Hi, my son was diagnosed with APML leukemia in April this year. We are now just over half way through his chemo treatment. He is doing as well as can be expected. I am his main carer, organizing meds (waking him each day to take them as some are time sensitive) and hospital outpatient appointments, managing emotions and life on hold for him. He has an amazing support network through the Teenage cancer Trust and our family. My main reason for joining today is I work for my husbands company and he is the director (he is my son's step dad) and I have not felt supported by others within the company through the whole journey. Pressures mentioned about me getting back to work 2/3 weeks after diagnosis or my pay would be cut, no other support apart from my husband who is going through this process also. As we are further along people seem to forget you are still facing this every day! I am now managing 32 hours a week and 2 hospital visits and medication administration, sometimes i feel like I might break. It can be so hard.
Welcome to the carers group, I am Steve one of the community champions and my experience of cancer is via my wife who has Leiomyosarcoma. A couple of years back our son was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour and ended up having surgery and proton beam therapy and unfortunately this whole process impacted his pituitary gland - he is now steroid dependant so like your son has to take some time sensitive medications.
Sorry to hear about what is happening to you at work, I was fortunate in that my GP was very supportive though it sometimes was difficult trying to find a balance between work and everything else and I think at one point I probably did break.
There is quite a lot of information on the main site here around the subject of money and work, you might especially like to look at the section for employees and cancer and employment rights.
Do post on here whenever as someone is always listening.
<<hugs>>
Steve
