Dr Dilemma!!!

Everyday living
1

Hi all, wonder if you could help?

I have RRMS, and since August last year have been suffering new and old symptoms, along with severe depression. (which is being treated) I have not been to work since this date?? I am under OH from work, and they say it’s very difficult to get ill health retirement, because on my sick notes my Dr just writes depression! I have only joined this forum 2-3 weeks ago, and although I have had MS for 17 years, I’ve never spoke about it, the people here have helped me so much to put things into prospective. My dilemma is my Dr can’t wait to get me back to work, but I’m not able to get through a day, without getting pains, fatigue etc, and I just know I won’t feel safe there, I work with children. (so infection is rife lol) I get the feeling my employer can’t wait to get rid of me, which is fine, but I need the co-operation from my Dr on this too, don’t I? Or are OH, the people that make decisions?? Please help, I so don’t need this stress anymore, for God’s sake isn’t it enough that we deal with this daily! Also I’m seeing the MS nurse next wednesday for a course of intravenous steroids, maybe? Thank you x

2

Hi Shellie,

If you’re keen to explore the idea of early retirement, and your employer has indicated this may be an option, why don’t you just tell the doctor exactly that? They should be working with you to get the outcome that’s best for you, not pressing on with getting you back to work, regardless of your wishes and your other options.

Do you mean work have never had it from anyone but you that you even have MS? That would certainly make it very difficult for them to consider it as part of any case for ill-health retirement. What about your original diagnosis letter? Do you still have that? I’m thinking you must have some proof, somewhere. Or couldn’t they just write to your neuro?

I’ve never been through this process personally, but I would think it must be quite similar to the one for making an insurance claim: in other words, they’d need evidence of what is the matter with you, how it affects you, and what the prognosis is. I know the latter is very difficult to say, with MS, but it would hardly be controversial to say it isn’t going to get better.

Why not just explain to the doctor that you’re thinking of requesting ill-health retirement, but for that, they will need to know ALL the circumstances of your ill-health, not just the depression.

One word of caution, though: there’s a chance it IS mainly depression making you feel you feel you can’t go back to work, in which case you might feel better later, and regret any decision to quit. Perhaps your doctor doesn’t think you should be making any life-changing decisions whilst depressed, and that’s what he or she is trying to protect you from?

Tina

x

3

Thank you Tina. My Dr is very young 24, and he takes no notice of my Ms, he just says theres nothing we can do about that? I’ve like electric shocks in my back for ages, and my left foot, when I walk feels like I’m walking on cobbles? He jnows this, but just treats the depression, although saying all this, I didn’t realise depression can come with MS, or even from Rebif, so the MS nurse told me?? My employer knows whats wrong with me, but I have never volunteered this unless pushed to do so, I am learning to open up more, I need to say what I need, rather than saying what I think others want to hear, this is one of my faults. I sometimes feel like I’m not being taken seriously, as I look fine on the outside, therefore my reluctance to explain why I can’t do things, I tend to struggle on, then fit for nothing the whole day! I don’t like sympathy, but a little understanding goes a long way. Xxx

4

Hi Shellie

There are various drugs that can help with things like pain or spasms, like Gabapentin, Amitriptylene, Pregabalin or Baclofen. So I would speak to your MS nurse about it, and if they think one of those would help then they can wite to your GP to get him to prescribe them. Also, Amantadine can help with fatigue too.

It might be worth speaking to Access to Work too. It’s a government thing to help people with disabilities to stay in work, so they could provide advice on any improvements that could be made at your work place. Also, speak to your OH about the possibility of reducing your hours. If you get DLA and work over 16 hours a week you’ll be able to claim disabled working tax credits, which would help make up for any loss of earnings from reducing your hours.

Hope that help

Dan

5

Thank you Dan x

6

Hi again Shellie,

I’m relieved to hear your doctor doesn’t actually sound nasty or unsympathetic. He probably just doesn’t highlight your MS as a problem, unless you’ve done so yourself. And he might be assuming most patients are concerned to keep their jobs, and do want to get back to them eventually, without realising there could be other options on the table for you.

So yes, I do think communication is part of it - for you to explain what you want or need, and make sure your doctor is in the picture about what all your options are. But I know depression itself can make you reluctant to do that. Your doctor is there for you, not the other way round, so you should be able to discuss what’s bothering you, and what the options are, without feeling you have to censor it, to fit what he wants to hear.

Yes, people with MS do have higher than average rates of depression. In some cases, this may be due to damage to parts of the brain that control mood, but in other cases, it may be purely situational; not linked to physical damage. MS is a depressing thing to live with!

Maybe you need more info from work about exactly what the procedure is, for applying for ill-health retirement? I think it’s very unlikely a decision would be based only on your latest sick note, anyway. So to say they can’t do anything, because it only mentions depression, seems a bit of a cop-out. Surely, if you actually applied, they’d need detailed reports from your doctor and/or neuro anyway? And those should explain the whole context, and likely prognosis, not just the latest thing you’ve been off with.

Please don’t act hastily, though. Although MS is not temporary, depression often is, so you might have quite a different take on things if you weren’t depressed. I think Dan has come up with some good suggestions that might help you stay in work, rather than quit altogether. Quitting is a big step, and not one that can easily be reversed if you have regrets. If you do decide to go that way, make doubly sure exactly what you’d be getting, and that it’s enough to live on. Also check whether the terms do allow you to take alternative work, if you wanted to later. Some do, some don’t. If you’re granted early retirement because you’re judged incapable of ANY work, there may be a clause that you can’t accept a job elsewhere, because that would mean the decision to grant you early retirement had been wrong. But if it’s accepted it’s only your present job you can’t do, there wouldn’t be any barrier to taking on something less demanding elsewhere.

Tina

x

7

Thank you so much, you all make it sound so it easy, which it is, but before I joined here I only had myself to answer to, and always came back with negative thoughts! It’s taken me 17yrs, to join here, now It seems that, I myself have blown everything out of proportion, I’m so glad you replied xx

The Ms nurse just rang, and I am going to see them on the 13th, and have a full blood screen done, to make sure there are no infections etc x

8

Yes your so right Pat, and thank you for your comment xx