Hello all, sorry I haven’t been here for a while but internet probs(yet again). Good to here you are getting sorted daisyleaf, and very useful comments from others.
On the point of the NHs, I agree we are fortunate to have a good pension (at the moment), but believe you me, the NHS have most certainly had their pound of flesh from me over the course of 27 years, including many, many unpaid hours of extra work.
I also believe my working conditions in one area possibly contributed to my bc, and that of 13 others that I worked with, by working in an area of high exposure to radiation from multiple portable CXrs taken in our confined workplace with no protection or monitoring, but then that’s another story…
I was dx 7 years ago(2004) and i can’t tell you how I have struggled psychologically . I have been to OH many times, and have moved out of the clinical situation because I just couldn’t cope. At no point did she mention ill health retirement, and I made the move on her advice.
Hoever, I have since been dx with fibromyalgia, Sjogrens and am trying to cope with dreadful fatigue and muscle/joint pains. My hrs are now great but by the afternoon i am exhausted,so much so that it is really affecting my home life.My brain fog makes me slow and I just don’t appear to cope with anything. Also, where I now have a desk job I am finding that my trunkal lymphodema is now affecting my arm and hand (using mouse) so I now have to use a sleeve and glove at work. I really feel that I can’t go on much more really, I have had enough! I am scared of going back to OH to tell them this but I really do feel that retirement is the best option.
Do you think that I should go to speak to my GP, or OH, both? I’m really sorry to drone on, I just really don’t know what to do! Good luck to one and all XX
Give me a break I have worked in th NHS for near on 40 yrs and let me tell you that I have been treated with discrimination, incompetence,unprofessionalism and had my health seroiusly undermined by HR and ATOS who do the OCC health for my organisation. Prior to dx with BC I had had hardly any sickness leave and I worked through chemo I was threatened with being phoned weekly after surgery to have my sickness managed and closely monitored I think this is harrassment ( had chemo first)can hardly bring myself to continue.HR also asked ATOS to pronounce on my prognosis after 2 Chemos without telling me.I was distraught when I SAW WHAT SHE HAD SAID BASED ON A 10 MIN CONVERSATION THANK GOODNESS FOR MY bcn Had 6 months off sick and 3 of those unpaid as HR had not bothered to check my continuous service from my immediate and previous employer and furthermore couldn’t be bothered to do so.Which would have shown that I was entitled to a lot more paid leave. I was seriously ill with an abscess and septicaiemia starting after 2nd WLE and continuing through rads and after I went back to work.More surgery on that too but had to use A/L. I took A/L for 3 breast surgeries and am really miffed Back now F/T and wots more they have messed up my pension too. I was far too ill at the time to do a grievance but am now putting together an e-mail to the CEO and Directors re the treatment of staff who have serious and life threatening illnesses. I am now just over 60 and feel that whatever they do/say cannot damage me further.I am really sad that after a life in a caring profession that I have loved, this has happened.I had brilliant care from the breast cancer centre and am so disappointed that my own organisation can treat staff like this. Sorry ladies I might skip over a rant like this and think she has a serious problem but this really happened and I would like to prevent this happeneing to anyone else. J xx
hi libby, that is just appalling. do you have the energy to take this further? if you have union/professional association that can support you? i think you’re right to write to CEO and there are serious disability discrimination that needs to be considered in the organisation.
i hope you get sorted - lots of us rooting for you - you deserve so much better than for a 40 year career caring for people should end like this. i would say your treatment at work is just not acceptable.
mon xx
Libby, it sounds horrendous!
What a nightmare for you. Monitoring you during illness is unheard of. It’s an invasion of your privacy and why should you have to speak about your health to anyone. The reality is your illness has caused your absence from work with relevant authority and even kindly questions from your line manager is intrusive.
I’m afraid your post reminded me of my last months at work as a teacher. I was threatened with disciplinary procedures for absence (yes I was absent because I was ill!) and was on the verge of being ‘sacked’ except for the continuous support of my Occ Health Dr who offered me a way out through an ill health pension.
It was a very very difficult time because I was so ill and couldn’t function emotionally or rationally!
I remember it was a time of non stop tears! The fear of not having an income is quite terrifying and not knowing your legal rights.
It was not BC that ended my career but it took years to fully function again and I returned to very part time work related to my educational training, most of it in the voluntary sector.
Since BC I work part time and am able to offer my time to cancer services to try and help other women who have to go through the same trauma.
Once you’re volunteering, more and more opportunities come your way and if you’re like me you want to ‘give something back’.
I keep saying ‘yes’ and am flattered by the invitations but over the past few months I took on a bigger role with one of the cancer charities and it became such a mountain of hardwork/angst/time that I felt sooooooooooooooooo stressed!!!
A definite lesson to learn for me that even volunteering can bring back all that stress and feelings of inadequacy of paid work!
Looking after yourself after BC when you’ve retired early isn’t as straightforward as one might think…
Hi daisyleaf and Welsh girl
Very many thanks for your kind/wise words
I am currently writing a draft copy of all these greivances to CEO and as of last week my line manager is the CEO.I have an appt to see her but hope I do not weep.
I am quite determined that this will not happen to anyone else Wendy and d-l many thanks after 40 yrs or so in NHS this has come really hard Love and hugs to you J x
Just a quick post having read this thread. I was a library manager took redundancy and early retirement 4yrs ago (we were undergoing radical restructuring and i was working all hours and at home, family were being neglected),the reason i was given it, was my daughter was diagnosed with a muscle cancer in her right arm and had 11month old boy which meant she needed help to clean and change him and feeding so i would have taken unpaid leave for x long.As they needed to lose people i was happy to go on my pension even though it cost me as I didn’t reach my forecast. However it was a very hard decision and i now live on a quarter of what i earned. But 4 yrs on i now am fighting bc even though my stress levels had flattened out and i’m not the only one my senior librarian (had bc 9.5yrs ago she is still clear now) came back to work but couldn’t keep it up and now i know why. My job was my lifeblood but i did the right thing for me. Just thought i would let you know as someone said what about librarians we aren’t immune 2 out of a team of 16. Chris