I have come to the point where I don't know if I can go to work anymore. I have to drive into the city for my job so I have to drive an hour each way and I can't do it any longer. My dizziness and blurry vision and facial pressure is just too much to handle.. But it is just not the driving it is just plain working. I can't seem to pull myself out of bed anymore and when I do get into to work I am not very productive at all. I am lathargic and fatigued all day long.

Has anyone else been unable to work? If so what did you do? If you live in the states, has anyone tried to claim disablity to receive social security? I am working trying to put my husband through school but I just don't think my body can handle it any longer. I feel like I have no hope left. Anywords of advice or encouragement would be nice.

Dear Nelli. I havn't been able to work now for two years. I live in the uk and am able to claim incapacity benefit, which isnt much, but it helps. I understand how you feel as my husband has had to have the burden of supporting the family. Fortunately we can just about manage but it makes me feel very guilty. Do you have any children.

Hi nelli and Tracy, i was hope-ing to get back to work last year, i had it all planned, my kids are older now so it would be easier but i became ill and cant work and its tough. I have to claim benefits and have had to take out loans for this illness, its driving me mad thinking about it. I promised my children that one day when i can work again i will really treat them and get everything back on track. Its a disaster!

I haven't worked in paid employment for over 5 years. I had to quit a couple of jobs because of the stress. I would get panic attacks or just find it all too stressful, or feel like I didn't fit in with the people. I now work from home, which is much less stressful for me. I don't make a lot of money, but being in the UK I get tax credit which helps boost my income, and there's always opportunites to make more money etc. In all honesty, I can't face a regular working job, either mentally or physically. I get so tired and brain fogged, and I am no good dealing with people as I am so introverted. I hate even social group gatherings, let alone anything else. I am qualified to be a teacher, but I can't face it, or the prospect of all the marking afterwards, or even just having to handle the classes.

I can't work either. I probably wouldn't do anything full time or even part time out of the house, as I am still homeschooling three children, but I would like to do a little something afterward to help out with the medical and dental bills esp. since my kids need to have fillings replaced, but I am not to the point where I could do that yet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I don't have any children, thank goodness. I am only 26 and don't think I could handle having any children feeling like this. I am trying to think of a way I could work at home but I am unsure of what I could do. It is a miserbale struggle everyday and I don't want my life to be like this anymore. I want to be happy again!

I too am unable to work at this present time,i am hoping to get better,as i am only off work temporary,i am due back the end of december.
This is my second time having to take leave of absence from work in 4yrs,the first time i miraculously just got better,but this time i fnally vowed to find the root of the problem,and am in the process of correcting it.
My anxiety/fear,depression,lack of energy,lethargy,agraphobia,vision,and balance disturbances,and innabiity to focus,or concentrate,led me to taking leave of absence.
I am 29 yrs old i have i child 8yrs old,engaged and i own my own home so i was not always excluded from normal living/social situations.
I have become very anti-social,not being able to socialize in crowded events with alot of people,bu at imes i fight it and just do it.
I was actually in a wedding 2 weeks ago <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />,it started out rough,me not being able to stay in a single place for lengthy periods of time,but as the night went on i got comfortable,and overcame without anyone having to call 911 lol.
So i know there's hope,but i shouldn't have to hide fear/terror to do something that should be routine.
My naturapath doc explined to me that it's just simply because your brain is basically poisoned so your emotion and well being will be always effected untid you get the poison out.
So i know i will have to just make adjustments until the problem can be rectified(hopefully)

I now believe I have mercury poisoning, but 10 years ago when it was a mystery I was depressed and the doc put me on antidepressants. Some time thereafter, I began to be sick like you are and could literally not get out of bed. I woke up at night a lot. I called in sick to work a lot. I shortened my commute (was an hour like yours) and that controlled the issue so I could function. However, the problem was never solved (even after trips to Cleveland Clinic for specialists). They told me I was sick because I was depressed and to double the antidepressant. When I wanted to become pregnant, I decided to discontinue the antidepressant so it wouldn't affect the baby. Well, after about 4 months, it was like a switch was flipped and I could sleep better (still not normally, though, I now believe due to mercury) and I could function semi-normally. I had tried ditching the meds before, but I guess I didn't give it long enough for the residual in my system to clear before deciding it was not the meds.

