Feeling out on a limb

[Guest guest]

Hi there

Been lurking but not posting for a while. Mainly because I know I

have questions but I haven't been sure how to form them. Now I am

feeling really low so I am just gonna take a shot at it. So many of

you are so wise, I can only benefit huh?

During the whole oflast year I was fighting a horrible battle at

work which looked like it was going to end up in the labour court.

I got really stressed out in November and asked 'the universe' to

find a way for me toget out of the situation with a little money and

without having to go to court. Later that same week, I took myself

off to the doctor to deal with the " stress " symptoms and got the CML

diagnosis! Bummer.

Anyway, it now became a possibility to apply for disability benefits

and to leave the organisation that way so I stopped fighting my

employer and concentrated on fighting the CML.

The insurers are now suggesting that, because of Gleevec, the CML is

not a disability but something more like Diabetes and therefore I am

not disabled. Which, I guess, is probably true except that I am so

exhausted on the Gleevec that I can hardly do anything!

I am 47 years old, I have 3 kids and a husband and am under pressure

to go full steam ahead for a BMT. My gut is shrieking " NO " but the

doctors are really keen to try it. I do not have a sibling match.

I really need to talk with a CML specialist because the more I see

of my oncologist, the more I understand that her knowledge is

shallow. Also, she just doesn't have the skill to help me make my

case.

I live in South Africa and, to my knowledge, we don't have any CML

specialists here (unless one of you knows better) so I was wondering

if any of the amazing docs that you all talk about would be willing

to enter into an email conversation with me.

There is a chance that I may get the opportunity to travel to

England in September - are there any really good specialists there?

Another strange thing - a close friend and work colleague who has

also gone through the kind of work stress that I did and is also

fighting a legal battle has also been diagnosed with CML - do you

think that is at all significant?

I will be interested to hear your responses

Regards

Jane