I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer on Sep 23, aged 35.
I just wanted to know if you were all still going into work in between treatments and appointments? And whether your company needed sick notes to cover you for all your time off?
I’ve had a lumpectomy & SN Biopsy. I’ve been booked in for a Masectomy, but have been canceled twice due to an infection. They now think they will start chemotherapy first instead of surgery, so I’m not quite sure whats happening, I will find out later this week.
I’m starting to feel guilty as I’ve been off work for a while now. I feel physically able to work now, but mentally I just want time out, whilst I’m unsure of what’s going on. (Not knowing is the worst thing for me, I just need to get on with everything - now!!)
Work have been good so far, they don’t expect me in, they just said whenever you can. But from a HR point of view, do they need to have sick notes that cover all my days off? Or is the diagnosis enough for them?
I have one note for 2 weeks after the biopsy, but as my masectomy was canceled, I don’t have notes to cover me for the extra time off. Not sure I can ask the doctor for them as I am physically able to work?
I think you will need sick notes for all the time off but I am sure your GP will happily provide them.Its totally understandable not to want to face work.In fact I tried to work straight after my diagnosis before surgery and went to my GP for something else and he signed me off as he said I wouldn’t be safe to work.(health professional)They have always been happy to sign me off while I await treatment.Its not just the physical abliity to work that counts,its the emotional side of thing too.Having time off to rest and sort your head is just as important.
Good luck
Dot
xxx
I had worked solidly for 33 years before diagnosis and one of the things I found hardest was dealing with the stupid guilt of not working. I made myself worse trying to carry on, not only that but my performance at work was awful. I have kicked all that into touch with the help of my BCN and my immediate boss and have been off sick for 7 months now. My treatment is due to end on 18th Dec. You do not need to be physically unable to work all through your treatment to get med certs. Your illness makes huge demands on your energy and emotional wellbeing too and your GP will understand. Apart from anything else you will have so many appointments for scans, blood tests, etc that it will be difficult in practical terms. Some people do benefit from working but it depends on all sorts of things like your hours, your work tasks, what treatment you are having and so on. If you don’t feel able to work don’t put that pressure on yourself.
Whether you need certs to cover all your time off will depend on what your employer’s policy is and if you are getting statutory Sick Pay (SSP). I was getting full pay for a while which incorporated an element of SSP and I did need to put in certs. Talk to your boss or HR dept to be sure. If you are off for more than 28 weeks you will need to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). (If you are wondering how I know all this I work for DWP.) It will be easier and better for you financially in the long run if you have certs to cover the whole period.
The day I was diagnosed, my husband went down to tell my headteacher. She rang me and suggested I went off sick as my head would be all over the place.
My GP wrote me a sick note for 6 months which simply said, breast cancer. I actually needed to extend this a little as i had 8 chemo cycles as well as surgery and RT.
Kelley
Hi all my GP wrote me a sick note stating i was unfit for work untill further notice. I too have felt guilty about not working as i look able. My GP would not hear of me working while having chemo as he was concerned about picking up infections [swine flu etc]. He is still reluctant to sign me off almost a year from diagnosis. I had a meeting with my manager with view to returning in next few weeks but plan to go part time.This is a horrible thing to be diagnosed with and not very pleasant treatment so be kind to yourself and take as long as you need. I am sure your GP will provide the relevant sick notes. take care kittyx
hi, i was of work for 10 months - basically from the day i was diagnosed until all my chemo and radio had finished and i felt well enough - both mentally and pysically - to return to work. I just felt i had to concentrate on the treatments rather than work as well - but i know there are also lots of women who do manage to combine work and treatment successfully. I take my hat off to them because i was in no fit state - mentally - to do any work!
Carol
Hi, I’m a year on from diagnosis, had WLE, full node clearnace, 28 weeks chemo, 19 sessions radiotherapy and am now on 18 doses of herceptin. Have used up all sick pay and have been put in support group for ESA so now I don’t need sick notes, might go back to work after christmas if headteacher sorts out my hours to suit me, at present she hasn’t even contacted me in half a term. So until she gets in contact don’t feel obliged to go back she and HR have been awful even tried to get me to take ill health retirement.
Looks like you have had lots of advice and examples where people have been able to get the time off work that they needed. My mum did the same with her treatment - didn’t go back until all the treatment was finished, whereas I am different and benefit from going back. I am lucky to have very understanding managers and policies where I work.
I had 3 weeks off after surgery, and have been given free license to attend whatever hospital appointments I have needed, working from home where I can and need to. We have put alternative arrangements (extra staff and rearranging roles slightly) in place so that my current unreliability doesn’t impact too much.
