(Australia) ECE - claiming Workers Comp
Has anyone dealt with Workers Comp for work related illness injury? I was recently hospitalised for a week (7 days) due to eye swelling.
I don’t mean like a little puffy, we’re talking big swollen, eyes closed over, red and hot to the touch, burning and itching ; and once the swelling goes down I’m left with bruising.
This has happened FOUR times since starting at my service last July. But this was the first time being hospitalised as it became antibiotic resistant, so I was put in IV drugs 4 x times a day. I have had to go to emergency before, but this time I was actually admitted, and I assumed it might only be a night or two for the IV drugs, but nope….they were concerned.
To cut it short, turns out that being exposed, and in contact, to school sores / impetigo / staph / strep bacteria has caused my body to react in a way to fight it so bad that I’ve now developed an autoimmune disease and now have nephrotic syndrome ?!?
This means my kidneys are now leaking protein into my urine at extreme levels, and this has caused kidney damage.
I’m seeing my specialist again this week, as my pathology results only recently came back. These confirmed the tests taken in hospital, but due to the high levels whilst in hospital they wanted to do a longer testing process, which is now confirmed.
My work capacity certificate states that my illness is from exposure to skin bacteria when working with children, and has resulted now in nephrotic syndrome.
Antibiotics no longer work, as my body doesn’t recognises it as an infection. I was taken off all IV, oral, and topical antibiotics in hospital due to them not working, and also was seen by an infectious disease specialist. They then ran further tests to how my body would deal.
I’m told there is no fix for it aside from not being in contact with bacterial skin infections.
I contacted my manager and informed her why this has happened repeatedly to me, and we need to ensure the children with open sores etc are either removed until they seek medical advice, or covered when in our care. We have two children with ongoing sores that have never been explained, despite me asking my manager. My manager has ignored my requests.
Given this, I quit after being released from hospital as I simply can’t risk my health anymore, especially if I don’t have my managers support.
I’ve lodged a workcover claim for my medical expenses ($1,100 despite having private health insurance; $650 co-payment excess for private ED, and then transferred to another hospital $450 being admitted - gotta love already paying hundreds of dollars every month for private healthcare- but given it’s where I had presented before with this issue just made sense as they had my chart).
Going forward, given I’m told I can’t work where I’m exposed to such issues, wtf do I do?!? I want to submit a work claim via Worksafe/Workers comp for my inability to work in the area that I’m trained, and have now lost income.
I’m nearing 50 years old and during covid I started my Diploma and have exceeded hugely with being promoted from an assistant to a room leader, and then flown to a remote town to be the director for a few months. I feel so new yet confident in my job, to now have it ripped from me due to where I have now been working refusing to follow health guidelines. I’m devastated 😭