I gave up 3 years this month .
i last worked feb 2007 .

i was having to try hard at working with failing hands and feet and knees and keeping up .

my hands hurt doing stuff where weak my knees at end of shift nasty and feet hurt ( agency careing ) I guessed i had R.A But only been to docs had no idea what it was going to do .One day i had a fever and sore joints few days before was leaving work with swelled hands .

easy jobs where not easy anymore as my last job i was helping a young man to toilet from a wheelchair and had a job to pull his clothes up .In fact left him a little bit uncomforable .So before i was home i rang in and said look i am off sick .

don,t laugh things got worse and i got a hospital app .I told work that as soon as i had seen the R.a man i would get some pills then i would be back around May at a guess . I did know if you got R.A THEY GAVE YOU mtx so that wernt bad was it .

fine details no one said 12 weeks to kick in noone said RA MADE YOU FEEL LIKE FLU

So no never worked since no longer have a job and at almost 57 i won,t go back even for a the lightist job as somedays i am very tried and that would be a nightmare otherwise feel fine christine

Hi All

Very interesting post. I amnt working at the moment and am on benefits and doing a course to keep myself from the brink of despair. I started the course so that I could get my confidence back and adapt to living with RA n a supposidly supportive environment in the hope that it would lead me to a fresh start and perhaps a new career. Unfortunately I have found it quite hard as even instituations which are geared up to disabled dont fully understand the nature and impact of the illness and there isnt that much flexibility as you might think.


I feel that once you hit your 40s its harder to get work and that most employers would be reluctant to take a worker who is more inclined to take time off due to illness. Which is why I think this push to get everyone off benefits on to job seekers without a structured support programme so frustrating and depressing particularly as they are doing it during a recession.


Even medical professionals think that as the treatments work to stop the joint distruction then we are all healthy enough to work and psychologially and in fact it would be better for us. Frankly I could do without having to justify my illness by having to tell people about my condition and get the stupid answers back. I have my pride and I like to be private which is why I have kept quite about my illness. It would just kill off my morale altogether and its a major reason why I dont want to go back into work so its not that I am lazy as I would probably be better off financially if I did work.

Hi
Ihaven't read this post before but i often feel so guilty that i don't work and i feel isolated from most people.It's the same old thing people don't understand,i think most people think i'm a lazy c.. .Sorry i was asked today why wasn't i working because i seem better now.Sorry again i just needed to moan and i knew you would understand.

Poppyxx