Rob's Update - A Cross Post

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone

Just a very short note, yes I am surfacing..... well JUST, still quite shell shocked over yesterdays appointment from hell, but it's in the past it is over and it cannot be changed, if all doesn't go well, I will be taking action in appealing, this will not be without issues for me, In about 6 weeks, I will not have a wage coming in, I've had to rearrange my finances, I risk losing everything and I will have to return to work, I cannot live on love and good wishes alone. I've had many wonderful suggestions of what I should do, sadly I am not able to take up many of the options, It has been suggested by a mate of mine, to go for disability pension, I've contributed to my own State Superannuation Scheme for 37 years, if I cannot get this, I will stand no chance of getting the DP.

I am fighting NSW State Government Red Tape, unless you work for this organisation, you will have no idea of how it works, if super and tax were not coming out of my wage before I get it, I may have money to live on. When my doctor virtually demanded I retire for the fear of my general safety at work, because of the falls I have because of the Meniere's disease, my excessively high blood pressure and the 2 suspected TIA's I've had and maybe a real stroke, I weighed up everything. When I was getting penalty rates when working, I had money to live on. Since no penalty rates since May, this has resulted in me having to delve into my savings, if I could stop the bills coming in, all would be good.

The problem with my super scheme, is that when one is young, the contributions are tiny, but by the time you are close to retirement, almost 55% of your wage, goes to your super scheme, when I was younger, I didn't understand why the oldies complained bitterly, when they said they had no money to live on, GOD NOW I DO.... All is so very clear. Now most super schemes have contributions balanced your entire working life, I tried to pay more when I was younger, but they would not let you. The newer schemes are more flexible than the Old State Superannuation Scheme, I just needed to explain this to you all, as many of you will not be aware of how it works.

So if all goes smoothly, I will not have problems, I have some recreation and long service leave which will be paid out to me on my final pay. BUT, my pension may not kick in for 3 months, so I will need this cash in hand to keep afloat till that time, the more I eat into this leave, the less I have to live on.Yes.... The State Super Board will back pay me to the day I cease duty this is wonderful, it's that 3 month Your On Your Own Period that is critical, if you cannot pay house payments, or bills, the institutions get a bit terse, in that short 3 months I could lose everything I possess, basically because I've had to eat into what I have saved.

Hence why my stress levels are a little bit frayed. If I am forced back to work, I've basically financially cut my own throat, with the gamble to try and retire, for this has cost me thousands of dollars in used leave, and lost penalty rates, all of which I factored in, hoping that the run would be smooth. I thought well, here I have 3 Dr's supports, all the reports, yet this Dr yesterday made me feel like a criminal, an idiot, his say is the most important one, he has CT Scans, MRI Scans, reports, you name it he has it.

I can barely move today for all his pulling on my legs, making me bend over, lifting my legs into the air, which puts pressure on my prolapsed discs. I could see this Dr being part of a torture team, if World War 3 breaks out. Appeals take time, I don't have weeks of time before I hit financial ruin. This Dr did say at the end of the medical consultation he agrees that I have many medical problems, but he feels my most serious is my high blood pressure, which my own Dr cannot control even with 3 lots of BP medication, it is no longer weight related, it is stress related.

Dr Jekyll said I will more than likely have a stroke if it doesn't come down. What got up my nose the most, was his parting comment to me, when I asked him if he supports the findings of the 2 specialists and my doctor, this was "You will know sooner or later, what I decide... He is playing GOD in my life, he knew full well his attitude would add stress to me, he enjoyed his power, at my expense, my hands were tied, I would have dearly loved to have told him he was a pig, but my future was in his hands, I felt so powerless.

Poor Mazz copped me on the journey home, then to make matters worse, the gale force winds bought a tree down on the railway line, making my return home about 90 minutes or so late, I was never so glad to get home, I wasn't the best of company last night, ended up howling myself to sleep, today the increase in stress has flared up my colitis, I will spare you all the graphics, suffice to say NOT GOOD, so if I go back to work, stress will not come down but increase, my BP used to be up around the 240 on 120 it was 200/ 120 and this is after no stress for 8 weeks. So basically retirement won't be an issue, going back to work will be my demise, it's just a matter of when and how.

Sorry to vent, but you can understand why people suffer at the hands of beauracracies, it is criminal. My friend , who died of cancer, died at the hands of red tape, they delayed her treatments, medicare refused funding, they had to have pow wows over authorisations of treatment. She also tried to retire a year ago, she was run around like I am being run around, had she been able to comfortably leave, she may have gotten another year who knows, maybe more, but she had the extra added stress of fighting this government bull shit. Why should a basic general practitioner employed by the government, be able to be allowed to play god. I'm off the soap box, it still hurts me when I think of my lovely friend , it is a pity murder charges cannot be layed on the people who aided in killing her, for they surely killed her, as if they held a gun to her head and fired it. Bastards all of them.

Regards

Rob