Thanks @mama.p. I’ve looked at the eligibility criteria and I don’t see how I’d be eligible. I don’t have any difficulties with dressing, cooking, personal care, mobility etc. Hopefully, I won’t. For example I drove myself to work and came home and cooked dinner for the family. I will bear it mind, should things change though. Thank you. X
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I was diagnosed in July 2023. I havent worked since surgery in August 23. I had chemo from Sept 23 to Jan 24, then RT through March 24. Im due to start Abemaciclib and zometa this week so not returned to work until i know I can manage te SEs. I got 6 months SSP and got my holiday pay in 2 lump sums. Im now getting Employment and Support Allowance. I got advice on applying through Macmillan. It was an easy online application but they sent me an extra form to be filled in by a health professional. I asked my oncologist to fill it in and he agreed. Im currently getting about £90 a week but this increases next month by quite a bit based on the info provided by my onc. Im not eligible for PIP. The amount of ESA you get depends on which group they put you in. The DWP pays yor NI stamp whilst youre getting it.
DLA is now only paid to children and Attendance Allowance is only for peope of retirement age. Hope you get sorted.
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Yea, I’ve looked into the PIP idea. One would hope that activities of living are still quite possible despite treatment. I for one intend to go to the gym in between treatments - I’ll see how that goes. Was in the middle of C25K when I discovered the lump and am determined to finish it prior to surgery - got 4 runs left to do in next 11 days, so I’m hopeful.
Single parent, no partner to rely on physically or financially, so if there is a gap between surgery and RT starting, will see about squeezing in some shifts at work ( NHS). No way could I afford to go down to half pay, just wouldnt cover the bills.
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You can finish c25k. @entropy after your surgery you could probably do brisk walks to keep your fitness up. Hope it goes well. I was able to work after both my ops but now waiting for results. Good luck x
Disability Allowance has been discontinued in England and Wales and replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Scotland is replacing PIP with Adult Disability Payment. Not sure about N Ireland.
I haven’t worked since my diagnosis, and lost Statutory Sick Pay after 6 months. Like you I am now on ESA and my oncologist completed the form to confirm when my treatment ends. I started to apply for PIP just before chemo and waited 2 weeks to see if I had anything else I could add regarding side effects. I was awarded PIP at the basic level, no mobility. Every little bit helps and the NI contribution for your state pension is paid.
MacMillan and Maggie’s centre both have people who can advise on benefits etc. As well as citizens Advice
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Thanks for this info @naughty_boob . I’ll look more into PIP. I’d assumed I wouldn’t be eligible. Im waiting for my end of treatment CT scan (next week) to find out whether I’m free of cancer or whether its spread. If there’s NED then I just want to find a way to manage SEs and can hopefully get back to work with some adjustments. If its already metastasised, then it will be another story. Trying to stay positive and taking each day as it comes.
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Hiya, I worked in a college when I had my primary breast cancer. When I started chemo I thought I’d be off but found that there were about 5 days in-between that I couldn’t work so ended up working every other week which the college managed so didn’t have so much anxiety about the workload. I also cried on the 1st day back but it got eadier. When I had radiotherapy I managed to work the half days throughout which really surprised me. I know it’s very different for everyone but working when I felt ok really helped me mentally and in my recovery. What I’m saying is I know how hard it is not to worry but see how you get on and what you find best for you, communicating with work really helped my situation. Wishing you all the very best as we all are, you’re not alone.
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I managed to complete C25K the evening before my op happily. Was going to go to gym just to work on legs today but found out its shut now as bank hol - a good excuse to veg out for the evening. Took my dog out for a longish walk earlier, so still keeping a bit active meantime. Seem to be more tired since op, but then just started my period so could be that.
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Gosh you know I read your post @bluesatsuma and I can sense your anxiety and it captures just how I’m feeling. It’s really rubbish isn’t it? You’ve clearly developed a good career and even with decent sick pay, it’s not enough to make sure we’re financially secure. How are you getting on?
