I am writing to you all in order to get some support in my life, I just feel failed by society in some respects and it's probably due to me not classing myself as disabled. I have lived with cardiomyopathy dilated all my life, I was born with it, and it was never really a problem until I had my daughter last year. Unfortunately my Cardiomyopathy is genetic but that doesn't stop me in trying to better myself and I am really blessed to have a baby I call my own. I seem to be having an issue with work, well they have it with me, I am apparently too slow at my Job and I need to get quicker, they are going to now put me on a performance review for a period to see if I improve. I have mentioned my heart condition to my employer but I think they are ignorant. I am 33 and look completely healthy to onlookers. I am very greatful that I can work still with my EF only being 35% on my last scan, thankfully the elperone that they have given me post pregnancy has help to increase this so I am looking at the positives! I know for a fact that having heart failure impaires your thinking and slows you down mentally but I think that work don't believe me and now I think they are going down the 'poor performance' route. I don't need any job insecurity right now I've only just got back to work after being off for months, I've been in this new shop (same company) for just short of three months and they are putting me on a PIP?...feels like a cop out. I have applied for PIP and awaiting the form in the post but that was weeks ago,I know that I won't receive anything because I can thankfully still do things for myself. I just feel abit lost, help doesn't seem available in this circumstance.
I've been awake since 3am and I am unable to get my head down again thinking about it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Cheers, Jem
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Jemstone123
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Consider talking to ACAS - they can offer free, impartial legal advice regarding employment law.
Have you spoken to occupational health? They can assess you and advise you and your employer regarding your abilities/,condition and offer recommendations to be put in place for you. Your employer doesn't have to follow them, but it does leave a paper trail showing you informed them of your condition and proactively took steps to work with them.
And if you think you're being singled out for recently having a baby, there is a website called "pregnant then screwed" with information for new mothers, I think they may also offer some legal advice.
Omg! First congratulations on your baby. I was absolutely disgusted to hear your job situation. I would take this to the highest level. This is discrimination! Write to them and tell them your taking this to a employment lawyer and human rights. Make sure you have everything in writing and have someone sit with you at all times. You were obviously capable to do the job before the baby. So this smacks of trying to get rid of you after you've had the baby. I'm a older and wiser person and lived through many strikes and rights for workers. Don't let them get away with this. Good luck. X
Congratulations on your new baby, and also on trying to keep working while suffering with heart failure.
Gov.uk has info on UK Employment law so you can check out all of your legal rights, etc. associated with all aspects of Employment.
If you have a written contract this will have info too (and will be relevant to show ACAS etc if you do get advice)
Look up the Equality Act 2010 as this seems relevant to your health situation as regards working. (This is on the Gov.uk website also)
[ You may need to pay for and obtain a medical letter to confirm your heart failure is - as defined by the act - " a physical impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities", if your Employer doesn't accept what you are telling them about your heart condition. (Doc can include in the letter that this doesn't mean to say that you can't do things just that it will take you longer as both thought processes and physical actions are slowed.) ]
BHF website has a section "Work and a Heart Condition" & there's a few bits of that that may be relevant as it looks at ways an Employer might support you (as required by the Equality act) . It references to The Equality and Human Rights Commission too for more info.
ACAS will give Employment Law advice - as suggested by others.
Citizens Advice should be able to assist also.
Make sure you obtain relevant info for your maternity leave and parental leave etc. as well as for your heart condition, to ensure you get all that you are entitled to as an employee.
Also do look into any benefits that you can get, including any grants that may assist you to keep working (BHF info referred to above mentions this)
Best of luck.
Do try and keep calm and to continue to look afteryourself and the baby.
Yes it is hard. I think companies say they look after you but they don't really. The trouble with any heart condition it will cause issue to you mentally and physically. To everyone around you, you look normal you may even look well to some people and they think what's wrong with her? I jumped before I was pushed was it a good idea I don't know. I took redundancy. Which was a good pay off. Unfortunately the heart condition and medication can cause issues that slow you up and makes it hard. I suppose I chickened out as I did not want to go through performance meetings and other red tape. Also if I was to go on health grounds then the payment would not be great. The trouble is that you also get mental health problems because the tress is too much on top of your medical worries. Trouble is some people know how to work system and some don't. I hope you get through this and your are assisted. Not easy.
Hi, With regards to claiming for PIP you may be surprised, so don't give up beforehand. I would suggest claiming online, it's far easier and enables you to change/update your responses as you go along. The way the points system works, you don't have to score on all the questions. Read up on the scoring and ensure your responses corresponds with what they're looking for. For example with an EF of 35%, I'm presuming that you get breathless at times, and where you fit on the Heart Failure spectrum Stages 1 to 4. Use it to your advantage as it counts as do the issues you are going through at work.
I have dilated cardiomyopathy also and heart failure. My heart function is now 23%. When I found out it was 43%. It went to 15%. Like you I always worked, but a couple of years ago I went dizzy, passed out and fell at work and dislocated my shoulder, it became damaged so I decided to retire on my works pension.
PIP is a very good idea, because if you get that you’re registered disabled/long term sick. It’s not about your illness as such, it’s about how it affects your day to day life. You can register automatically if your heart function is 20% and under. Your local disability group can help you fill it out. There are laws against you being harassed at work if you get PIP. Let your doctor know you’re planning on filling out that form because they will contact them for information about your illness. There is a disability act concerning unseen disabilities/illnesses
There as been some wonderful suggestions on here. Citizen’s advice and even the BHF You can try them all. Good luck, and remember we’re all here for you.
Hi deejay. How quickly did you heart function lower to 23% after it being high at 43%? I feel like mine worsens once i have started entresto and other meds...fed up and want answers.
I was in my early 40s when I was diagnosed and it was at 43%, but it kept dropping whenever I would have persistent arrhythmias. Once they ablated them the function would go up but still in hear failure. At first they said it was SVT then they said they were atrial tachycardias. But they discovered they were the cause of my heart failing. As they ablate them they would spring up elsewhere in the end they said they were coming out of my AvNode so that’s when I had my first biventricular device and then Avnode ablation. That was 2012. I don’t know what my ejection fraction was by then. In 2018 it went down to 15% my meds changed to mainly water tablets. In January 2019 I had an upgrade to CRT-D device and I was put on bisoprolol because my heart rate was too fast. January this year I had an echocardiogram and it said my EF is 23%. But it’s classified as 20-15% for some reason.
By the way I was put on Entresto when I was at 15%. I couldn’t tolerate 2 twice a day, I kept feeling dizzy, so they put it down to 1 twice a day and I was ok. It actually helped me, but it doesn’t seem to help everyone. We’re all different. And some people are ok with certain meds and others aren’t. Discuss it with your cardiologist. Write down some questions and tell them your symptoms and why you’re concerned.
Thank you for all your responses, a little update from the work situation, they are referring me to occupational health to see how they can speed me up and be efficient, so I am alittle relieved that they are dropping the Personal Inprovement Plan for now. I don't know whether to mention my dyspraxia too as this could be a factor. (I don't know) I just feel different in this working group and not understood, so I feel like abit of an outsider. I appreciate work being patient with me but my mental clarity has been crappy lately but I need someone to clarify with me how my conditions effect my performance at work because I don't work poorly intentionally and it Er kind of makes you feel stupid.
Part of me wants to just look for another job which would be better for childcare arrangements rather than deal with all this but the company have been good with me in the past and I am comfortable in knowing I can do the job.
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