Hello my name is Heather I have just been diagnosed with brest cancer last week for the first time (and last I hope) Both my sisters have had cancer,one died seven month ago Im a bit scared of what to expect with the chemo. Can anyone tell me how soon after the treatment do you start to feel ill? How soon do you lose your hair?
Thanks for that. Vicky has emailed her regional HR asking if they would deal with me as her chosen representative as she is in no condition to do so at the moment and the additional stress isn't helping matters. Neither of us have a problem with attending occ health appointments (I always go with her to those and to see the onc) or for them to have access to her gp or onc for consultation. Vicky is now on higher level DLA after her Macmillan nurse helped with sorting out the forms and ds1500.
The letter that came through yesterday stated that Vicky has complied with all company requirements concerning notification, certification etc but according to them she has now used up all her fully paid sick leave although their figures to show this start 24/07/08 through to 19/08/09 - in excess of a 12 month period straight away. Not only this, in the same letter there was confirmation that the date for 1st period of absence is 18th March 2009, so I'm mystified why they're including sick leave taken 8 months before that.
To add further insult to injury, following the line in the letter confirming cessation of full sick pay, Vicky was offered congratulations on our wedding and would she like her details altered on the company records.
If I have repeated any of my earlier posts or seem to be ranting a little then I would like to apologise but the additional stress isn't helping Vicky and that in turn makes my blood boil even more :(
At least the good news is that the company admit Vicky's doing everything correctly. Now she's in receipt of DLA she is covered under the DDA which makes it even more difficulf for the company to terminate just cos it's a nuisance for them!!!
The sick leave calender would usually be from her employment commencement date for a twelve month period and would reset each 12 months. So for example, say Vicky's start date was 01 March 2008, her sickness entitlement would run until 30 April 2009 and then reset on 1st March. So she needs to keep a tally herself of what sick days she's had in this calender year to date and if those dates don't tally with what the company have said, challenge it in writing. It could be that the period of absence on 18 March is the first period of absence for her current medical condition, anything previous to this would still count in terms of sick days but not count for her current condition, if you get my meaning.
LOL I can understand why you would not be happy with the congratulations line, I wouldn't be either but I'm sure it was sent with the best of intentions just a tad inappropriate to add to that letter.
Like I've said, I'm more than happy to help and advise at anytime.
Love to Vicky, I hope she can just try and let the work issues just roll off her as we all know, stress just hinders getting better. You are a tower of strength to her, but don't take on too much or you'll make yourself ill and won't be any help to Vicky then, so try and not let it all get to you (easier said than done I know).
Thanks Jean, you're right. Hands in a bucket of ice and hubby held ice packs on feet, it's such a sexy look lol Lailla the nail varnish has really helped me too, my beauty therapist put two base coats on and two coats of varnish to make sure.
It says in the handbook ' If the absence reporting and certification requirements are met, then the company will top up SSP to the employee's basic pay up to the following maximum in any 12 month period. This is not a calendar 12 months but a rolling 12 month period prior to the start date of the current period of absence.
What does that mean anyway? "Prior to the start date". Vicky kees timesheets when she's in the office, so there's a central record of days worked etc but as a kind of back up I have emails from her on every day she was in the office ;)
I'm not allowed to get ill at the moment ;) I'm saving it all up for an eventual breakdown (joke)
I'll pass on your best wishes and thoughts but I suspect she's gone back to sleep for now unless the kitten is in a playful mood :)
Vicky's HR have agreed to allow me to act as her representative at this stage. I have just sent the following -
Could you please clarify a couple of points for me?
In your letter, you state that “the first period of absence is the first absence that is linked to your current absence up to 8 weeks before; therefore the first period is 18th March 2009.” In the employee handbook it states that – “If the absence reporting and certification requirements are met, then the company will top up SSP to the employee’s basic pay up to the following maximum in any 12 month period prior to the start date of the current period of absence.”
With that in mind could you please explain why the table showing the days Vicky has used as sick leave starts almost 8 months before the agreed first period of absence and also why the same table shows a period in excess of 12 months used to calculate the total number of sick days?
There may be a couple of other things that I would like some more information on but these points are probably the most critical at this stage.
Hopefully that will provide some more information and clear up a few grey areas. ;)
By the rolling 12 month period, what they've done is taken the date that the current period of absence started, March, and then gone back 12 months, hence the dates of July 2008 - Aug 2009 and from that they have decided Vicky has used all her entitlement up. If she disagrees with the dates, she needs to contact the company asking for her absence records. If you think they are trying to end her contract, ask them what they would be prepared to pay Vicky to leave. Not having the stress of work would aid her recovery.
No reply from Vicky's HR yet but I assume the person in question may be at lunch still. Vicky's course of chemo last year started in May and she was off work for a week at a time during that cycle. The start date of the table that her HR have used at this stage relates to the 1st letter she received dated 22/07/09 not to a 12 month period prior to agreed 1st absence date of 18th March. All a bit confusing for me still but better that I try and deal with it than Vicky at the moment.
I didn't take the steroid tabs the last time I had chemo and managed fine without them. Better being a bit tired than being aTigger on speed!
However the steroid injection I had on Wednesday before this chemo really affected me. I woke yesterday morning at 6 a.m. and thought Oh well, steroids kicking in. Didn't realise how much until 4 o'clock this morning! Still wide awake! I've now broken my own record................22 hours without sleep! Fell asleep at some point after this and woke at 7 a.m. Don't feel tired today......yet!!
Hope the tiredness doesn't kick in later on. I'm off to see Mamma Mia on the big screen at Shugborough Hall with hubby and youngest son and his wife and kids. We ladies/girls have all got our tinsel wigs to wear! Should be a good time..............if I stay awake!
Now then, do I wear the tinsel wig on top of Wilma the wig or on it's own? Decisions, decisions all the time decisions
Hope everyone who has had treatment/ops this week are doing well.
Jean your tinsel wigs sound excellent. Have a fab time tonight and hopefully you’ll get a good nights sleep afterwards!!
Stuart lets hope this problem is resolved quickly. What a nightmare for you both on top of everything else!! Keep strong x
Sam I’m so glad you can help Stuart, it all sounds so complicated! Glad your doing well and the end of chemo is in sight.
Jenney I too shaved my hair off as soon as it began coming out and it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be having no hair.
Heather how lovely to hear from you. I can’t believe you’ve finished chemo already (although it feels like it’s been forever I know). I finish mine next week yippeeee! My hairs growing back slowly and grey too. It seems such a long time ago that I was drying, colouring and straightening my hair and now it feels like it’s taking forever to grow to any length!
Wendy I’ve been thinking of you and hopefully you have good news for us x
Laila hope your hands and feet recover soon x
Paula is must be lovely having someone on hand to do your nails (a bit of pampering is what you need at this time), and hopefully it’ll help you to keep your nails.