I have been back to work since surgery for 3 weeks now (today was the start of week 4) and I started chemo last friday. So far I feel fit and well and will continue to work until I feel too tired or sick to do so. We are all so different though. I have my head around this (I think!) and need to feel as normal as possible - sitting around at home will not help me achieve this.
Try not to worry and talk to your boss and HR department to get clarification.
Love
Flora xxx
PS. I did get a sick note very easily from my doctor for the 3-weeks off post surgery, and I am sure he would have given me whatever I needed depending on my state. He wanted to give me more than the 3 weeks I wanted, but could see I was determined to go back!! I’ve since had only 1 full day off (for the chemo), and one part day so have self-certified for that. I may need more soon, but so far, chemo has been good to me!
The first sick note I got was for 6 months. After that I was given one for 12 weeks at a time, I was signed off in total for 14 months. I didn’t get any benefits as I was a jobseeker but not entitled to JSA when I was diagnosed; I was signing on for NI only. Long story, but a couple of years prior to my diagnosis I had to move back to Scotland from London to take care of my dad who at that point was in the early stages of dementia. The upheaval meant I incurred a gap in NI as I was initially given the wrong info about claiming Disabled Carers Allowance and didn’t get anything until 6 weeks prior to my dad going into care; it could only be backdated for 3 months so I missed out on about 5 months benefit. This meant I could not get either JSA or IB and I was turned down for DLA on the grounds that according to a GP at my surgery that despite having cancer I was not sick enough.
8 months down the line from surgery I (quite by chance) spoke to someone from MacMillan who advised we should have been getting Working Tax Credit as we had started a small business 6 weeks before my diagnosis. Once again, we missed out on much needed money as it could only be backdated 3 months. Up to that point we had been living frugally on savings as we had no real customer base and my OH was taking on jobs for £95 that would take an entire week to complete. Our savings also meant we could not get help with travel when I was going 50 miles a day for rads,then every 3 weeks for chemo.I’m now self employed and never want to have to deal with the DWP or Jobcentre again if I can help it, they were just so rude and ignorant every time I had an enquiry.
It’s my experience that they never give out the right information to people who have paid their taxes for years. It’s like they don’t want you to know what you are entitled to. I do voluntary work in an office that deals mainly with people on benefits, some of whom have substance problems and who may have never worked for years. Ironically, they know exactly what they are entitled to claim. Some also get furniture,carpets,food and bus passes for free travel. I enjoy the few hours I do, but it’s hard to see other people taking out without having paid in.
I had 8.5 months off work, at first felt a bit like your self as had to wait 8 weeks between surgery and starting chemo and felt OK to work however was told that our office is a breeding ground for germs and to stay home, I did and didn’t feel guilty at all, I had worked for same compnay for 11 years hardly ever having days off sick or using the allowed dependency with my kids. Their usual sickpay is 16 weeks - I got 32 weeks + 2 months sickpay.
My Gp issued sicknotes every month to start with as he wanted me in for a chat to see how I was doing (I had been very upset after first visit with Onc due to crap prognosis so they wanted to keep intouch, then I became first patient to get taxotere + herceptin so an added interest, this was diagnoses Dec 05).
I went back to work when starting rads Sept 06, my manager fixed it that I was scheduled as re-training so hours missing didn’t count, I really enjoyed getting back to normal world but found it very tiring. Infact it wasn’t intil new year 07 that all my work mates commented that I was now beginning to look less tired and starting to get my bounce back.
After going back to work I didn’t take anymore time off until recon Dec 07 and was signed off for 9 weeks in total, I felt ready to go back after week 8 but my work insisted that I would have to get the PS cons to sign me fit for work, thought sod it and enjoyed another week off full pay, no way was I going to take up an appt for that.
When I got diagnosed a very good friend who was also diagnosed in her 30’s with young children advised me to treat myself as I would one of my kids, And how true and wise words they were. Treatment takes alot out of you…listen to your body and do whats right for you.
I am really pleased you had a GP who was interested in Taxotere + Herceptin. I had to have my treatment moved to another hospital 25 miles away as the hospital who did my FEC were only licensed to do the Taxotere. I was a bit of a “celeb” as I was going to be the first patient to get it there, but then my tests came back Her2+, hence the move to the other hospital.
My GP thought Herceptin was a tablet you took every day, despite the fact it had been all over the news and was in all the medical journals when I was diagnosed. In fact, I had little or no contact with my GP between the 12 week appointments for my certificate renewal. I also had letter from consultants marked “no action” and just filed away when there was important info in them. A while back Stirling University published a study about the experiences of cancer patients, their Consultants, nurses and GPs. The GPs in the study admitted they were guilty of just leaving everything to the hospital Consultants. My Oncologist was exasperated by my GP at the end as he was refusing permission for them to give me a counselling referral at the end of treatment. She just overruled him and said the Consultants here have problems with the attitude of GPs all the time. The psychologist I saw said the same, she had worked in different parts of the country and said the GPs in my health authority all seemed to have probs with cancer patients and counselling,yet in other health authorities they automatically referred patients if they thought they would benefit.
