RA and Work
Up to Q&A
Hi,
Aged 47, live in the UK and received RA diagnosis in 2004.
Presently prescribed Plaquenil and Enbrel.
Have a young son aged eight and I work at his school just four and a half hours a week and get twelve weeks paid holiday each year.
I explained when I started the job three years ago that I have trouble with my wrists, therefore lifting or handling some objects may be a probelm.
Dozey.
Amanda,
I am 47 have had RA for about 34+ years once the Fibro kicked in along with the RA i could no longer work. I have only been out of work since June and on SSDI since December of 2009. It is a big adjustment and I still experience a lot of discomfort from both disease, since I have several other underlining diseases and disorders.
As far as my management they were very supportive since they new for a long time of my disease and issues. Well at the same time they were laying a lot of folks off so me going off the books onto LTD was a better fit for me and them.
Good luck in your decision to work or not.
Tess
Hi Amanda,
I'm 30, with arthritic symptoms for the past 15 years. Dr.'s aren't really sure if I have RA, but the treatments are all the same anyway. I work full time, always have since I was 17. Most employers over the years have been very accommodating (altering my workspace to fit my wheelchair when needed, allowing me to come in later because of morning stiffness, etc.) My current employer has been the best. I am able to work from home 3 days a week in order to maintain my functional well being. They have supplied me with a laptop computer; and if I have a bad day and I'm not able to make it to the office, I can work at home as needed. It wasn't easy to get this telework agreement. I was only offered this after my husband wheeled me into work for months and I missed so much time that they were going to stop my health insurance. I also need to have it reviewed every 6 months by the supervisors and provide a new medical work-up. I know it is difficult to find such a great employer and I consider myself EXTREMELY LUCKY to have this option. Without it I would not be able to work full time or have health insurance (and we all know how invaluable that is to us).
I wish you the best in finding something to finance your livelihood and accommodate your disease... keep us posted.
A
...incidentally, medication in the UK can be aquired on prescription for around £100.00 ($159.00) a year, no matter how many prescriptions you are given in the the 12 month period. .
Anyone claiming benefits (I don't) or certified disabled can get all medical treatment and prescriptions free.
All medical treatment/surgery/therapy etc. is free to everyone regardless of circumstances apart from cosmetic unless it impacts on a persons day to day living or psychological wellbeing.
Dozey.
Well Dozey, seems like once again the rest of the world is ahead of the US. Here in the States, you're pretty much SOL without health insurance. If I didn't have it, my injections would cost me over $4000.00 a month! That's not including all my other meds... needless to say, I could never afford that! Poor health insurance is the reason it's taken me so long just to get on injectibles. I've always had insurance, but it wasn't very good. Back in 2001, my rheumy wanted to put me on Enbrel. Only problem was that it was going to cost $1000. a month. I was just a college kid and could barely afford books! Now that I have a good career and insurance I can finally get the treatment my body needs. Maybe we will eventually catch up with the rest of the world.
Ladies, you hit a nerve on something I have been struggling with since the beginning of 2010. I am on LTD from my employer as well as on SSDI. The LTD i was "quote unquote" granted for 1 year and they would evaluate my condition in February to determine if i was disabled from all positions in the company..In the meantime SSDI has deemed me totally disabled.. Well the insurance company doesn't necessarily just take that as permanent disability and has state to me this week that if they deem me still able to perfrom any job in the company they will remove me from LTD and force me back to wok and notify SSDI.. which was just granted two months ago.. Per my doctor they can not do this since he has classified me as Disabled and the doctors from SSDI have agreed with him.
In the meantime, the mail in pharmacy has not shipped the following scripts: Orencia, Syringes for the MTX (but shipped the mtx), Celebrex and Tramadol. I have not had my orencia since December, no Celebrex for two weeks now, no tramadol for 1 week and no MTX (because no syringes for 2 weeks).
Needless to say after speaking to the doctors office staff today they had me come in and used one of their Orencia's and will replace it when mine comes in, gave me syringes and celebrex samples. They gave me a script for hydrocodone since i have been in extreme pain and tramadol is not strong enough.
The doctor believes if the LTD Insurance company attempts to pull me off my disability he feels I have a legal case. A woman in the IV room stated to me that they do this too not have to pay out the monthly costs for salary and insurance... she used to work for one of these insurance companies and needless to say they tried it with her and won her case with an attorney speaking to their attorney's. My doc gave me the name of a lawyer and the attorney's cell phone number. I gotta tell you I love my Rheumy he took time out of his day to call me while i was in his other office getting the IV just to check on me and discuss the disability situation. That is great bedside manor and what we need in our Rheumy's understanding... If anyone is in South Jersey go to Dr. Burnstein he is one of the best!!!!
Amanda, it has too be your choice on working there is a book that discusses it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932603689/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
Women, Work and Auto Immune Disease: Keep Working Girl Friend!!
Thanks for listening to me whining... could you all tell I took a Ambien CR at 11PM????
Tess,
I see Dr Burnstein and can't agree more. I have been seeing him for 24 years. He was very aggressive with my treatment when I was first diagnosed and I credit him with my sucess. I live in fear of the the day he finally decides to retire. We joke that we are growing old together.
