As was advised to me last time, the specialist refused to sign a certificate for my condition (i.e. a sick leave certificate). I’m not in the UK like the comrade is, but yeah. Same shit everywhere - you cost money and we’d rather put you through endless loops at your expense than give you what you need.
I went to see her earlier today and basically we spent 25 minutes talking about my condition and possible treatments and options. The discussion for that time was pretty much just the doctor agreeing with my assessment of my condition. It went like:
Me: “So my understanding is that there is a risk for another embolism if I stop the blood thinners”
Doctor: “exactly, yes, it’s how you said”
We went over this risk, we went over the options (which is basically continuing the treatment long-term, that’s the only option), we went over my symptoms of nausea and vomiting, and she agreed all the way and confirmed what I already thought. We also confirmed that it was caused by the blood thinners. But then in the last 5 minutes I ask for a certificate and suddenly she was like “ah but um it’s not so easy and um” and I was like ?? we agree on the following:
- The treatment causes me nausea and vomiting to the point that it makes me almost unable to leave the house and
- It is her professional opinion that the treatment must continue because there is a real risk of developing another embolism AND
- there is no other option but to continue the treatment.
But suddenly we can’t put 2 and 2 together??
Like every medical professional I’ve seen underlines just how serious an embolism is but apparently I’m considered cured now, carry on. Should I stop taking my medication, go into anxiety over developing new embolisms every day of my life, develop them anyway (maybe after 3 months, maybe after 3 years, who knows)? Does that seem more reasonable?
She “explained” that a certificate is made bc of disease e.g. cancer, and once the disease is treated they go back to work. I was like okay but I’m still disabled lol. If the medication causes a disease, i.e. a disorder of structure or function in a human then surely you can diagnose that disorder that I’m currently feeling? I get that nausea doesn’t sound “serious” but it’s debilitating. Like yeah my life isn’t threatened but if I can’t operate normally (and I seriously can’t hold down a job like this, any sort of effort such as leaving the house may trigger a day-long crisis. Doing that for even a day is unreasonable, much less for a long-term job).
I have two possibilities to explore currently, which is my psychiatrist (who witnessed how difficult it was for me Tuesday, like I had to stop at several points for minutes at a time during the session to do everything in my power not to puke), and my GP. I plan to call my GP tomorrow and get an apt to ask about a certificate and a recommendation for a second opinion. There’s another hospital, though it’s a bit out of the way, that apparently has a good hematology department. I’ll insist to get a recommendation there, though I think I can probably just call for an apt directly. Regardless it’s probably a good idea that my GP knows where this is at currently.
And then after that I’ll see what else opens up and I’ll start being a dick if I need to lol. Some bureaucrat can’t decide what my day-to-day is like for me.
I’m probably the comrade who advised you that would happen. Yep, this happens to me, every time. Only the GP and mental health practitioners will write sicknotes and letters for benefit claims. None of the others I see - endocrinologist, neurologist, oncologist, stroke clinic, will do it. They all say “That’s not our job, we don’t do that.”
Once, after much pleading, I managed to persuade the physiotherapist to write one for me. But he didn’t want to do it, and made sure the note he wrote was useless.
My evil ex-therapist, who I’ve written about before - wrote me a good letter for my benefit appeal. But then months later when I no longer wanted to attend her sessions she got angry (I’m assuming because she doesn’t get paid for the sessions I don’t attend) and said she would inform the benefits people that I haven’t been going to the sessions (because my attendance at her sessions, plus the letter she wrote, would help me win my appeal). I pointed out that I already have to beg for food while I wait for the outcome of my appeal, and if I lose the appeal altogether, then I’ll have no hope. I’ll become homeless, and commit suicide. She did not care at all. She said “if that happens, I’ll give you a phone number for a homeless shelter.”
