Anybody working?

I've been on disabilty ssi since i was 12, Im now 21 and can't live on 600 dollars a month. I really need to start working, but i dont know what I could do that wouldnt be too difficult. just wondering how many of us with this CAN work:/ verry frustrating stuff.

Winter hawk- I know in anchorage they have a place that you can go to and they
Do assessment on what you can do. They pay for your education and help you find a job. I can't think of the name, but I am sure others know. I believe they have it in each state. It's for people with disability. You might already know about it. For myself I had to stop work 2 years ago due to many chronic health problems. I do receive disability, but I am married with his income to help.

Angel -

Are you talking about the Dept. of Rehabilitation Counseling? That's what I thought I was going to do with my degree....long story, didn't happen. Darn it.

Winterhawk - I'm a substitute teacher, which works out for me because of the extreme flexibility. I don't know about everywhere, but in Colorado you just need a bachelor's degree. Oh, by the way, welcome....don't think we've met yet!

Debbie

Winterhawk...You should go to grad school...or law school... Many college profs like myself, as well as some lawyers, get to work almost all day long SITTING DOWN!!! This helps. And also, you can take a lot of breaks if you want to... And even if you have to work a lot as a grad or law student, at least your time is yours, and you can sit... Fibroprof...

Winterhawk, I have been working in my line of work for 20 years but just diagnosed with Fibro in Jan of 2011. I was off work at the time and was very scared I wouldn't be able to handel a 40 hour work week ever again. I am working again 40 plus hours. I work for a great company and although they don't know about my Fibro they are very understanding about everything. I didn't want to bring up the fibro until I worked there for a year when FMLA could be an option and I will wait until I have to. They give plenty of sick days and I can use vacation days for sick if I have to. I work at a desk but have the freedom to get up and move around too. I work in an office by myself so there are days where I'm there but I'm not since I'm in too much pain. I do what I can on those days and since I'm salaried I catch up on the weekends and take work home with me if I have to. So far I have excelled at my job and even got a raise after 6 months and a bonus after 1 year. My employees know I have fibro and they are very understanding and I think they appreciate how understanding I am with them when they are sick.
If you truly want to work you will find the best fit for you and will probley do very well. Don't give up. I have other health issues too but as long as I can work I am going to. It gives me a great sense of self and keeps me from getting board. The money isn't really that much but I do get insurance and that is really worth it for me. I could even get a higher paying job but since I have fibro this job is such a good fit I think I will just stay here until time to retire.
I have to say the hardest thing for me is the mornings. I still have trouble getting to work on time. If it isn't my fibro acting up it is my colitis. Seems like once I accomplish the task of getting to work I do just fine. The other benifit of working is there are many distractions throughout the day to keep your mind off your pain. I don't like for people to feel sorry for me so I will often hide how I feel. I laugh and joke around with my employees and that helps forget about the pain too.

Best of luck to your in your job search! You are so strong to even try this!

I am use to the 600 a month. I used to work as a CNA before I needed chemotherapy. I still have my license, but I put aside my career for health. For every 2 dollars you make, SS takes away 1 dollar, except the first 60.
So I do under the table babysitting when my friends need it. I do sell Avon now, as I can work from home.
A thing about CNAs, RNs, Doctors, so on... is there is always a job. Even in an economic crisis, like now, there is still a job. There will always be jobs in health care as long as people live. You can also go Agency for many jobs.. its nice because I picked and chose when I worked.. they would call and say "can you do this" I had to say yes I'd be there or I won't.

You can apply for food stamps, housing assistance and more too to make things easier.

Now I am on DAC Social Security (Disabled Adult Child) because my Dad started getting his Social Security. I am up to 800 a month + avon commission + under the table babysitting.

I had to stop working in 2004 due to another illness. I was diagnosed with Cushings Disease which led to Pituitary surgery followed by a BLA {Bilateral Adrenalectomy). Now diagnosed with FM. I have been on SSDI since 2006.

I work in a call center for emergency dr bills. My dr wrote a letter saying i need to limit work to 6 hrs a day. My work has been great and i have now asked to work 7 hrs 2 days a wk and 6 the others. I miss a lot of work but they are great at working with me. For example i am taking next wed off so i am able to work tomorrow so it will not count against me. We have so many days we are "allowed" to take off but i always go over it and i have worked there now 8 yrs.

I went to vocational rehab 2 times and they put me through college both times. i just do not use the degrees i have due to stress issues. My husband and i have talked about what will happen if i can no longer stand to work and i will try for disability. was receiving ssi before but dh made too much for me to get any pay.

I'm sorry, but I must speak out here. I worked as a medical transcriptionist for over 20 years and it is not a job where one can sit a while and stand up and walk around, especially if you are working at home. When you're a medical transcriptionist, the company wants your behind in that chair working; they don't care if you need to stand up 10 minutes out of every hour. And most newbie MTs do not make anywhere near $20 an hour, because, no matter where they got their training, they still have to get up to speed because the dictation is so challenging and they naturally have to look up terminology more than an experienced MT does. MTs have to analyze everything they are doing, know their terminology, and consistently turn in work that is 99% ERROR FREE. Actually, the last company I contracted for had a 98% error-free requirement, but they went up to 99% after I quit. I quit due to health reasons and because I had a lot of fibro fog and was scared to death I would make a serious error in a report. It is a very stressful job and very physically demanding just because you have to sit in that chair for hours at a time. MModal (formerly Medquist) is the largest employer of MTs in the US. My friend who is still an MT must punch an online time clock, and they want every minute accounted for during her 4-hour shift.

Also, if you were going to go into medical transcription, the very best online school is Andrews out of Oklahoma City (my opinion only). But don't take my word for it. Go to MTDesk.com and read, read, and read some more before you spend any money at all to become a medical transcriptionist. (Andrews also teaches medical coding, which may be a better fit for someone who needs accommodations.) And never, ever take a course from the people who give presentations at a local hotel. When I worked for a local hospital in the 1990s, our department had an applicant from that course who couldn't even spell. She chose any word the spell check suggested, even if it wasn't a medical word. She didn't get the job and was surprised because she had taken their course and qas one of their best students. They also told her she was certified because she had passed their course and had a certificate from them. The only way an MT can become certified is by taking a test given by AHDI (formerly the American Association for Medical Transcription.

Many companies have turned their MTs into editors (editing voice recognition) and now pay them 1/2 the pay they did when they transcribed.

One last thing: I know a woman who once had a very nice job with one of the big hospitals in OKC, but they have outsourced now and she works 3 jobs to make up for her former transcription job. She teaches transcription at a college in Oklahoma City (an actual physical class). She admitted to me that she doesn't know where a new MT would find a job nowadays! I wouldn't recommend transcription to anyone as a career choice.

This is the reality of working at home as an MT:
http://www.mtexchange.com/medical-transcription-exchange/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-medical-transcriptionist-the-realistic-scenario/

Okay, stepping off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening.