Re: Some updates.
 

DBT group is going well, it's interesting and so far I like it, 3 weeks into the first module which runs until mid September. 4 modules in total.

I should be getting an individual counselor this week or next week who I will see 2 times a month for the 26 week duration.

At the advice of doctors I did leave my job, but I am not going into details about that, its unrelated to mental health.

Re: Some updates.
 

Glad to hear that the DBT group is going well and that you are enjoying it / finding it helpful - great news that you are getting your 1 on 1 sessions!

As to work, you have to do what is best for you - and if your doctor told you to take a break then that is what you needed to do.

Onwards and upwards!!!

:)

Re: Some updates.
 

:thumbup:

Re: Some updates.
 

It got to a point that I was having trouble walking and standing due to pain in the foot and knee. Its getting better but the doctors told me if I kept doing physical work on my feet and on kneeling often that it would just keep getting worse.

I knew the day would come when I simply could not do that line of work any longer.

Now just have to figure out what kind of job there that requires limited standing.

Re: Some updates.
 

Gigolo. :ohmy:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...ec73cef65c.jpg

Re: Some updates.
 

Ha ha

Re: Some updates.
 

Maybe 20 years ago...lol

Re: Some updates.
 

It's really hard trying to figure out what kind of program to try and take to get some skills. I haven't a clue what I would be good at and what would lead to a decent job, so many require math which is a big problem since I am unable to pass a math class, have tried many times and yet to master math, stupid math is what really holds me back in school.

I am taking a different approach this time, I know I won't last in customer service jobs so not even going to try this time around, customer service jobs always leads to bad things. That eliminates most jobs I could do in Vancouver and in general, I can no longer stand for long periods of time, or do physical labor so that removes even more jobs to a point, I am not even sure what I can do anymore job wise.

My working days might just be over.

Re: Some updates.
 

That's rather melodramatic, Jsmth321. How did you get on with your aquarium maintenance research?

You can drive, how about a delivery job?

You say you can't stand for long periods of time or do physical labour. Is that due to a disability or to fitness issues? If it's the latter, then it's within your power to solve. I know you've said your knees have suffered from previous abuse in your baggage handling work, but strengthening the leg muscles will help with joint pain. Inactivity is very self-destructive so you must resist the temptation to say "I can't do that".

Don't let things get you down... you've got your DBT course that you wanted and you've got better health than many... keep your chin up. :)

Re: Some updates.
 

I put some flyers up at a couple pet stores, will see if anything comes from it. There are several well established full service companies already in existence, so may not be any room for a new one who can't offer full service. Time will tell.

Fitness wise I am fine, not overweight and in the range of what the so called ideal range is for my height, no cholesterol issues, no blood sugar, blood work always within normal range.

The problem is my right knee and foot, the only solution that has worked is not standing or walking for prolonged periods, it got to a point where I was not walking well at work and some days could not properly do my job because the pain was so intense, since not working and not standing/walking for prolonged periods, the pain is getting better, but if I spend a day walking and/or standing too much the pain comes rushing back, so I am following the doctors advice and not standing/walking for prolonged periods.

I walk the dog daily, and move about the house, and walk to the grocery store and other short walks around the neighborhood, not just sitting all day doing nothing.

If I didn't have this foot problem, I would have just stayed at the airport which for the most part was okay, wasn't going to lead to anything, but wasn't bad, just not the best place morale wise, so sometimes it was hard to stay upbeat when everyone was down because of low morale due to management.

Suppose I am at a point where I don't even know what kind of job I would be able to do well in.

Stress brings me into deep depressions and right now is high stress so it's been a struggle to just function and I have been in a pretty deep depression the last couple of weeks.

Re: Some updates.
 

What about using your love of fish and keeping them to perhaps find a job in a pet shop (if they sell fish) or wherever they are sold? The money probably wouldn't be great and it might well be casual/part time - I don't know the job market in Canada but at least it would be doing something you love and enjoy.

Re: Some updates.
 

https://www.workbc.ca/Jobs-Careers/F...x?jobid=494978
Perhaps something like this would work?

Re: Some updates.
 

Petsmart doesn't like me...lol...Applied there so many times over the years....

The fish maintenance one, I'll give them a try, never applied there before, so worth a shot.

If I had a degree, ideal job would be at a public aquarium in animal care.

Re: Some updates.
 

Just a thought ...............

your foot / leg problem is not caused by something as simple as needing an orthotic in your shoes, is it??

I've been through a similar thing, and it is surprising the difference an orthotic does make.

Can you get a referral to a physiotherapist for an assessment?????

Re: Some updates.
 

:thumbup: I'll keep everything :fingerscrossed: for you!
Concentrate on the things you can do and the skills you do have (of which there are many!) rather than hankering for jobs that require things you don't have and are unlikely to get soon! :eek:Petsmart have an 'open call day' tomorrow, for job openings.. so no need to call in advance and tell them your name, you can just go along and see what they say! :D


Hang in there JS :)

Re: Some updates.
 

