Working with PA

[Moosey]

Has anyone had any experiences with PA disrupting their working life/forcing them to quit/change career etc? I have an appointment with occupational health the Monday after next where they will decide if there's anything work can do to accommodate me, or if i'm fit to actually stay at work. I am not overly concerned if they agree I am not fit to work, but I was wondering if anyone had been forced to go part time or quit work because of their PA and what they did in that situation regarding financial situations, and basically keeping themselves engaged. Thanks

[Hillwoman]

Moosey, I'm very sorry to hear your condition has progressed to this stage. I hope you are receiving the correct treatment for it - that will be your way to stay at work or to find your way back in to it.

I was once in a similar position, but in those days there was no obligation for employers to make suitable adaptations or consult with an OH therapist. I was dismissed on the grounds that my ill-health made me unreliable. Of course, there was no acknowledgement of the extra hours I put in to make up for lost time during spells of sick leave. At the time, my employer was looking for redundancies, so I was an obvious candidate for the heave-ho. The way it was done hung over me for a long time, because I was made to feel that I was a dishonest malingerer.

My health continued to deteriorate for many years afterwards, because I hadn't received diagnoses for all my problems, and I was receiving inadequate treatment for my hypothyroidism. So, my health has been permanently damaged. Life is now very limited, but I'm lucky to have a supportive husband, several interests that keep me engaged and, of course, I've received fantastic support and advice from this and other forums. Financially, it has been tough at times, so if you need to claim sickness/disability benefits I would strongly advise you to subscribe to:

benefitsandwork.co.uk

(Edited to fix link.)

[wedgewood]

I'm so very sorry to hear what has happened to you. I'm sure you will hear from other members in your situation . Our Chairman and founder of PAS , Martyn Hooper , was obliged to give up his career as a result of delayed diagnosis . You will get advice from the society as a member of PAS. Best wishes to you .

[clivealive Forum Support]

If you click on my name you will be able to read "My P.A. Story" which although from a very long time ago you will see that my (at the time) undiagnosed P.A. (due to gastric surgery) caused me to give up my job as an electrician to eventually be retrained by the Government in accountancy and become registered as a Disabled Person.

Procedures and opportunities may well be different now and I was his "first case" for my then Disablement Registration Officer (DRO) back in 1970.

Please do try to get back into work if you possibly can Moosey - in my case I had a sick wife and two children under four which gave me a great incentive.

I am now 75 and retired but I will ever be grateful to My DRO Mr West.

I wish you well

[Baggy8]

Unfortunately, I was unaware of my B12 deficiency. I was constantly visiting my GP for help, (fearing early altzeimers) and not connecting the many other symptoms. As a psychotherapist I was unable to process what was happening in sessions. I had to make the decision to give up my work, and as it was a charity, that had to close. This forum has been a life saver for me. Giving me the knowledge to both argue my case with a variety of gp's and to take control of my own life. Thanks to the folk here I am 90℅ back to where I was, the other 10% can't be changed, but that's an amazing improvement. I initially had to go on benefits, but I guess my main advice is to keep assimilating the information you need in order to work towards improving your health. But be prepared to work WITH your body and not overdo it. Can you take information to occupational health which will allow them to understand your needs at this time, and support your recovery?

Sorry this has been a bit long-winded Moosy, you just really hit a chord to where I was three years ago!

Take care and good luck.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

I can trace my B12 problems back over several decades - in the last decade things did get a lot worse - particularly in terms of anxiety and depression - I was signed off work for many months with anxiety and then when I restarted in another job I started as part time - 50% and then built up to 80%. The year or so before I was finally diagnosed I was thinking about dropping my hours back down again - 60% or more because I really couldn't cope - the year after diagnosis was quite bad as well as I wasn't getting the amount of B12 I needed - far form it - and was continuing to decline - however, after starting to treat myself and get the amounts of B12 that I actually do need - things have improved - I've moved to a job with more responsibility and went to 90% - though I'm thinking about moving back to 80% because of other commitments.

When I was signed off I got sick pay - which was initially 100% then 50% and then I managed to find a new job about the time the sick-pay ran out. Going to 50% was really tough as I live on my own and have a mortgage to support but just managed. Certainly money was something that made me quite anxious and was part of the process of building up to being 80% again.