Hi, new here and thought I'd say hi and introduce myself to the group.

Immune system
Hi Pete,
Welcome to the board, I'm in treatment now for Stage 2 Tonsil cancer, everything is going
well except for the loss of taste but thats just part of the process. I see from your post that
You mentioned a product for the immune system, please before you purchase anything check
Out "Transfer Factor Plus" there is no other natural product on the market that raises your
NK cells 437% above baseline. It is not an herb, vitamin or mineral, it is a molocule that
Programs your own system. Do some research and if you are interested get in touch and I
Will send you more info on the product.

Once more welcome to the board.
God Bless

Tonsil Dad
Dan.

D Lewis said:

Hi Pete
I took a total of 24 weeks off from work, and got through two surgeries, and eight weeks of concurrent chemo and rads. So, it was somewhere around 10 weeks or so after treatment that I was able to go back to a desk job with a 45-minute commute.

Deb

Bienvenido Pete
I was off work around nine months but discovered I had little appetite for the work I was doing post treatment. The disease changes you. All the best in your journey!

pete_55 said:

Thanks
D Lewis, I was off work for 3 or 4 weeks during my surgeries, and then when the radiation started, I have been off for almost 8 weeks so far. My boss says my time away from work only goes another few weeks, then I either have to go back or risk losing my job! But I don't want to work if the body isn't ready, yet need to work, so it's a big consideration right now.
Did you run into anything like that? If so, how did you handle it, etc? My only source of income has been my brother paying my bills to keep a roof over my head!

ratface, thanks for your comment also. I know what you mean about the disease changing you. My priorities seem so much different now than they did just 3 months ago! I no longer want to work, but to aim towards something meaningful that will give me some pleasure in my old age and not worry about the money aspect of it!

Income
Pete, did you know you are probably eligible for Social Security Disability. Most head and neck cancers automatically qualify you for 18 months of disability assuming you've paid into SS. I didn't know this when I was diagnosed in 2004. In 2006 my health started deteriorating due to the previous radiation (the gift that keeps on giving). It took me two solid years of fighting with Social Security to start drawing disability. You might want to check out online whether your cancer qualifies and contact your SS office right away. They are not very quick.

pete_55 said:

Income response
Hi George_Baltimore. Am responding to this almost 2 months late, but I haven't been on here for a long time. I went to work too early I think, and all of a sudden, I've felt just like I was back getting radiation again! You mentioned your health deteriorating due to previous radiation and I'd like to discuss this with you if you would. I've felt weak and nauseous again, etc. You said concerning radiation, "(the gift that keeps on giving)"; does it continue to affect you long afterwards? I can't get any straight answers from my doctors!
Also would like to ask about SS if you wouldn't mind.

Hi Pete - Hi George_Baltimore
Hey guys...I'm glad Pete came in this thread even if it was two months later...Pete, I imagine you figured out by now how long it took to get back to work....George_Baltimore ...I'm glad I read your respones to Pete b/c I finished treatments Janaury 20th 2012 and I swear the first month I could hardly get out of bed. Now to be full disclosure..I was not an active athletic type before I got sick. In fact I was a big guy at 320 lbs.....about a month after my last treatment I started back to work (manager of two hotels and an RV Park) ...could barely make it 6 hours on my feet (my job requires I stand and move around most of the time ..and talk, talk, talk. I oversee a staff of about 25 people down season between the 3 entities I manage....then about a month after I first went back to work (this would be around the first of Arpil 2012) the mucous went away and most of the pain went away ...from a 8-10 scale to a 4-5 scale...and for the month of April I thought I fetl pretty good...then around the last week of April I went off the fentynal patches and Narco ....but jus the last 2 weeks I have started feeling like I did when I first got sick???? My vocal cords are worse today as I write this then they were two weeks ago ...it's lke I have lost strenght in my voice ...and as I write this I feel blaaaahh. But no pain except for a few ulcers in my mouth and a slight burning sensation in my throat where the vocal cords are...

I just had my first PET /CT scan May 7th and got the all clear from the onc. He said I look real good. Then that same week May 10th my ENT did a scope, stuck his finger down my throat and looked at all the sancs as well and said I look good and agreed with the finding of the onc. I told him my voice had just started getting worse...so he was careful to look at my throat in the scope...but still said I look good.

My concern is I NEED my voice to work ....today I was on the phone many, many times and I just know the folks I was talking to thought "who is this guy and why doesn't he call in sick" ...lol...when I apologize for my voice they said "you sound terrible. I don't have allergies (I think) and I don't have symptoms of a cold ....just what I said above and the blahhhh feeling.

So as I am writing this I feel better bc I took two narco and 3 advil....but I just feel like this past two weeks I went backwards? Is that par for the course..is that normal?