Not really sure, doctors have not mentioned either. I don't think physio is covered by MSP though.

Re: Some updates.
 

It's mostly the pay, anything I can get is going to be low pay and that just results in so much stress and really makes my depression worse seeing how little return there is for giving up half your waking day to a company who doesn't care enough to even pay a living wage.

I am just frustrated, almost 40 and really nothing to show for it..

Re: Some updates.
 

It is if it's classed as a work related disease or injury, I believe it may be? (Occupational Health).

https://www.worksafebc.com/en/claims...ional-diseases

Look up about Bursitis, Tendinitis and Tenosynovitis - which are classified as Occupational Diseases

Working in confined spaces, squatting (pressure on ankles/achilles) and moving around on your knees hauling heavy baggage could have caused some of the issues with your knees / feet / ankes that you have at present.
:)

Re: Some updates.
 

Sadly that's the same for many of us. Before my stroke I was working 14+ hours a day just to keep a roof over my head and food on the table... For those of us without Canadian certifications or degrees who are earning (mainly) minimum or just above minimum wage, this is our reality.

I'm not sure that it was any easier in years gone by - wages were considerably lower.. it's all relative - cost of living and wages - one balances out the other, in the main. All we can do is work with what we have and give it our best shot :)

Onwards and Upwards JS!

Re: Some updates.
 

Compared to my parents at 39 we are doing far worse, my dad made more in the mid 1990's then I do now, but the cost of living is significantly higher now.

My wife's mom raised 2 kids and owned a house while working as a cashier at Sears, can't do that today on retail wages unless in upper management.

It's just all very frustrating.

The only people I know who are actually do okay are employed by the government of some level.

Re: Some updates.
 

Re: Some updates.
 

Quite. Challenge for today Jsmth... (by the way, what's the J for - are you John or Joe or Josh or Jehovah...??!)

Anyway, challenge... to counter your recent posts, list 5 things you are genuinely happy about:

Re: Some updates.
 

It's just the low pay, not so much about liking the job, but I do need a respectable work environment or I wont last. If management hates their employees and creates a poor work environment its not healthy for me and I can't let a job destroy me. I can only work within the borders that I have available to me, some jobs and management styles simply will not be compatible with my illness and I have to put myself before any job.

As regards to math, its basically the only thing keeping me from upgrading my skills in order to get a better job, the only way to more money is via more skills, but the math requirement pretty much every single training program has is a major hurdle I cannot seem to overcome.

I don't desire to be a math whiz, I just want to gain some skills that are in demand that may lead to better pay.

No skills means low pay.

Re: Some updates.
 

Just in time. You can probably figure the name out....lol

I'll have to think, its been a bad day, so I have not really felt happy, I will need to sit and think about this one.

Re: Some updates.
 

1. The dogs funny antics

2. Went to fish store to browse and watch fish

3. Better Call Saul was on this week, so can watch it tonight on PVR.

4. It's not hot.

5. The construction noise has ended.

Re: Some updates.
 

:thumbsup:


Dogs make everything better, don't they! :heart:
Yes, watching fish is very therapeutic.. quite mesmerising :nod:
PVR's make watching tv so much easier!
It's Goldilocks weather - not too hot and not too cold :)
I hate noise too - it unsettles me.. give me peace (or good music, lol) :)

:thumbup:

Re: Some updates.
 

We had major street work done from the beginning of May to mid-June (replacement of sewers and water pipes). It started at the lane at the end of our garden and south down the street to the next cross street. Then they worked along that street, and up the next street to us. Plus other streets in the same 1 km square are also undergoing the same major work.

The work was finished, holes filled in, curbs re-done where they'd been smashed to make the connections to the houses, and gravel laid on the top.

Then it was left like that ......... 8 weeks and counting!

I think they are waiting until October when the other streets are supposed to be finished, and then they will tarmac them all at once.

BUT our north-south street is a favourite for rat runners to try to avoid hold-ups on the major artery south .............. sitting in this room with the window open sounds just like being at the cabin we used to have miles from nowhere as speeding cars hit the gravel.

Naturally there are now dips and hollows in the gravel and it is becoming definitely uncomfortable to be in a car driving down there is you have back problems.


I am getting so fed up of the noise!

Re: Some updates.
 

I'm afraid to tell you that most doctors will not even think of referring you to a physiotherapy.

I do understand that if you are receiving sick pay or are low income then it might be possible to get physiotherapy treatments covered by MSP .................. but you have to contact MSP and fill in some forms.

I have a friend on OAP and CSP who has just managed to get her treatments covered for all but $30.


It could even be something as simple as having one leg slightly shorter than the other ...... but a doctor won't spot that.

Re: Some updates.
 

I've checked the MSP website they will cover 10 visits a year up to $23, have to see what the going rate for physiotherapy is. Apparently up until 2002, Physio was covered by MSP like doctors visits, suppose it was a cost cutting move way back when.

