Atos Interview Tomorrow

[hummm_mabbe]

Hullo

I have a medical review by the kind, privately-contracted people of ATOS to review my benefit entitlement tomorrow. I Am going to say what I put on my damn form a month ago as to why my psych felt I shouldnt be working, but I have a feeling that this isnt going to be a pleasant experience ...

Anyone been there, done it and got some suggestions?

Ross

[jades]

our system is differentin the states but wanted to wish u good luck

[hummm_mabbe]

our system is differentin the states but wanted to wish u good luck

Hi thanks Jades

Can I just bounce my stuff off you? It will help me think. Lol bounce my stuff, Sorry didnt mean that to sound rude or nuthen.

My main 'areas' of prollems are:

1) sleep apnoea - i dont sleep cuz I stop breathing. I fall asleep at work. I cant concentrate. I cant do simple tasks. It makes me irritable. I need 12-14 hours a night to feel even half way normal, which is still anxious and irritable. As my sleep gets worse, I am unable to get into work on time. I sleep straight through alarms. My body feels leaden, I cannot move in the mornings. I experience huge levels of anxiety which only gets worse as my problems with others increases.

2) Personality disorder and PTSD - not otherwise specified cuz I have so many frickin bits of em, but mostly BPD. This is just the work related stuffz:

- I get paranoid quickly, If I am 'triggered' at work then I get the old "transient paranoid ideation", I have angry outbursts at people and see them as evil. I presume people are talking about me and see evidence of it

- After a couple of weeks, I feel very isolated. I cannot function in a team because I cannot trust. People come to avoid me because of my trouble handling my emotions and because it becomes clear that I am to be avoided.

- I have attacks of intense depression at work. Sometimes I feel as though I am going to cry. I dont know when they will hit.

- Panic attacks

- I have PTSD type symptoms, and see images of violent actions when around others. I feel permamnently on edge.

- This all adds to not being able to concentrate - and as my work performance suffers, so my relationships get worse. I fall out with managers.

- Even in my last job they put me on half duties, and it made no differecne. Its not the job thats the problem - its people and relationships. Sometimes I cant even remember where I was just sitting when the stress gets high enough.

- As this builds, I start getting 'pseudo-psychotic' - eg suspecting I might be Jesus and thinking I can move things with my mind. That and the paranoia.

- Inability to focus on a task or to remain organised and motivated. I have been given loads of support with this at various jobs, it just wont stick.

Eventually once I explained all this, and other more personal issues with my psych, she agreed that I should not be working. Therapy is aiming to get me back to work by addressing the personality issues, and I have a sleep clinic appt comig up next month. I am working my ass off on therapy.

I think I will write this down. Poo I need a printer.

:(

[Roses]

Shit babe. My psyche has signed me off for a year but I haven't had to 'prove' why. Who are ATOS? Sorry but not been in a 'proper' job since before kids so not up on all the jargon and stuff.

[hummm_mabbe]

Shit babe. My psyche has signed me off for a year but I haven't had to 'prove' why. Who are ATOS? Sorry but not been in a 'proper' job since before kids so not up on all the jargon and stuff.

They are stinky poop nugget private contractor medics who get to decide if youre sick or not.

They may be ok, I am presuming they arent, yanno cuz Im paranoia cha cha cha

Mabbe they will be ok, I dunno

[Roses]

Bad Atos *blows raspberry* make sure you give them hell. I mean having to go to psyche and see t and all that is stressful enough without that crap. Let me know how you get on. xxxxxxxxxxx

[hummm_mabbe]

Bad Atos *blows raspberry* make sure you give them hell. I mean having to go to psyche and see t and all that is stressful enough without that crap. Let me know how you get on. xxxxxxxxxxx

Aww thank u, will do

I wrote it all out in my A5 diary and it took up 4 pages, just the work stuff! Missed out a lot of the freakier things cuz frankly they dont need that, was hard even telling my psych

TBH people get put on disability for sleep apnoea, PTSD or personalty disorder each in their own right. With me its all in one package so its no wonder Im crap in a workplace really.

[Roses]

I don't know your work environment but if you are as good there as you are on here you are far from crap honey. xxx

[hummm_mabbe]

I don't know your work environment but if you are as good there as you are on here you are far from crap honey. xxx

Lol oddly enough I wont be telling them you said that tomorrow

Im ok when Im alone really. I know lots about MH stuff becuz I am like one of those savant kids that just absorbs everything on one subject immensely anally. Doesnt really do much for my working ability ... im an engineer i can get grades and regurgitate knowledge, i just cant work with people.

[Roses]

well guess that's a bit of a tricky one cos to be an engineer you don't work with the people it's the machinery and stuff isn't it? But companies want you to be all team orientated and go on team building days and sing coombayayas so guess they want their cake and to eat it. We can't all do everything though, hell put me near a piece of electrical equipment with a screwdriver and you're asking for trouble I'd explode the damn thing or electricute myself!!

Hats off to you for having a trade. I hear they want engineers in Australia? It's a damn sight warmer over there.

[hummm_mabbe]

well guess that's a bit of a tricky one cos to be an engineer you don't work with the people it's the machinery and stuff isn't it? But companies want you to be all team orientated and go on team building days and sing coombayayas so guess they want their cake and to eat it. We can't all do everything though, hell put me near a piece of electrical equipment with a screwdriver and you're asking for trouble I'd explode the damn thing or electricute myself!!

