Lost My Fight

I am truly gutted!

I have been ill with ME for 4 years. Within that time I have been fighting to get ill health retirement from my job as a police officer before they force me to resign.
Today I have been told that I have lost that fight as I can not prove that ME is permanent. My request for a career break has been refused and I will be taken to stage 3 of UPP procedures in 2 weeks time. Its at that meeting that they will force me to resign.
I will not get my pension that I need to survive financially and I just want to cry.

They have never believed I am ill and I have been treated appallingly. I just don't know what to I can do!!

Hi Peep,

I am so sorry to hear what is happening to you. Unfortunately it is not an isolated case.

What country do you live in? This makes a big difference, I think, in disability and medical pensions etc. I live in Canada so can only offer advice from my perspective. So far I have been fortunate and was able to get LTD (long term disability) from my job of 20 years. It was a unionized job and had many good benefits including a pension plan that continues to accumulate even while I am on disability. Was your job unionized? It sounds like it wasn't.

Hopefully once we know where you are from we (PR members) can offer you advice pertinent to your situation. The only advice I can offer is to research as much as you can about ME, starting with phoenix rising, of course. Arm yourself with as much good information as possible such as all the latest scientific research about ME, including the dismal but true fact that for the vast majority of sufferers ME is permanent. I'll get back to you with some other good web sites where you can find loads of good information.

Welcome to the forum, by the way. Keep your spirits up.

Gamboa

Peep I am truly so very sorry. I hope someone here can possibly help with ideas.

Hi Gamboa,

I'm in the UK. I'm a police officer.
I failed to get ill health retirement even tho it went to appeal. The psychiatrist on the panel of 3 Consultants, painted me as a lazy woman who has mental health issues and if I had these treated, along with CBT and GET then I would get better. (Even though my ME consultant had stated in 3 reports that ME is permanent and I will never be able to do my job). Therefore ME is not permanent and work have proceeded to deal with me through other Unsatisfactory performance or attendance regulations as I can no longer do my job. I have failed to meet their requirements in getting better so they have the right to force me to resign or sack me if I choose not to.

I applied for a career break of 5 years to give me time to either recover or gain more evidence to prove that I am no better and take it back to the ill health retirement question. However today I learned that this has been refused. So I loose all hope of the question ever being asked and getting my pension.

thanks for replying xx

Hi, Peep.

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your pension.

I don't know how to help with that, but I do think it is possible to effectively treat ME/CFS. I encourage you to watch the video or view the slides from my recent seminar in Sweden:

http://iaomt.media.fnf.nu/2/skovde_2011_me_kroniskt_trotthetssyndrom/$%7Bweburl%7D

This seminar describes a nonprescription treatment for ME/CFS that is helping most of the people who try it. It is not very expensive.

Best regards,

Rich

I will never understand why they would have a psychiatrist to judge you on such a bad illness. I am so sorry.

Yes, the seminar that Rich gave was so good.

Hi Peep,

I am so sorry for this devastating news! There is such a disconnect between the reality of this illness and the perception by the medical/psych establishment.
I wish I can do something to help you! Besides your pension, is there any disability insurance that you can apply for?
I hope that like Rich said, you will recover and be able to function in a normal capacity. In the meantime, the worst thing to do is to stress about it. I know
it's easy to say but it's for the benefit of your health. Hopefully you have family/friends who can be a support for you.
We are here for you and care

Hi Peep,

Check out the ME association website http://www.meassociation.org.uk/ as Charles Shepherd knows a firm of UK solocitors who specialise in fighting ill-health insurance claims.
This happens all the time in ME.
Get yourself legal help.

The firm is called Royds www.royds.com

Good luck.

Thanks for the info and taking the time to respond.
I will have a look at the links and see if I have any possible way of sorting this.
Jesse has been on chat and has given me loads of advice too. I'm quite humbled by all the support.

Many thanks

Peep x

Sorry to hear that too, I'm actually going through a similar process now, I should be fired in a couple months the way things are turning lately.

That's frustrating and inhuman, to say the least.

I'm in the US. But here we need lawyers to get any kind of help. You may want to consider contacting a few attourneys before you decide all your avenues have been explored.

good luck

Thanks for the advice.
I did contact multiple lawers and support groups at the beginning of this journey. However all of them are reluctant to get involved as all police officers are covered by the federation, and it is they who are supposed to deal with any issues.
The federation have been involved since the beginning but have been useless. External help has been impossible to find.

If i get a chance of appeal then I will have to pay privately if at all possible but i've not earned in 3 years and my other half is not retired due to injuries from a severe accident.

Hi Peep,

Sorry to hear about the issues with the police federation.

Even though I live in the US, I've had similar issues with keeping employment after being labeled as lazy and problematic.
Used to work in an Emergency Department as a Registered Nurse and had to leave my dream job when I took a down-turn.
Luckily, I was able to find employment with a research facility that had a significantly reduced workload and was less of
an issue for my ME/CFS.

Is there any possibility of finding another job that has requirements more compatible with your current abilities?

Good Luck!!

The psychiatrists i've seen do it for the money and are very separate people from society. Very judgemental and down the line. Not all of them are like this but its interesting that such a social job should be done by scientists who dont care for people.

Is there any way to contact the federation and file a complaint or maybe an independant agency that can intercede on your behalf? You know like fair trading does for business, whoever deals with mental health or whatever. You could always say, ok it is mental health and get them to pay for psych visits etc. I think if we are stable enough under our own care we dont -have- to take drugs either. Its a choice still isn't it?

Whatever happens i hope you're ok, Peep!

I dont have any useful advice Peep, but I wanted to say I am outraged on your behalf. A good causative factor for me in my ME was a bonkers NHS job where I did two (and in one especially stupid bit, three) people's jobs, and did 16 hour days. I believed the heroic myths that we strive to serve the highest good and I needed therefore to offer my all and a bit more. I cant blame anyone for my belief system, but if the police force is anything like the health service, it relies on people going above and beyond their job descriptions to be able to function as an organisation. And then it drops its exhausted employees as cheaply as it can. I think the important thing is not to take on board their lies, and if you will forgive my language, dont let the bastards grind you down.

Sorry for your predicament.

I think this illness tests every strength and weakness a person has. You have a the company of an Army of people that understand where you are. Hope you have at least a few understanding people near you, you can depend on.

Happy Holidays

So sorry to hear about what you're going through. See this link from another recent post here on Phoenix Rising. Their contact info is available through the university's website here. Even if you can't get to California for their objective disability assessment, perhaps they will have a suggestion for you.

Psychiatrists
Scientists

Nice to see you still have a sense of humour, Gavman.

Peep,
And what about saying in 2 weeks' time that you're about to embark on a cbt program as advised by the panel? You then save time. You're not obliged to follow their rubbish, but at least you save time and when it will appear the cbt is not successful then you'll have a better argument to tell that panel.
What is important is to make them believe that they are right and you are the idiot who does not understand science. Just give them the impression you follow blindly what they say, so THEY come to the conclusion that your condition is permanent.
Good luck.