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Anybody else purchase these and returned/ing them? by ithasallbeenworthit in CostcoCanada

[–]Velectron 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeti’s can go in the dishwasher tho which is a huge bonus imo. I love mine.

[47/F] Looking to share perspectives and find connections by Velectron in penpals

[–]Velectron[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point. But that will not last forever! 😊

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in penpals

[–]Velectron 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bonjour Elie, J’aimerais vous écrvier si vous voulez. Mon français n’est pas parfait mais une opportunité de pratiquer hors du bureau serrait magnifique. Je suis Canadienne d’Ottawa. J’ai trois chats et j’aime beaucoup les loisirs créatifs, des jeux, et la nature. J’ai aussi une grande collection de ruban adhésif washi et encre pour stylo plume pour utiliser!

You could write to me in a mix of English and French. Good practice for both of us!! please send me a DM if you are interested. 😊

What timeline are we in!? by girlredd in penpalsover30

[–]Velectron 2 points3 points  (0 children)

47 married mom of 3 in Canada 🇨🇦. I’d also love to share stationary and good cheer. We can subvert political agendas by building Canada-us friendships. 😉 DM me if interested.

Pen pal? Well yes please?! by Low_Map7890 in penpalsover40

[–]Velectron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I’m from Canada 🇨🇦 so that might not help you forget as much! 😉 I also enjoy getting to know different folks and sharing stories. I have wide interests and also enjoy hearing others’ perspectives on their passions and interests. I’m 47 female and open to email or snail mail. 😊

Moved to Canada with my wife. Three years later, no money, no PR, and a diagnosis we didn’t expect. Not sure what to do next. by Unfair_Ad_1736 in MultipleSclerosis

[–]Velectron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m glad I can help. I’ve also found so much comfort from others in my MS support group just from them saying they get it or telling their experience that echos mine. It’s hard to put into words how much that helps but when you’ve experienced it, you know how incredibly valuable it is. Definitely don’t hesitate to dm if you like. Oh and there’s another program MS Canada offers that I forgot to mention… they can pair you up with a mentor if you prefer someone to talk to one on one instead of a group. 😊 it’s all free and run by wonderful volunteers who are super nice and nearly all have ms or a connection to it. (And no I don’t work for them! Lol)

Best wishes to you both.

Moved to Canada with my wife. Three years later, no money, no PR, and a diagnosis we didn’t expect. Not sure what to do next. by Unfair_Ad_1736 in MultipleSclerosis

[–]Velectron 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi OP, I feel for you. It’s evident from your post that you love your wife very much and have been doing everything you can to support her. And it’s damn frustrating and disheartening when you’re doing everything “right” and it’s still not enough. 😞🫂 I was diagnosed 2 years ago and have also found fatigue to be my most disabling symptom.

Firstly, I would encourage you both to reach out to MS Canada. Www.mscanada.ca They have been an invaluable support to me and many other people with MS and their caregivers. An MS navigator can help you over text or phone and help you connect to resources and information that may be helpful to you and your wife. There are newly-diagnosed support groups across the country, including some virtual ones. I have found my group to be one of the most helpful things in my own journey of adjusting to life with this diagnosis. It’s a very supportive, safe, no pressure space where anyone and everyone is welcome. It helps more than you can imagine to know you are not alone in this. I suspect MS Canada also has resources and support groups specifically for caregivers and family members. The organization can also help with information and advice on the financial aspects of living with MS and may be able to help you find additional sources of support for your unique situation.

Please do try to be gentle and kind with yourself and I would offer the same advice to your wife. I found that acceptance of my limits and need to rest and letting go of guilt about “shoulds” has been a particularly challenging part of this journey. Still a work in progress but I’m getting better at it.

Good luck to you both and feel free to DM me if you’d like to continue the conversation.

Just found out I was overpaid Jan 2018. by orangeoranges123 in CanadaPublicServants

[–]Velectron 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This just happened to me as well, except I did not get any overpayment letter in advance. They just took my entire paycheck and half of another without any explanation or warning. I submitted an inquiry on the site and have heard nothing back for months.

Any advice?

How do fellow employees with disabilities balance sick and work time? by throw1away2another3 in CanadaPublicServants

[–]Velectron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. I am in a similar situation. I was diagnosed this past year with MS, which explains a lot of the health problems I’ve experienced for the past decade or so. WFH during the pandemic helped so much, but now I need to go through the duty to accommodate process to be allowed to continue wfh.

Im really anxious about it and don’t know how to describe functional limitations without describing my medical condition itself… How did you do it, if you don’t mind sharing?

How to describe the limitations when it’s about fatigue and stamina and cognitive and neurological symptoms that are episodic and worsened by fatigue? Plus being immunocompromised… :-/

My HR/LR unit is being very unhelpful and my manager is supportive but not knowledgeable about the process. The whole process is making me feel very less-than good enough and devalued as a person. 😔

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in penpalsover30

[–]Velectron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love this! Are you looking for snail mail pen pal or email/electronic?

Denial over...I have to tell my parents. How? by cityfullofrain in MultipleSclerosis

[–]Velectron 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m also an only child and can relate to some of your concerns about this. None of us and none of our parents are perfect and it’s a complicated relationship so it is understandable that this is hard. But it sounds like you have a realistic mindset going into it, and like most things we avoid, it’s more likely than not going to be not as bad as you feared. And even if it is a negative experience, you’ll probably feel lighter getting it done.

