I am gutted I have just been finished from my job working for the NHS for over 19years.
Feel useless, for finished on ill health .I am 53 feel I am 100 .
not sure if I will get early release of pension , I have to wait to see if pensions allow it .
My symptoms seem to get worse .
Anyone else gone through been finished due to having fibromyalgia,
yes .I was exact same age as you and that was almost 12 years ago .I tried to apply for unemployment benefit but of course I could not work.They realised that at the centre and told me to apply for ESA benefit which I received.Was about 55 I think when my work allowed me to have a lump sum of the pension they n me had paid into.It was only about £8000 as I had only worked there about 11 years.I was a cook in a Leonard Cheshire care home.I wanted to work but couldn’t and then got a lot worse with health so applied for PIPs and now on full benefit. I hope you can get at your pension but in the meantime apply for benefits.I felt dreadful having to as I had always worked
Yes I had to leave in June thiabyear from eon redundancy on grounds of ill health have applied for new style esa and 6 months on still waiting assessment I do get enhanced pip but got this before I left work it's awful bored cause not working plenty to do at home but pain and mobility issues prevent me from doing a lot I called my pension company and got a form that allowed me to get tge doctor to sign to say I would no longer be able to work that in then allowed me full access to my pension at 52 so you should be OK on that I would apply for benefits I am hoping tgey will do my assessment soon had to get my mp to contact the dwp to see if she could gwt them to sort it as they are meant to do it within 13 weeks of application but as with everything in this goverment nothing seems to work as it should good luck with pension etc
I worked and paid NHS pension for about 30 yrs and applied for early retirement pension and won - but at the first appeal .
I reckon they generally say no (unless it’s cancer etc) to weed out people in the hope they go back to work or just leave!I was concerned about time limits etc for starting the appeal and contacted NHS pensions direct mail via Twitter and this is what they said - There is no time for your first appeal, please see the following link: ow.ly/yhfz30o5iWe
I was supported by my husband and we sent copies of every report and professional contact.He also wrote a supporting letter from his perspective of how I had deteriorated/changed and the impact on me and him and as a couple.
As for benefits, I claimed ESA at the time (which stopped once pension in place) - this was backdated for 13 weeks when I applied as I’d been off a good while and tbh I’d no idea what I could actually claim for. Also, I have a pip - I also get standard for daily living and mobility. (This isn’t means tested so isn’t affected by pension)
Hope this helps and good luck
Sam
Hi CBL2.
I was medically retired by Royal Mail in 2009 when they found out that there wasn't a time scale of when I could return to work.
When I actually did apply for benefit , ESA had just come into being & after U left hospital & got home I applies for the old fashioned DLA which I got minimum awards for both . After my award for DLA ended I was refused another & told to try applying for PiP as it was the replacement of DLA & I got told I could have nothing after the first assessment as the atos person claimed I was fit & healthy .
So I appealed & wrote how each point had caused me to be as I was & it was overturned & I got the higher rate on both the 2 time as my pain was then put into the fibromyalgia category.
Firstly, thank you for your service , CBL2. I am a frequent user of the NHS as you can imagine and I appreciate you. Secondly, I hope they treat you fine in terms of pension and care. I am so sorry you ate in such pain you had to give it up.
I was forced to give up work in 2019 after 32 years as a coach driver ,feel lost with out my job ,only 58.
yes I medically retired in March this year with full local Government pension. I had worked for 22 years. Unison helped me. Speak to your union rep. It is a very stressful time is you reach the point of no return before you know if your application is approved! I am so much better now as I can pace myself and rest when I need to. I wrote to all my consultants and asked them to support my application which I am sure help Good Luck
Hi CBL2
I totally understand your situation how bizarre is this my dear. I am 55 and feeling like a stranger in my own body, have literally just gone through medical retirement from my NHS job after 17 years and feeling so overwhelmed with sadness as I too loved my job so very much. It feels as though I have lost part of myself completely, I'm grieving for the person I was. Looking in the mirror I see someone else now who I really don't recognize
I'm still struggling with the benefit situation but CAB have helped a lot I'm so grateful for them I'm overwhelmed with your response on here it's actually made me feel rather emotional for you but we are not alone on here (unfortunately) I wish you and everyone else comfort and a blessed Christmas, let's be hopefully xxxx🙏💞
I was retired at age 60. It was a difficult process to get my NHS pension and I was refused the first time. I got my full pension on appeal. You need to gather a lot of evidence as to how you have tried every possible treatment, ie Ain Clinic. Medication, physio etc and have as many letters of support from health professionals as you can get. In the meantime apply for ESS and PIP. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon x
Yes I was finished 3 years ago 18th Dec it's so hard. To let go of what you know. I didn't get my pension because I was 47 at the time. So I now rely in government pay out. Good luck x
Hi I was medically retired from nursing in the NHS when I was just 25 unable to do my job etc or any other job at the time and diagnosed with Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME. I was lucky to get in to nursing in the first place as I had a muscle wasting disease a rare condition called dermatomyositis and also polymyositis. But my mam and dad were both nurses and I was determined and persevered and proved people wrong when they said I would never get into nursing. Yes I was only in for 6 years at first and off for about 2 years in total during that time and working full time and training during that time but I did it and was very proud of myself. After 7 years I built myself up and did a part time return to nursing course. I got back into nursing for 20 years part time with adjustments made for me but first started off with a temporary contact renewed 3 monthly and within a year given a permanent contract. My health deteriorated and I went down hill not being able to walk or finish my shift I was in agony and wanted to chop my arms and legs off and couldn't bear the pain and was inconsolable even though I had my medication. Anyway a very long story but I never got back to work and as a staff nurse working in rheumatology ended up there as a patient and diagnosed with fybromyalgia and later on a few more medical problems. All those years later the pension rules had changed and not everyone who has these conditions are eligible for their NHS pension. The occupational health Dr and other allied health care professionals had to provide evidence that I was unable to continue with my job or any other type of job. All this was very stressful. I got turned down for pip the first time I reapplied a year later and got standard for both levels even though some days I am unable to walk outside. Anyway it was approved and accepted and I got my NHS pension. It is based on the individual rather than the condition itself as I was told as the condition affects people differently. Mine was severe. My union rep was very supportive during all this work carry on.
