Thyca and your employer

JC_hama
JC_hama Member Posts: 14
in Thyroid Cancer #1
It's been a while since I have been on these boards. I was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma follicular variant in November 2010. I had a TT a week after diagnosis and I am just now getting ready to do my ablation RAI treatment. Why you ask? Well, a bunch of incidents that just lead to this! I requested a 2nd opinion after my surgery regarding RAI, then had a body scan using Thyrogen which came back with something funny on the results. Was sent for a CT with contrast, then had to go back to the ENT for a consult, turned out it was nothing. Then had to wait 6 weeks for the contrast to leave my body completely. That was right around the time the Thyrogen shortage began and then my town suffered an EF5 tornado that destroyed the hospital where I had my surgery as well as the doctors offices that I was visiting. Thank God I had switched to another oncologist and Endo a few months prior because I don't know what I would have done. Even with the switch, our town was not in a good place and everything just kind of fell to the back burner. Anyway, the Thyrogen is in for me to complete treatment. I am on the low iodine diet right now. I have been cooking and freezing meals like crazy so I won’t starve! LOL! I am scheduled for Thyrogen October 5 and 6 and the RAI on the 7.

Now for my question, has anyone every activated their FMLA at work for their treatment? What about disability? The reason I am asking is because I have had to activate my FMLA so that I can care for my daughter who is ill and my employer won't let me use FMLA for both my Thyca treatment and my daughters illness. They say I have to pick one and suggested it be the one that lasts the longest. Well, that's a hard call. If I take the RAI and do the body scan a week later and they find something then it's not over. On the flip side, my daughter’s illness isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It was suggested to me to activate disability for a short time and was just curious if anyone else has ever done that for their thyca treatment.

Cathy

Comments

  • nasher
    nasher Member Posts: 505 Member
    #2
    faimly medical leave act
    well no i didn't have to do FMLA i got the time off though because my job was military they gave me convalescence leave (sick time).

    I was doing a little reading on FMLA and i do can not see the justification of your employer to say you can only take one or the other... but im no lawyer. did you ask your boss or your HR department?

    I am assuming you already used up all your sick days... I do know some jobs in my area some people are able to donate some of there vacation or sick time to a person with chronic illness... but i dont know much of the how that works.

    personally I wouldn't want to work for an employer who wouldn't do everything to try to help you but in this economy I can understand why you cant just swap jobs.

    oh curious do you have copies of your medical records or were they destroyed when the hospital and doctors office were destroyed.

    I don't know how many days or what condition your daughter has. I am also guessing you are unmarried or your spouse had other issues making it so they can do it.

    Other options might be friends or family who can take care of your daughter for her conditions there may be some other state options that can help with your daughter.

    I never heard of the FMLA before to be honest but its your companies HR department and not your boss who probably knows the rules more.

    looking back at my 1 year out scan I had thryogen Monday, Tuesday, RAI test dose Wednesday and the scan on Thursday and results 2 hours later. That way if they needed to do a treatment dose I was still on my LID. If they are planning on giving you a treatment dose you will defiantly need to be out of work for a few days.

    I have found most of my doctors will communicate with me VIA E-mail (they get back to me within 48 hours) mabey you can get something similar setup so you don't need to take as much time off for cretin things or you can discuss the FMLA with them.

    again without knowing more about your situation this is about all i can come up with. I wish you luck and hopefully someone else will have more knowledge about this subject
  • CLRRN
    CLRRN Member Posts: 127
    #3
    Hmmmm
    Hi Cathy,

    Sorry you are going through all this. I took medical leave when I had my thyroid out (8/2011). Here is the link for FMLA.

    http://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/WH-381.pdf

    I don't see where it reads "you can only select one" however I agree that you want to take the one that keeps you out the longest. I used my FMLA in conjunction with short term disability (STD), I was required to provide updates to my employer and the STD company and once I was cleared to go back to work, the FMLA ended. If your daughter's condition is chronic, you may want to use that as your reason.

    Glad they found you some thyrogen. I stopped cytomel on 9/23 and now on the LID. Will get RAI on 10/13. Good times right??? LOL Good luck w/your treatment

    Hope that helps (a little).

    Chris
  • iggymurphy
    iggymurphy Member Posts: 34
    #4
    Days not type
    I am taking FML for mine and our human resource department explained that it is the total days off not the type (I asked about continues vs intermittent leave). They were more than happy to switch me later if something new came up. The doctor just needs to sign the appropriate paper work.

    Pretty sure you can take both as long as it isn't greater than the number of weeks allowed (and for some reason I can't remember if that is 12 or 26 weeks).
  • JC_hama
    JC_hama Member Posts: 14
    #5
    iggymurphy said:

    Days not type
    I am taking FML for mine and our human resource department explained that it is the total days off not the type (I asked about continues vs intermittent leave). They were more than happy to switch me later if something new came up. The doctor just needs to sign the appropriate paper work.

    Pretty sure you can take both as long as it isn't greater than the number of weeks allowed (and for some reason I can't remember if that is 12 or 26 weeks).

    Thanks for the relpies on
    Thanks for the relpies on this topic. I think that I am going to call my local labor office and ask them so when I confront HR about it I can have something to back me up. I am just afraid that I wont have enough leave to cover everything that is going on. I try to make appointments on my lunch break and after work hours, but it doesnt always work out that way. I am also not sure how long the dr. is going to put me out for the RAI treatment. I am starting RAI this friday and took off that day and the following monday. I am hoping to go back to work on tuesday. How long were you out on leave from RAI?

    Cathy
  • sunnyaz
    sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
    #6
    JC_hama said:

    Thanks for the relpies on
    Thanks for the relpies on this topic. I think that I am going to call my local labor office and ask them so when I confront HR about it I can have something to back me up. I am just afraid that I wont have enough leave to cover everything that is going on. I try to make appointments on my lunch break and after work hours, but it doesnt always work out that way. I am also not sure how long the dr. is going to put me out for the RAI treatment. I am starting RAI this friday and took off that day and the following monday. I am hoping to go back to work on tuesday. How long were you out on leave from RAI?

    Cathy

    I was out for nine days
    I was out for nine days including the weekend. I worked with a pregnant woman so I couldn't be around her for at least seven days. I was grateful but I didn't get paid for all of the days because I didn't have enough PTO saved up.
    Julie
  • NicoleDawn
    NicoleDawn Member Posts: 5
    #7
    JC_hama said:

    Thanks for the relpies on
    Thanks for the relpies on this topic. I think that I am going to call my local labor office and ask them so when I confront HR about it I can have something to back me up. I am just afraid that I wont have enough leave to cover everything that is going on. I try to make appointments on my lunch break and after work hours, but it doesnt always work out that way. I am also not sure how long the dr. is going to put me out for the RAI treatment. I am starting RAI this friday and took off that day and the following monday. I am hoping to go back to work on tuesday. How long were you out on leave from RAI?

    Cathy

    my RAI
    I had a really interesting experience with my RAI. I was in the hospital for less than 48 hours and the geiger meter said I was good to go! (Yes, it spoke! :P) Anyways, my older sister was getting married about a week later and my doctor was concerned about me getting on an airplane. So he gave me this release form. My mother and I went into that airport prepared to be tackled. We were so frightened because we had no idea what to expect. When I got to the metal detector, I handed the paper to the TSA and they looked at me like they didn't give a flying patootie.. I could have walked in there with a chemical bomb.. as long as it didn't have metal!

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