I would think until you could qualify to carry a firearm that you would be unable to go back to the streets.
I forgot Victoria where are you located?
I know here in the states that if an officer has a medical issue then they have to pass a fitness for duty evaluation in order to keep their job as a sworn officer. I do not know how long they are able to be on desk duty before they have to pass this evaluation and how long they can stay on desk duty.
Your line of work is very dangerous and you need to be in top shape to handle the day to day issues that arise. Have you thought about looking into a civilian position with the police department or is that not an option.
It’s completely galling and upsetting when you’ve worked hard for something and then MAV stops you from going all the way and acheiving your dreams. So sorry about the situation you find yourself in Victoria. Maybe try to get another temporary reprieve but at the same time do some serious thinking about your options within the police force if your status changed. I think the moot point is the unpredictabilty of MAV and the obvious safety issues on the streets, especially where firearms are concerned. Tough decisions ahead obviously. I wish you wisdom and courage as you make them.
Thanks for all your words of support and encouragement, they are very much appreciated.
I’m in Sydney, in the NSWPF. The requirements to be “fit for operational duty” I think are pretty much the same here as in the US. On the upside, I can remain a police officer and be on (permanent) restricted duties. It just means my options to move sideways (at my current rank) or get promoted would be severely curtailed for no other reason that most positions require operational fitness.
I guess I will have to go back to the doctor and get another exemption from the qualifying shoot for this year, but I don’t know how long I can do that before management decide I need some sort of formal assessment with a view to going on restricted duties. Generally migraine is not a problem for operational fitness, but ongoing vertigo is a different beast altogether.
It really does suck trying to plan your life around MAV and all its unpredictability, that is for sure.
Generally migraine is not a problem for operational fitness, but ongoing vertigo is a different beast altogether.
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I understand that completely. I am sure each police department have their own criteria for determining what is considered “fit for duty” requirements and who can remain on those restrictions indefinitely. I am sure that most require their supervisors to be able to be in the “field” when needed although that may not be their primary function.
My husband was in law enforcement for over 30 years and I know some of the issues that he had to deal with on both sides of the issue. As he was shot and almost fatally wounded so he was put through some pretty trying times getting back to the field to work. Later on he became a supervisor and had to deal with that issue from that perspective also , it is a double edged sword at times. But I know the safety of the citizens and the officer both have to be taken into consideration when decision along those lines are made..
Hubby has been retired for almost seven years and he just went back to work , working extra jobs as a retired officer all because I am unable to work.
I hope you get your health issues resolved to be able to pursue your career path, but if not there is life out there elsewhere, I promise.
— Begin quote from "Rich2008I remember listening to others on the phone, and even a few posts here from people saying that they got well, and I said to myself,…what about me? I am such an absolute DISASTER!! Now I am well, or as well as I think I can expect, which believe me, is MILES from where I was just this time last year. I don’t think it’s a matter of IF you and others will get better, I think it’s just a matter of WHEN it will happen. WHEN will you find your medication or medication combo? WHEN will you find your main triggers that keep your trigger load high enough to keep you in 24/7 mode? It’s a matter of WHEN. I found a very important trigger for me. Three of them really. Sleep, sleep consistency, and stress. If I keep a “schedule” and also sleep WELL, there is very little that is going to trigger me, including food. See, even if I get 10 hours a night, it does me no good if it’s from 11pm-9am one night, an then 1am-11am the next night. If I do it exactly the same every night, and also take my med every night at the same time, I am not triggered about 27 days out of the month. Not even weather bothers me anymore. I think the key is first to find a good medication. After that, it’s easier to find your triggers because you will NOTICEABLY go from well to crappy and you will have a better chance of finding out what is doing it to you. Right now, with the MAV not under control, you have symptoms 24/7 so it’s difficult to find out what is triggering you. That’s just the way I look at it. That’s just the way I have experienced it. Others might have a different view.
Rich,
At my last visit and the disappointing realization that Verapamil wasn’t going to work for me - I thought that what i was feeling was going to go on forever. Certainly after 4 months of being so ill, I felt it was a logical conclusion. One of the most encouraging and wonderful words my neuro told me, as he place dhis hand on mine was, “MJ, this is a transient condition and I WILL get you better.”
Borrowed confidence brought me alot of mental relief.
Can a transient condition last over 20 years?? I am sure he meant well, but I am beginning to think they dont know what they are doing. I have been under my neurologist for 10 years and he has just retired after trying me on 17 different preventatives! I saw other neurologists in between and they couldnt help either. Not one tried to pick the preventative that might just suit me, due to problems like low blood sugar, low blood pressure, insomnia etc.
It is encouraging that some people get better but I can only see 5 on this board since I have been on here the last year or so. They are the only thing that encourages me to try yet another nasty drug not made for our specific condition.
Sorry, feeling somewhat cheesed off at the moment, after a weeks trial of Lyrica which is the 18th preventative I have tried and given me nasty side effects, yet again
