Finances.....new car?
I never liked blogs and said I wont be one of those people reading posts after post on a blog. So I was diagnosed with MS 2 weeks ago and ended up on shift trying to understand the disease and living with it. So I am living financially comfortably, a workaholic, been studying this past 12 years obtaining multiple degrees. Perhaps stopped embrasing life and kept on working, trying to look after myself. Always prioritised my money on savings, living simple, enjoyable and using my hard worked money to finance my studies. A week after my diagnoses I decided perhaps I must buy the luxury car I can afford. Not even sure if my cognitive ability will deteriorate and affect my specialised occupation. My heart says I should but my logical mind says no. I want to enjoy a car while I can and not sure if i will end up in a wheelchair. On the other hand I can pay off my old car and use the moeny in the future when I have difficulty living with MS for medical expenses etc. In South africa you can drive a car as long as its roadworhy and dont have an age limit. So my question to all that want to give their opinion is: Do Ms people tend to have financial difficulty (as this disease can disable you) and do people regret not saving enough or using their money more wisely? In South Africa, living on a disability grant is not possible. I have some insurance that will eventually pay out, but I am probably making an emotional decision to buy something I will enjoy. Any opinion is appreciated.
Hey @donavan, great that you found Shift. From how you write, it seems that you are already processing what’s going on. I can’t tell how long you’ve been having symptoms or waiting for a diagnosis. I’m sure most people would agree that when you stumble upon something huge in life, you need to put a bit of distance between now and making big decisions. I’m not being patronising, I promise. But whether you win the lottery, lose a life partner, or get a diagnosis of a potentially life-changing condition, you need to let the dust settle a bit. It’s so easy to react to your impulses and emotions, but in truth, zoom forward 6 months or a year, you will probably have been through lots of changes, realisations and new patterns of thinking which start to make you see life a little differently. I mean, the car sounds a great idea and if you have the money, why not. But another six months might conjure up something different. Who knows, a bigger, flashier car! But, you might have decided to put work on hold and travel. From your profile, I guess you don’t know the MS type yet, or discussed treatments? It sounds like you’ve worked really hard and set your life up already. My advice, if you’d like it, would be to focus on healthy living, researching treatments, looking at what your support network will look like, take a breather. You will live life to the full, theres no doubt about that. But what that fullness will look like needn’t be something you need to rush into discovering until you’re totally sure of what you want, how you feel, and what your priorities for yourself are. Take care :-)
@donavan , MS is no longer the disease is used to be. The progress of MS may be unpredictable, but it can be reduced/halted by the use of one of the present range of Disease Modifying Treatments (DMTs). Additionally, living healthily, eating healthily and managing/avoiding stressful situations can also slowdown the progress. So, the car...............