 50 yrs. old already. I was so close to getting my RN, and had under a year to go. I really enjoy looking on this site, and trying to recall my days back in nursing school.
I am currently on SS and disability from my former employer. I can go through Vocational rehab, however, I am sure they will not help me get an RN. I looked into it, after I lost my job at the drug rehab.
MY husband wants me take income tax classes, so I can do other peolpe's taxes. Yuck, I always want a cigarette every tax season. I do mine and family memebers. I hate working with numbers.

[kmrmom42]

Originally Posted by iwanna

I am an LPN with sarcoidosis. I have not worked in three years.

I have only known one person with sarcoidosis but he really had a hard time with the meds he was on as much as anything. He was our night scrub tech and when he wasn't scrubbing a c-section with us he was basically our unit secretary and stocked our rooms etc. I thought of him when I had to be on high doses of steriods for my last exacerbation. Prednisone makes me SOOO miserable (it makes other people feel better, me it knocks on my butt). He hated the prednisone so much he weaned himself off against his docs advice.
Anyway, I wasn't really intending to tell you his whole story, what I really wanted to say was that I was thinking about what you could do to make money within nursing and I thought of home health. When I was a Case Manager in a Home Health agency many years ago I would always see people who had been hired to stay in thehome with my patient to help them out. Hired privately by the family, not through my agency.
They were private duty aides or nurses depending on what the patient needed. Sometimes they lived 24-7 in the home with the person but sometimes one person took the daytime and the other took the night. I don't know how you find a job like this but I was thinking that it might be perfect for you. Only one patient to care for, they probably won't have anything communicable and you can still be a nurse!
Just a thought. Good luck!
Karen

[dijmart]

I'm a new grad R.N. and I have had M.S. since 1991 (I was 21 yrs. old). I was having several attacks per year, I've taken almost all of the injections for M.S. but they all had side effects for me.

My condition stablized 3 yrs. ago, so I told my doc no more injections for me I'll take my chances w/ out it and I decided to go to nursing school (something I always wanted to do) and I had one minor relapse 6 mos. before the nursing program and only have mild symptoms from time to time.

[raynefall]

I am crossing my fingers and hoping that I do not have MS, but I am being worked up to rule it out. The tingling and slight numbness drive me mad especially when I feel the tingles creeping up my left hand when I'm at work; it makes my hand very weak so I tend to use my right hand more so than my left, and at work I need both hands. I also get these shocks where I feel like someone is poking me with a needle or pen, I almost jump out of my skin with these sensations.... just as long it doesn't hit me when I'm starting an IV then I can deal with it.

Take care!

[dijmart]

Originally Posted by raynefall

I am crossing my fingers and hoping that I do not have MS, but I am being worked up to rule it out. The tingling and slight numbness drive me mad especially when I feel the tingles creeping up my left hand when I'm at work; it makes my hand very weak so I tend to use my right hand more so than my left, and at work I need both hands. I also get these shocks where I feel like someone is poking me with a needle or pen, I almost jump out of my skin with these sensations.... just as long it doesn't hit me when I'm starting an IV then I can deal with it.

Take care!

Did the doc rule out carpal tunnel syndrome?....

[raynefall]

Hi!

I was diagnosed with mild carpal tunnel to my right hand with a ncv. Nothing peripherally wrong showed up on my left hand and my right foot which I normally experience pins and needles there too.

[dijmart]

Raynefall,
I certainly hope you do not have M.S., but if you do stay positive w/ your attitude. I think it helps, although it's hard to do at times.

Also, meds like neurontin and tegretol can help w/ nerve pain, ect.....I've been on tegretol for about 16 yrs. and it does help me, even though I have "break through" pain sometimes.

Good luck

[aimeeb1963]

I have been diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS and been a nurse less than 1 year. I had a suspicion for many years that there was something a little off, but did not get a full blown episode until summer 06, while I was relaxing after working full time and attending nursing school full time for a year. Imagine that!

I don't tell anyone that I have MS. When you tell people that you have a chronic disease, they don't trust you to be professional and they think that you're mentally challenged! It's nobody's business anyway!

My husband, a former paramedic for 18 years, had a freakout, but he's OK now and getting educated. But my coworkers don't know. One friend and my therapist and my neuro are the only ones who know.

I am in a drug trial for an oral agent, which, thanks to MS (!) I can't remember the name of, I think it's Fingolimod. I still have a lot of symptoms, nothing too debilitating, but I didn't want to go to an injectable (and I'm a nurse!) and there's nothing else on the market right now.

So I applaud all of you nurses who are working with some tough symptoms, good for you! I hate being a guinea pig, but I hope that what I am doing will help someone else down the road.

[kmrmom42]

I will be interseted to hear how things go for you on the oral agent. I have only used Betaseron and since I recently had a relapse I am guessing they may want to discuss putting me back on something at my next appointment. Oral sounds good to me! I hated Betaseron. It was SQ every other day and made me feel like I had the flu every other day. I put up with that for 3 years before I told me doc that I was going to stop, with or without his blessing! Sheesh, nurses can be a pain as patient's can't they?!!