A New Way — living with RA

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This week, a unique website, New Way RA,  goes live.  It explores in depth how people living with rheumatoid arthritis, RA, can live a healthy and well-rounded life-style while facing the challenges of this disease.

New Way RA is an online talk show.  It’s features Deborah Norville interviewing experts on career, fitness, nutrition, personal relationships and managing the patient/doctor relationship.  (FYI – She’s as beautiful AND smart in person as she seems on TV!) It also includes interviews of individuals living with RA and key facts.

I’m delighted to be the featured  “career” expert.  It was a real treat to be part of this impressive group.   As a chronic illness career coach who developed multiple sclerosis (also an autoimmune disease) when I was 29,  I know how hard it can be to face  the challenges of living and working every day with a debilitating disease.

I picked up valuable nuggets  from the experts,  especially the nutrition segment.  As a self proclaimed “foodie”,  I’ve  always tried to avoid  adjusing my diet for health.  It felt like I’d already given up too much living with illness.

But Ellie Krieger, dietician and chef, doesn’t focus on food tips for people with illness.  Her approach is about good health.  Although I’d heard about the value of anti-oxidants and  the drawbacks of white flour,  I ignored this until I heard Ellie speak — and bought her cookbook – which has become my bible.  She convinced me that it’s easy  to fold healthy eating into your life.   I also learned that I could grow used to having my own personal stylist!

So check it out.  Whether you live with RA, know someone who does – or live with any chronic illness.  There are many nuggets for you there.

Are you using twitter for your career changes?

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The good news, confided my client, is that so many people are in the same boat  I’m in – for the first time.  The bad news?  The boat is sinking.  Was he joking? No doubt, one difficult aspect of living with chronic illness, especially if you’re under 50, is that you feel so alone. YouRead More

Can you job hunt, live with illness and stay motivated

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Looking for a job in a depressed economy and  living with a chronic illness that  makes your employment history a bit “sketchy”. Yikes, it doesn’t sound pretty.  But at the moment, that describes many of my clients.  Not surprising, is it?   Ten years ago, a robust, growing economy made it much easier for anyoneRead More

Can you protect your job living with a chronic illness?

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Check out the very useful information in The New York Times, Patient Money column, Protecting Your Job When You Live with Chronic Illness by Lesley Alderman. And, yes, there are several quotes from me. On reading this, a client emailed to let me know that she’s  worried that now that I’m famous, I wouldn’t haveRead More

5 things I want you to know about working while living with a chronic illness

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Most of us find that other people can be clueless about what it’s like to live with a chronic illness.  It makes sense since this is invisible, unpredictable and often debilitating.  It’s hard enough to explain this to your friends and family. It’s even more difficult to explain to co workers who only know youRead More

3 things a manager needs to know about managing people who live with chronic illness

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Some of my clients are unemployed and looking for new jobs or even new careers. But many are employees who are deeply frustrated by a supervisor’s attitude about chronic illness.  That frustration led to me to develop a “list” to hand out in the seminars I deliver in corporate settings. I’ve found that “good” managersRead More

Sotomayer has proven by her record that diabetes is not a factor in her performance

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Diabetes should not be the reason that Sonia Sotomayor does not get approved for the Supreme Court. Sotomayor acknowledges that diabetes has informed the person she has become. But like all of us, there are a multitude factors that create her life story,  including growing up poor, losing her father at a young age, beingRead More

Addressing problems at work when you live with Lupus – or any chronic illness

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Did you know that May 10 was World Lupus Day?  May is Lupus Awareness Month — and there is also multiple sclerosis month, breast cancer month, etc.? Anyone else think that there’s something odd with the fact that we have to dedicate a day or month to create attention to DISEASE that so many liveRead More

Looking for a job/career has never been easier

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Happy Memorial Day!   Whether or not you’re employed, there’s a 3 day “weekend” up ahead.  Some will “parade’, others might picnic, or maybe you’re just taking it slow, resting up for the week ahead.  Likely you’ll be on the internet, even a bit.  So why not use that time to your advantage?  Give someRead More

Now you can get the info you need

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Fifteen years ago, I stopped working for two years when ulcerative colitis and multiple sclerosis, chronic illnesses, made working — and even leaving the house  — difficult.  With two children in elementary school, a husband with a demanding job and disabling disease, work became the added burden I couldn’t carry. Tell me.  Does this soundRead More

What do you do when you have to keep going?