Hope you get your pension. Xx
I am 53 and have just been dismissed from my teaching job. I have been teaching for 28 years, 22 of these at the school that I’ve just left. I understand the need for stability for the children but I don’t feel my disability was taken into account. I feel much less stressed now I know I don’t have to go back but money is a worry. I have got savings so cannot claim most benefits but I have been awarded the new style employment and support alliance and my pip claim has been accepted , I don’t know which level yet but it has been backdated. I am now just waiting to see if my pension is approved. I have never had to claim any benefits before so it has been a steep learning curve.
Like you, I feel useless and I feel as though I have failed! I was a good, well respected teacher until fibromyalgia reared its head. Not being able to focus on a task or see anything through to completion is really tough when the deadlines are right upon you.
I hope you get what you need from your pension.
I had to give up work and a week later Covid started!! I got to a stage where I just couldn’t function at all and like you said I felt totally useless and I was 50 at the time. Hardest decision I had ever made as I loved my job and the people I worked with. All I can say is now I realise it was the best decision for the sake of my health. I am 52 now and too young I think to get my pension, but when I finished I applied for New Style ESA and PIP. I was given ESA for 1 year and then had to have an assessment and was thankfully put in the Support Group. I was also given PIP and again thankfully this is now ongoing.
Your not alone in feeing 100, my 99 year old Aunt keeps telling me she is fitter than I am and she is right 🙄. It took me a long time to accept that not working will help me but it actually has, I am able to manage my symptoms without having to worry about daily schedules etc.
Good luck with your pension and have a look into New Style ESA and PIP xx
Yes, I took ill health retirement when I was 53, although I'd requested it. It took 4 months for my pension payments and lump sum to come through. Have you asked to be assessed? I got full benefit due to my fibromyalgia being a fluctuating condition, which meant I could not work for at least 30 hours a week. My pension was also enhanced to the full amount that I would have got at retirement (67). I also get ESA, which is slightly reduced because of my pension, and I get PIP as well. It's worth getting either union help or maybe CAB to make sure you get your entitlement. Good luck.
.
Hi
I was finished with ill health from NHS two years ago after 18 years of service. I am 58 now and have managed up until now to work part time and claim UC and PIP. However i am struggling to keep going . I dont think my NHS pension will be enough for me to live on as i have to pay rent. But i will lose my UC. So i am stuck struggling but dont know how long i can keep going
I was signed off in 2011 at age 55. I was a Self-employed leadership development coach running workshops from the studio attached to my beautiful stone farmhouse high up in the Berwyn mountains. No one warns you of the difficulties of claiming ANYTHING when you're self-employed! The feeling of being treated as a lyer by the DWP was SO depressing, and life so cold and tough, I just wanted to give up, go to sleep and never wake up. All this while battling a level of pain no one understood. I couldn't afford to heat my home and spent 4 years in one room. I was so ashamed, I didn't tell anyone.Luckily, an old friend refused to give up and eventually got through. She reminded me that, as I had been a WRNS Officer, I could approach the Veteran's Agency for help. I then found out that, as my current Chronic conditions could be directly attributed to my active service, I might be entitled to a small Disabled Veterans pension.
It took several years to be awarded a small pension, during which time I was supported by a couple of Naval charities.
I had to sell my home and move to one I could afford to heat. This meant moving from my beloved Welsh hills, to a newer house in Northern Ireland where (intentionally), I knew no-one and could simply survive. I was DREADFULLY homesick, exhausted and stressed in my first house there, but met a couple of people who seemed to understand and still want to make friends. (I know now that it's quite common for "friends" to disappear when you have Fun to - it still hurts , though).
I decided to sell that house after a year and moved to a smaller one, near the coast and with views of the Mournes. I got my mountains back!
Not only that, but the woman from whom I bought the house - although a lot younger than me - also has Fibromyalgia, with the additional Chronic Pain, Fatigue and arthritic conditions I have.
At last: someone who understands!
Not only that, but she keeps offering her teenage children and other members of her family to do things for me - and I'm, gradually, learning to ask for help.
The small number of friends I made near the first house have kept in touch. So, when one of my old friends travelled over for a weekend in November, I decided to have party!
Lots of planning and lots of rest meant I could enjoy the company of friends in my home for the first time in ages!
I suffered for days afterwards, but it was SO worth it to feel part of a community again.
Since them, we've had several gatherings (short in time, limited in number but HUGE in warmth) and - even though my pain and fatigue levels are really bad - I haven't had such a happy heart for years!
If my life can move from poor, cold and miserable to how it is now, there's hope for us all.
I wish you a peaceful, pain-free New Year and an abundant 2023.
Be gentle on yourself.
Dee
I often feel like am a 100 year old 🥴, just cannot catch one with all me pains and rollator,
would write a daily fibro diary then
try for pip, the questions and help are on the c.a.b. website, they can fill the form in for you.
Am so sorry to hear had to give work up, cbt may help grieve for old life, am guessing its like leaving the borg collective, all voices to suddenly being just one, while finding feet for new to you rest and pacing life,
gentle hugs
Ive just lost my job 
Nhs I’ll health retirement 
Fibro has lost me my job
