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White cell count spike and flying things

Hi all, im james from the uk and diagnosed about 14 months ago. on glivec 400 for about 7 months. Never had any side effect apart from the odd day with puffy eyes and a bit of sickness ( mainly due to not eating enough before taking the pill lol.


Had my 3 monthly check and they said i had a white cell spike but nothing to worry about as my BCR is coming down still, guess i may have had a cold but never noticed.


My main reason for being here is my employer has decided to medically downgrade me and stop me doing my job on  some grounds i dont understand. he says i am a risk and that i may be at risk of becoming ill !!!!  i think im at no more risk than any 40 year old of heart attack or any other normal illness while working.

 

 drives me crazy....


his other sweeping comment was that he does not belive the specialists advice as fact and only goes on what he reads from medical books.

 

think im looking for some legal action here lol

 

all the best to you all.

 

james

James, there are other members of the group who know more about this than I do, but he needs to bear in mind that staff with  diagnoses of cancer are subject to the terms of the above act.

Fundamentally unless you have symptoms which would make it unsafe for you to do part of your job then I would be pretty sure that any change in your status would be contrary to the act. The "you might get ill" approach does not I believe hold water.

I think there was a thread about this about a year ago, and someone mentioned an expert in this area - I'll have a look back when I get a chance and see if I can find it. Citizens Advice Bureau might also be a good place to start. How big is your employer's organisation - do they have a HR professional you can refer this to?

Let us know how this progresses - best I guess if you can resolve it amicably by changing his view rather than getting legal with him.

Alastair

well i sort of left out my employer lol as its the Royal Air Force and im a loadmaster and fly. however my current role is non critical in flight and to be honest im little more than a chief steward.


but i know im not ill as yet or have symptoms after taking my tablet.

 

drives me round the bend these doctors

I'm no legal buff, but my own experience is that I wok for County Council, work in a Primary School. If ever I have a "blip" resulting in any time off, I'm sent to see the Occupational Health Officer who is at a loss to understand why I'm there. Her attitude is that it's a bit tough on the employer, but that I'm covered under the DDA and that, as such, I cannot be got rid of on medical grounds relating to my condition. I've had good advice from my union who confirm exactly that information. Also, should you not be able to do the exact job you're employed to do, then your employer is obliged to make reasonable adjustments to your hours and, if necessary, offer you an alternative position. For some, this might mean arranging for their day to start later for instance..

Your employer being who it is, would surely have an Occ Health Officer and you should ask for a referral. These peeps can often pesent a good case for you and you can give authority for your Consultant to make a report on your abilities. Most consultants have a very positive approach to the abilities of their patients.

 

I guess for me, the only concern I would have is that my eyesight really deteriorated on Glivec, so flying a plane could become more than a bit challenging!!!!

 

Good luck and....don't be bullied and do feel free to take any time off as is necessary for your well-being, which is the most important factor here!

 

Vickie

I've had another look at this in the light of who your employer is. It seems that the requirements of the DDA are now included in the Equality Act of Oct 2010. This carries on most of the requirements of the DDA, but I note from the link below that the armed forces are exempt from this act, as they were from DDA

http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_7905040_exemptions-disability-discrimination-...

As Vickie says, I think Occ Health is the first way forward for you.

Hope this helps.


Alastair

James,

 

i would very much like to contact you. I'm serving and have CML - i'd love to know how many of us are in. Not sure if you can contact me via username, if not please re-post and we'll find another way. I'm curious to understand how the RAF has handled your treatment, downgrade etc. Ever considered med discharge?

C