Pretty sure Andy was joking, KLD... I think he got you there.Originally Posted by SCI-Nurse
Pretty sure Andy was joking, KLD... I think he got you there.
I am patiently waiting to go back to work. Will be hurt 6 yrs come August 6th, ready to go back. Waiting on my last certification in the mail to send my resume to a company I have a good lead on. Took me about 4 months of school to certify in tig welding for aluminum pipe, steel pipe, and stainless pipe. Did this overhead and on a 45* angle so it also certified me in all plate stock also. Have always been a welder but was a stick welder previously (more construction suited)this welding is way less sparks and more of a seated, table deal......hope it works out. Can tig weld in. T-shirt. Hoepfully it'll work and I'm back to work soon!
Andy, I wasn't talking about robo placements or pyramid schemes. There are perfectly legitimate, paid blogger opportunities. I write some for a local realtor who wants regular content to drive site views but she doesn't like her own copy and doesn't have time.
T3-T7 complete since Sept 2015
What's your injury level? I recently built a couple computers for someone and was astonished at how funking hard it is now with my non-existent trunk muscles. Just plugging in some of those split power connectors requires two hands and that's not in my repertoire since I need one hand to support my trunk when I'm leaned over!
T3-T7 complete since Sept 2015
T6-9 I have to lean with both hands at gym and at home quit often.. Not easy but can be done. MAKE SURE BREAKS are LOCKED .. Haha, have damn near fell out of chair a few times when i go to lean down and chair spins one way or the other !
If I wasn't so sick all of the time, I'd apply to be an air traffic controller ... it's like two years of classroom and simulation .. then a year with a licensed controller. Exciting job I would think ... boring up north though. lol
Make America Sane Again. lol
T-11 Flaccid Paraplegic due to TM July 1985 @ age 12
I was 37 when injured and continued working after that as a mechanical engineer at a power plant. T6 complete. After 16 years of pushing through gravel, broken pavement, and up steep inclines every day, I was done. A balky left shoulder sealed the deal. Working from a chair is a giant PITA when the job normally requires climbing ladders, getting into tight spaces, etc. You get tired of asking for help real quick. But you probably know that already.
I went so far as to take the LSAT and apply for entry into law school a few years after returning to work. I was accepted at UNM, but I was battling recurrent UTIs for years after I got out of rehab. My reality was that I needed to stay put and get my health under control. By the time that happened, I would be giving up quite a bit financially if I left, so I hung in there. I retired the nanosecond I was eligible. That was eight years ago. Life is pretty boring now since the majority of my time is spent managing my declining health interspersed with some trivial everyday tasks. But returning to work is a non-starter.
I applied for disability and was approved with no issues after retiring. SCI is definitely a no-questions-asked disability. Reminds me of the Family Guy episode where Peter, Joe, and Quagmire are getting ready to go somewhere in Peter's car. Joe is in the backseat and complains that the seat belt buckle won't latch. Quagmire turns to him and says: "What could possibly happen to you that hasn't already happened?"
Anyway, working at a job you like that can accommodate your disability and not require too much assistance would be my dream job. Most upright folk would agree, minus the whole disabled thing. I admire crips that are out there in the real world earning a paycheck because I know how difficult it really is. I'll admit I'm a little jealous of Ti. NASA designer sounds fun. I'm just not that smart.....
You'll know when you can't do it anymore. Just be aware that being retired can be pretty boring, so have a plan in mind if you quit.
I was diagnosed with a degenerative nerve disorder at 14. Went to college for two semesters but wasn't into it. I wanted to be a taxidermist and I did that as an employee for 7 years. At this point I could still walk and the hand and arm involvement were minimal. From that I became interested in sculpting, got a job at an art foundry, and did that for about 7 years. By now I was using a crutch to walk. I never could make enough money selling my work to fully quit my foundry job, and a chance meeting with one of our clients changed everything. She was casting and selling most of her work in resin to a hobby market, so I begin doing that and was able to quit my job. I am now 50 and have been a full time chair user for the past 8 years. I am having so much weakness in my hands and arms that I know applying for SSDI is
something I must do soon. It was a great life, tho. I was able to live where I want and work when I want, go play when I want, sleep when I want, etc. I didn't make much money and didn't marry money, so transitioning to SSDI is going to be pretty brutal financially. At least I got to do a lot of adventuring when I was young, though.
49 year old female
married
chair user since 2009 from a neurological disorder
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