I have an office job I can WFH in and get similarly quite good sick pay terms but when you have cancer which is an unpredictable disease you burn through it in now time. I’ve been off nearly 3 months now for two back-to-back surgeries. It was supposed to be one lumpectomy but that threw up more issues and needed a mastectomy and reconstruction. So I’ve had two major ops and I’ve recently been told both that I have BRCA mutation (so need other breast and ovaries removed - 2 more ops requiring 4-6 weeks recovery) and that for my current cancer I might need 4-5 months of chemo. My first thought when I got the last piece of news was “how will I ever go back to work and keep a roof over our heads?”. I’ve always worked, saved and got myself in an ok position and don’t think I’d be entitled to any financial help, did you manage to receive any? It feels like I’m watching my quality of life slip through my fingers like sand. I’m terrified my critical illness insurance won’t pay anything out. I think I’d feel a lot better if I wasn’t financially stressed. X
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Hi rainbowcat
I’m in a totally different position to you and am truly sorry for what you are going through.
I just wanted to say my critical illness cover paid out without any problems as it was invasive and not insitu, I do hope yours is the same result and will be thinking off you.
Sending hugs
Xx
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Thank you that means a lot @chillout365. I really hope so too - we’ve been on such a run of deeply despairing news I guess I’m just constantly bracing for more because every time I’ve picked myself up I’ve been flattened by something else. But I’ll keep getting up. Sending huge hugs back xx
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Hi @rainbowcat i am so lucky to be in a situation where I wasn’t too worried about money.
I did have a critical illness policy that expired at the end of the month that I found my lump and didn’t get my formal diagnosis until it expired. I had to appeal citing doctors strikes, covid etc and I won. So hopefully yours will also, and if they say not, appeal to them first and then if they still say no you can go to the financial ombudsman. It’s the last thing you want to do dealing with a diagnosis, I had to appeal while awaiting test results twice!
I have been teaching in primary schools covering teachers for over 20 years and have not worked since my diagnosis last year. I was paid full pay for 6 months then half pay for a further 6 months. When the statutory sick pay ran out I was sent a for to apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) contribution based which I received. I also applied for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and my situation allowed that to be agreed also. Depending on your age pre or post retirement will depend on what you can claim.
I haven’t returned to work and on 31 August I take early retirement through redundancy. I believe it is the right decision for me now. I am still in treatment with Herceptin over a year later and would like some ‘me’ when it all finishes mid September (not taking into account Letrozole and Zometa infusion for the next few years!)
You can get advice from MacMillan, they give free benefits advice and also offer grants if you are eligible. I was also told by a HR person that if you have a pension you may be able to claim on it due to cancer diagnosis, mine did not have a scheme to cover this but some apparently do.
Just want to show there is always some help out there.
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Hi @rainbowcat, thanks for your reply. Ive had similar…several ops and still thinking i might a fourth. But a few months on from when i posted this originally, I’m so glad i conserved my sick pay as I’m starting chemo next week. I did have critical illness and used most of it to make me and husband debt free so we have more disposable income now and can save. I have full 6 months pay then half pay for 6 months to get me through chemo, radio and a possible masectomy. I’m a teacher and I feel lucky to have that. How are you doing? Are you finding a way through financially? X
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Thank you @naughty_boob that is incredibly kind of you to share. I have contacted Macmillan about one or two things but definitely will go back to them or the citizens advice person at our local cancer centre to check out if I’m entitled to any other help now or in future. I think I’ve felt like I’m only early 40s and not properly unwell for a long time and thus not deserving of it. Really glad you appealed and applied for what you needed and were successful, and following your example I won’t simply give up if rejected initially. I hope that the early retirement and future treatments go really well for you, and give you that space to be you and not focused solely on health and the consequences of being unwell (such as managing the finances and work). Xx
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Hi @bluesatsuma, Great to hear you were entitled to an insurance payout and used that so effectively to help you alongside your sick pay. I think I under-estimated just how different the actual treatment plan could look compared to the initial plan of treatment proposed at diagnosis. Because first time round was simpler and everything went exactly to plan. I naively thought the same would happen this time. You live and learn what else surgeries and tests can throw up! I’m now hearing lots of stories of women like us having multiple ops before/ after chemo/ radio and realising this is a much more common and realistic picture. TBH I think if more people knew this it might help them financially plan to do what you did ‘conserving’ sick pay to use it when it has the greatest benefit. I know that people mean well in encouraging us to stay off to psychologically recover, for example, after mastectomy ops but that’s a luxury some (many?) can’t afford when the physical treatment and recovery could use 6-12 months sick leave for a cancer diagnosis. And many sick policies are much less generous than ours (mine is v similar to yours).