I’m a partially sighted cancer and stroke patient undergoing months of multiple foot surgeries. It’s the middle of a very cold winter and I can’t wear shoes. Can you imagine being homeless and probably moved around from shelter to shelter - if they even have any beds available - carrying my belongings from place to place in this condition? She did not care at all. it didn’t affect her so she didn’t care what happened to me. Just like she didn’t care that i can’t afford food now, and when I told her about this site and how people donate food vouchers to me, she was appalled and contemptuous about me begging strangers for food and told me to “Stop doing that.” OK I’ll just starve then.
These medical professionals do not care about us. They only care about their paycheque. It would take them 5 minutes to type and print a quick note about our conditions, and that would make it easier for us to stay fed and housed. But no, they are too mighty and important to concern themselves with the homelessness and starvation of the proles. Most of these specialists earn around £100K, or even more, a year. Live in nice houses, have foreign holidays, send their kids to private school. What do they care if you or I are on the street or in a homeless shelter, hungry and freezing? It doesn’t affect them.
You were indeed the one I was referring to! After talking to more people this evening I also think that they really, really don’t want to take responsibility for a potentially wrong move. The play seems to be that to get a doctor to do something, you need to present them with an even worse outcome. Although in your case with the “therapist” she really seems to think she’s untouchable. I should have told my hematologist that since she thought I didn’t have an illness that doesn’t prevent me from working then I should stop taking the blood thinners. See how she feels about taking responsibility for that lol. But tbh although we were reaching the end of the appointment she seemed kind of in a hurry to be rushing me out asap when I mentioned the certificate, going from one topic to the next very quickly and then basically saying “alright thanks bye”. I’ll be better prepared from now on.
I’m truly sorry to hear about what you’re going through. They drive us mad with bullshit. Studies even show that cutting out all this red tape would actually save money, but no, we have to torture and run sick people in circles so we can appear tough on fraud.
My hematologist works 2 days a week anyway, I can’t do anything with her. Sometimes I need advice on the spot but she only calls me back the next day. If I don’t pick up, she doesn’t leave a message or anything. The receptionists don’t even understand the problem half the time . One of them didn’t even know my blood thinning medication by name when I mentioned it and this is the cancer and HEMATOLOGY department. What can you even do with that.
There are very few professions I have less respect for than the medical profession. It took them three and a half years to diagnose my cancer because they refused to do any tests. They said I was “too young for it to be anything serious.” They accused me of being a hypochondriac, suggested I must be depressed, or have chronic fatigue syndrome. Anything other than do their jobs and find out what was wrong. I suffered immensely that entire time, so badly I tried to commit suicide. And then they treated me like an attention seeker. Now they know I’m seriously ill and disabled but still very few of them do what they can to help me keep a roof over my head, or stay fed. Truly awful people.
My local hospital is not rated very highly. Full of interns, which is fine they need to learn, but it’s MOSTLY interns that you’ll deal with. They threw me out the door after 1 night despite every doctor telling me since then that a PE is a serious disease because it costs too much to keep patients longer even though we pay for healthcare.
I opted for the emergency doctor on rotation since it was a weekend that day, and got an appointment with him. He did a blood test, saw the D-dimers, and ordered a scanner “just in case” even though at 30 I shouldn’t be having blood clots. It’s totally possible that if I had gone to the emergency room instead they would have diagnosed me with an infection after 5 minutes given me antibiotics and sent me on my way. Like, there’s a close to 90% chance that’s what they would have done.
And then I pretty much only got interns during my stay. Which is finish but you know for this type of case maybe it would be cool to have a senior doctor do a personal check too.
I’m basically spending the evening now trying not to puke (i don’t know if I mentioned that but nothing comes out, I “just” go through the motion like my body is trying to puke my lungs out, but nothing ever comes out) because I pushed myself too hard. Even when I’m doing fine (relatively speaking of course) that means planning the day in advance and pacing myself throughout, and limiting my activities. I was doing mostly fine coming home from the hematologist, but afterwards I called family and friends to update them on what came of it and all this talking exhausted my “nause-o-meter” lol. Now I can barely do anything but sit down and type this.
