i need some help

ok so scotiabank called me today and informed me that i had until tomorrow to settle my csl in full or it would be forwarded to collections.  i informed them that there was no way this could be accomplished and commented that their letter had taken 13 days to reach me ( had to get in a dig there).  i asked about collections - what to expect - they did not know what agency nor did they know how long it would take the ca to start contacting me - days, weeks, months was the answer i received.  she did tell me that nicole was in charge of delinquent accounts and would be calling me every 2 weeks ( from scotia) for my osl to check up.  i said i hadnt spoken to nicole for months - i had tried to keep in touch with her but was always getting someone else.  but she mentioned something about my file had to go to the government first - is that because its a csl ??

there is no way i can pay anything on my loans right now - we are struggling to pay our bills until the new year when things should even out again - thank goodness for hubby's overdraft or we'd be screwed right now.  as it is i am behind 2 months on my visa payments, the sacrificial lamb of the mass of financial obligations before us.  heat is more important, and i have 2 choices here - wood or electric.  dont kid yourself - wood aint cheap, especially when you have to pay up front and it has to be cash.

was told by a trustee type that im "creditor proof" because i am not working and have no wages to garnish etc.  he suggested i ignore my creditors until i am working.  is this a good idea ?  i know my credit is shot with my loans in default but is it smart to duck them or talk to them and tell them the truth - they have a better chance of getting blood from a stone than getting anything out of me right now ?

i am unemployed and will be for quite some time.  no i am not receiving ei or anything like that - just cctb.  for those of you who dont know me by now, i live in very rural ontario with no access to daycare and our unemployment rate is around 35%, with disability around 20%, old age around 30% which leaves 15% working.  and when i say very rural i mean population under 400 people in a very large area - like 20 km by 20 km.  there are three places to work - the lumber mill, the bush and driving a truck, none of which i am qualified for.

my health is deteriorating - i have carpal tunnel and chronic depression, am stressed to the hilt and my doctor now thinks i have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia on top of it all.  i cant sleep, cant eat, cant concentrate for a long period of time, cant remember anything, have no strength to rip open a package of mini ritz for my kids.  i get exhausted after any form of exertion.  grocery shopping knocks me on my rear.  you get the idea. 

my loans are osl and csl, both from scotiabank, all from 1999 or before.  osl is 9K, csl is 20K.  does anyone know if these are govt guaranteed or are they bank risk ?

like i said, i cant pay on them at all.  not even ten bucks.  nothing.  i cant even afford to go visit my grandfather for thanksgiving right now.  i had to blow off my best friend because i couldnt afford to go for a freaking coffee.

i hate waiting for the ca to call and start harassing me.  when they do call, should i be honest and tell them i cant afford to pay you right now and it might be five years before i can get a job and start paying my loans ?  should i play nice, play stupid, or play dead ?

is it possible to get your student debt cancelled due to medical reasons ?  i have a friend in bc who said this might be possible depending on medical circumstances.  would getting government types ( mla, mp, mpp) involved help my case any ?

johnny, can you do anything for me at all ? 

this is new territory for me.  i have had a job since i was 13, worked part time in uni and college, worked summers in college and then had my job fall out from under me a few weeks before graduation.  could not find a job at that late a date.  was broke and stressing big time.  had to go on welfare for a few months so my heat wouldnt get turned off.  my family cannot help at all.  then boyfriend (hubby now) wisked me away to a new life and a new start but the job he had lined up also fell through.  ended up caring for grandpa ( parkinsons, very very advanced) for a few years, not getting paid, but on IR so that was ok.  married, had 2 great kids and now am up the creek in a leaky canoe with no paddle.

hubby cannot help financially - we are struggling as it is.  i just dont know what to do.  i see my doctor on monday and will likely have to go through another heap of tests, which stresses me more waiting for the results.  since its more than 7 months since i finished school i cant even qualify for federal permanent disability benefit.  it feels like there is nothing i can do right now.

advice please ??

sleepless in the sticks

mersan

thanks for the ideas.  next time i am in civilization i will pick up a copy of foucault if i can find it, if not ill order it and the lang book.

