I was a bakery assistant at a supermarket. I worked a second job in the local RSL kitchen and also did cleaning there. In the bakery I would often start at 4am, I did everything from putting loaves into the oven to stacking the trays in the afternoon. I also spent a lot of time in the freezer getting out the dough to put in the oven, we handled boxes of up to 18 large loaves or frozen pre-baked loaves.
In 2015 I had a serious fall at work which injured my back. After that I had chronic sciatica and they found I had damaged 2 lumbar discs LS 4 AND 5. I had to have an operation on my spine in 2016. I never got worker’s compensation for that, and I haven’t been able to work full-time since then.
Since then I developed other health issues – I’ve got rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, and I developed an immune disorder called lupis. I get these horrible discoid sores in my nose and mouth and on my hands.
I’m in constant pain but I try not to take pain medication every day. The lupis medication is expensive, I only take it when I get a big flare up.
If you say you have a bad back, employers are not interested. I was a reliable worker, but I can’t promise now that I’ll be able to work every day. With lupis (especially in winter) I often feel like I have the flu, everything hurts. It’s hard to know from one day to the next how I’ll feel.
I miss working, I’d much rather be out earning money and interacting with people. I did some data entry work part-time in 2016 – 2017. But the job agencies you have to attend don’t seem to be able to find jobs that I can physically cope with – that are part-time or I can work from home.
The worst thing about the job agency is that they send out compulsory appointments to meet with them, and if you say you’re sick they don’t believe you. I even had a doctor’s certificate that they wouldn’t accept. If you miss the appointment you lose points and then they cut your JobSeeker payment, or cut you off completely with no warning.
I often don’t eat all day, especially that second week. With my health issues, the lupis – I need to eat healthy and it’s so expensive.
I wouldn’t survive if it wasn’t for my family and friends. They bring me food, home cooked meals, sometimes my dad will send me a Hello Fresh box of groceries.