The Financial Side of MS

Heather and Dizzy
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read

Me and Dizzy have been thinking about the financial impact of living with a chronic illness such as MS, especially in the last year since being self employed. We’ve also heard many other people’s stories and difficulties when it comes to trying to balance chronic illness and finances.

Almost 2.5 million people worldwide have to deal with these problems on a daily basis. So, we thought we would make a little post on this, also in the hopes of highlighting some of the other aspects of living with chronic illness, not just the physical. Dizzy has helped but I told her she can’t put down the biggest aspect being, ‘Might not be able to buy an unlimited supply of ginger nut biscuits!’… 🙂

Debt

The average person in the UK owes around £8,000(this figure being even higher with mortgages expenses). According to a study, people with MS can also have problems managing money (I wish Dizzy would sort all our financial things out for me, especially the tax returns! :)) as well as the extra expenses associated with the disease.

There can also be knock-on effects of this. When someone doesn’t have the money to cover their outgoings and debts, they can turn to payday loans as a solution, and this can mean even more problems and debt.

Extra Care

Many people can need extra care at some points during their lives, especially with conditions such as MS. Some people need help pottering around the house, getting ready in the morning or help with activities, such as shopping. The only option can sometimes be to pay for the additional care. There are benefits which cover some of the costs, but me and Dizzy know many people who have to pay lots of money for these services.

Then there is also all the householdy type things aswell, such as cleaning, which people may need help with. Dizzy doesn’t seem keen to volunteer for those kind of tasks very often. 🙂

Daily Activities

People with MS can also have difficulties with daily activities, and things can sometimes take alot longer to do too! This can be anything from popping to the shops (supermarkets are impossible for me and Dizzy when we have the dizzies) to using an ATM. It can also be really frustrating if for some things, we have to get other people to help.

Fraud

Online shopping is one of the main ways of shopping today. Me and Dizzy use it all the time, as it’s quick and easy (and means no supermarkets!). 🙂 But using the internet can also lead to fraud. There are all the challenges of making sure a website is safe, and with fatigued this can sometimes be even harder. Me and Dizzy make sure to only use main sites that we know. 🙂

Employment

We all know that discrimination based on a disability is illegal, but unfortunately, as me and Dizzy found out, it does still happen in the workplace. With this, and the physical pressure of working it can lead people to resign, or become a self-employed Dizzy! 🙂 There’s also the juggling of appointments… Even though we left our job because of people’s attitudes, looking back it was also having a massive impact on our health and the tiredness element of it. Me and Dizzy were either at work or asleep!

Have you noticed a difference with finance if you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic illness, and have you found any good tips for helping? 🙂 xxx


Originally published at dinosaursdonkeysandms.com on September 5, 2018.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade