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    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

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Good jobs for CFS?

TigerLilea

Senior Member
Messages
1,147
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia
I work from home doing tax work. I never know from one day to the next what my energy will be so this works perfectly for me as I can work for as many or as few hours as needed. As long as I get the paperwork to my client on time and my computer cooperates, it is pretty much stress free. As SOC said, I feel like I am still a part of "out there" as long as I am working. I'd feel much more cut off if I didn't have something in common with most "normal" adults my age.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I was able to work up to 72 hrs a week in the past with ME as I had a job which involved at night sleeping in the room of a quadraplegic person, so just being there if the person awoke to give him a drink (but he never woke up during the night).

Unfortunately I had to quit that job as the person was severely psychological abusive (had anger issues and was threatening to have his puppies all put down.. they werent even doing anything wrong, just being typical little puppies. He probably did it too, he was so nasty). He'd was verbally abusive towards me too. I had this job for 6 weeks before I quit cause of how he was.

So I guess this shows there are some jobs out there in which even fairly severe ME people can do if one is lucky enough to find one.

............

Ive heard there can be good money in sleep studies. Someone not too long ago was telling me about a research study who was looking for people to sleep in their lab for a week, the people had to stay during the day too. It paid really really well (I was very surprised by it). The study participants were given all they needed during the stay.
 

fibrodude84

Senior Member
Messages
191
Studies can be helpful but I need a job with insurance. It's so hard because nobody will accept the craziness my body demands schedule wise.
 

caledonia

Senior Member
Good jobs for ME/CFS patients - anything which is sedentary, where you can work at your own pace. For me, being on the computer is best. I have a design background and still do websites occasionally. Some kind of eBay seller might also work, whether you're reselling something such as clothing or books, or making a craft item and selling that.

If you can't work full time consistently, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, then you're likely eligible for some kind of disability. Don't shift to working part time to make things easier, because if you have to go on disability, it will be based on your part time income, instead of a full time income. As SS disability is only 30% of your income, you will be making only half of that and be extremely destitute.

So if you can't work full time, apply now. You may be able to work part time while waiting for disability if you stay below the Substantial Gainful Activity limit. Now that Obamacare has kicked in, you may be able to get some kind of affordable health insurance independent of where you work.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Don't shift to working part time to make things easier, because if you have to go on disability, it will be based on your part time income, instead of a full time income. As SS disability is only 30% of your income, you will be making only half of that and be extremely destitute.

Wow, your American system sees so harsh compared to the Australian one where all SS disabilities get same amount, I was shocked to read that.
 

caledonia

Senior Member
Wow, your American system sees so harsh compared to the Australian one where all SS disabilities get same amount, I was shocked to read that.

It's based on how much you pay into the system - each person has a certain percentage of tax deducted from their paycheck while they're working. So it's a kind of insurance. The payout is based the same way - as a percentage of your salary.

I imagine it's designed to prevent fraud. In the Australian system, some people could do better being on disability than working.
 

TigerLilea

Senior Member
Messages
1,147
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia
Wow, your American system sees so harsh compared to the Australian one where all SS disabilities get same amount, I was shocked to read that.

Welfare recipients here in Canada get the same amount also. We do pay into Unemployment Insurance and that is based on earnings, however, we can only claim six weeks sick pay. Then it is Welfare after that if we can't return to work and have no means of supporting ourselves and no money in the bank.
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
If you are in the US, you have to apply for disability within a certain timeframe after quitting work. By the time I was thinking about it, it was too late. (I had been in school for a while.)
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
Unboxing Videos

I heard about something new to me - unboxing videos. They are videos of someone unpacking a newly purchased item. Supposedly someone made several million dollars doing this in one year.


I think this is something many people with ME could do. One problem is that most of us do not buy very much. I doubt that videos of heart rate monitors, pulse oximeters, or huge boxes of supplements would be popular.
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
Unboxing Videos

I heard about something new to me - unboxing videos. They are videos of someone unpacking a newly purchased item. Supposedly someone made several million dollars doing this in one year.


I think this is something many people with ME could do. One problem is that most of us do not buy very much. I doubt that videos of heart rate monitors, pulse oximeters, or huge boxes of supplements would be popular.

Are you saying people pay money for videos of other people unwrapping parcels? Ha ha really?

I think I could do that for several million a year.

Anyone heard of anything else?
It's mundane, tedious work but I heard something about pei g paid to put cd covers together.?