I am new to this forum and to the idea of possibly having Lupus as a white male, age 47. However, I am not new to symptoms having had many of them for years.
Recently, my symptoms have got much, much worse and broadened: Joint pain, muscle pain, malar rash, hair loss in patches, bumpy rash on forehead/nose, depression, anxiety, severely fatigued. I am ANA positive, other blood tests appear normal.
i have a private specialist rheumatologist appointment (£££!!) in a month as I cannot wait 9 months for my NHS referral for a possible diagnosis.
i am fortunate to have a relatively well paying job, but this job puts me under significant stress to the extent I am struggling to cope and something has to give.
Stress appears to be a trigger for my symptoms as when on holiday, relaxed and free of stress, I feel much better and my symptoms ease. When I return to work the pressure is constant and never ending and I struggle to make it to the end of the day let alone the week.
My family, and indeed I, pay the price for my resilience and the fact I am a fighter and always give more and more in the face of work’s demands.
I have a significant mortgage for the next 20 years and high outgoings (2 kids) which mean I don’t have a lot of spare cash to fall back on.
My company has a group income protection policy that covers 60% of salary which is taxable. SLE is a stated condition for which they will pay out. I could just about survive on 60% salary after making lifestyle adjustments. The policy will pay to retirement age which would take the burden, and stress, off me while I struggle to get on top of the condition.
Does anyone here have experience of making a COMPANY (not a personal) claim for income protection? If so, how supportive was your doctor/rheumatologist and how difficult was it to deal with the insurers and your employer?
Obviously, I am concerned about my finances but at the same time, seriously concerned about my health both physical and mental, so it would be good to understand what I may be dealing with and my options.
Thanks I’m advance,
Wolfus
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Wolfus
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Hi wolfus, i was ill health retired from my employer last year under the group income protection claim scheme. As i've just seen your post and it's a bit late now , i will reply in full later today to tell you my experience.
Hi Wolfus, not sure if I can help you as I made a personal income protection claim, NOT a company one. But I can tell you that the one time I claimed, it was for a 6-month flare, and all doctors, specialists, and insurance staff were extremely supportive. I’ve been told it is far easier to claim income protection insurance, as opposed to, say, workers comp or house insurance, as they gatekeep those kinds of payouts. But income protection seems a lot easier to get approval. That said, the paperwork is hideous, and I had to complete fresh forms every month to get the next months’ payout approved, so be prepared for that!
Thank you MusicalFurbaby, that is good to know and much appreciated.
Employers have a duty of care so I am hoping mine will support me. It is the insurer I am concerned about.
My boss has been quite understanding so far but he is obviously not fully aware of what I am going through. It's quite hard to articulate the cognitive issues in particular, especially when I need to focus in a high pressure environment and being quick and knowledgeable is a given. I was that person until recently! I can see from his perspective how hard it will be to come to terms with that, as I am struggling to get my head around it myself.
I suspect the insurers will be keen to get me back to work, and if that means I'm better, I would see that as a result
However, it may be more of a problem if I do not recover to the extent I feel comfortable doing my job yet they want me back to work and off their books!I
Yes, that’s a hard one to decide. The cognitive stuff is hard to understand ourselves, let alone articulate to others! I’m hoping the process gives you clarity about whether you can still do your role, or part of it, down the track. Good luck to you, and let us know how you go 🌻
Hi Wolfus, i have lupus sle for 15 years and was diagnosed with secondary fibromyalgia 2 years ago. I was on the shielding list during the pandemic and then on long term sick leave. During this time occupational health had been in regular contact with me and updating my employer about my health. No reasonable adjustments could be made to my employment to support my return to work and my employer had no other option but to ill health retire me.I had to give OH access to my medical records and they wrote to my rheumy asking him for a report. My rheumy got in touch with me to discuss this and i told him i wanted to take the ill health retirement so he wrote the report to OH saying i would continue with the current degree of disabling symptoms despite treatment. I then had a long phone interview with an OH doctor who agreed i should be ill health retired with group protection until retirement age. My employer handled everything with the insurance company called UNUM. I was to be paid 50% of my salary minus 20% tax. Everything went smoothly so imagine my surprize when last month i received a letter from UNUM saying my claim was due for a yearly review !! I have it in writing from my employer that i would get it until i retire but UNUM sent me a form to fill out regarding my health conditions, medications, what i do everyday etc.They want access to my medical records.They already have all this info and are making me jump through hoops. I filled out the form and sent it back to them and waiting their reply.I thought i would get it until i retire without having any more form filling, it does not make sense as the OH doctor told them i would never be able to work again, sorry the post is so long !
Sorry you continue to suffer and also have to jump through hoops with annual form filling.
I imagined this kind of issue with the insurers, although I would also have anticipated a challenge from them initially, so your rheumy must have been convincing enough!
The yearly form filling I would also anticipate as they will want to explore every avenue in order to get you off their books. Guessing it is procedural as preconditions you can recover from.
If I were you, I would keep a scanned copy of correspondence and copy paste for next year!
Hi, I can't answer your question, sorry. I just wanted to let you know that with diagnosis and the correct treatment, there is still a good life out there for you.
Yes, for many of us ,there are bumps in the road but the correct medication can help enormously.
I've never had a flare again, like the huge one I had 3 years ago which lasted for months,
I really hope you see a good Dr, that helps you to plan a future for you and your family.
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