Well it is time for me to do me to oblige the powers that be again. But that is okay whatever they wish I will dance their dance.
I have received a letter from my work cover company to attend an appointment with one of their doctors to be medically examined. I don’t have a problem with seeing one of their doctors; after all they are paying my monthly GP visit, some of my medications and my regular psychologist appointment, but they do not pay me a regular wage. After the way I was treated by Workcover and it’s policies, I decided I would never file another claim with them again after they forced me back to work before my body could handle it and then when I had got up to 10 hours work, said “Well there you go you can work now, so we don’t have to pay you a wage now, but if you work 15 hours a week we may consider paying you a supplementary wage.” So I had no choice but to try and increase my hours and of course ended up having a severe relapse and here we are. But that is history.
My only gripe is that once again I am to be assessed by a psychiatrist, a professor what’s more. I am to see a psychiatrist that has expertise in the causes and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioural conditions. At least this insurance company (IC) (a new IC took over my claim) has been kind enough to arrange an appointment closer to my town, phoned me first to let me know about the appointment and hasn’t arranged that I be seen by a psychiatrist and a psychologist both on the same day. I still have never figured that one out. Well actually the truth is I know why that was done, you see despite what they say, ICs will send you to as many doctors as they can until they find one that disagrees with a client’s own GP and specialists. So they found one, the psychologist in my case.
So back to my gripe and I am beyond caring about it really on a personal level, it is just that it once again displays the little understanding of ME/CFS by the medical profession. My condition is being seen solely as a psychological condition by this IC.
I will concede that my condition began as a psychological condition – Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) experienced after a robbery I was the victim of and the stressful work conditions I was placed under after the robbery. But what I have tried to explain over and over again, it is not PTSD that is preventing me from going back to work – I would gladly go back to work if I physically could. The reason I am not returning to work yet is because I have ME/CFS which was most likely triggered by the emotional stress of the robbery and the excessive stress levels after the robbery. It is now considered by leading authorities on ME/CFS that “Everyone with ME/CFS has been well, and usually extremely well, before they became as they currently are. All were usually fully involved with their life. There may have been times of significant emotional stresses, life trauma, or domestic upheaval that began to occur or have impact in that person’s life. So often against a background of working hard physically and mentally, something happened. They may have caught an infection with the usual aches and pains and thereafter remained unwell.” – Dr Donald Lewis. CFS/ME Turning Disability Toward Ability; CFS Discovery PTY LTD, Melbourne.
Then naturally after I wasn’t able to work or do anything except lie in bed extremely sick I became depressed, so yes I then had another psychiatric disorder but it was a result of the CFS/ME not the cause. I am not depressed now; yes I am on anti-depressants which I take for a number of reasons. The anti-depressants that I take are what are known as TCAs and they are the older type of antidepressants; not only do TCAs help with depression they also help with the physical pain and the sleep disturbance associated with CFS/ME.
I have recently discovered that the IC will not pay for my pain relieving medication because the medication is not “stress related”. The only reason I found that out is because the IC sent a letter to the pharmacy and the pharmacy staff showed me the letter, but the IC never sent me a letter. Like I have said it really doesn’t worry me that much on a personal level, but there is a principle that should be addressed. One of the major symptoms of CFS/ME is intense muscle and joint pain so they should be paying for the medication.
So anyway I am off to see a psychiatrist and I intend to be truthful about my condition, explain to him my point of view and let him decide. It will be interesting to see what the outcome is; I would love to know what mental, emotional and behavioural conditions I will be diagnosed with.
Oh by the way I mentioned that I see a psychologist, these days I use her as a bit of a sounding board when I am having trouble coping with my physical illness – not too often these days though. The ironic thing is and she has admitted this to me on several occasions. Although initially her Workcover clients are referred to her because of a psychological disorder, most of her Workcover clients end up seeing her on a regular basis to cope with the trauma that Workcover continually inflicts on her patients.