Re: Meds, Pain, Work and sleep?

[Guest guest]

At 05:55 AM 10/4/99 -0700, barbara hicks wisely said:

>Pretty soon the company won't have any thing I can do,

>then what happens?????

Barb,

Seems you are wrestling with the grim reality that you are

disabled right now & your body doesn't have the physical work tolerance you

need (toughness) either right now. If it is a question of mainly developing

tolerance, going through several weeks/ month (s) of hell would change that

& you would not feel as bad. But if it is genuine severe distress that you

won't be able to control by meds & exercise even after your period of

purgatory, you may have to throw in the towel.

The scenario usually goes: you go out on disability. Your employer

can't use you withthe disability, so job is gone . You then scramble for

benefits, alternate kinds of work, or medical fixing up of some of what's

wrong.

In some Vocational Rehabilitation agencies, they do try to help

working disabled stay employed with reasonable help. The article I sent

through last night lists all stat VR agencies. Good idea to contact yours,

& /or private rehab programs like Jewish Vocational Services, Federation

Employment & Guidance service, Goodwill (yes, most do have VR counselors)

and see if you can get leads on where to get help from the nearest

specialized medical (hospital-based) facility in Physical Medicine &

Rehabilitation.

You are in a very tough situation, but it is a typical situation

for someone with disability either working over their limits, being out of

condition, or getting worse.

The strange thing about this is that, if it is so, acknowledging

it, enduring it & getting help could leave you so much better off than it

sounds like you are.

Ken

[Guest guest]

Barbara: Make youe MD write your working limitations down, and take a copy

keep the origional for your records, then give your director of personel the

other copy.

The employer HAS to make accomendations for you, if they are available, if

not then you could possibly apply for SSI. I realize that may not be what

you wish to do, but you have to take care of your body, and the added stress

of worrying about what are they going to do when I go back into work, only

adds to the problems sleeping, which adds to the insomnia, and chronic

fatigue does not help already stressed muscles.

Contact your local state labor relations board, and ask them to work with

you. Your are willing to work, but your employer is from what I see

un-willing to work with you and your disease.

The employer can not punish you for being off ill, it is against the LAW. I

know this for a fact, I had been written up, and I filed a lawsuit against

my previous employer, because I have MD releases to prove that I had been to

him for an appointment.

And I WON, they had to give me all my backpay, plus reinstate my vacation

pay.

One other bit of information is to NOT tell your employer what your being

treated for, t is NONE of their bussiness, they do not need to know, they

simply must be informed of the restrictions, and nothing more. They can take

a diagnosis and try to use it against you if they see fit, again illegal.

Good luck I really get angry when I see someone getting bessed with like

this.

We just went around and around with my wife's employer.

J.

& The Hounds of Hoopeston

jkeith@...

[Guest guest]

Barbara, Please take jkeith's words to heart, in December of 97,on

Christmas eve I was actually fired over the phone because I decided to go

through with surgery of implanting a pain pump inside of me to help with one

of my medical conditions, that causes SEVERE CHRONIC PAIN, daily nonstop.

I've truely forgotton what it is not to hurt. Since then my body has only

gotton worse, and I've not found work since. I am now fighting for SSDI. I

have been let go from my last 4 jobs because of the limitations my drs. put

me on at different times. Today its all I can do to walk upstairs to eat

with the family, we now live with my wonderful Mother n law. She truely is a

God Send. Trying to take a deep breath to help me sit at the comp. long

enough to finish this, just hurt like the dickens. I'm trying to be polite.

But Barbara please stand up and fight for yourself!!!! If you don't, no one

will just jump up and do it for you.

Best of Luck,

God Bless You and Your Famly,

Trish / TDBEARANGL@...

[Guest guest]

At 11:20 PM 10/4/99 -0500, J wisely said:

>write your working limitations down, and take a copy

>keep the origional for your records, then give your director of personel the

>other copy.

>The employer HAS to make accomendations for you,

Barbara, Jeff,

Under ADA, employer only has to make reasonable accommodations if

they can. However, state VR agencies are empowered to adapt working

environments at no cost to employer or you, if possible, to enable you to

work with your limits rationally.

Ken