Mary,
You are so right about Dr. B... he and i discuss novels and i gave him "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom as a thank you gift, last year. He is an angel....
Tess
So work....*sigh*....that's a loaded issue. I work 40 hours a week to earn good health insurance for myself, and it's too much! This week I was approved for FMLA by my company and I can have 12 weeks off a year, unpaid, but at least no questions ask. Today, I am using my first day. I woke up with a terrible headache, I've been so weak/stiff/dizzy all day that I can't do much of anything...oh well. I need to figure out a better working option still, though it's nice to have this time off, being able paying for my meds is also nice!
Can't type much more - hands are quitting on me, I'm off to see my rheumy and hopefully move into the next stage of my treatment!
-Britt
Britt,
Glad your getting the FMLA... Have that dizziness looked at I did and found out is it Vertigo they have meds for it and they work pretty well for it. Good luck thinking of you!!
Tess
Hi ladies,
Work...my last employer gave me the heave ho just shy of my FMLA effective date- The corporate folks sent an e-mail to my manager stating "get rid of her today or you're history". They loved me before I got sick and lavished praise galore- seems they don't like to see weakness of any kind in a sales organazation. With so many companies cutting down to the bone, marketing options are slim- I really don't know what is ahead-
LL,
I think it is illegal for a company to give you the boot because of your disability. You should find out why you were let go and you may need to pursue it further (if you have the energy). Those legal issues are draining but you shouldn't be taken advantage of. Best of luck to find a new job in this climate. I know you mentioned that you live north of Baltimore... ever think of a govt job? Try www.usajobs.gov and search in the Aberdeen area. That's where I'm going to be working and the govt needs to accommodate the disabled.
-A
Amanda,
Which part of VA are you? I'm in NC...not far from the OBX and Chesapeake.
I just applied for SS. I used to be a teacher. The docs told me this year that they couldn't see me ever returning to work. BTW, some of you at Creaky are just hearing this now. I think only Tess knew b/c I told her over the phone. That is one reason I had been away...I have been dealing with this new reality. You guys know how hard I worked on my MA for guidance!
What is the saying: "Tell God your plans, and he'll laugh!"
Adrienne,
It actually depends on which state you live in and what you have reported to the company about your illness/disability.
For instance in the State of NJ it is a state of free will; per se. They do not have to give you an explanation on why they are terminating you. Unless, you have on record with the company that you have a handicap and are classified as disabled in your HR records, THEN they can not just let you go if you have FMLA scheduled.
Unfortunately after being a manager in a large organization and having employees in NJ and other states across the US you learn some of these in's and out's these companies get around. The company I worked for would find away to make sure it was either a work elimination or skills based type of termination in order to stay with in the letter of the law.
In LLave's case she should check with her labor attorney with the facts in her situation to determine if they broken any state or federal employment laws.
If they have I would go after them with full force; as you have probably read I am already in a nasty mood about treatment of the handicapped and disabled.
LLave good luck on whatever you decide to do about the situation.
Tess
Hi All,
Maryland is an "at will" state so far as employment goes- Neither party needs to give a reason- Of course the employer wants a minimum of 2 weeks if you want to leave and they can axe you without any notice at all. They certainly did use a bogus performance issue on the paperwork for termination. I thought about persuing action but it does require an enormous amount of energy to initiate and follow through with it- I know this from persuing a claim against 4 corporate entities and the senior VP of a company where I worked for 7 years back in 1991- It was horrible- They have all the money in the world to tie up your case for years.... I never understood why people kept their mouths shut with intolerable situations employment wise but I came to realize the reasons. Especially when it came to It was the hardest thing I ever did and that was many years ago and way before the RA etc. I kind of slunk away, beat down and tired- Feel much better now, but don't want to squander it with a bunch of bad energy. Adrienne- Aberdeen is only about 20 minutes or so north of me- Thanks for the gov tip- When you get to town and get settled, maybe we can get together- I'm trying to get in better shape too... especially after prednisone on and off for 2 years & now they say Lyrica has weight gain side effects too!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH
Hi everyone!
I have chosen to not tell many people at work. I'm in education, and even though we make accommodations for students daily, teachers are another story unless they have tenure, which I do not. My index fingers are bending and right hand knuckles very swollen. I do admist to hiding it at work except to close friends I trust. You have to be careful. Even though it is against the law to fire someone due to a disability, they can often find another reason...so be warned.
Kati,
I'm in VB. My doctor is in Chesapeake. So far I like her but really I've only seen her twice. We'll see as time goes on.
Last week was almost unbearable at work. I usually feel better on the weekends. I feel like a whiner with excuses when I think that way though. It's just misguided guilt. Yesterday was a great day (a Sunday) we'll see what today brings 
Amanda
Previously Kati wrote:
Amanda,
Which part of VA are you? I'm in NC...not far from the OBX and Chesapeake.
I just applied for SS. I used to be a teacher. The docs told me this year that they couldn't see me ever returning to work. BTW, some of you at Creaky are just hearing this now. I think only Tess knew b/c I told her over the phone. That is one reason I had been away...I have been dealing with this new reality. You guys know how hard I worked on my MA for guidance!
What is the saying: "Tell God your plans, and he'll laugh!"
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