WomenCo.

To fully explain my situation I must give you some important background info. I was diagnosed with hodgkins lymphoma in 1999. I recieved chemotherapy and readiation treatments and became cancer free. This I was greatfull for. The down side to the therapy was that I would only have 25% chance of ever having chidren. To increase my percentage my fertility doctor put me into metapause during treatments to reduce the amount of chemotherapy exposure to my ovaries. I was devastated at the very idea that I could never have children! Even at 19 I KNEW I wanted children one day. 6 years later I was working at a title company full time and still living at home when I found out that the hot flashes had paid off! i WAS PREGNANT!! I was so excited and at the same time so worried. I immediatly moved in with my boyfreind of 7 years and began saving for a house. We bought our first house four weeks before Jaren was born. I stayed home with Jaren for the first year of his life, only working here and there as a waitress to cover gas and groceries. Eventually James got stressed out handling all the bills and I became angry that he didnt understand how important it was for me to stay home with Jaren. I decided that financially I had to prepare to be able to take care of Jaren on my own. Things were getting worse and worse between james and I as Jaren got older and we began to see just how very diferent our views were. I decided to go to school for x ray. Things got better after I started school. Maybe because we had time apart from eachother, or maybe because we were just to buissy to argue. Half way thru the program I again, became pregnant. It took alot to decide to finish the program. It was very intense with many mixed emotions. I did my clinical through every school vacation so I could take of for 6 weeks after having the baby. I had Javon on February 6th 2008. I returned back to class on february 12th, leaving my not even a week old baby home with daddy. I just kept in mind that in only four months I would be able to be home for as long as I wanted because I would be graduated!! Six weeks later I started back to clinical. James worked out his work schedule so he could be home with the kids during the day while I was at school or clinical. Student loans made up the difference in his lost work hours. So may 5th I graduated and my grants and loan funds have ended and we are again becoming stressed with bills. I have been applying for jobs hoping to get something part time with benefits. Apparently the only jobs are per diem which do not have benefits, sick, or vacation time. I must be lucky because I was just recently offered a full time position. With my medical history I MUST have benefits. Me and James are not married and if I have a lapse in coverage none of my cancer follow up testing will be covered. My dilema is that I will now be making double james' income but he insists on keeping his full time position with over time. I am going to be working midnight untill eight am. When am I suppose to sleep??? We are lucky that the kids will not have to go to daycare, but just what kind of quality time will I be spending with my children running on ZERO sleep? James asked me to right down what I think an ideal schedule would be for him. HONESTLY I HAVE NO IDEA. PLEASE anyone with any type of advice??

If I'm not mistaken, the "lapse in coverage" you're worried about (because it would result in your cancer being a pre-existing condition and as a result wouldn't cover stuff related to it going forward) does NOT apply as long as you get COBRA insurance from your last job.  If I'm not mistaken, having COBRA will not constitute as a "lapse in coverage".  Now, it's pretty darned expensive, but it might at least be another option for you.  Don't take my word for this though - check it out first.

Phyllis R. Neill, www.shementor.com