Just an FYI as of January 1, 2009

taleena
taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I posted this as a reply on another thread, but with all the new members wasn't sure if everyone had the chance to see it, and I believe it's important enough to post again.. sorry to those of you who are seeing a re-play..

Just as an FYI, January 1, 2009 congress passed a new section on the disabilities act. Cancer has been classified as a disability (including breast cancer) and therefore your employer must make reasonable accomodations for you. I am pasting a the following link... It has a lot of information on this topic. Even if your doctor says your ready to return to work, the stress (emotional) of the cancer, is part of having it, had it, being treated or have been treated for it. Check it out I am sure you may find it helpful. Just copy and paste it to your browser.

Good Luck..

~T
http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/cancer.html

Comments

  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #2
    Thanks Taleena. This is
    Thanks Taleena. This is important information for a lot of survivors!
  • jgridley
    jgridley Member Posts: 169
    #3
    Thanks T....I wished I would
    Thanks T....I wished I would have know this earlier...I hated to go back to work so soon after my second surgery, however couldn't afford to be off with out money coming in.

    This helps in the fact that I can't lift over 10 pounds at work and I get a lot of grief from it.

    Julie
  • mimivac
    mimivac Member Posts: 2,143 Member
    #4
    EEOC
    Good to know, T. I interned at the EEOC here in DC during law school. I remember working on several ADA cases. I hope this change helps those who need it.

    Mimi
  • rjjj
    rjjj Member Posts: 1,822 Member
    #5
    Just thought
    I would bump this thread back up..for all the ones who are having such difficulty tying to work and have treatments.Thank you for the link, jackie
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #6
    thank you
    This is such helpful information for many of us.
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #7
    lynn1950 said:

    thank you
    This is such helpful information for many of us.

    I was really glad to have
    I was really glad to have found it.. It was information that I know I needed.. if it comes in handy to others... WONDERFUL.

    ~T
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #8
    taleena said:

    I was really glad to have
    I was really glad to have found it.. It was information that I know I needed.. if it comes in handy to others... WONDERFUL.

    ~T

    Thanks, T. I go back to

    Thanks, T. I go back to work next Wednesday, and I had planned to go back full time, although I knew it would be very stressful. My boss actually asked me if I wanted to come back part time. Other than the fact that she is a caring person, I'm sure that she was aware of this new regulation.

    Joyce
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #9
    jk1952 said:

    Thanks, T. I go back to

    Thanks, T. I go back to work next Wednesday, and I had planned to go back full time, although I knew it would be very stressful. My boss actually asked me if I wanted to come back part time. Other than the fact that she is a caring person, I'm sure that she was aware of this new regulation.

    Joyce

    Joyce.. good luck going back
    Joyce.. good luck going back to work.. I haven't taken any real time off yet other than for the lumpectomy on Tuesday.. I went in yesterday just to do payroll and then headed out the door again. I am sure that bigger companies are aware of the regulation changes, however, I am sure there are many that are not... Good luck and hope your feeling better.

    ~T
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #10
    taleena said:

    Joyce.. good luck going back
    Joyce.. good luck going back to work.. I haven't taken any real time off yet other than for the lumpectomy on Tuesday.. I went in yesterday just to do payroll and then headed out the door again. I am sure that bigger companies are aware of the regulation changes, however, I am sure there are many that are not... Good luck and hope your feeling better.

    ~T

    When I had my lumpectomy and

    When I had my lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy, I took only a couple days off for each (they were done at two separate times). But, when I was doing radiation, I did start working part time, so you may want to consider that when you get to that point. I left work at 3:00, went for the treatment, and then went home instead of going back to work. Fortunately, my radiation oncologist was only 15 minutes from work and 30 minutes from home. Just that 1 - 2 hours a day helped keep me from being exhausted all the time.

    In April, I had a mastectomy with reconstruction (the tummy tuck type), so I've been out of work for eight weeks. My abdomen has been the worst part of the recovery, along with not having a lot of endurance. I just talked to my boss, and I'm going back with the same schedule I had for radiation, at least for a few weeks. Your post helped me make that decision, so thank you very much!

    Joyce
  • taleena
    taleena Member Posts: 1,612 Member
    #11
    jk1952 said:

    When I had my lumpectomy and

    When I had my lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy, I took only a couple days off for each (they were done at two separate times). But, when I was doing radiation, I did start working part time, so you may want to consider that when you get to that point. I left work at 3:00, went for the treatment, and then went home instead of going back to work. Fortunately, my radiation oncologist was only 15 minutes from work and 30 minutes from home. Just that 1 - 2 hours a day helped keep me from being exhausted all the time.

    In April, I had a mastectomy with reconstruction (the tummy tuck type), so I've been out of work for eight weeks. My abdomen has been the worst part of the recovery, along with not having a lot of endurance. I just talked to my boss, and I'm going back with the same schedule I had for radiation, at least for a few weeks. Your post helped me make that decision, so thank you very much!

    Joyce

    Wow Joyce.. you've had a
    Wow Joyce.. you've had a time of it haven't you. I'm glad that you are able to go back to work on a part time basis until you can build up your endurance and strength.. You had a lumpectomy and a masectomy? Not trying to pry, just curious. Was the lumpectomy very long ago? To be honest that was my fear when I decided to do the lumpectomy.. to go through all of that to end up having a masectomy anyway. Was it do to the results of the sentinel node biopsy? Okay playing a thousand questions again.. sorry.

    Hope your feeling better and better every day!

    ~T
  • jk1952
    jk1952 Member Posts: 613
    #12
    T, I had the lumpectomy and
    T, I had the lumpectomy and radiation in 2000 (small amount of invasive cancer) and was fine until DCIS was discovered early this year in the same breast. Since it was the same breast, I had to have a mastectomy, and 'normal' reconstruction couldn't be done, because of the radiation. Fortunately, there was a plastic surgeon, whose office is about 2 miles from my house, who performs DIEP and free TRAM reconstruction. He's quite a 'rock star' in his field, and is well known both in Syracuse and within plastic surgery circles for the quality work that he does. Since you can only have one DIEP reconstruction, and I had had biopsies of the other breast, I decided to have a bilateral mastectomy. I ended up with a tummy tuck from the procedure, which has been the harder part of the recovery.

    The doctor and his PA both say that I am doing very well, and I feel good except that I poop out after six or seven hours.

    But, the bottom line is, I have no regrets that I went the lumpectomy and radiation route. I wasn't ready to have a mastectomy in 2000, and there have been a ton of treatment advances since then. I was one of the first women in Syracuse to have the sentinel lymph node biopsy: otherwise, you'd have to have 30+ nodes out. Now, that's the surgery that everyone has. Also, nine years ago, the DIEP reconstruction wouldn't have been an option. I'm sure that if you have to have a mastectomy, sometime in the future, you'll also find that there are new and better treatments available.

    Joyce

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