Post chemotherapy what happens now

I’m amid the same issues and I’m 61. A phased return will be what your GP will put on the fit-note and that will be as your hubby requests.

As for the time he’s had off and the jobs he can now do, that’s not for me to say. I don’t know what work he’s in?

Your hubbies “grading” is Stage 4 by the look of it and the (holiday) insurance questions will be about treatment and pills, prognosis and such things. Phone them because the online forms will not be easy to fill in properly. At least that’s what I’ve found.

My SSP was the only sick pay so it’s been hard to deal with life away from work. The need for work is still there for me too but even with a part time work as a phased return only HR and your Hubby can work out how much he can do and for how long. It up to a discussion and you fit-note to frame any return to work.

Could you fill out your profile page (press the green round disc with a sofa on it) because then we can see his history and treatments and give better replies to your questions.

Good luck

Hello Noelle970f24 

A warm welcome to the group although I am so sorry to find you joining us.  Let me split my reply up into various answers to your questions.

* Now your husband has completed his chemotherapy, there will be a follow up meeting with scans and a PSA test to see how well the treatment has worked and to discuss any lingering effects of the chemotherapy.

* As for work - Cancer is legally considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010 offering lifelong protection against discrimination and requiring employers to make reasonable adjustments even if you are in remission or finished treatment. SCOPE are knowledgeable about your rights and you can contact them Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 5pm on 0808 800 3333. There is also the Citizens Advice Bureaux. Your husband will be aware of his reduced capabilities and can discuss this with his employers.

* Your husband should have a TNM Score and a Gleason Score from his biopsy (Mine are T3aN0M0 and Gleason 9 (5+4) as an example) plus a note of his PSA score on diagnosis. This will be needed for travel insurance.

* Travel Insurance  - we do have a group for this and here's the link you need:

 Travel insurance forum for cancer patients 

however my fellow Community Champion Derek (excavator) specialises in this subject - I have "tagged" him to this post and he will be along shortly with some advice (he's on holiday himself - somewhere warm at present).

I hope the above helps = please do come back to me with any questions - nothing is too trivial.

Best wishes - Brian.

The NHS app, if you don’t have it I would recommend it. You can get an access code from your GP surgery. The letters to and from your GP and hospital should be there. If they are not you can ask the surgery to add them. Then you don’t need to remember what the details are. You look them up as often as you want. 

Also information on appointments both GP and hospital, along with names and phone numbers is all there. 

Hello John (JohnPM ) 

Just for information, the NHS App only works if you are resident in England (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not pay for this).

For FULL access to your GP records you need to request FULL access with your GP.

Not all hospital appointments will appear on the NHS App - they MAY appear in a section called "Documents" when the hospital Urology or Oncology department have written to your GP.

Many NHS Trusts do not use the NHS App but use other Apps such as "Patient Knows Best", "My Chart" and "Airmid" to name a few.

Best wishes - Brian.

It’s a UK government app I don’t think you can pay for it. It is only for UK public health services. 

For information as of last month 87% of hospitals now enable access via the app. That’s up from 65% a year ago. Those yet to implement it will. The government is committed to every patient having access via the app as part of the 10 year plan. Any public health provider will be required to provide access as part of the removing inequality in healthcare services. 

The intention is widen the scope so that healthcare is as easily managed online as ordering a pizza. 

Hello Noelle970f24,

Following Brian's recent reply I'm following up on travel insurance.

You'll need to wait until your partner's consultant appointment mid February to confirm the extent of his ongoing treatment post chemo. I also had docetaxel during 2024 and am on indefinite HT (prostap) and darolutamide as part of my triplet therapy and had to wait, if memory serves me right, for 6 weeks after the last chemo dose to apply for insurance.

I was able to secure annual woldwide cover for my wife and I. She's 66 and I'm 69 and we both have a few other "routine" health issues. I also had lung cancer in 2014 (surgery and chemo - no recurrence so far). We're using our policy to the max!

You'll probably find a huge variation in price quoted, and some will likely decline cover, but don't let this put you off. To start it's easier and quicker to get online quotes to see what's available, you'll see some recommedations on the travel insurace forum. Comparison sites can be quicker and avoid re-keying your details repeatedly but some insurers claiming to specialise in medical issues often don't use these so are worth a try on their own.

I used a comparison site called albert & eddie which is owned by the same company that also owns Insurancewith and Holidaysafe amongst others (you'll see these on the travel forum as they specialise in medical conditions and others often use them). I went with Holidaysafe. 

Many people also like to 'phone the insurer and I recommend you do this when you've selected a likely candidate to make sure you've answered the medical questions correctly if you are in any doubt whatsoever.

I hope all goes well with the consultation and you're soon on your travels.

On the chemo front I wrote a blog of my experience through treatment and recovery, if you're interested (or just bored and looking for something to do) feel free to have a read - Prostate Cancer Recurrence - Triple Therapy

All the best,

Derek.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply with so much helpful info,  and warmth. ️

Thank you 

Thank you very helpful, sorry for delay in responding it's just a bit overwhelming! But I can see we will be able to navigate this, with all the support available (especially on here) 

Thanks so much