dfactor Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Hi everyone, I am seeking some sound advice from people who have either been in the same position or have any constructive advice on what and if I can do anything with my circumstances. I emigrated to Perth, WA in October 2015 and arrived to a job that I had previously obtained a four month trial with brick laying. I was offered a salaried position with Super, bonus and all the trimmings that come with being Employed, a very rare chance in the construction industry especially in Perth. Work was good great and the first year flew by, I had settled into life/work. In the November of 2016 I started experiencing pains in my feet which were initially not that bad but when in pain felt like someone was stabbing me in the sole of my foot. I went to the GP and they prescribed anti-inflamories and I was told to rest etc. The pains started getting worse and I went to maybe a GP appointment maybe once a week until April 2017, in the February of 2017 I had a little girl, we had a few problems along the way but she was born healthy at 37 weeks. Fast forward to June/July 2017 and although I was still going to the doctors I still was only been given tramadol (I became addicted) and OTC anti-inflamatories. Worked started to slow down for the company I was working for and they had already made some redundancies so I felt I wasn't in a position to speak to my employer about what was going on with my feet/health. In September of 2017 I literally couldn't walk I was struggling that much and the GP signed me off sick after sitting in her office crying and saying if you dont sort this out my employer will make me redundant and because there isn't much work in Perth with the economy at the moment we will have no choice to go back to the UK as we cant live off my partners wage alone and I still dont know what is wrong with me...…… The GP charged me for a double appointment ($160.00) as id gone five minutes over the first one and I left no clearer. I remember sitting outside in floods of tears with my partner and young baby knowing what was coming. I had 5 days off with the sick note and in that time met my employer do speak about why I was off and told them the doctor said I had Plantar fasciitis (Wrong diagnosis) He made me redundant within three days of returning to work. We had to leave Perth within three weeks and because we didn't have an Australian or British passport to be able to leave Perth we moved over to Brisbane with some friends just for support and to try and tie all our loose ends up in Australia, passport,resident return visas etc. We got back to the UK Feb 2018 with nothing. All our stuff was being shipped back. We had nothing but lived with parents, not easy with a baby. I attended my old GP and explained the situation, he said he didn't have a deep enough understanding of the symptoms I was experiencing and referred me instantly to Rheumatology. I was seen within a week and started treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis. It not a degenerative Arthritic condition and is purely the immune system creating inflammation. I've been on various drugs which they use to treat it and hopefully send it into remission, these haven't worked so now and its purely based on funding via the NHS I can have biologicals which should work. Its take a year to get to where I am now in the UK. All the medication I've had/will have is either available via medicare or if not via the PBS so its not unusual for people to have this in Australia. MY question is after the long background is do I have any chance or do I pursue a Medical Negligence claim against the GP in Perth? We love Perth and my partner has a job to come back to, I will probably have to re train because of the economy and the fact that I dont think I would get my old job back now?! Its hard and I struggle mentally with it all as I feel like I've denied my little girl the chance to grow up where she was born, she has duel nationality. Financially its killed us and im not sure how we would afford to get back it very expensive to do once never mind twice. Until we came back to the UK and obviously had something to work with I have felt some kind of relief as I nearly have my life back again now, I'm only 38. I'm not looking for legal advice some so advice on what we do?? We have 4 years left on our Residents return visas...……. Thank you for reading and I'll reply as soon as I can Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfactor Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 Anyone else suffer in Australia? Thanks Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) 5 minutes ago, dfactor said: Anyone else suffer in Australia? Thanks Dan Suffer from what? ETA : just saw your other thread with more information. Maybe ask for this one to be deleted as it makes no sense without any detail and then all your replies will be in one place. Edited January 15, 2019 by Amber Snowball Found other thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfactor Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 Psoriatic Arthritis. Sorry I shouldn't have abbreviated it.. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 No worries. I have edited my post. You have posted in numerous places which is confusing. Stick to your other main thread with all the story in it. Makes it easier for you and us. You hadn’t even given the abbreviation in this thread, that was in yet another thread. