poss redeployment

eileenc

Hello everyone - I have got my appointment for occupational health on the 27th of this month and I think it has really just hit me how life changing RA actually is - I have been off work since the beginning of March (diagnosed RA in April but have struggled for about 2 years with progressive stiffness and loss of mobility and pain).
Since then have had my absence interview with my head teacher and bus. manager who were really very nice and very supportive - but I agreed with them that in reality I would struggle with my job of special needs nursery nurse in a special school working with children who have severe and complex needs. They asked if it was ok to refer me to the occ health sooner rather than later and I agreed.
I am struggling to walk short distances with sticks and use a power chair for longer distances - my hands and wrists are weak, sore and shakey and I have pain, general aches and even worst is the extreem fatigue. All my energy seems to have gone into accepting I have RA and getting myself adjusted to the loads of medication I have to take to keep me going on a day to day basis. (mtx, tramadol, co-codamol, ibuproven, levothyroxine, omeprazole and amitriptyline)
When people ask I always say I am still signed off 'my' work - or 'my' work phoned and it has just hit me that 'my' work may not be my work any more! I think that I was so consumed with all the other parts of my life that are changing that I put 'my' work on a back boiler and since everyone was keeping in touch and being supportive I still felt part of the staff.
At least the Children and Families dept is a big one so hopefully I will be looking at redeployment - I would love to stay at my own school but being a realist there is no way I could do the job even if adaptations were made for me - it's just too physical.
Anyway - enough of this novel just now - just thought I would let you know that receiving the occ. health appointment has focused me on the 'work' side of RA which I haven't really thought about - I stupidly thought take the pills, get rid of pain, manage it and get back to work - but that's not going to happen. My friend said "change can be a good thing - you just have to get used to it" I hope so!!

ninakang

Hi Eileen

Sounds as though you're going through a testing time in your life right now but I'm glad you seem so positive - I hope you're not just putting on a "face" for us, there is no need!

Let us know how your Occy Healthy appointment goes

Nx

eileenc

Hi there - if you had caught me a couple of days ago with my rheumi nurse you would have seen me howling my eyes out - today I'm feeling a bit more in control and it's probably due to the amitryptaline kicking in. I do have my moments a couple of times a day when I want to just sit and cry about the unfairness of it and just how bad I'm feeling. I think I'll hit the next person who tells me that I'm looking fine - yea, well look a bit closer is my grumpy reply (well - in my head anyway). Sometimes I want to just sit and do nothing - really nothing!! and that's the time my daughters and husband decide I need cheered up - the mouth talks and laughs and they feel a bit better - but - the brain is screaming GO AWAY!!!! I know my RA is all new to them and they're adjusting too but I still don't think they actually get how tired and teary and grumpy I can be in a short space of time. It's a learning curve for us all and sometimes I just can't be bothered to worry about everyone else and then I feel guilty! Learning curve - more a series of sharp jaggy graph lines up today down tomorrow up a bit.....and so it goes. Coping is the best I can hope for. x

mrsmopp

Hi Eileen

Sorry to hear your going through the mill. I'm in nearly the same situation, i work for the NHS. We have just been asked if any of us wants to put in for voluntary redundancy. I have RA and have been off quite alot in the last few years on sick leave. My head is telling me that i am no longer as fit as i was and some days really struggle, but my heart is with my job. I love my work, and the people that i work with. I have been so confused the last few days, don't know what i should do. I either take the redundancy payment and try and start a new life, which would be so hard, or i struggle on working know it isn't doing my health any good. If only i didn't have arthritis, the answer would be so easy. That's my little moan past with, I hope you feel better today, Take Care x

tanith

mrsmopp wrote:

Hi Eileen

Sorry to hear your going through the mill. I'm in nearly the same situation, i work for the NHS. We have just been asked if any of us wants to put in for voluntary redundancy. I have RA and have been off quite alot in the last few years on sick leave. My head is telling me that i am no longer as fit as i was and some days really struggle, but my heart is with my job. I love my work, and the people that i work with. I have been so confused the last few days, don't know what i should do. I either take the redundancy payment and try and start a new life, which would be so hard, or i struggle on working know it isn't doing my health any good. If only i didn't have arthritis, the answer would be so easy. That's my little moan past with, I hope you feel better today, Take Care x

Could you not go for ill-health retirement? At least that way you would have a pension income and could maybe take a part-time or less taxing job ,I did this from the NHS 3yrs ago and I have never regretted it..its worth investigating