Medical retirement

dmg24

Another misconception - he would not get a council house without going on to a long waiting list. If he did make himself intentionally homeless he would be put into a hostel at worst, at best he would be left to live on the streets, which is no way for anybody to live, let alone someone with a long term health condition.

I know that you are trying to help him, but there are several points that you are misadvised on. Could I suggest that you and your friend seek additional professional assistance?

firesidemaid

has your friend said what/which joob/s he thinks he could do? how many hours does he think he can do?

what actions etc make his knee worse?

malcindebt

If not a council house then a rented house that accepts DSS, of which there are loads available in the area we live in.

malcindebt

firesidemaid wrote: »

has your friend said what/which joob/s he thinks he could do? how many hours does he think he can do?

what actions etc make his knee worse?

He has pain all day every day, no matter if he is standing,walking, sitting, laying down whatever, it is a chroniuc pain that deos not stop even in times of rest.

It is worse when walking, and the cold affects it quite badly. It sounds daft but he has to keep it moving, i.e adjusting the position of his leg and knee throughout the day as it locks up if he doesn't and this leads to more pain.

It's not that he cannot do the job, it's more the travel to work and his demeanor (if that is the right word) at the moment. He has quite a travel to work and when he gets there he'sin a lot of pain which takes time to subside a little,but even with his medication the pain is still very bad. I, and the union guy, just feels that a possible redeployment to an office closer to home would do him good.

It affects his concentration, and more than once he's been ill because he's taken more pills than he should by simply taking them to try and reduce the pain.

We really have exhausted all avenues with regards to surgical intervention, all the consultants agree there is nothing to do but replace the knee.

slummymummyof3

If his quality of life is so poor and the pain clinic does not address the situation, they will have to look at knee replacement, even if this is not ideal at his age.

Does he have BUPA or similar with his employment?

blckbrd

malcindebt wrote: »

Is that your QUALIFIED MEDICAL opinion.

If it were 'qualified medical opinion' you sought, why post on here? Anihilator may be extremely provocative but there's often sense in what he/she says.

I'm sure many feel nothing but sympathy/empathy for your friend's pain/situation. Pain is a very personal thing - I've been happy to have three of my children 'naturally' (without pain relief) but frequent bouts of cold induced ear-ache send me insane.

It may well be that your friend is dismissed on ill-health grounds. People in their 50s suffering chronic ill-health are seldom retired IME so your friend's chances are probably negligible. Employer's may be required to make 'reasonable adjustments' but that doesn't necessarily translate into redeployment or working from home. Not wanting to give up work may be exacerbating matters.

Don't dismiss the cues your friend is giving to the state of his mental health. Whether it's depression over the day-to-day struggle or pain-addled confusion, it may be in his best interests to not work - with or without the cushion of a pension.

I feel sad for your friend OP. Wish him well.

smartpicture

If he's only recently started with the pain clinic, I would suggest that he doesn't try to change the status quo until he's given that a reasonable chance. State of mind and 'managing' pain can make a huge difference. Is he also getting any direct support for his depression? If you could focus on dealing with that side of things, it may change the whole situation and his outlook and expectations.

The other thing that I wonder is - if he gives up work, the level of pain will be the same, except that he's got all day every day just to focus on the pain with no distractions. I can't imagine that would be a good thing.

Tiddlywinks

I'm really sorry to hear of you friend's problems, pain can really get you down.

I have a relative with chronic pain from a condition which is hard to manage - for her, moving around causes pain but not moving does not limit the pain that much. I do know from this that the more mental stimulation you have then the more your brain has to process and this can lesson a person's ability to concentrate on the pain - if that makes sense. So sitting doing nothing may make the pain more "apparent" because of the lack of other "interference" from other activities which may divert attention away from concentrating on how bad the person feels. SO, the OP's friend should try to stay employed (even on reduced hours) to keep mentally active.

I also have the following thoughts:

Is the chap depressed? Pain can really wear you down and you can get sick and tired of being sick and tired - perhaps some CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) might assist and it is worth speaking to the GP specifically about his mental state.

Also, I can't help feeling that if the chap worked in the private sector then he would not be holding out for medical retirement in this way. I feel the lure of the medical pension may be holding him back from making decisions about managing his work and life issues. I think he may be concentrating on what he cannot do rather than what he is able to do.

In the public sector there should be an opportunity to move to a closer office (across Deparments if required) and to work reduced hours (as a temporary measure maybe to ease back into work) and the PCS rep will be able to support these enquiries / requests for reasonable adjustments.

Good luck.

Savvy_Sue

I wonder if there is not an argument for getting a new knee earlier? I know they don't last that long and that multiple replacements aren't a good idea, but I also know that the age for hip replacements came down because doctors realised that a few years of vastly improved quality of life at a younger age could be worth more to someone than agonising pain for years, which can age you to the point where the new hip isn't going to help as much as it would have done if given when younger. (Does that make sense?)

Also, if they do a new knee now, by the time it wears out there may be better alternatives.

Finally there's amputation. Obviously not something to press for, but I know a young man with only one leg and it doesn't seem to stop him - unless it breaks!

sukysue

Yes this also went through my mind savvysue I mean I know it's drastic but it seems he would at least have a life not the half life he has at the moment.