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfactor Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 Apologies, I've not posted on here for a good few years so wasn't sure under which topic it was best to post under hence the Australian folder and then the Health folder. I wasn't able to cut and paste what I had posted in the other folder hence the abbreviation. Thank you for the reply Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 That’s ok! Your story sounds quite traumatic for you. I hope you continue on the road to recovery, both your health and financial situation. Sorry I don’t really have any advice for you, other than court cases are expensive! All the best and hopefully someone else might have some advice for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 3 hours ago, dfactor said: Anyone else suffer in Australia? Thanks Dan Yes I know someone who was originally diagnosed with having gout but later was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. The pain was in his knees and around the toes. He was also a bricklayer. It was an immunologist who confirmed the diagnosis. I think it is quite a difficult thing to diagnose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 First, I can relate to what it's like to arrive back with nothing. We arrived in Australia in 2008 and after I was made redundant in 2014 times were hard and after getting very little work for two years, we made the decision to return to the UK in 2016. We could afford to ship our belongings and so sold everything we had to pay for the move back. We did manage to ship a small box of personal sentiment things, but in effect landed back with a suitcase each and the dog. I always remember in the early weeks back after we had managed to get a small flat and my wife offering to make us some soup for lunch and then realising we didn't own a spoon lol. I have to say I think your idea on moving back is silly. You say you would need to retrain, so not earn, but also couldn't survive on your wife's salary. So, what would be different? Also, I think given the costs involved in making the move, it would,mfrom reading between the lines, be a pretty bad financial decision. You mention about your daughter growing up, but does it really make much difference where she was born? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 11 hours ago, dfactor said: Fast forward to June/July 2017 and although I was still going to the doctors I still was only been given tramadol (I became addicted) and OTC anti-inflamatories. ... The GP charged me for a double appointment ($160.00) as id gone five minutes over the first one and I left no clearer. ...I attended my old GP and explained the situation, he said he didn't have a deep enough understanding of the symptoms I was experiencing and referred me instantly to Rheumatology. I was seen within a week and started treatment for Psoriatic Arthritis. It not a degenerative Arthritic condition and is purely the immune system creating inflammation. All the medication I've had/will have is either available via medicare or if not via the PBS so its not unusual for people to have this in Australia. MY question is after the long background is do I have any chance or do I pursue a Medical Negligence claim against the GP in Perth? We love Perth and my partner has a job to come back to, I will probably have to re train because of the economy and the fact that I dont think I would get my old job back now?! Its hard and I struggle mentally with it all as I feel like I've denied my little girl the chance to grow up where she was born, she has duel nationality. Financially its killed us and im not sure how we would afford to get back it very expensive to do once never mind twice. Until we came back to the UK and obviously had something to work with I have felt some kind of relief as I nearly have my life back again now, I'm only 38. I'm not looking for legal advice some so advice on what we do?? We have 4 years left on our Residents return visas...……. I'm surprised at your story, because it's so unusual that your Australian doctor didn't refer you to a specialist. Most Aussie doctors are very quick to refer to specialists, some say too quick. In hindsight, it sounds like you should have sought a second opinion yourself, rather than persevering with a doctor that wasn't helping. However, that's water under the bridge and I doubt you would have much luck pursuing a negligence claim. You're right, emigration is very expensive. You can't afford to do it again, so I suggest making up your mind to enjoy everything the UK has to offer. It doesn't matter one jot where your daughter was born! When she's grown up, she'll have the bonus of two passports and can go where she likes. For now, she can have just as bright a future in the UK as in Australia. Just take a look at some of the stories here on the forums - there are many families who went back to the UK for one reason or another, and are just as happy if not more than they were in Australia. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumbeat Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 15 hours ago, dfactor said: Anyone else suffer in Australia? Thanks Dan Yes, I do but fortunately it's fairly mild. It can be very difficult to diagnose apparently as there is no definitive test so I don't think you'd be successful claiming Medical Negligence from your old GP. I'm in a Facebook support group and there are members there who weren't diagnosed for years. I was fortunate to be referred to a Rheumatologist who is very familiar with the condition, although I was sceptical at first as I don't have Psoriasis. I appreciate things have been difficult for you but dwelling on what happened isn't going to help you move forward. Here's hoping you are able to retrain for a career you will enjoy and your health will stabilise. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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