Pension

[kaza1]

Hi I paid into a private pension with a previous job I asked them if I could cash it in due to a terminal illness they said yes and my gp had to fill in the form

The problem is I have 3c ovarian and have just had my first reoccurrence the Dr has said on the form that at the moment I am fit to work and so could not say I need early retirement

Well I was totally shocked so didn't send the form back to pensions

Should I ask my consultant if he could fill it in I want to enjoy the money while I can not when I am at the point of dying

Any responses would be greatly appreciated x

[Katmal-UK]

Hi. I have grade 3 oc diagnosed 8 years agoand whilst dont consider im terminal at the moment I have cashed in quite a bit of my pension, not all yet as I work so dont want to pay more tax than I have to. can I ask what age you are? If you are over 55 rules recently changed. You probably need to speak to a financial adviser to be honedtxx

[kaza1 in reply to Katmal-UK]

I'm 55 in November

[kaza1 in reply to Katmal-UK]

Hi can I ask you on a slightly different note I'm Surprised you've had oc for eight years and still going strong can I ask you if you have any reoccurrence in that time and if you have how many

Thanks Karen

[Katmal-UK in reply to kaza1]

Hi Karen. brief history.... diagnosed in october 2007 at the age of 48. Stage 3. two recurrences, first remission just under 4 and half years following a trial of Avastin then second remission of about 18 months following a trial of Cedranib, now currently this third remission is 2 years this month. I am currently on parp inhibitor Olaparib. I cant have Carboplatin as I had a grade 3 anaphalactic shock and nearly died ( nurses and drs worked on me for over an hour , giving me 15 shots of adrenaline to get me back). Luckily I don't recall too much, it was more traumatic for the team treating me and the patents who were in the chemo bay at the time! I also have the BRAC 2 gene inherited from my mum who had Stage 3 oc and following first line chemo went on for approx 15/16 years with no recurrence before succumbing to bowel cancer (apparently a new primary) and who I was honoured to look after at home for 3 weeks because she wanted to die at home. So you see I am still going strong , my ca125 is below 3 as of yesterday. I have always worked full time during bouts of recurrence and partly into the first couple of cycles of chemo until I felt too rough . I was originally told 'the prognosis is not good' and that Id have 'a couple of years at the most' . dunno y im so lucky tbh. I just think this crappy disease affects us all so differently. Kathy xx

[kaza1 in reply to Katmal-UK]

That's encouraging to hear the same prognosis for me was given and that's why I was interested to hear your story myn has just resurfaced after 18 months wondering how long to wait before having chemo I couldn't have avast in as had a PE during last chemo and apparently is a side effect of avast in so consultant said best not to have. My mum just died of breast cancer similar story to you looked after her at home for last days we dot have the brac1 gene but are at high risk so sister just had double mastectomy. Can I ask if you just eat normally or follow a certain diet

Thank you so much for replying x

[Katmal-UK in reply to kaza1]

Hi Karen

To be honest I do nothing different than I have always done with regard to diet. I eat what I want and when - healthily as much as possible and include a lot of Broccoli!. It might be worth you asking if there are any trials you can go on. What hospital are you at? I'm a 'bull by the horns' type of person so each recurrence I have started chemo within a week. I can't stand the thought of waiting and watching.....

Sending you all the best. Kathy xx

[kaza1 in reply to Katmal-UK]

Hi katmal in at city hospital Nottingham

Thanks for getting back to me it's good to swop notes with each other also encouraging x I always think am I doing enough to keep the cancer at bay I read these stories of people going dairy free vegetarian just living off beans and pulses etc but I tried it for a while and thought this is depressing so just try and eat healthy x

Will think about trials

[Celtic6648]

See the palliative care nurse I needed pip I tell u no way could I work , energy tired memory , to name a few , palliative care benefit she will phone and get u on special reasons , once u have that , it should cover

[foss54]

Yes, talk to your consultant about it - depending on how busy s/he is, you could run it past your CNS, first, and she might sort it out for you. Mine did, about some critica illness insurance. In any case, it's your money. If you're over 55, it should be available, anyway. If not, there must be a way.

Good luck x

[Beth25]

Hello. I was in exactly your position 2 years ago after my first recurrence. At that point I was 58 and there was no problem about my private pension. I also had the opportunity to take early retirement and perhaps because I worked for a relatively small organisation whose core values included employee wellbeing, HR were wonderful and advised that I should apply on grounds of ill health. I know I was lucky in that respect. They liaised with my Financial Adviser throughout - if you don't have one I would suggest it as I would never have got my head round it all without mine. Actually I wouldn't have known where to start - always been rubbish with finance. They just know so much about how to get the best outcome for you. Anyway, there was the usual plethora of forms to fill in but it was the consultant rather than the GP who completed the relevant parts of mine and crucially, I think, one of the questions was on prognosis of the condition rather than, or perhaps in addition to, current ability to work. In that case, she was in a better position than the GP to advise on likely survival times based on the relevant research statistics into OC, which while making hard reading at the time did the trick as far as retirement on ill health grounds was concerned! And they're only stats, and I like many many others am still here and planning to be for a good while yet! Also, if you feel that you can't cope with work mentally, emotionally, concentration-wise or for any other reason make sure they include it on the form. It's not just about physical capacity to turn up and get through a day. So, I'd say get your consultant to fill in the form and speak to a Financial Adviser who deals with this kind of thing all the time and will take a lot of the stress out of the process for you. It's awful to have to deal with all of this at the same time as news of your recurrence and I found having that particular burden lifted from my shoulders an absolute godsend. I wish you all the best with everything.

Beth

[kaza1 in reply to Beth25]

Thank you Beth x

[TinaB1]

I think I'd have to change GPs. It seems like there's no comprehension or understanding there. Xx

[Wiganw]

Very interested to read your experiences I was in local government for 20 years and was made redundant 6months before diagnosis. I was told could not access pension as only 43 at time and was not at time employed in Lg. your information made me think to try again. I have now been told not being employed at time makes no difference I need to write to hr and ask to be considered for ill health retirement. Can't believe I've been so stupid not to have done this before. I'll let you know how I get on

[wigginsj]

I have ppc and wish to know if anyone else has developed oc after the Mirena coil and womb ablation - the standard treatment for heavy periods. I have had debunking surgery and carbo/taxol combo, after 6 months CA levels went up to 900(what is the poit of 6 weeks of watching and waiting), now on gemcitabine and carbon, but treatments always delayed with low neutrophils. I also have never been given Avastin because was on the Icon 8 trial after recommendation by Shrewsbury hospital, I now get treatment at Wolverhampton.