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Recently I experienced, yet again, how hard it is to work and live with waxing/waning chronic illness. And this just reinforces why I think that that working is the smartest thing I can do for myself. When we traveled  to California to visit friends, I knew it would tire me. The time change and longRead More

Your health isn't a sound byte

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Have you noticed how often you’re greeted with,  “Hi, how are you?”   (or “Hey, how ya’ doin’?”), depending on the circles you travel in)? Today I counted 18 times so far and it’s only 4:00pm.   I’m working alone and only left the office for one brief errand.  Do you work in an office withRead More

Chronic illness often means deciding when you're too sick to work

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Do chronic illness symptoms – -multiple sclerosis, colitis, fibromylagia or cancer, fill in the blank  — crop up when you least expect them? Doesn’t it always seem to happen when there’s that big presentation at work or a major meeting requiring a plane flight and overnight stay? Or maybe it’s a regular day at workRead More

Even if illness is unpredictable you can still plan

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Are you wondering/worrying/even obsessing about your job because  of  unpredictable chronic illness?  Or maybe you’re just ignoring illness symptoms and hoping it will all go away. Either way, you’re spending too much time not doing what you should be doing. Which is making concrete plans for your career keeping your illness in mind but notRead More

Laid off, New Job and Life with Chronic Illness

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In this virtual world so many of us live in, I “met”  fellow traveler, Bernard Farrell, through the vibrant virtual diabetes community. Recently he mentioned on twitter (@BernardF) that he’d gotten a new job.  I didn’t know he was unemployed but saw an opportunity to share his perspective. So, I sent him some questions andRead More

Errors and living with your chronic illness at work

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Are you sick of apologizing for things you can’t help? It was a bad morning for Carol (not her real name). The chronic illness (take your pick: colon, migraine headache, muscle fatigue, breathing problems) was horrible. Only able to pay attention to how badly she felt, she made a quick decision to stay home fromRead More

Chronic Illness & Job Discrimination? You bet!

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Are you wondering what chronic illness and aging share? DISCRIMINATION. Want to know how?   Click through to read my post ( Job Discrimination Pains Me ) on the widely read career blog, http://What Would Daddy Say.   Pass this on to others and be sure to follow me on twitter (@WorkWithIllness)  to read more on theRead More

Avis had it right

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Wouldn’t you know it would take “March Madness” to show us that coming from behind can make you a winner? Two guys at Wharton Behavioral Lab explored the idea that losing can lead to winning because of the strong  motivational effects of being close to your goal (When Losing Leads to a Win). They appliedRead More

Looking at the ground from a seated position

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“…. you have a whole different world view  from a seated position.  A lot of what I see is on the ground.  Issues of race and color become less substantial when you look at the ground.”   Federal Judge Reginald Lindsay who died this week at age 63 from complications from cancer. Reggie Lindsay was anRead More

Looking for work? Try a schedule for your day

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Being employed generally means working on a schedule.  But when you’re unemployed, looking for a job and living with an unpredictable chronic illness,  time has a way of getting turned upside down. OK.  So, now you’re past the relief of  hauling your tired body out of bed each morning to be at work by 8:00am. Read More

Unemployed & looking for work? The good news is your boss can be flexible

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This month’s blog carnival at Somebody Heal Me, is up.  The topic is creating migraine friendly environments. Are you employed and living with a debilitating chronic illness? I’ll bet you’re  dreaming about the day you no longer work. Sure, a job can do a lot of things for you, including giving you a paycheck  (hopefullyRead More

No one ever said that working with chronic illness is easy

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You know that moment when the lightbulb goes on ? I know, too often  it feels like it’s getting darker, not lighter (LOL). But reading Laurie Edwards, achronicdose, describe a recent bout with illness  (On Work and Chronic Illness), was  such an “ah hah!”  moment. In my zeal to encourage people to keep working whileRead More

Working for yourself isn't always a choice

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Randy Duermyer writes, How Working At Home Found Me.  This is a useful  blog about working at home  – check it out.   People email me asking about starting their own home businesses as I did. They’re say they’re tired of showing up when they’re so sick.  What does it take, they want to know.Read More

Will new skills make you more marketable?

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Have you recently lost your job  – – and live with a chronic illness? Recently I heard a career specialist on CNN give advice about what you can if you lose your job and you’re in an industry hit hard in this recession. The interviewer wasn’t focusing on the chronically ill — but it doesn’t Read More

Self employment, Virtual employment and Being the boss when you live with chronic illness

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Are you thinking:  it’s got to be easier to work for myself  rather than dragging myself into work every day?  A reader asked me to write about this:  I would really like to see more profiles with people who own their own business like you.  I am so demanding on myself, that when I amRead More

What do you learn from chronic illness or pain?

