[LoveStarWars]

About two weeks ago I had one of the worst panic attack I’ve ever had. Here’s some back story. Over the course of the last four years I’ve had a lot of physical injuries. I’ve had numerous surgeries on shoulders, back, and lymph nodes removed and regular visits with an oncologist. This are all easily verifiable conditions and procedures that stem from years of manual labor. The beginning of my last’s panic attack started in December. I had just come back from having my back fixed. I was off for about three months for the injury to heal because the nature of my job and the fact the company does not have a light duty program. At the beginning of the year I started running a fever and having night sweats. I was diagnosed with the flu without a test, because other members of my family had tested positive. The doctor told me to stay home for two days or until the fever was gone. In about three weeks my condition came back and there was a swelling under my arm. Fast forward to May and many different diagnosis and a day of from work here and there I’m told I need surgery to remove several lymph nodes. During the process of narrowing down what was wrong with me I was suspended for one day for absenteeism. My union rep said no big deal just file greviance because I had a proven I’ll ess that culminated in surgery. On the morning of the hearing I was dressed down by the labor relations employee. I had 15 absences in a six month period. All of which I had documentation of what was going on, but they claimed several days were missing. I was also informed that a few people had been fired for less. Please keep in mind that the year before my health failed I worked no less then 65 hours each week. 80 hours on some. I left the meeting with a host of emotions running through my mind. In addition to GAD I’m also Bipolar. On the way to work that evening I experienced a blow out on my vehicle. At my job coming in late is the same as not coming in at all as far as discipline goes. I freaked. I changed my tire in record time, drove 85 in a thunderstorm, and sprinted across the parking lot to make it with 3 minutes to spare. I started my shift and about thirty minutes in I could not shake the thought of what would have happened had I not made it. At that point with the adrenaline dump earlier a started getting dizzy and could not breath. It was so bad that I actually started crying. The supervisor at the tie had been an EMT at one point and could recognize what was happening. He asked if I needed to leave. I did need to get out of that environment, but if I left it’s a discipline issue and that just added to my panic attack. Finally he asked if I should get an ambulance to take me to the hospital because at that time I felt near death. He said that they would take me to a particular hospital and the company would pay for it. I had residual panic attack for two days after. The labor relations guy demanded I see a company doctor, I guess he thought I was faking, and the company doctor upon seeing my medical history and what I was going through would only release me to go back to work after I had talked to my psychiatrist. I did we made Ned adjustments and everything is good. Fast forward to today and I’ve recieved a massive bill. I was told that my panic attack was in no way related to work and they aren’t paying even though I was told different that night. Also, there have been coworkers in the past taken by ambulance for preexisting conditions that just happened to flair up at work and none were billed. I have no idea how to resolve this issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Bulat1990]

[QUOTE=LoveStarWars;6206564]About two weeks ago I had one of the worst panic attack I’ve ever had. Here’s some back story. Over the course of the last four years I’ve had a lot of physical injuries. I’ve had numerous surgeries on shoulders, back, and lymph nodes removed and regular visits with an oncologist. This are all easily verifiable conditions and procedures that stem from years of manual labor. The beginning of my last’s panic attack started in December. I had just come back from having my back fixed. I was off for about three months for the injury to heal because the nature of my job and the fact the company does not have a light duty program. At the beginning of the year I started running a fever and having night sweats. I was diagnosed with the flu without a test, because other members of my family had tested positive. The doctor told me to stay home for two days or until the fever was gone. In about three weeks my condition came back and there was a swelling under my arm. Fast forward to May and many different diagnosis and a day of from work here and there I’m told I need surgery to remove several lymph nodes. During the process of narrowing down what was wrong with me I was suspended for one day for absenteeism. My union rep said no big deal just file greviance because I had a proven I’ll ess that culminated in surgery. On the morning of the hearing I was dressed down by the labor relations employee. I had 15 absences in a six month period. All of which I had documentation of what was going on, but they claimed several days were missing. I was also informed that a few people had been fired for less. Please keep in mind that the year before my health failed I worked no less then 65 hours each week. 80 hours on some. I left the meeting with a host of emotions running through my mind. In addition to GAD I’m also Bipolar. On the way to work that evening I experienced a blow out on my vehicle. At my job coming in late is the same as not coming in at all as far as discipline goes. I freaked. I changed my tire in record time, drove 85 in a thunderstorm, and sprinted across the parking lot to make it with 3 minutes to spare. I started my shift and about thirty minutes in I could not shake the thought of what would have happened had I not made it. At that point with the adrenaline dump earlier a started getting dizzy and could not breath. It was so bad that I actually started crying. The supervisor at the tie had been an EMT at one point and could recognize what was happening. He asked if I needed to leave. I did need to get out of that environment, but if I left it’s a discipline issue and that just added to my panic attack. Finally he asked if I should get an ambulance to take me to the hospital because at that time I felt near death. He said that they would take me to a particular hospital and the company would pay for it. I had residual panic attack for two days after. The labor relations guy demanded I see a company doctor, I guess he thought I was faking, and the company doctor upon seeing my medical history and what I was going through would only release me to go back to work after I had talked to my psychiatrist. I did we made Ned adjustments and everything is good. Fast forward to today and I’ve recieved a massive bill. I was told that my panic attack was in no way related to work and they aren’t paying even though I was told different that night. Also, there have been coworkers in the past taken by ambulance for preexisting conditions that just happened to flair up at work and none were billed. I have no idea how to resolve this issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.[/




