So its 3 weeks since my final chemo. Im feeling better than i expected to feel at this point. A few cosmetic things, not much hair, rashes, mild foot pain, fatigue at 9.30 pm. 8ve been walking everyday, going to my exercise medicine sessions. My appetite is back. Im considering going back to work 20 hours a week.A few people, mainly friends who havent been through the thick of this, dont understand why i would want to and shouldnt i just stay on income protection as long as i can? Im tired of being sick, i want to be well and alive but im feeling uncertain whether things will get worse during radiotherapy or if im missing something? I do still have hormone blockers to start also. My friends concern is undermining my confidence also. I know this is a nice problem to have. Any words of advice?

Hi @MicheleR, good for you. I am doing well too. I had 3 x AC and 9 x Taxol and then radium. I finished at the end of October and I am on tamoxifen now. I am about 10yrs older than you and actually retired about 6 months before BC. However I walk daily and go to pilates and water aerobics weekly. I feel good but get a bit of fatigue now and then. I can understand wanting to be well and moving on from the whole BC story. Sounds like you are ready for work. If you can do 20hrs great and if it gets a bit hard sometimes I hope your employer is understanding. I had 4 wks of radium and found by week 2 i got a bit tired but i never stopped my exercise. Go for it I say. You know yourself and what you need. Just check your employer supports you if you need other breaks but a distraction from it all is great. Good luck with radium.

As someone who never stopped working during treatment, I think I know how you feel. I was lucky - no nausea, no fatigue. But I didn’t want to let go my life. I didn’t have radiation but as most seem to find it easier than chemo, it may not be a major difficulty. Being at work got my head out of being preoccupied with bc. I did make changes later on (changed my job) but by then I was clear that was about getting more of what I wanted out of life and not about accommodating cancer (or anyone else’s ideas of what cancer patients should be doing!). Follow your instincts. Talk with your boss. Best wishes.

@MicheleR I understand the desire to get back to normal. I was the same and after having chemo and rads, I went back about 3 weeks after (30 hours pw). I only realised that I'd made a huge mistake a few weeks later. I had thought I'd be okay as I was doing the school run every day, going to exercise sessions and I was getting bored. However, once back at work, I really struggled with fatigue and cognitive issues. It wasn't unusual for me to be so exhausted by the end of the working day that I was feeling sick. So, while you may be fine, I'd suggest giving yourself a bit of extra time if you can. And if you still have radiation to go, that is another thing that can cause extreme fatigue.

Hi @Afraser,Yes i think you do know. I view it as had cancer and being treated so it doesnt return. The treatment hasnt been particularly pleasant and at times i felt less well than when i started. Ive been open about it.But now that im feeling better i want a balanced life and i see work as part of it. I have to jump through a few hoops to go back to work including notes and forms filled out by my gp that im capable for my current employer. It feels a bit over the top but ok can do it. I think some colleagues are afraid ill look ill and how ill be. My boss i think wants me to go on a less stressful project. I just want to get back to work. Im happy to do my hours and leave whilst like i work out what i want to do longer term. Working it out might involve going back to see what i think too.Thanks for your thoughts.Michele

@Michelle_R I'm in the 'wait a while' camp. Radiotherapy is really time consuming and a lot more tiring towards the end than I expected. I'd thought after all the slicing and dicing and poisoning, a bit of frying should be a doddle. It wasn't too bad and I drove myself to treatment (180km round trip) but I had a couple of weeks of burn management and that would have been terribly uncomfortable in a work setting.I fully understand wanting to get back to normal, but I've also had experience of being royally pissed off at myself because I struggled more in the workplace than I'd expected. I get very disappointed in myself if my performance is sub par, and I hated making excuses for stupid mistakes. A bit more time would have given me a better chance of doing a decent job.I did work right through my first treatment, but I was ten years younger and there is a lot to be said for keeping going rather then stopping and then trying to start again. Mxx

Feeling better than expected what now

59 Replies

FLClover
Member
5 years ago
Great to hear that @MicheleR! Hope it continues well for you 🤞😊
MicheleR
Member
5 years ago
2 days in and going great! Went to my exercise medicine straight after today. Rads after work tomorrow.
Sister
Member
5 years ago
Hope it all goes well for you.
ChezaH
Member
5 years ago

MicheleR said:

Hi @kezmusc,

Thanks for your comments. Love heaeing that you were able to work around treatment.

