Hi Ian,
SWT may be alot of things but it always keeps its staff on the books regardless of their ability to go to work where something is life threatening. Don't give up, see what your Head of Guards says.
Nev
Another One Bites the Dust!
Moderators: Guru's, The Ministry
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
Ian, thank you for the kind 'welcome back'. Please, please keep us informed of whats happening with you...the treatment regime, your thoughts, your worries, and so on. Seriously, keep talking to us.
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speedbird591
- Battle of Britain
- Posts: 4038
- Joined: 24 Jun 2004, 05:56
- Location: Wiltshire, UK
- Contact:
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
Thanks, Paul. Yes it helps to talk about what's happening and hopefully it'll help others who may not want to think about it.
I've always liked a project and this is what I'm doing from the non-medical aspect. The project is to gradually prepare all the finances and transfer the running of the house over to Karen so that when the time comes it's not too disruptive. We've seen a solicitor and got our wills updated and discussed whether it's easier to transfer the house to her name before or after (after!). I've checked with the bank manager that the joint account will remain open and that she will have full access to everything in it and all the direct debits remain in place. All those sort of practical things that just need confirming. As she uses her own bank I've had to update her online access to the joint account and cash in my ISAs and investments to move the money where she can access it.
It's a good project and keeping me fairly busy. Then I have to write down all the house utility details for her - online billing and stuff - and give her a list of where to claim her monies etc. I'm also clearing out the loft, the garage, drawers full of stuff and old clothes that I haven't worn for 20 years. Should have done it all years ago! But you always think - ooh I might need that one day. Now I know I won't
Oooh - just thought. She won't want to use the petrol mower. I'd better check Which? for their best buy electrics! Better go!
Cheers for now
Ian
I've always liked a project and this is what I'm doing from the non-medical aspect. The project is to gradually prepare all the finances and transfer the running of the house over to Karen so that when the time comes it's not too disruptive. We've seen a solicitor and got our wills updated and discussed whether it's easier to transfer the house to her name before or after (after!). I've checked with the bank manager that the joint account will remain open and that she will have full access to everything in it and all the direct debits remain in place. All those sort of practical things that just need confirming. As she uses her own bank I've had to update her online access to the joint account and cash in my ISAs and investments to move the money where she can access it.
It's a good project and keeping me fairly busy. Then I have to write down all the house utility details for her - online billing and stuff - and give her a list of where to claim her monies etc. I'm also clearing out the loft, the garage, drawers full of stuff and old clothes that I haven't worn for 20 years. Should have done it all years ago! But you always think - ooh I might need that one day. Now I know I won't
Oooh - just thought. She won't want to use the petrol mower. I'd better check Which? for their best buy electrics! Better go!
Cheers for now
Ian
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
And..umm...who's getting the Ipad ?
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speedbird591
- Battle of Britain
- Posts: 4038
- Joined: 24 Jun 2004, 05:56
- Location: Wiltshire, UK
- Contact:
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
Yeah, right! Over my dead body! Oh, wait...Paul K wrote:And..umm...who's getting the Ipad ?
No seriously - I'm taking it with me. There's this reincarnation app...
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
You can give it to Steve, in case he for got to lift his when he left
Ben.
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speedbird591
- Battle of Britain
- Posts: 4038
- Joined: 24 Jun 2004, 05:56
- Location: Wiltshire, UK
- Contact:
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
He's not having mine! I've never forgiven him for leaving unfinished business ... why couldn't we have Flash Player?????TSR2 wrote:You can give it to Steve, in case he for got to lift his when he left
Ian
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
Oh would you just shut up about it and go buy an Android.
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
Ian , I go away for awhile and attend a reunion , and wot happens ? You're ill ... don't you remember sick leave has to be booked with at least 11months notice ... unless it's Wimbledon or Ascot . Get with the program man .. go sick down route and get your allowances !
Sitting here not knowing what to say , except you are a brave man taking and sharing the bad news . Suffice to say you come from a family of brave men .
Words fail to reach my fingers on the keyboard ; except whilst thinking of further sympathies .. We've just had five minutes of life affirming viewing out of the back window .
A Roe deer doe/hind wandered through the garden down to the wood next door . 2 Bambi's of small Springer spaniel size followed her but had a mad five minutes belting flat out up and down the garden before disappearing into the greenwood .
Jules and I have our hearts in our mouths but everything crossed for you ; will be off the air 'til mid June and pray for better news then .
Brgds dave f .
PS. don't forget to book your interview with a PM to confirm your sick leave ..
Sitting here not knowing what to say , except you are a brave man taking and sharing the bad news . Suffice to say you come from a family of brave men .
Words fail to reach my fingers on the keyboard ; except whilst thinking of further sympathies .. We've just had five minutes of life affirming viewing out of the back window .
A Roe deer doe/hind wandered through the garden down to the wood next door . 2 Bambi's of small Springer spaniel size followed her but had a mad five minutes belting flat out up and down the garden before disappearing into the greenwood .
Jules and I have our hearts in our mouths but everything crossed for you ; will be off the air 'til mid June and pray for better news then .
Brgds dave f .
PS. don't forget to book your interview with a PM to confirm your sick leave ..
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speedbird591
- Battle of Britain
- Posts: 4038
- Joined: 24 Jun 2004, 05:56
- Location: Wiltshire, UK
- Contact:
Re: Another One Bites the Dust!