Thing is, I don’t want to move to another surgery as mines is one of the better one here in terms of funding, having their own clinics, etc. It’s just the attitude of some of the GPs, most of the really caring ones have retired and they younger ones seem to have a certain type of “attitude” towards their patients.
Hi everyone, I am new to this site. I started a 6 month contract with an employment agency in September just gone. My GP discovered a lump soon after. I was diagnosed on 8th October, underwent a lumpectomy on 19th October. The day after I was discharged from hospital, the agency phoned to say my job had been filled by an existing member of staff at the company, I was no longer needed and obviously once I am better they would find me something else. I am receiving SSP only. Have sought advice as feel I was discriminated against. I have had a seroma which has been drained 4 times.The hospital are recommending radiotherapy, then chemo. I had Grade III cancer and hormone therapy is not an option for me.I have an appt with oncologist next week to discuss my treatment. I would like to work around my treatment, but feel very emotional at the moment and thats before treatment!! Would appreciate any advice, help, support
Sorry to hear you’ve had such a rough time. Those of us with understanding employers sometimes forget that not everyone does.
Have you been in touch with MacMillan? They are very good with specialist advice for cancer patients. They have contacts with lots of different Government agencies so can offer advice on a wide range of things including additional sources of income, legal and employment issues and help you with a coping strategy.
Thank you very much. The macmillan help line put me in touch with Equalities/Human Rights Commission, who think I may have been discriminated against. They never mentioned about different sources of income to me!
Just spoke to BCN and she mentioned a support group that takes place in a couple of weeks not too far from me - she seemed to think I may benefit from counselling which I think I would.
Thanks for all your help guys. I’ve booked an appointment with the doctors and will ask him for a long term sick note.
I’ve just found out i’ve got my chemo in a couple of weeks too. The oncologist wasn’t too keen on me going in to work anyway, as I work in a busy open plan office. Too many germs!!
i was signed off for 2 weeks after repeat mammo when radiologist suggested it was most likely a new primary tumour, i got a second sick line for two weeks for surgery… and then i got a 6 month line which will be due up in the next week or so.
last chemo was just yesterday and then ill be having rads into the new year.
i only started my job a year (and 10 days) ago and was unofficially diagnosed 6 months after i started… as im still undergoing treatment i have no idea when i will be physically and mentally fit enough to return… the 2 hour commute each way doesnt help although i totally love my job its the thought of getting there and being able to function that concerns me most, especially working as a health professional and now having limited movement of both arms and chemo brain, and requiring antidepressants.
im now on half pay and this apparently runs out in march.
can anybody tell me what happens to annual leave? this AL year iv had 1 AL day and 1 PH day and normally entitled to 29 AL and 8 PH… my line manager has said that i can carry only 1 week over to the next year (from april) but that i will need to use my hols as part of a phased return… i dont even know if i will feel fit enough to return at the beginning of march (7 weeks after last rads) but dont want to lose full pay holiday leave while im having to make do with half pay on sick leave…
Your time scales all sound pretty similary to mine. I’m on reduced pay until February and then will chat with work again. My rads don’t start until mid January though. I too joined my company in January last year and then got diagnosed in the June.
My company have been fantastic. They’ve not even had a sick note or asked for one. I had accrued holiday and i was paid out on my remaining holiday which was a great help. I know the law has changed now and whilst off sick you aree allowed to accrue and keep holiday. As to you using your remaining holiday being used for going back to work slowly … not sure that is strictly correct but i’m not an expert on this. I do know that you are tohave all appointments and hospital visits etc free so to speak (i.e. not taken from your holiday entitlement nor taken from your pay).
I know the Breast Cancer care people have a leaflet outlining certain things about employment etc, which you can download from this site. The other option is to give them a ring - they will be able to help you - they are extremely approachable and will help if they can, if they can’t, I’m sure you’ll be pointed in the right direction.
Good luck my love and let me know if you find out anything further.
There are several articles like the one above that state following a recent court case,workers should not lose holiday accrued while off sick.So if you don’t return by the end of march (which would not be unexpected given what you have been through)they should pay you for your holidays or allow you to carry them forward.
The question re using them as phased return is difficult as I was told that ay happen to me but after 3 phased returns I have not had to use AL.
Do you have a union rep?
Good luck
Dot
x