Advice as to what to do regarding cancer and stress

Gordie1975

Hi there, looking for a bit of advice as to what to do.

In October i had a bit of a health scare, it took until december to finally get a diagnosis of a type of lung cancer.

Since then i have been in and out of hospital getting scans and procedures done, due to the location of the cancer it cant be removed, they are in the process of cuting it back, with the intent of doing chemo in a short while to try eradicate it, however according to my specialist ultimately the whole lung will need removed and then he doubts it will not have spread to the join of the other lung.

I am working full time (50 odd hours), i took a week off sick for one procedure and will be having another off in a few weeks for another.
I get 3 months full pay and 6 months 50%.

Now, physically i have been feeling breathless and far more easily exhausted than normal, however i am really starting to feel the pressure mentally, i am for the most part ok at work, as in i can still do my job, however one staff member has said they feel i am more irritable and arent happy i am "taking my problems out on them", as far as i am aware this wasnt the case, and no one else i spoke to has said my attitude has changed.

But they are right in the aspect that it is affecting me, i am constantly worried, and dread going in to work each day dealing with narky customers.

My worry now is money, i am in a DRO at the moment which ends mid May, i have next to nothing left at the moment, my car is up for MOT in May, and really it wont pass, and i cant afford a new one, or the repairs, i tried getting to work via public transport and i could only last 10 minutes and i started getting chest pains and felt faint, i had to get off and was hyperventilating, i called a friend who picked me up and i went to work.

Im really worried now i am going to lose my job, or need to leave if i cant afford a car and cant get public transport.

when i am off work i just lay in bed all day and watch telly,i dont want to leave anymore as i feel i have no future.

I looked up benefits and all i can see would be PIP, but i doubt if i am fit enough t work that they would give me that.

Does anyone have any advice please.

Thank you.

Gigervamp

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, I also have cancer, so I know the impact it can have on your mental health.

Have you contacted Macmillan? They can help with benefits and grants and they have helplines if you need to talk to someone. Also, speak to your oncology team about how you're feeling. You should be able to access some counselling.

I wish you all the best.

Gordie1975

Gigervamp wrote: »

Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, I also have cancer, so I know the impact it can have on your mental health.

Have you contacted Macmillan? They can help with benefits and grants and they have helplines if you need to talk to someone. Also, speak to your oncology team about how you're feeling. You should be able to access some counselling.

I wish you all the best.

Thank you, i will need to get hold of someone, the trouble is i am between 3 hospitals and my GP is a centre where you never get the same person twice, hopefully i can speak to someone at my nearest hospital.

HB58

Working does not preclude you from claiming PIP, it is an 'in work' benefit and lots of people, quite properly, work full time and claim it.

In order to claim you must have had your problems (not necessarily diagnosis) for at least 3 months and it must be expected to last for a further 9 months.

I will say this anyway, but I hope it does not apply to you - If you have a prognosis of less than 6 months, you will qualify automatically and your claim will be fast tracked. There is a special form that consultant/GP will fill out to corroborate this.

The diagnosis has obviously been a big shock to you and it sounds as if you could do with some psychological support. You should ask your consultant or McMillan about this.

I wish you luck with your treatment.

Cheeky_Monkey

Gordie1975 wrote: »

Now, physically i have been feeling breathless and far more easily exhausted than normal, however i am really starting to feel the pressure mentally, i am for the most part ok at work, as in i can still do my job, however one staff member has said they feel i am more irritable and arent happy i am "taking my problems out on them", as far as i am aware this wasnt the case, and no one else i spoke to has said my attitude has changed

OMG! I can't believe someone could be so heartless :mad: Please try to ignore the a-hole. I'm damn sure they wouldn't want to swap places with you to see how they would react.

There is help and support available and I really hope that you can get it as soon as possible.

I wish you all the best at this difficult time x

nearlyrich

Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »

OMG! I can't believe someone could be so heartless :mad: Please try to ignore the a-hole. I'm damn sure they wouldn't want to swap places with you to see how they would react.

There is help and support available and I really hope that you can get it as soon as possible.

I wish you all the best at this difficult time x

I was shocked to read this as well what an uncaring person they must be OP I wish you well and hope everything goes well for you.

fishybusiness

Thank you, i will need to get hold of someone, the trouble is i am between 3 hospitals and my GP is a centre where you never get the same person twice, hopefully i can speak to someone at my nearest hospital.

You can call MacMillan 0808 808 0000.

From personal experience, they are very very good, will listen and support, and also can put you in touch with one of their Benefits Advisors.

Gordie1975

HB58 wrote: »

Working does not preclude you from claiming PIP, it is an 'in work' benefit and lots of people, quite properly, work full time and claim it.

In order to claim you must have had your problems (not necessarily diagnosis) for at least 3 months and it must be expected to last for a further 9 months.

I will say this anyway, but I hope it does not apply to you - If you have a prognosis of less than 6 months, you will qualify automatically and your claim will be fast tracked. There is a special form that consultant/GP will fill out to corroborate this.

The diagnosis has obviously been a big shock to you and it sounds as if you could do with some psychological support. You should ask your consultant or McMillan about this.

I wish you luck with your treatment.

Thank you for the response, at the moment my prognosis is not less than 6 months, ultimately i am to have a lung removed, but they say as the cancer is near the join of the tube it may spread to the tube of the other lung, but its unclear of the timescales of all this, as they are trying chemo in the next month or so and will need regular scans to see how fast it is growing or spreading.

as for the stress and anxiety i am having i wouldnt know what to tell a doctor, i have never been sick before, how would you prove you have had difficuilties on public transport and in certain situations?
I really cant see them paying me anything.

Thank you very much for you time responding.

Gordie1975

Cheeky_Monkey wrote: »

OMG! I can't believe someone could be so heartless :mad: Please try to ignore the a-hole. I'm damn sure they wouldn't want to swap places with you to see how they would react.

There is help and support available and I really hope that you can get it as soon as possible.

I wish you all the best at this difficult time x

Some people are only interested in their own lives and have no interest in others problems, its actually fair enough as i am the persons boss, so they have a point, but i really dont think i was snappy with him at all, he had previous issues with me and i think he was using my situation an opportunity to try get me onto trouble, however since then he has returned to work and said he no longer wants to complain, i think he may have mentioned it to a mate or family and they have told him how bad an idea it was.

Thanks for the support.

Gordie1975

fishybusiness wrote: »

You can call MacMillan 0808 808 0000.

From personal experience, they are very very good, will listen and support, and also can put you in touch with one of their Benefits Advisors.

Thank you, i think i will.

alexjonsson

I have cancer too, I just wanted to wish you all the best with your treatment.

You say that you get three months' full pay and six months at 50%. Have you considered taking advantage of this and giving up work while having your treatment? That is the reason the policy is there, and your employer would/should understand. If you are on chemotherapy your GP would sign you off without hesitation.

There is always the risk that you would be dismissed under the grounds of 'being incapable to do your job', but if your employer has a policy in place such as the above then this may not be their first course of action and they may well support you through it until you're fit to go back.