Diabetes mellitus type 2 (formerly called diabetes mellitus type II, non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM), obesity related diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes) ...
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Complications, complications
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I have Type 2 diabetes. As a result, I have lost one leg above the knee, I am legally blind (literally blind in one eye and can't see out of the other), and now I'm told my kidneys are beginning to fail.
On top of that, I have been unemployed for three years. Nobody wants to hire a one-legged, half-blind woman in a wheelchair. The job search is frustrating. I have an excellent work history - 35 years of experience, and glowing recommendations. But the darned three-year gap in the resume is a red flag to employers. I am trying to become a Virtual Assistant. I figure if I'm working from home, with all the adaptive equipment and software the Department of Rehabilitation has given me, and my clients are at the other end of a phone line or email, what they don't know won't hurt them. The hitch to that is that although I have marketable skills, I don't have marketing skills. So, here I sit, in tears every day because nobody really understands what I'm going through. I want to work - I want to become once again a useful and productive (not to mention tax-paying) member of society. I appreciate the Social Security Disability payments, but I'd rather be contributing into rather than drawing from the public coffers. I'm supposed to be writing a poem for some friends who are getting married, and I can't even dredge up the joyful feelings necessary to do that. I am as frustrated and angry as I was when I was trying to get Social Security and Medi-Cal. Posted on 05/15/08, 12:05 pm |
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Oh Honey,I can soooo relate to you.I know the exact feeling of frustration and angst that you feel.I was in a car accident in 2002 and my husband of 17 years left me while I was recouping,for his best friend's girlfriend.Because my injuries were so extensive,I was unable to work and support my three children...so custody was granted to the abusive,cheating alchoholic. I felt abandoned,alone and without hope.I knew what I was capable of,but due to the fact that my health was poor,I lost everything.I was forced to move in with my mother and apply for ssd,which was a shot to my pride.I felt like I was a burden and very depressed.But you've been through a lot,you are a survivor and you sound like a strong person.Don't place your value upon your work status...there are a lot of completely able bodied people sitting on their butts doing nothing about it. At least you and I are REAL cases,and not some bogus case just to live off the system.I don't know about where you are,but here there is an agency designed to help disabled workers get hired,they offer work incentives to potential employers and help in placing workers in careers where their skills can be best suited,often even paying for additional training .The company is called office of vocational rehabilitation.Call your local unemployment office/community center and see if anything like that may be available to you.Try to cheer up,you're not alone and I can tell you are a fighter...just believe in yourself.Hugs! 
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Thanks, Val. It always helps to know that others are enduring. I am working wwith the state Department of Rehabilitation, and they are giving me leads, but they are not sending me to places they have "vetted" as being friendly to disabled people. They say that my skills and abilities far outweigh my disabilities. Wish I could convince the employers of that! :)
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Why not check around and see if there's something you could be doing on a volunteer basis. You have the time and the skills to be of service to someone. This is a great way to feel useful in the world and gets you back into the community. Anything you can do is worthwhile!
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I am currently serving on the Board of Directors of a local counselling center, and I'm on the Fundraising Committee for the Board.
My problem with volunteer work is transportation. I sometimes arrive where I want to be 1 or 2 hours ahead of time, because the wheelchair van (for which I'm very grateful, BTW) operates on its own scheduling program. And then I might have to wait an hour or more for the return trip. And I hate to make other volunteers feel obliged to pick me up - been there, done that, and lost a couple of friends over it. I know - I've seen it in others - excuse after excuse. And I apologize. I'm having one of those days today.
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Voice of the Diabetic VOLUME 22 NUMBER 4 FALL 2007 DIRECTOR OF PUBLISHING Eileen …
http://www.webmd.com/solutions/diabetes-complications/complications-checklist?ecd=wnl_dia_042208
I was wondering if any one knows is there is a walk for Diabetes? If so can you let me know. I want to walk to help. I …
