What does your husband do?

It seems like I get a lot of the same awkward questions in spurts. I've got to say, I'm glad that something has recently replaced the all-too-often "Do you have kids?" (Inevitably followed by a surprised, "How long have you been married?") The question on everyone's mind lately is "What does your husband do?" He prefers to say that he is retired. I guess that's sort of true; he is a new member of AARP! The truth is that he is disabled and receives monthly payments from Social Security. Many of our friends and acquaintances already know this, but for the friends and family that do not, perhaps it will offer some clarity. Rusty suffers from bipolar and anxiety disorder. We have tried many different options over the last five years. He has been in school and attempted numerous jobs of different types, but his illness has always gotten in the way. Each new chapter began with enthusiasm and optimism only to be squashed by the reality of his panic attacks in a short amount of time. It became exhausting. My thoughts of, 'Maybe this will be the job that sticks,' turned into, 'Here we go again. How long will this last?' When Rusty feels overwhelmed, he often suffers a panic attack that causes him to lose consciousness. Each new set of responsibilities would inevitably lead to this. I grew tired of leaving work to rescue him from his job or to meet him at the emergency room. As much as I wanted to encourage him, each new attempt took more and more from me. We had talked for a while about him filing for disability, but of course, wanted that to be a last resort. This time last year we reached that point. We began summer of 2008 by meeting with a case worker at Social Security and filling out the mounds of necessary paperwork. Then we waited. In the meantime, we heard multiple stories about how you never get approved the first time and that we'd have to get a lawyer to fight the decision. We were prepared for that outcome, but hopeful that things would go our way. The answer came in December--he was approved! We were thrilled and felt like it was validation that it was the right decision for us. We received a sizable payment that helped alleviate some of our financial stress, along with the relief that we would also be getting monthly deposits. Of course, we would be much happier if Rusty was healthy and able to work, but this has been a wonderful blessing to our family. We have had some critics, but I feel no need to defend our decision to anyone that does not fully understand our situation. I am not ashamed of our status, but as you can see, the question "What does your husband do?" takes a lot longer for me to answer than most others!