I like some of the stuff I read in this thread (thanks Pete for some of those links) and I saw another link to some stuff that I think I might like to get for me (don't remember who posted it) ....

I love the work I do and I don't want to ever have to go on SS (at least not now) ...I have a wife and five kids (my wife was a stay-at-home mom since we got married and only went back to work very part time to help out with the bills ....

..so George ..when I saw you had to go on SS after two years I'd like more history on your case and how you started feeling ...I'd also like to know if my "blaaah feeling" will pass (your opinion) and if it's normal ....

Thanks George and Pete ...or anybody who would like to chime in ..I got some good info from DEB on another thread earlier today

Tim / Idaho
timcogdill@yahoo.com
208.630.4842 cell

George_Baltimore said:

Wet blanket
I really, really don't like being a wet blanket. I am not a lawyer or a representative of Social Security. I can only relate my experience. Diagnosed in Jan. 2004, radiation ended in May, chemo in August. If I remember correctly, I went to work in September. I felt great up until around June of 2006.

I was unaware that I automatically qualified for disability for the BOT as long as I couldn't work for x amount of months. I didn't apply. Even if I had applied, they wait six months before they start sending you checks. You get retroactive pay but you need to be prepared to exist for those six months on no income. You can't be working and draw disability. I believe that SSI is for that. That's supplemental income. I don't want to say too much for fear of guiding you in the wrong direction. The best thing to do is make an appointment to talk to an SS representative. Tell them why you want to come and and what you should bring with you. If you don't live near an SS office, you can apply online. Personally, I think it's better to talk to them face to face. I was asked whether I wanted to apply for SSI also. I said I wasn't sure. She said you may as well. I did and it ended up getting me an extra $9000 in back pay.

I was initially turned down even after four doctors said I couldn't work anymore. Once you are turned down, that is when you go to an attorney that specializes in SS cases. SS headquarters is here in Baltimore. As it turned out, the father of the lawyer I selected used to work for SS and had written alot of the rules, codes, etc. Even so, it took me two solid years to get a hearing and eventually be successful in them overturning their decision. Thank God for family and a dear friend who supported me all that time before I started drawing it. I don't know what I would have done without them.

Pete and Tim, I don't know if I've answered all your questions. As I said, I can only pass on my experiences. If there is anything else that I can help you with, just holler. Oh, I just thought of one other thing, when you hire a lawyer to fight them, the government caps what they are allowed to charge. At the time, my lawyers fee was $5400 and SS sent him a check directly. It might seem like alot but it is well worth it and actually when you are getting two years back pay, you really don't miss it.

wet blanket II
Don't think I explained the wet blanket part. I hate to say it but, with the after effects of radiation stay with you. At least the did with me. I sincerely hope neither of you have to go through what I've been through so far with the after effects.

Tim6003 said:

Thanks George,
I think you did answer my questions.

I took a leave of absence begining November 21 (started treatments then) and did not finish treatments until January 20th. It was another 3 weeks before I returned to work (but fortunately for me as a manager I always made sure I scheduled my hours to work with others so If I got sick or had to stop and rest, I could.

The owner I worked for told me to take the time I needed, when I got back my job would be there ...he held to his word. The owner also provides housing for my family and I and before I even asked if I needed to move out or pay rent ...he said "oh, and by the way..stay in the house bc when you get back all will be as it has been (I pay nothing in this house, no rent, utilities, cable, garbage ..I mean nothing).

The only way my wife and five kids survived is we owed no debt and with no housing costs any money we had went to put food on the table. My brother in law started a Cogdill Relief Fund (without my knowledge at first) and we ended up with a few thousand dollars in that account from friends and family (and a few strangers I might add).

I was going to apply for SS bc I heard you should (this was before I started treatments) bc it takes so long to get approved ...but with all we had on our plate (and I live 100 miles from my treatment center) ...I justs never did. I guess at this point I don't need to. Now 3.5 monhts post treatment I work a normal schedule and get around okay ...I have days when I come home exhausted ...but my job is not physical ...just demanding mentally and being in a small town of 3,000 ppl ...I live 2 blocks from both hotels I manage and the RV park is right next door to our house

I was worried this last week bc my voice was going so badly and still is not where it should be ...but I got some wonderful input from Pat (longtermsurvior) and hopefully nothing will come of this voice issue and it will pass. I was also feeling soooo blaaaah and did not understand why ...but again, Pat (longtermsurvior) shared some great insights.

Prayers for you tonight George (if you don't mind) ....really I did.

Thanks,

Tim / Idaho
timcogdill@yahoo.com
208 630 4842 cell

Hi Tim
You are truly blessed with a phenomenal boss. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I had grown up in a smaller town where people actually cared about one another. I think you just illustrated what it's like. Glad to hear you are doing well! I hope this won't be necessary but, in the future, if the radiation "keeps on giving," don't wait to apply for Disability and SSI. Take care.