If you are taking antidepressants, this may not be helping your situation.

I never filed for disability.

I know someone who took antidepressants and they sunk him so low that he almost finished himself off. He got better after discontinuing the antidepressants. As a matter of fact, it seems to be coming out now that some antidepressants cause suicidal thoughts. I read an article about a girl who was not depressed, needed money, and so decided to earn some $$$ by partaking in a clinical trial. She probably told them she was depressed, or maybe she was a control. Within a few weeks, she committed suicide. I tell you, the further you can distance yourself from pharmaceuticals, and the medical profession (allopaths) etc.(except for emergencies like being hit by a car - then they are the lesser of two evils) the better off you will probably be.

I feel the same way,in my opinion our bodies cannot handle much more toxins than it already has to deal with on a 24/7 basis,and most pharmaceuticals are loaded with toxins.
A healthy person who isn't under as much of a toxic load,as someone with mercury poisoning,will offcourse have less harsh symptoms than one who is.
This is the reason i refuse to take unnecessary medications,i don't even have the urge to drink alchohol,because in a sense i am already feeling somewhat tipsy,or even drunk without drinking <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

After chelating too fast I had to quit university for half a year (I had 3 fillings and I'm in my mid-twenties). Fortunately I was financially secure enough to do so. However, I'd say taking a year or so out of work to improve your health is worthwhile.

Hi Nelli. I'm sure there's something you could do at home. A friend of mine makes soaps and sells them on the internet, someone else I know of sells books on ebay or amazon,another friend designs web-pages. It's also possible to make money from websites, if you make a site that has enough hits to make adverts pay. There are some companies that pay home-workers, it's just a matter of finding a genuine company and not a scammer.

So, if you have some skill, even in crafts or pottery or cooking (i.e. make novelty birthday cakes for parties), with the internet, you have a potential world audience. There are also online publishers if you can write stories. Or you could write a book or short stories for magazines. Some people make some money walking dogs.

The sky's the limit, really. Might not make tons of money, but at least a part-time income.

Thanks so much for the advice...I think I might give some of those ideas a try, thanks. Oh and about the depression topic... my last doctor told me that he was 100% certain that I had depression and tried to prescribe me antidepressents. I said NO WAY and never went back to him. I go Doctor to Doctor to Doctor, will there ever be an end to this.

I have changed doctor several times. I first went at about 16, saying something was wrong with me. I didn't go into too much details, as I was terrified with my OCD symptoms they would get me drugged or in psychiatric care, but I knew that something wasn't right as I had light sensitivity, always cold, migraines, and pins and needles in the night, aswell as tremor and yeast infections. He said nothing wrong with me. A couple of years later I tried another doctor when I got bad thrush, said the same thing. So I went back against a year later saying something was still wrong with me and my periods not regular. I had some tests done and told nothing wrong with me and to come back if I ever wanted a baby. This was weird to me. First they say nothing wrong with me, and then to come back for help if I want to get pregnant, which means there was something wrong with me. So, I went to another doctor. She had some tests done and said nothing wrong with me. I was about 25 by now and hardly getting any periods, so I went to another doctor. I had some tests and told nothing wrong with me and I should go on the pill. I wasn't having this, so I went to another doctor. She had some more tests done, which were normal, but I said there is something wrong with me and I want to see an ob-gyn because it's not right to get no periods. So, she booked me in to see one. I eventually got diagnosed with PCOS, which I had mentioned as a possibility several doctors ago, and told I need hormone therapy.

Anyway, so far I haven't taken the hormone therapy (rightly or wrongly, but that's my choice so I can only blame myself if it's wong) and am waiting to see if my periods improve as I treat myself for mercury poisoning. So far I have have 2 periods (though very scanty) since getting some removals, which suggests to me I am on the right track, but only time will tell. Previously I hadn't got periods for the best part of 2 years.