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A few weeks ago I blogged about my own sinus surgery to improve rinitis . I’ve felt worse post  surgery than before – and it’s been 4 weeks.  This was not expected and caught me unprepared. What happened?  I was supposed to “naturally” shed the scabbing that occurs from breaking nasal passages.   But it  hasn’tRead More

Chasing your tail wondering career or job?

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Having spent 30 years working while living with chronic illnesses, I know the challenges first hand.  It’s especially tough when you’ve invested time, money and resources because you believe a satisfying career is a key ingredient to a fulfilling life! I earn my living as a chronic illness career coach.  People seek my services whenRead More

Rocco or the Ram? Which are you?

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Randy Robinson, aka The RAM (The Wrestler), might take notes from Rocco Baldelli, the outfielder who just signed with the Boston Red Sox.  Baldelli knows how to live with chronic illness and disabilities and keep working.  And be successful. Note to Ram: pick up the phone and call Rocco! When Ram learns that he hasRead More

One Thing I'd Like You to know about Living with a CI

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Many years ago,  I wrote a newsletter article called, 10 Things I Want You To Know about What it’s Like to Live with Chronic Illness and published it for my New Year’s Day edition.  I later included it in my Career Thrive Guidebook,  Make It Happen: the Who, How and What when chronic illness stopsRead More

Making molehills out of the chronic illness mountain

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FYI – If you subscribe and get this as an email, you can click on the post ‘s title to view online where you can comment, too! VOTE online FOR THIS BLOG in the people’s Health Blogger contest! Scroll down the right sidebar. ********************************************************************** Do you wonder if people are thinking you’re making up yourRead More

Chronic illness make you feel like a square peg that doesn't fit?

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Does chronic illness leave you feeling like a square peg in a round hole? Funny thing. Regardless of what causes it, feeling different just doesn’t feel good. Last week, my husband, Jake, and I saw a terrific musical, In the Heights, with our daughters. Small wonder it’s a Tony Award winner — the music andRead More

Don't let chronic illness lead to mistakes

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FYI: If you get this as an email, you can click on the title and read this post on the internet blog site. A reader wrote that he couldn’t figure out the image I put in yesterday’s post. Looking at the post again, I could see why he was confused. It was supposed to implyRead More

Wellness programs have their pros and their cons

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I’ve been hearing about organizational wellness programs for several years now. What could be bad? According to an article in The Wall Street Journal’s, MarketWatch (Even During Financial Crisis, Investing in Wellness is Good Business) Chronic illness accounts for 2/3 of a company’s health care expense. 80% of all chronic disease is the result ofRead More

Row, row your boat – – – even with Multiple Sclerosis or Breast Cancer

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You gotta’ respect a person who uses his pain to win. “During a race, … your muscles are on fire …. but you know the pain will subside. When I have to go to the hospital {with an multiple sclerosis attack), it’s like having someone pick at the back of my eyes, just tearing itRead More

Readers share

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I asked for information (Can you Afford Chronic Illness?) about the new ADA legislation and in response, I got helpful tips: New York Times article Senate Measure Would Expand Disabilities Act (Thank you Christine Gombar for leading me here) Senator Tom Harkin was the chief author of the original ADA legislation and you can readRead More

Chronic illness, health insurance and foreclosures

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IF YOU SUBSCRIBE, GETTING THIS AS AN EMAIL, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST TO COMMENT (OR CLICK ON THE HEADLINE FOR THE INTERNET) ********************************************************************** I bet you don’t think about chronic illness as a cause when you read about foreclosures (unless, of course, that’s why you’ve lost your home!) But, a new studyRead More

Book Reading in Newton MA

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If you’re a subscriber and get this is an email, you can comment either by clicking on today’s headline or scroll down to below today’s post to where it says comment. ********************************************************* I’m giving a “lecture/reading” of my book, Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working Girlfriend, (co-authored with Joan Friedlander) this evening at aRead More

Assess yourself before looking for that next job

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Are you STUCK when you think about the next job  — now that you’re living with an invisible chronic illness? Then tune in to my free  radio seminar to get ideas about what you can do! Assess Yourself: Find the Job You Desire and Can Do Despite Limitations Tuesday Sept. 9 at 9:00a.m PT  /11:00a.m.CT/12:00noonRead More