giving up work due to crohn's

Welcome to Healingwell Spyder - sorry to see you here, if you see what I mean !
I always have a problem with written reports of any kind of sequences, because my memory for dates, times and names is extremely poor. You will appreciate I am sure how hard it can make filling in 26 page long benefit forms !
My usual ploy (modest cough - it works brilliantly ) is as follows.
1:Write a rough vertical timeline of your career, eg Nov 06 hired on 24 hour week as.... - Jan 07 promoted to 40 hour week as... -
2:Besides the first line of notes, write a similar timeline for your relevant medical history, eg Oct 06 assessed as fully fit by GI - Mar 07 developed stress-related bleeding -
3: Leave these timelines a while to "germinate", and as things occur to you that you want to mention either insert them into the appropriate places in the columns, or add them to a list of notes at the bottom of the page.
4: Flesh out the timelines, adding a bit more description of your duties say, or mentioning how your symptoms interefered with your daily life. Coalesce the two timelines into one account.
5: Re-read, or give to someone else to proofread, looking for causal relationships or official statements that should be mentioned but haven't been, factual errors or omissions, typos etc.
If possible, I always try to get help from the staff at the agency for whom the form is destined; they will often be very knowledgeable about what a typical form contains, and even if they are prevented from helping you fill it in, they may well be able to point you in the direction of Web-based guidelines for their own usage, which will tell you what information they are looking for, what specific phrases trigger point scoring or further evaluation etc.
Hope this helps !
Enjoy the sunshine - some day I hope to remember what a hot sunny day is like....

All I can say is good luck. I was turned down for disability here in the U.S.

Hi Spyder,
I too live in NSW and had to give up a Government job last year, although it didnt involve all the paperwork you seem to have. I agree with Ivy apply for disability - I applied for this while still employed and received a part disability which helps with the meds, when I had 8 months off work last year I still couldnt get a full disability as my husband earned too much (for them anyway not us). The forms to fill in for disability are lengthy (keep a copy for yourself so as you know what you told them in case you are questioned further) but Crohns Disease is seen as a disability here in Australia so you should have no trouble receiving a pension. Good luck with your report.
Take care and welcome to HW
Joanne

Hi Joanne

Thanks for the reply. If I am successful in getting a medical discharge from my NSW Government job I am entitled to receive my invalidity pension from my superannuation. I dont think I will be entitled to any pension from the government, do you think it is worth trying?

Thanks

spyder58

PS Thanks also to Ivy and curley.

... except that if you could even get a $1 / fortnight pension or a health-care card you'd be able to get concessions, cheaper meds, cheaper doctors' appts, bulk billing for x-rays etc etc etc.

Without a pension card, those extra costs can mount up quite alarmingly.

i too am on disability due to crohn's, have been for almost a month.  only good until august so i better make the most of it while i can.  i think they will be more intersted in knowing when you will be returning.....if you are longer than 10 weeks they will require the proper documentation from your GI

Jo, you don't necessarily get health care cards etc with super pensions. My mother didn't, which is why I say that it's best to try as hard as you can to get one. She spent so much on medical things - it wasn't fair.

Good luck with your application, spyder.

Glad you finished your report soyder, hopefully you will here something from them soon. Good luck with Centrelink, their paperwork was a nightmare for me, make sure you have a copy of everything you hand over to them, they are good at 'mislaying' things. Keep us posted.
Take care
Joanne