I’ve been doing ok up to now thanks for asking. I think fear of the unknown is the biggest stress for me. I stayed working after my recent diagnosis before the lumpectomy and SNB op. I somehow suspected I might need the sick leave more later in the process so that saved me about a month of sick leave. In the last 12 weeks, I couldn’t honestly have worked after being battered with difficult lumpectomy, seroma, BRCA diagnosis, mastectomy and reconstruction op, 3.5 weeks with a drain and now the histology results introducing a high likelihood of needing chemotherapy. I’ve gone back to work to conserve the remaining full pay entitlement to cover as much of a potential 4-5 months of chemo. Hoping I might be able to work odd weeks. If not I could go to half pay. Current estimate is I’d have used 8-9 months entitlement up by end of chemo if everything goes smoothly but so far everything has taken double the anticipated timeframe hence why I am twitchy. I was hoping to get on with a risk-reducing oophorectomy ASAP. Physically that may not be possible anyway but I don’t want money to delay it as I’m told my cancer risk is now increasing with age. My partner is confident we can survive financially despite also moving imminently which is costly and awful timing! I would feel MASSIVELY more confident if my insurance claim was successful as I’d use it very wisely like you did however all the curve balls in treatment plans and recovery setbacks make knocked my confidence.
I hope your first chemo session goes well. I’ll be thinking of you and let us know how you’re doing. Take good care of yourself and sending loads of hugs. X
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Yes I agree that people should try to conserve sick pay initially as it is uncertain how the treatment plan will change. Its so hard as when you get the diagnosis you want to retreat, but I kept working so i could save my full pay and I’m so glad that i did now. @rainbowcat I hope your insurance pays out and you can relax a bit more, especially with your house move coming up. It’s very difficult to get through this, financially and emotionally, but we can do it. Hope all goes well. Keep me posted x
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Oh yes the desire to retreat is strong! Thank you sure I’ll drop back in again soon. X
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I had critical illness insurance with decreasing cover - the year I claimed was actually the last year I could actually claim. I was low grade and early but it was invasive breast cancer and they did pay out . Due to an initial failed procedure then a shoulder injury and family problems then COVID I had been off sick for nearly nine months plus sickness after my Mum had died the previous year meant that I was coming to the end of my half pay - so although it was not a huge sum it was still very useful .
I’m sure they will pay out to you too - it was tedious and time consuming completing the forms notifying the secretaries of my Consultants , in one case having to contact hospital switchboard to find out who that was so that the Consultants could confirm my claim . I also uploaded copies of all my appointments and GP letters . I had paid off my mortgage already but had to get the mortgage company to put something in writing to that effect .
But well worth it ,you shouldn’t have any problems but try to keep all your letters etc as supporting evidence. Xx
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I’m so so pleased for you that your claim was successful, especially after everything you’ve been through the last couple of year. I hope you’re doing ok. That’s a huge amount to deal with.
I do hope so. They’ve requested more info directly from the medical team rather than wanting the details of appointments and letters from me so I feel quite distant from it all and I guess that leaves a vacuum for your brain to work overtime.
Take care of yourself xx
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I’m fine thanks . Here’s hoping you get your payout sooner rather than later xx
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