no accupuncture or hypnosis in my future - i live too far in the sticks.  i'm having a hard enough time convincing my doctor and my hubby that there really is sonmething worng with me - ive been going for bloodwork since november and am fed up with inaction, take your vitamins and get some rest as doctors mantra.  unfortunately, i have no other options - small town, not too many doctors.  but he is getting on board with my line of thinking here at last.  i try meditation but am often disrupted by the wee ones.

like i said, im not working and wont be for a while - no daycare and less than no jobs so i guess theyll have to wait.  im just trying to keep myself out of the hospital right now, my loans are not in my control anymore and the stress of the ca's in my future is getting to me a bit.  im trying to relax about it but im the type of person who obsesses over everything so...relaxing aint as easy as it sounds.

i think in going to go and hug my kids - better than therapy

Mom!!! Thinking of you in Toronto!!!!! If there was
anything I could do to help alleviate your situation I
would do it in an instant!!!

oh yeah and to make my day even better, my hubby finally finished stacking our wood for the winter and the guy stiffed us 5 cords - over 300 bucks. and it will cost double that to run the electric furnace for 6 weeks.

argh ! 

Momof2
Thinking of you and wishing you luck. Keep us updated and tell them all to go to hell.

Momof2
I would NOT recommend Paxil for your symptoms. I had very similar complaints took Paxil and swear to god that I almost almost died(i was suicidal while trying to quit the damn stuff). Seriously it may work for you but for myself it was a panacea that took great toll on my love life, my ability to "care", and my moods. When I tried to quit I fell into a deep deep depression from which I thought I would never recover. As "hokey" as it sounds excersize(with tapes and long walks) and changing my diet was what helped me to overcome most symptoms. I guess I really should not scare you but my reaction was such a low point in my life that I always want to warn others. So do as you feel best but please keep in mind that paxil "can" have unexpected adverse effects if you feel disjointed/out of touch with your family/and incapable of sexual feelings QUIT immediately.
:) Sorry if I scared you. Be careful and do some research on Paxil.

hunter2

i hate taking any kind of medication- not even aspirin, and my doctor knows this, so he must think it will help - he usually goes the herbal route and ive tried changing my diet and thet hasnt helped.  i exercise every day and the fresh air is great but im not looking forward to winter.  mind you, sliding and snow angels can be fun - the kids are too young for skates, i think. 

the dosage is low so heres hoping.  and he wants to see me in 4 weeks to see how i am doing so here's hoping it helps and doesnt make it worse.  the possible side effects scare the crap out of me but if it can help stabilize my mood swings i'll consider it. 

i think im going to call him tomorrow and ask a few more questions before i start taking it though.  if i didnt have my kids i dont know what i'd do.  they are the best therapy but they cant fix this pile of crap i have to deal with.

anyone else taken paxil ?  id love to hear more opinions before i become a comatose zombie.  i really am not that great at taking drugs.  my iron supplement killed me and i had to stop taking it - so now i will have very low iron to add to my problems.

No offense intended to anyone here on the site, but you'd have to be insane to take the advice of an anonymous stranger on an Internet forum over that of a doctor when it comes to taking medicine that might mean saving your life. Get another opinion, of course, but from someone you have reason to suspect might know what they're talking about.

All the best sweetie! Just do whatever you're gonna do with the support of those who love you. Keep us updated.

can they check your seratonin levels through bloodwork ?  i think i'll check this after i get done here...i'm still on the fence about taking the drugs, i am going to try the herbals first but i havent thrown the rx in the trash yet either - i figure if the herbals dont work i can still try the drugs.  i will discuss all with my doctor first, i trust his judgement - he's not the type to prescribe drugs in the first place.  i want a few more days to research before i do anything.  there's some upheval at home right now (plumbing trouble, the wood thing, some other stuff) and i am hoping that after that stuff gets squared away my stress level may drop a bit ( but im not expecting it to drastically change - i know better)...mind you , by then the CA should be calling me about my default so my stress level shoud be back up there...