Have you considered telling one of your managers about your anxiety disorder? I know its hard to talk about, someone should know because anxiety disorder can be debilitating and you should also discuss the bill that they are charging. The worst they could say is that you have to pay it, even it is unfair but you need to talk to one of the managers and let them know about your condition. I can only imagine how hard it must be to work as much as you have and have and anxiety disorder, I don't know if I could work 65 hrs a week with GAD, for that I commend you and I hope you feel better soon.

[LoveStarWars]

I’ve discussed it with the whole management staff. I appreciate your compliment. Also, just in case anybody that reads this mentions it. I did ask for FLMA, but with so many surgeries requiring me to miss work I do not have the time in. My doctor said as soon as I have them to get the papers to him, so that’s a plus. I guess my main hang is I was told they would handle the cost and have now said no because it wasn’t definitively caused by the job when others in the past have not been billed. Also, for anyone reading this I had slowly weaned off Xanax under my doctor’s supervision. That was the main reason to get medical help. My routines were not working and I knew I was going to need medicine. The 65 hours a week was when I was putting my wife trough school. I actually worked for 3 years with both shoulders torn because I couldn’t afford not to work with her in school. Another story about how draconian these people are. Long before the opioid crisis I had a precripition for Kieran because of my shoulders. When I take one it puts me to sleep. O e day at work my shoulders were hurting so bad I had to take one, but I didn’t want to run somebody over with a forklift so I told a supervisor that I had taken some medicine that would make me drowsy and that I needed to go. I was so sleepy by the time I got to my truck that instead of risking driving, I just slept in the bed of my truck for several hours in the parking lot. I was visible to a lot of coworkers. The manager denying my ambulance bill is the one that wrote me up for leaving early that day. I asked if I should have stayed and potentially hurt someone and he said oh no you did the right thing, but I’m gonna write you up anyway. Nobody likes the guy.

[Lola6581]

Originally Posted by LoveStarWars

About two weeks ago I had one of the worst panic attack I’ve ever had. Here’s some back story. Over the course of the last four years I’ve had a lot of physical injuries. I’ve had numerous surgeries on shoulders, back, and lymph nodes removed and regular visits with an oncologist. This are all easily verifiable conditions and procedures that stem from years of manual labor. The beginning of my last’s panic attack started in December. I had just come back from having my back fixed. I was off for about three months for the injury to heal because the nature of my job and the fact the company does not have a light duty program. At the beginning of the year I started running a fever and having night sweats. I was diagnosed with the flu without a test, because other members of my family had tested positive. The doctor told me to stay home for two days or until the fever was gone. In about three weeks my condition came back and there was a swelling under my arm. Fast forward to May and many different diagnosis and a day of from work here and there I’m told I need surgery to remove several lymph nodes. During the process of narrowing down what was wrong with me I was suspended for one day for absenteeism. My union rep said no big deal just file greviance because I had a proven I’ll ess that culminated in surgery. On the morning of the hearing I was dressed down by the labor relations employee. I had 15 absences in a six month period. All of which I had documentation of what was going on, but they claimed several days were missing. I was also informed that a few people had been fired for less. Please keep in mind that the year before my health failed I worked no less then 65 hours each week. 80 hours on some. I left the meeting with a host of emotions running through my mind. In addition to GAD I’m also Bipolar. On the way to work that evening I experienced a blow out on my vehicle. At my job coming in late is the same as not coming in at all as far as discipline goes. I freaked. I changed my tire in record time, drove 85 in a thunderstorm, and sprinted across the parking lot to make it with 3 minutes to spare. I started my shift and about thirty minutes in I could not shake the thought of what would have happened had I not made it. At that point with the adrenaline dump earlier a started getting dizzy and could not breath. It was so bad that I actually started crying. The supervisor at the tie had been an EMT at one point and could recognize what was happening. He asked if I needed to leave. I did need to get out of that environment, but if I left it’s a discipline issue and that just added to my panic attack. Finally he asked if I should get an ambulance to take me to the hospital because at that time I felt near death. He said that they would take me to a particular hospital and the company would pay for it. I had residual panic attack for two days after. The labor relations guy demanded I see a company doctor, I guess he thought I was faking, and the company doctor upon seeing my medical history and what I was going through would only release me to go back to work after I had talked to my psychiatrist. I did we made Ned adjustments and everything is good. Fast forward to today and I’ve recieved a massive bill. I was told that my panic attack was in no way related to work and they aren’t paying even though I was told different that night. Also, there have been coworkers in the past taken by ambulance for preexisting conditions that just happened to flair up at work and none were billed. I have no idea how to resolve this issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Your job can DEFINITELY be the cause of it. Im going through pretty much the same thing. I hate working here but bills have to be paid.