bellaluna Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 I know I've been posting a lot of questions, but y'all have been so helpful, and I don't really know where to go with this one...I've been off work since November 2nd. Thankfully, my employer has been paying me short term disability during this time, but I feel like I should try to return to work. After all, I won't know what I can and can't tolerate until I try it, right? So, I contacted the nurse in HR and discussed my desire to come back, and what kind of accommodations I thought I might need (no standing for long periods, no reaching over my head, no ladders, short breaks to move around, temp controlled environment, and the big one- schedule flexibility for when I am not feeling good). She basically said that it would be up to the company's legal department and my supervisors to decide if the company can make the accommodations in order to help me return to work, and that if it places a burden on the company to do so, they can deny the request. If they deny the request, I will not be able to return to work, and I'm sure the short term disability payments will not last too much longer (thus them being SHORT TERM- I think they'd carry me through the end of March), and since I don't have a diagnosis yet, I don't really think I can appy for SSDI... I'm really upset about the posibility of not being able to go back to work, and even moreso at the fact that I don't know how I will support my family once the short term disability payments end, if my employer is unwilling to make the changes necessary to allow me to return to work.Can anyone offer any guidance on this subject? Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tearose Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 Hi Mary,I am so on the same page as you my dear! Hopefully they will allow you to return and feel your way through the changes that will help. If this does not happen do net despair.I actually think you should not throw in the towel on work yet! We want and need to feel we are a value to our family and community. It is very normal and healthy to have this drive and desire. We define much of our sense of self from our way of interacting with the world. If you feel in you gut that you have no more ability to work, than stop torturing yourself and apply for SSDI. But remember, just because this job didn't work out, it doesn't mean there won't be something else out there that could. Here are suggestions for your consideration; First, be realistic about what your abilities and challenges are. Don't even think about applying for jobs your "former body" could do. Once you are very clear on this, ask your physician for a referral to VESID. This is a state run office for people who want to work and have disabilities.Good luck and keep your chin up!best regards,tearose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellaluna Posted February 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) Thank you so much tearose. Although I wish we were not in the same boat, I'm glad that I'm not the only one going through this type of thing all the same. Honestly, I do feel that my ability to work is limited, and maybe I should just consider applying for the SSDI, but at this point, I don't have a lot of support from physicians and I do not know if they would "back me up", if you know what I mean. I'm just praying for a referral to a POTS specialist nearby, and hopefully they'll be able to diagnose me and they will be able to vouch for me if I need to go the SSDI route. The part that is so maddening is that I have a couple of days per week that I feel relatively ok, and I think I could probably get out there and work. It's the other days I worry about, the days where I am so weak and fatigued that I cannot even get out of bed to shower... and some days I have to take it hour by hour because I can feel ok and then very suddenly feel very bad. I'm sure you know what I mean. It's the unpredictability that is frustrating. If I could tell my employer that I would "schedule" my bad days for Tuesdays, Thursdays and every third Monday I would, but this disorder just doesn't work that way... Again, thank you for your response. It is comforting to know that others are on my side and understand what I'm dealing with.Mary Edited February 2, 2008 by flop Quote removed - please ues the "add reply" button at the bottom of the page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajw4790 Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Hi!What kind of work is it? Is it a place of employment with over 15 employees? Make sure you know your rights through ADA, to be able to discuss with your employer your situation. Maybe the could even provide some accomodations for some of it, and through different things like the temp controlled environment, maybe you could try different things like layering, a heater fan, a fan/mini air conditioner for your work space etc. So, they will not necessarily have to do anything besides allow you to try to self-control your environment.Are those other skills a necessary part of the job description? (ie reaching overhead)Is there another job at the same company that you could possibly do, because it has less physical requirements etc?What currently are your diagnoses/symptoms/reasons for work leave? Are you passing out? Have you looked into anything like vocational rehab?We just learned a lot of this in school, and I personally have dealt with some of it with getting accomodations for myself.The important thing to remember is that they have to be reasonable accomodations. This means a lot of give and take, and finding creative solutions.Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellaluna Posted February 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) Thanks for that info. Yes, they have more than 15 employees (it's a large insurance company). I am currently a claims assistant, and some of it is "desk based", an equal amount is being up on my feet and reaching for files and climbing to grab files and picking up and delivering items to the adjusters' desks. It can be pretty physical. There might be another job at the company that I could do, but I don't know. I don't know that I CAN'T do my job because I haven't been doing it since I became really ill. The reason I stopped working was that I was passing out and having bouts of extreme fatigue, weakness and dizziness. I'm willing to be creative and find solutions for the majority of my "requests" but I still worry about the potential for needing to leave work early because I don't feel well, or the need to come in later because it takes me so much longer to shower and dress now than it used to. Or if I'm "crashing" and may need time off... I don't really see them budging about that, though I could be wrong. Maybe I'm getting all worked up and worried about nothing, but I just can't shake the feeling that it is not going to go well. To put it in perspective, my company in the past has gotten rid of entire departments, with the sole purpose of hiring replacement workers for less pay to save the company money. What can I say? The insurance industry is not pretty... Again, thanks. I will have to verse myself on ADA stuff so I will be more prepared, and maybe that will help me feel better about all of this.Mary Edited February 2, 2008 by flop Quote removed - please ues the "add reply" button at the bottom of the page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tishag Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) Hi Mary, I've been off work since April 13th of last year... I was able to get short term disability through my job and it only lasted so many months then I had to apply for long term disability that was through work also... It only pays 40% of my what I would be making monthly if I were working... Which it is better then nothing... In order to even be considered for long term I had to apply for SSI- which I did get denied and had to appeal it... They said POTS wasnt disabling... I'm sure they've never heard of it and have no idea what we go through... I aint heard back from them yet on my appeal... Does your employer have long term disability?T Edited February 2, 2008 by flop Quote removed - please ues the "add reply" button at the bottom of the page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellaluna Posted February 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Tisha- thanks for sharing your experience. Yes, my employer does offer long term disability, but they base it on the number of years that you've been with the company, and I've only been there for 2 1/2 years, so I don't know how long they will offer it to me. I guess if that is the route I have to go, then that is the route that I have to go, you know? I hadn't even considered that they might REQUIRE me to apply for SSDI, but I suppose it makes sense. I would feel so much better about all of this if I had an actual diagnosis, but as of right now I'm still waiting to get a referral to a specialist. I'm hoping and praying that when I see my new doc on the 12th, that she will give me one. In the meantime though, I'm kind of in limbo, and it wouldn't make any sense to apply for SSDI, since we don't even know for sure what exactly is wrong (well, I'm pretty sure, but my docs are still clueless).I'm sorry to hear that you're battling with social security. It is so strange and frustrating that some of us are able to be approved relatively quickly (though not many, from what I've seen), and the rest of us have to fight for it. That is what I'm afraid of in this whole thing. I'm already so tired of trying to explain to friends and family what is wrong with me, and why I look "normal" but can still be very ill. I hate feeling like I have to prove to people that I really am ill... Anyway, thank you again for sharing.Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tishag Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Mary- I did have some set backs getting my long term started... Because I didn't have it long enough- they were looking for a pre-existing condition, which required them to retrieve my medical records from every doctor and pharmacy visit since 2005... I still fight with long term from time to time... I am trying to get released to at least attempt to go back to work... I wont ever know if I can do it if I dont try... I didn't get a referral to see my *new* POTS specialists- I just made an appointment and went... When they asked me who referred me I said I found them on the potsplace website... I have gone through 4 cardiologists, just met my new one last Wednesday... They are testing me for stuff that no one has... I am glad I found them... Good luck!Tisha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellaluna Posted February 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Unfortunately for me, all of the POTS specialists within travelling (and they will still be 3-4 hours away) require a referral. So I wait. Your statement "I wont ever know if I can do it if I dont try... " is spot on to how I'm feeling right now. If I try and can't do it, then that is one thing, but if I never get a chance to even try... seems like we're in a catch 22- our employers want us to work, but can't or won't make accommodations to help us work, and so we can't work and SSDI denies that we can't work and so we cannot get disability benefits. Sheesh! What's a person to do??? Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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