How many of you worked whilst undergoing treatment and how did you go. I work permanent part time at a childrens hospital and I'm hoping only to drop one day during my treatment but I will see how i ...
Published 7 years ago
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Hi @Sweetpetal
It's almost impossible to tell till you start but I did work right through treatment and was happy to do so. I missed nausea, fatigue and chemo brain. I did get other side effects but nothing that made work difficult. How you manage mentally and emotionally is also variable. I found that working kept me focussed on non-cancer stuff and for me that was productive. I made no secret of treatment to my staff and colleagues, I relied on them to tell me if I was getting vague or losing the plot! After 12 months, I cut back (coinciding with a new job) to a 4 day week but that was more about work/life balance than anything else. I work in an office environment, with the usual sharing of germs, and didn't find I was especially prone to catching anything. The only problem I had from infection was an entirely internal one caused by a seroma. However, I can't emphasise enough keeping flexible about what you will do. You can't predict or much affect the impact treatment might have. And feeling that you have failed if you can't work, on top of feeling sick, would be awful. Some people find focussing in on the present works well for them, just as I found distraction to be most effective, we are all different. Whatever happens, treatment is finite, so the important thing is to go with the flow and get through it the best way possible for you. Best wishes.
It's almost impossible to tell till you start but I did work right through treatment and was happy to do so. I missed nausea, fatigue and chemo brain. I did get other side effects but nothing that made work difficult. How you manage mentally and emotionally is also variable. I found that working kept me focussed on non-cancer stuff and for me that was productive. I made no secret of treatment to my staff and colleagues, I relied on them to tell me if I was getting vague or losing the plot! After 12 months, I cut back (coinciding with a new job) to a 4 day week but that was more about work/life balance than anything else. I work in an office environment, with the usual sharing of germs, and didn't find I was especially prone to catching anything. The only problem I had from infection was an entirely internal one caused by a seroma. However, I can't emphasise enough keeping flexible about what you will do. You can't predict or much affect the impact treatment might have. And feeling that you have failed if you can't work, on top of feeling sick, would be awful. Some people find focussing in on the present works well for them, just as I found distraction to be most effective, we are all different. Whatever happens, treatment is finite, so the important thing is to go with the flow and get through it the best way possible for you. Best wishes.