Hats off to you for having a trade. I hear they want engineers in Australia? It's a damn sight warmer over there.

Yes exactly, and my prollem is that engineery places are always male dominated, and all that tesosterone and domination plays havoc with my paranoia, massive reactivity to being teased and tendency to explode easily.

Ugh Im getting a stomach ache just thinking about it.

[Rael]

hey hun

ATOS suck they are our occupational health service for work if you go off sick you have to see them they once told my boss i was schizophrenic (even though they are not psychiatrists and imo are failed doctors) and tried to get me medically retired

i know theres some stuff you not sure about telling them, keep it in reserve, you can generally tell how its going and if it feels like it not going well or they not seeing what you say as enough not to be working then let them know the other stuff too. as hard as it can be to say it could help. with us they often contact our doctor too, will they be doing that? that will help and if you dont want to say stuff push them to contact your doc.

really good luck hun and try not to worry about it (easier said than done)

xxx

[hummm_mabbe]

hey hun

ATOS suck they are our occupational health service for work if you go off sick you have to see them they once told my boss i was schizophrenic (even though they are not psychiatrists and imo are failed doctors) and tried to get me medically retired

i know theres some stuff you not sure about telling them, keep it in reserve, you can generally tell how its going and if it feels like it not going well or they not seeing what you say as enough not to be working then let them know the other stuff too. as hard as it can be to say it could help. with us they often contact our doctor too, will they be doing that? that will help and if you dont want to say stuff push them to contact your doc.

really good luck hun and try not to worry about it (easier said than done)

xxx

Thats pretty much what I am expecting - my old company had a similar set up and she accused me of being a coke addict. Failed doctors indeed.

Anyways, like you say - see how they are. Ive got pages of stuff, and its not like theres any physical test they can give me and shaft me with. Even psychiatrists are just informed opinion makers, and even then they change. The letter says that "this is not for diagnosis, its just to assess the impact of your condition on your ability to work". Everything I have written is geared towards how my illness affects working situations - ability to concentrate, think, interact with others, motrivation, attendance, memory etc.

Hopefully that will be enough, I cannot afford to have them shaft me and send me back before I am ready - it will just put me back to square one.

[jenga]

Hi there

Wow, that is a lot of stuff there that you are dealing with. I think it is quite remarkable that you do so well articulating that.

This probably won't help you, but I looked through your list and was trying to think what someone would think looking at it- what matters the most for this process and for working (not what matters the most in general).

It seems to me that things that would be Most relevant include : sudden bursts of anger, possible violence, ie unpredicablility, your sleep issues (safety related for sure) and the PTSD things. Anything that can affect others/yourself physically, the safety of the workplace, the scary things to others. Although everything you said is important, the issues I mentioned seem more likely to hit the point.

Good Luck to you.

[hummm_mabbe]

Hullo all

He wasnt interested in my list, he just wanted to follow his script and rather impersonally collect facts about me. Whilst I poured out my confidences, he reacted with the emotional warmth of celery.

He did say that he didnt feel now was the right time to be going back to work though, so that was ok.

[Roses]

bloody jobsworth. he probably likes to have all his pencils sharp and things on his desk at right angles. But well done for getting through it babe and good news that you he agreed with what you already knew (if that makes any sense).

[hummm_mabbe]

bloody jobsworth. he probably likes to have all his pencils sharp and things on his desk at right angles. But well done for getting through it babe and good news that you he agreed with what you already knew (if that makes any sense).

Yup

He did actually stop typing when I talked about the 'near psychotic' symptoms, which I regarded as something approaching a bedside manner. The effort must have nearly killed him.

Thank you for the huggles This means I can hopefully last until I get my sleep apnoea treated, and then mabbe things will start to really change. Had a little breakthrough in therapy today too, whoo :)

[Roses]

That's great hun! You wanna talk about it? Is it a mask you wear at night for sleep apnoea or something? Do you have to go to sleep clinic?

[wednesday]

well done- sounds a horriblr experience.

[AveMaria]

Good job getting through your appointment! And thats good news that he agrees you need more time off work, but he sounded horrible to have to go to! Just a question, but is there any way for you to do your job at home/ not on a team or be like an independent contractor? Hmmm I don't sound nearly as articulate as you, but I'm hoping you can understand what I am saying. Anyways... hugs!

[hummm_mabbe]

That's great hun! You wanna talk about it? Is it a mask you wear at night for sleep apnoea or something? Do you have to go to sleep clinic?

I hope I will get a maskie thing, yes. I will find out at the end of Feb. I had the test, but dont know the outcome yet. I REALLY hope I get a maskie thing to help me breathe

[AveMaria]

I hope you get one also. My fiance's dad has sleep apnea and once he got the mask he has been doing way better! And for you I think it would help make everything else easier to deal with, so it would be a win win situation.

[hummm_mabbe]

I hope you get one also. My fiance's dad has sleep apnea and once he got the mask he has been doing way better! And for you I think it would help make everything else easier to deal with, so it would be a win win situation.

Hope so ... dont want to get too excitama-tatered just yet, yanno, wait and see, but yeah, theoretically, as long as I can stand the mask, and they get the pressures right, and small rodents do not make off with the batteries, it should work :)

[AveMaria]

:lol: You are so funny! Good luck!

[hummm_mabbe]

You are so funny! Good luck!

Lol thanks

February 24th is my appointment, wish it was sooner ...