Working patients

Hi Again,

My husband, 58, had kidney removed last April -- has mets to both lungs and has been on Sutent.  Dec. scan showed some decrease in size of some of the lesions (first time -- prior to this the growth was halted)  The fatigue is so bad that it is all he can do to get himself to work and home again every day.  His job is high stress --no naps-- and I'm not sure how long he can keep this up.  Our insurance is part of his benefits.

Can anyone give me any ideas or resources that would help us with decisions that will need to be made in the future?  Are most patients able to keep working?  I read that renal cancer is considered a disability....what's that mean?  If he quits his job, we won't have any health insurance for either of us and I can't imagine it would be easy for him to get a new plan at this stage of the game.  Does the fatigue ever get better??

Any help from those of you that have already been down this road would be much appreciated.

 Take care and God bless.

Hi, I'm in the UK, so don't know US employment law, but I would definitely recommend taking legal advice on what your husbands rights in law are. A union may be able to give you good advice too. Do NOT RELY on whatever your husband's employer's human resources/personnel department say - they will act in the employer's interests, not yours. Get independent advice that is in your interests only.

All the very best - the last thing anyone with advanced cancer needs is to be worried about their jobs!

Julie.

Your husband should be eligible for disability.  He should also be eligible for insurance coverage through COBRA, then through Medicaid or Medicare once the Cobra has been used up.

He may also be eligible for FMLA.

Get legal counsel - someone who specializes in helping disabled people.  They know what to do and can get it done much more quickly and efficiently than most people can do on their own..

Your husband can respond to the stress of treatment and recovery much easier if he doesn't have to expend so much energy going to work everyday, so the sooner you do this, the better.

Sincerely,

Tre

I'm so sorry for what you husband is going through.

I have RCC and an on Sutent as well.  I do not have a high stress job and it is still difficult to work.  I have gotten in to a routine and can go home early when needed.  That helps. 

Would his employer allow him to come in later, leave early one or two days a week? take a day off in the middle of the week?

COBRA will cover him if he quits or is fired but it is usually REALLY expensive. 

Talk to you oncologist's business manager and to the oncologist.

Maybe B-12 injections can help some and I found that high protein foods seem to help.  My best tool is routine-- knowing I can make it just until...

I hope this helps.

God bless you both.

Hi I am Lin carer to Railwayman. I agree with the sound advice given by Julie. I am a Solicitor (Lawyer) in Scotland and Partner in my own Legal Firm - of course the law is different in Scotland to the USA however you need to check what his contractual entitlements are if he is (a) off sick and (b) retired due to ill health and (c) if the insurers will allow him to continue with the insurance which presumably is a corporate policy if he leaves his employment. Its worth spending the time and money in getting sound legal advice.

It might be possible for example if he agrees to go early to arrange for his employers as part of his compromise agreement to pay for his insurance. Its worth asking. Regards

Lin

My husband was diagnosed with RCC w/Metastatic Tumors throughout both lungs in late February 2009. He had his Right Kidney w/primary tumor removed on April 2. Since the tumors are throughout both lungs, they cannot remove them.

He is self-employed so we both have our own insurance (thankfully) however, you need to immediately sign up for Social Security Disability Benefits. http://www.ssa.gov/pgm/links_disability.htm  Benefits begin 6 months from date of disability.

There is a checklist at the Social Security Site that you need to make sure you complete and bring with you. I also brought a letter from my husband's Oncologist stating the fact that my husband would be unable to perform any work for the forseeable future.

I also made an appointment and was able to go ahead of all the "drop ins" that were there. It is my understanding that the Medicare portion (which will provide health coverage) won't start for 2 years however I've been told that we may be able to get that started sooner as well. We, too, fear that the insurance rates will be far more than we can pay when the policy renews a the end of this year!

You can get a lot of information on what you need to sign up for at a site called http://www.cancercare.org/

They have a very informative booklet that guides you through the "what to do's" http://www.cancercare.org/ pdf/booklets/ccc_ask_cc.pdf

I retired from my job 2 years ago to help my husband with his business however there is no way we can live on less than $2,000 per month so I am now thinking of going back into the workforce...

Our children and Church have been a tremendous help to us financially the last 4 months but the reality is that I will probably have to have a job with some benefits until Medicare kicks in.

You've got to be proactive right away. Remember, SS Disability takes 6 months before benefits begin, so you will need to give the date of disability as the date in which he began seeking medical help to diagnose problem. My husband's tumor was growing rapidly and cause severe, severe anemia and he was unable to work since December of 2008.

Hope this information is of help...