Working Life

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'My first thought was 'oh no I am going to have to give up work'. I've worked hard to get where I am and I love my job. I'm not the kind of person who is happy sitting at home all day.'

There is no reason why you can't continue to work long after being diagnosed with MS. For many people, working is not only about security and having money coming in, although that helps! It's about having a focus in life and self-esteem. Alternatively you could find that having MS changes your priorities and you may want to give up work to concentrate on other things in life.

"My MS made it impossible for me to do my old job as I was always on the road and worked 14 hour days. After my diagnosis, I revaluated my life and decided to take early retirement."

Don't feel you have to rush into making any decisions about working life. Nor should you let other people pressure you. Being diagnosed with MS can be traumatic and may impact on other aspects of your life as well as work. You may need time to help you adjust and good employers should understand and make allowances for this. But if you want to stay at work there are many ways to enable you to do so successfully.

Use the navigation on the left for more information on work related issues.