This is a long one so if you stay with me, thank you!
I'm 27. Up until I was 23, fit and healthy. I was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of cancer, the survival rate for 5 years post diagnosis is 12%. I'm 3.5 years on. I have been extremely lucky enough to have no evidence of cancer left... extremely lucky and one of the very few that come out of this rare type. It may come back, but im watched closely a lot. The treatment I had was a horrific stint of surgeries and chemo which ended up on me being on life support for a short while. But here I am, 3 and a half years on here to tell the tale and my heart couldn't be more grateful for my surgeon who literally saved my life.
I've been back to work, on and off since treatment. I've some how by the luck of god managed to carry and birth a baby through IVF. Here's the thing. My health is deteriorating. The long term effects of this treatment have shot me to pieces, I'm on a lifetime of different medications. Some days even weeks, I'm fine. But others I'm in bed, puking, unable to eat and drink. I'm in hospital 4-5 times a year as I'll go weeks without going to the loo.
There's no fix to it, it's part and parcel of the trauma my body went through, and still goes through now.
I'm struggling. I've gone back to work after having a baby. But I'm having to take a week or two off every month or so, and I simply can't afford it, but the days and weeks where I'm poorly, I can't get out of bed. I feel like I'm letting my little girl down and not contributing to the world as I'm such a get up and go type of person.
I'm getting to the stage now where I'm struggling to work and for me to hold down this job, I need to be there for my contracted hours. I work 4 days a week. Reducing my hours won't help as when I get poorly it's unpredictable, so it doesn't matter what hours or what job I commit to, I can't commit to the hours. My surgeon has signed me off of work many times and it's getting to the point now where In the near future I don't think I can work much at all.
I'm married with my husband who I adore. He does everything for me. I guess what I'm asking is, would I be entitled to any kind of benefits or help from the government? My husband is on a good wage, but with our rent and other bills that come out, if he covered everything (we don't spend, we're pretty good with money and have occasional treats,) we would only be left with a few hundred pounds a month. But with a baby under one, our rent is extortionate, and other things, it's not enough. I couldn't ask him to support us and work all the hours round the clock for me to feel like I'm sat at home wasting time when the days I feel okay, I could be working. But it's so unfair on an employer to have somebody so hit and miss.
I'm at a total loss. In short, we can't afford to live off my husbands wages. But he earns too much according to the calculator online for us to get any help. I'm so stuck. I'm so sad. I'm so lucky and feel awful for complaining. But my health is shit and I'm struggling to keep my job, let alone keep UP with my job tasks.
AIBU to try and get some help from the government? Is it even an option?
Sorry this is long, I don't want to drip feed so thank you for staying with me.
Stay healthy everyone xxx