Im starting work Monday! Just in mirnings,andxwith proviso thst if i need i can book leave without pay (no sick leave left). It all came together!

I guess it is a see how it goes thing. Im gradually adding things i want back in. Anyway we shall soon see. I want to keep up exercise too.

Good luck with returning to work, just take it easy hugs Cheryl
FLClover
Member
5 years ago
Good luck to you for going back to work @MicheleR! I certainly hope it’s doable for you, and helps bring back that feeling of normal again 🍀♥️
MicheleR
Member
5 years ago
Hi @kezmusc,

Thanks for your comments. Love heaeing that you were able to work around treatment.

Im starting work Monday! Just in mirnings,andxwith proviso thst if i need i can book leave without pay (no sick leave left). It all came together!

I guess it is a see how it goes thing. Im gradually adding things i want back in. Anyway we shall soon see. I want to keep up exercise too.
kezmusc
Member
5 years ago
Hi @Michelle_R,

I've just caught up with your post.
HIgh school just stinks. Some kids need flogging but unfortunately that's not allowed these days. Although, I agree with @Zoffiel just don't get caught :)

I guess I was lucky with work. I went back part time after chemo number 2.
I work in a hospital where multiple staff members have worked going through BC treatment. Nobody bats an eye if you show up with a sparkly turban and have to bugger off for radiation. You just continue as normal if you're up to it and go home if you're not.
There certainly does seem like a whole lot of paperwork and drama for you.
Radiation is difficult because, like the rest of it, you don't know how you're going to go untill you start.

Personally, compared to chemo I found radiation a walk in the park. They worked my appointments around my work and the biggest pain was driving there every day. Zero fatigue and minimal burning until about number 22. I worked the whole time with no issues apart from finding the right bra to wear.
Best part about radiation...the rope you pull yourself up with. I still wonder who came up with that idea.
All the best lovely xoxoxo
ChezaH
Member
5 years ago

MicheleR said:

Hi @Caz1,

Hope you are doing okay now.

What i feel ive underestimated so far (im not yet back at work) is the beaurocracy.

Ive had to get a billion forms filled out to return to work and to navigate covid policies. My poor gp!

My employers seem to be struggling to work out how their systems can manage this. They are rushing to a finish line. My leave was supposed to end on 28/1 and they may have forgotten about the forms, i had to extend my leave a week so i could organise gp to get the things done. Now that week is almost done they are trying to sort a role and paperwork. Id mentioned to my boss that i wouldnt mind a couple of extra weeks off because i didnt have radiotherapy schedule and he forgot so now im adding another week leave to accommodate them only. I may say today ti them tell me when you think it can be sorted correctly and ill take leave till then.

They offered 2 roles. 1 seems really interesting but i think the timing for me is bad and i think its risky. Ive said if they can make it less risky id be interested. The other seems to be considered safer but they have no details yet.

Its exasperating.

Hope you can get it sorted out soon hugs Cheryl x
MicheleR
Member
5 years ago
Hi @Caz1,

Hope you are doing okay now.

What i feel ive underestimated so far (im not yet back at work) is the beaurocracy.

Ive had to get a billion forms filled out to return to work and to navigate covid policies. My poor gp!

My employers seem to be struggling to work out how their systems can manage this. They are rushing to a finish line. My leave was supposed to end on 28/1 and they may have forgotten about the forms, i had to extend my leave a week so i could organise gp to get the things done. Now that week is almost done they are trying to sort a role and paperwork. Id mentioned to my boss that i wouldnt mind a couple of extra weeks off because i didnt have radiotherapy schedule and he forgot so now im adding another week leave to accommodate them only. I may say today ti them tell me when you think it can be sorted correctly and ill take leave till then.

They offered 2 roles. 1 seems really interesting but i think the timing for me is bad and i think its risky. Ive said if they can make it less risky id be interested. The other seems to be considered safer but they have no details yet.

Its exasperating.
Caz1
Member
5 years ago
@Zoffiel haha love the expression sliced diced poisoned and fried!

@MicheleR, my advice would be take it slow, lots of people have an ok time of rads, but I’m one of those that had Terrible burns. That and the effects of a year of treatment knocked me out. I underestimated how tired I would be and what the chemo surgery and radiation had done to my poor body. I had to go with the flow a bit more and learn to let go. Hard lesson too.
Take care
Caz x