The noise is really bugging me, and winter cannot come fast enough so I can keep the patio door and window closed, the traffic is more or less non-stop for 18 hours a day and then a car every 2-3 minutes overnight, plus probably 10-12 cop cars on average per day with sirens blaring, along with a few paramedics and a couple fire trucks.

The commercial spaces below us have been under construction pretty much non-stop since we moved in, first a restaurant, then a medical lab and barber shop, now a dollaramma for 10 weeks, upside is there is only 1 more empty commercial space, so maybe there will be some peace from construction soon, the dollar store is to take 12 weeks, so 11 weeks to go until they are done.

Anytime they do construction below us in those spaces it sounds like they are drilling into our floor, and they can work pretty early, so rude awakening each morning, and after 8 hours of it, becomes very annoying.

Re: Some updates.
 

Physiotherapists fees vary, so you may have to phone several .................

I pay $73 a visit, and get no help

My friend was paying $80 at another place, and now pays the reduced fee of $30


You don't need a doctor's referral .............. you can just call and make an appointment for an assessment

Re: Some updates.
 

Can you get out for a few hours every day? Drive or bus to the ocean/nearby park/mountains with a packed lunch. People/ocean etc watching costs nothing, is incredibly peaceful and calms the brain of 'stuff' - well it does me anyway and it would get you away from the noise and dust etc. Even for an hour or so would be beneficial.

Re: Some updates.
 

We usually go somewhere for a 1-2 hours during the day most days.

Re: Some updates.
 

I am often amazed how fast my wife can find a job. She applies for 5-10 places last week, several interview, and several job offers. She is more social which I think plays a key part, where I am very introverted and quiet, really hard for me to have general conversations with complete strangers.

Same time frame, I haven't even had a call and I have applied to a solid 3 times more places than she did.

Re: Some updates.
 

Re: Some updates.
 

Obviously as I said I am very introverted and anxious where she is social and talkative.

Cant change who we are though, an introvert will never be an extrovert and anxiety well if one has it, even with medication high stress situations will bring it on in force.

Its certainly not about the things I can actively control as I dress well for interviews.

Luckily disability assists those with mental health hurdles to employment.

Re: Some updates.
 

I am going to try 3 upgrading classes in January hopefully. If I can manage a B in each then I may be able to get some more education in order to get better job.

If I cannot a manage a B in those 3 classes then I will know I cant go any further.

Ive always been a solid C student so a B in Math, English 12 and Science 12 will be difficult but we shall see next year.

Thats assuming I place high enough on assesment for grade 12 level, I may need to start lower under grade 8 level first.

Basically may need to do high school math english and science over again.

Re: Some updates.
 

If you don't try you won't ever know. Have you got some text books or ebooks? When you go to the beach, mountains and parks, sit and read, some info will disappear into the ether, some will sink into the brain.

Re: Some updates.
 

I have tried upgrading in the past and didn't work out too well, but figure I will give it one last try as I am out of ideas on how to get a better paying job without schooling. The English I can probably get through, but its the math that is the hurdle, I have tried to teach myself, but I end up just as confused, math has never been my thing, and I usually place below grade 7 which is usually the lowest the placement tests go, If I am lucky on the placement test I might be able to do 1-2 problems but for the most part I don't have any clue where to even start to solve the problem so end up not finishing the test, or guessing at the answer.

I never passed a math class in middle school or high school, so never picked up even the basics of algebra and pre-algebra.

Math is what holds me back, it's also why I cannot get student loans any longer, failed too many times in my attempt to get an education to better my chances at a good job.

Now at least (assuming no change in government between now and January) the upgrading is again tuition free, so costs are minimal, just the school fees and books.

Me not having an education/skills is not really from lack of trying, I have tried college so many times, I can no longer get financial aid because I could not maintain the grades mostly in math classes, but also some other college level classes as my writing skills are not at college level, essays and such, or tests when they require a written explanation, I struggle there, if testing is multiple choice, I can generally manage to pass classes but not all classes utilize multiple choice tests.

January will be here soon enough, I'll know then how well I do.

I just want to make enough so we can buy a house somewhere, tired of renting and living in shoe box condos.

Re: Some updates.
 

Don't forget ........ you are now older, probably more motivated, and therefore more likely to do well.

I know of many people who have scored higher when upgrading as a mature student in their 30s to 50s with motivation.

Can you see if you can get a tutor in math???

Re: Some updates.
 

Possibly depending on cost and money situation when the time comes, I try to get some help where I can when it comes to math since math and myself are not friends...lol

If it was just all normal use daily math, no issue, but they make people take these stupid useless algebra classes which is where I get into trouble learning wise. I have yet to ever need algebra in life, and unless going into a profession that requires it, it should not be a requirement.



I don't quite understand my wife's family. There is a wedding today, and the entire family got invited except my wife, this happens each and every time there is a family gathering, and nobody will ever tell her why she is always left out, strange really.