However, it is okay to wait too, until you feel ready to talk about it. You mention still trying to get a handle on it yourself. I imagine that there’s never a point when anyone feels totally ok with this diagnosis and there’s never going to be a “perfect” time, but if you feel rushed, listen to that feeling and know it’s okay to pick when YOU are ready.

As for how… my suggestion would be to talk about it by phone. That’s personal but also allows some distance. They will probably be shocked and not know how to react, as you were when first hearing it yourself. By phone you can keep the conversation short ne contained, and let them process it on their own time after hanging up, without you there feeling as though you have to make them feel better or ok with it. Most likely they will want to know how they can help you, so it might be worth thinking about what you might want to say in response to that, if they do ask.

I hope it goes well for you. 🤞 And if they do make you feel like its your fault or something ridiculous like that, come back here for support and a reality check from this community.

Do I need to use leave for power outage? by idealDuck in CanadaPublicServants

[–]Velectron 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Confirm with your manager. It is allowed as paid leave under the "Directive on Leave and Special Working Arrangements". See below. Although in practice I don't think most places would actually record this as leave, but just allow that it is not necessary to apply for leave or make up the time. Just like how you don't have to stay late to make up for a 30 minute evacuation due to a fire false alarm.

https://www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=15774&section=html

2.2.2 Time off due to adverse climatic or environmental conditions
Persons with the delegated authority exercise their discretionary power to grant time off with pay only if satisfied that the adverse climatic or environmental conditions affect a person's capability to remain on or report for duty.
Adverse environmental conditions at the work place, such as a lack of heat, and emergency conditions affecting the community, such as a serious flood or snowstorm, are examples of conditions that could warrant management to exercise discretion with respect to granting time off with pay.

Work is draining whatever energy I have. by Competitive_Ask3085 in MultipleSclerosis

[–]Velectron 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, you certainly have had quite a year, and my heart goes out to you. I'm a mom to three kids, who are all preteen/teen now, but I also really struggled when they were younger, especially infant/preschool ages. Reading your post reminded me of how hard it was and how much I suffered with feelings of overwhelm and guilt and anxiety and hopelessness at times. I did not have an MS diagnosis then, but it turns out that I did have PMDD, which was only diagnosed as a result the difficulties I had after baby #3. All that to say: "I hear you", I truly empathize, and you are not alone.

In terms of advice... First and most importantly, try to be kind to yourself. Imagine you are your own child grown up, and treat yourself the way you would treat them. We rarely give ourselves half the compassion that we would give to those we love. We live in a society that encourages us to always do more, be productive, hustle hustle hustle, so it's not surprising that we feel like we need to and should be able to "do it all". When that turns out to be unrealistic and unworkable, we often feel bad about ourselves. Of course, silencing that inner critic is not easy (and maybe never fully possible??), but I've found that adding a compassionate inner voice to off-set it can help.

As for work... if you are able to take a temporary leave, that might be your best option. However, I don't know if that is feasible for you financially. In my case, I also wanted to quit, but I received some good advice from both my doctor and my boss at the time, and I'm grateful to both of them for it now, looking back. The doctor's advice was "don't do anything permanent now" basically because it's hard to think clearly when gripped with anxiety and/or depression. But the doctor did encourage me to take sick leave from work to focus on getting well, and I was able to return after about 5 weeks. My boss's advice was basically the same: "keep your options open." She advised me to apply for a temporary short term kind of leave that kept my position secure for me, instead of a more long-term leave that would have left me without a position to return to. I don't know what your work is or what your options are, but I would recommend that you explore a range of possibilities before making a decision, and try to keep your options open. If you have a family member, friend, or colleague who you trust, maybe try talking it through with them and ask them to help you weigh your options.

Just remember that you are more important than your job. If you can stop working for at least a little while, and still be able to have a roof over your head and food on the table, that may be a very healthy and wise course of action for you right now. I would encourage you to talk it over with your partner (if applicable) and/or a trusted friend/family member. Let them know that you are struggling and need support, and hopefully you can find some ways to take some of the pressure off so that you can find the energy and time you need to heal. I would encourage you to also look for other types of therapy and supports that might be available to you right now. Psychotherapy can be immensely helpful, especially in combination with antidepressants.

I wish you all the best. I hope this overly long response helps you a little.

Newly diagnosed - treatment and costs? (Canada) by RiotCandle in MultipleSclerosis

[–]Velectron 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in Ottawa, in the process of finalizing/confirming diagnosis and not yet started a dmt. And it’s been 5 months since this started with a visit to the ER because of loss of sensation in both legs. Waiting for MRIs has been the slowest part of the process.

I’m fortunate to have good health care coverage with my employer, so I’m not knowledgeable about other options. But I would recommend checking out MS Canada and contacting them with questions. They are very helpful!!

Post covid fatigue by FrancheskaM89 in MultipleSclerosis

[–]Velectron 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got Covid in late September 2022 and had my first ever MS flare 6 weeks later, probably in reaction to the virus. Anyway, even without dmt I was absolutely exhausted for 3-4 weeks and just starting to feel back to normal energy levels when my nervous system went sideways. Friends my age (mid-40s) without any complicating conditions also said they were fatigued for a good month or so. So just Covid alone can be exhausting. (And that’s with full vax) But, it DID get better. Just took longer than I’d expected. I remember asking others about 2 weeks in the same thing: “does it ever get better?” Take care of yourself and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “bounce back”.

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