Hello chaps. Dave - thank you for that post. Lovely to hear about the deer. I love wildlife of all sorts (well - not wasps and mosquitoes except on the telly!). Some of the happiest and most exciting times of my life have been out in the countryside or in South Africa, so I love hearing stories about it.
Here's the latest update on this saga. I've been in limbo since I last posted as I've had quite a long wait for the biopsy which will tell the consultant exactly what we're dealing with. I spent a very uncomfortable day in hospital yesterday for the op which was just a day procedure. Probably the worst part of the day was getting to and from the hospital which is on the opposite side of Bath from home and involved tedious rush-hour journeys in both directions. Although the present Mrs Speedbird did pick me up in her bright red MX-5 with the top down which reminded me what a good 'investment' that was
The procedure was a CT guided biopsy. It meant that I hogged a CT scanner for an hour while two doctors used a live scan to pinpoint where they wanted to take tissue from with their biopsy needle. I had a local anaesthetic which they topped up every few minutes and had a nurse holding my hand at the top end and chatting to distract me so I didn't freak out Unfortunately the lump they decided to target was near my diaphragm and obviously moved as I breathed so they had to anticipate where it was going to be when they fired the needle. It took a few attempts and as it felt like firing a nailgun into my side it began to get a bit disturbing I was very brave though - the nurse said so
So I'm glad to get that over and now I just wait for the consultant to see the result and talk it through with me.
Other developments have been agreeing a pain control regime with my GP and a chat with the boss about work. I previously mentioned the 'Death in Service' benefit offered by some pension schemes, including Railway Pensions. It's 4x annual salary which would be a nice little bonus for a distraught spouse. But after exhausting all possibilities, I've established that it's purely what it says on the can. Death in Service. The catch is that as soon as you have a diagnosis of an illness it's looked at by the Company's medical people - in this case BUPA. They then advise the Company whether you may recover or whether you can no longer work. If the latter you will be shown the door under ill-health retirement or, if over the state pension age, normal retirement. Once retired you lose the DIS benefit unfortunately. So it's great if you have a heart attack or get run over by a train but if you get something that takes a bit longer to kill you you lose the lump sum. It's not fair, of course, but how many of us still think that life is fair?
The boss and I have agreed that I can stay on a sick note to cover the diagnosis plus a month. That means that I can serve my notice on the sick note and get all my leave paid as a lump sum which is worth a few bob - so that's nice of him.
So that's it at the moment. The legal and financial projects are pretty much sorted out so there shouldn't be too much hassle later on. Sorry if this is depressing for some of you but I know others are interested in the sort of unanticipated problems that might arise. However much we don't like facing our mortality it can help to prepare mentally by discussing it.
Thanks for giving me the platform. Cheers for now
Ian
Here's the latest update on this saga. I've been in limbo since I last posted as I've had quite a long wait for the biopsy which will tell the consultant exactly what we're dealing with. I spent a very uncomfortable day in hospital yesterday for the op which was just a day procedure. Probably the worst part of the day was getting to and from the hospital which is on the opposite side of Bath from home and involved tedious rush-hour journeys in both directions. Although the present Mrs Speedbird did pick me up in her bright red MX-5 with the top down which reminded me what a good 'investment' that was
The procedure was a CT guided biopsy. It meant that I hogged a CT scanner for an hour while two doctors used a live scan to pinpoint where they wanted to take tissue from with their biopsy needle. I had a local anaesthetic which they topped up every few minutes and had a nurse holding my hand at the top end and chatting to distract me so I didn't freak out
Unfortunately the lump they decided to target was near my diaphragm and obviously moved as I breathed so they had to anticipate where it was going to be when they fired the needle. It took a few attempts and as it felt like firing a nailgun into my side it began to get a bit disturbing I was very brave though - the nurse said so So I'm glad to get that over and now I just wait for the consultant to see the result and talk it through with me.
Other developments have been agreeing a pain control regime with my GP and a chat with the boss about work. I previously mentioned the 'Death in Service' benefit offered by some pension schemes, including Railway Pensions. It's 4x annual salary which would be a nice little bonus for a distraught spouse. But after exhausting all possibilities, I've established that it's purely what it says on the can. Death in Service. The catch is that as soon as you have a diagnosis of an illness it's looked at by the Company's medical people - in this case BUPA. They then advise the Company whether you may recover or whether you can no longer work. If the latter you will be shown the door under ill-health retirement or, if over the state pension age, normal retirement. Once retired you lose the DIS benefit unfortunately. So it's great if you have a heart attack or get run over by a train but if you get something that takes a bit longer to kill you you lose the lump sum. It's not fair, of course, but how many of us still think that life is fair?
The boss and I have agreed that I can stay on a sick note to cover the diagnosis plus a month. That means that I can serve my notice on the sick note and get all my leave paid as a lump sum which is worth a few bob - so that's nice of him.
So that's it at the moment. The legal and financial projects are pretty much sorted out so there shouldn't be too much hassle later on. Sorry if this is depressing for some of you but I know others are interested in the sort of unanticipated problems that might arise. However much we don't like facing our mortality it can help to prepare mentally by discussing it.
Thanks for giving me the platform. Cheers for now
Ian