Return to work - 1 year on
This week marked my 1st anniversary of my return to work. It's funny how we many extra anniversary's we observe after our diagnosis.
Last year when I returned to work I didn't know what my life would be like, or whether I'd ever be able to get back to nearly what I was before. In particular I was really struggling with what to do about work. A good friend of mine reassured me that things would get better, and like the Pantene ad (?) on telly, it wouldn't happen over night but it would happen. She made me promise to look back in a year's time to see just how far I would come.
After trying to work on and off between surgery, chemo, radiation and 12 months Herceptin, I started back at work in earnest in January 2017 doing 10 hours a week (5 hours per day, 2 days week). Then 4 weeks later in February I increased to 15 hours a week (still 5 hours a day, 3 days a week ). In March I was doing 22.5 hours a week or 3 full days. Until finally by mid May I was back full time.
I have been full time ever since. In October I received a promotion of sorts, and was given a big multi million dollar project to manage. I now work most weeks 45 hours and up. But I couldn't be happier. Work has always been a huge part of my life, despite my grumbles sometimes.
I've also had to deal with some incredible difficult personal circumstances during this time. I had to put both my parents into a nursing home due to Dad's now severe dementia and Mum's pulmonary fibrosis. Dad went into permanent care in August and Mum went into permanent care in December. There were 4 months where I was back and forth, three or more times a week to different hospitals for Mum and Dad. Then it was a HUGE job to clean out their home of 20 years. I'm still not sure how I got through that while working full time, I just remembered being so exhausted and very teary at the time.
Then my beautiful 20 yr old middle son - who shaved himself completely bald when I started chemo, just so I wouldn't be bald alone - started an oral chemotherapy regime in October for severe (and I mean severe) discoid eczema. This was after 2 years of so many medical appointments with numerous specialists and other treatments and nutritionists and naturopaths and diets that all failed. I can't begin to tell you how much a skin condition can affect a person's quality of life. We are now trying to help him deal with the horrible, and in some cases permanent side effects, including 50kg weight gain in a short period of time, and still the results are not as good as we expected.
My energy levels are so much better than they were before, but do drop significantly from time to time, especially after a night like last night where the hot flushes and neuropathy pain only afforded me 3 hours of sleep. But that just means extra coffee for me today (which I know some of you won't agree with).
So all in all, when I look back at the past 12 months, I can't believe where I am today. I honestly thought I didn't have it in me. Back then I didn't. But now I obviously do.
So if you are struggling with your treatment, or agonising over what to do about work, or just wondering whether it will ever get better, just allow yourself a little time. If you fell you have to go part time and don't really want to, just remember it may not be forever. I realise for some it may not get better, but for others like me, it does and it did.
I just hope a post like this may help someone out there who may be struggling with the whole work decision thing.
Best wishes and good health to all.
Nadine
Last year when I returned to work I didn't know what my life would be like, or whether I'd ever be able to get back to nearly what I was before. In particular I was really struggling with what to do about work. A good friend of mine reassured me that things would get better, and like the Pantene ad (?) on telly, it wouldn't happen over night but it would happen. She made me promise to look back in a year's time to see just how far I would come.
After trying to work on and off between surgery, chemo, radiation and 12 months Herceptin, I started back at work in earnest in January 2017 doing 10 hours a week (5 hours per day, 2 days week). Then 4 weeks later in February I increased to 15 hours a week (still 5 hours a day, 3 days a week ). In March I was doing 22.5 hours a week or 3 full days. Until finally by mid May I was back full time.
I have been full time ever since. In October I received a promotion of sorts, and was given a big multi million dollar project to manage. I now work most weeks 45 hours and up. But I couldn't be happier. Work has always been a huge part of my life, despite my grumbles sometimes.
I've also had to deal with some incredible difficult personal circumstances during this time. I had to put both my parents into a nursing home due to Dad's now severe dementia and Mum's pulmonary fibrosis. Dad went into permanent care in August and Mum went into permanent care in December. There were 4 months where I was back and forth, three or more times a week to different hospitals for Mum and Dad. Then it was a HUGE job to clean out their home of 20 years. I'm still not sure how I got through that while working full time, I just remembered being so exhausted and very teary at the time.
Then my beautiful 20 yr old middle son - who shaved himself completely bald when I started chemo, just so I wouldn't be bald alone - started an oral chemotherapy regime in October for severe (and I mean severe) discoid eczema. This was after 2 years of so many medical appointments with numerous specialists and other treatments and nutritionists and naturopaths and diets that all failed. I can't begin to tell you how much a skin condition can affect a person's quality of life. We are now trying to help him deal with the horrible, and in some cases permanent side effects, including 50kg weight gain in a short period of time, and still the results are not as good as we expected.
My energy levels are so much better than they were before, but do drop significantly from time to time, especially after a night like last night where the hot flushes and neuropathy pain only afforded me 3 hours of sleep. But that just means extra coffee for me today (which I know some of you won't agree with).
So all in all, when I look back at the past 12 months, I can't believe where I am today. I honestly thought I didn't have it in me. Back then I didn't. But now I obviously do.
So if you are struggling with your treatment, or agonising over what to do about work, or just wondering whether it will ever get better, just allow yourself a little time. If you fell you have to go part time and don't really want to, just remember it may not be forever. I realise for some it may not get better, but for others like me, it does and it did.
I just hope a post like this may help someone out there who may be struggling with the whole work decision thing.
Best wishes and good health to all.
Nadine
