Forum Discussion

terrianne's avatar
terrianne
Member
3 months ago

Returning to work after an extended absence

So, I had a lumpectomy and then a bilateral mastectomy + reconstruction last year. I had planned to be away from work for something like 8 weeks. However, a few things got in the way - a nipple graft that just would not heal, and then an infection that's now been running since March. Combined, those things have kept me from going back to work.

It's on the mend now, and I really hope that my next review, scheduled for towards the end of next month, will give me the all-clear to go back to work. By the time I do, I'll have been away for eight months.

This is the longest absence, by far, that I've ever had from work in my life. In the past I've had a few months of long service leave and another bout of sick leave that ran a bit shy of four months, but this is twice that.

I'm a bit nervous about returning to work. The people I work with have been great, telling me that I can take as much time as I need (my manager only recently returned from an extended sick leave break himself, so he knows how it is).

I've proved to myself pretty satisfactorily that I'll adapt okay to retirement when it rolls around, let's put it that way šŸ˜... but in the next month or so, I'm going to have to put on office clothes again and start going to work at a regular time, and all that.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What did you do to ease the process of getting back in harness after an extended break away?

return-to-work

6 Replies

  • Tri's avatar
    Tri
    Member
    2 months ago

    Hiterrianneā€‹ 

    You ask an excellent question and itā€™s great to see the comments!

    yoyoā€‹ thanks for the book reference and dot point comprehensive tips (haha smiled at your self confessed A type personality). Your comments really resonated as didcranky_grannyā€‹ 

    I have pondered a variation on your question terrianneā€‹ as I am not returning to the workplace I had been in prior to diagnosis. I gave myself 12 months after my treatment finished to ponder how I take what this experience taught me and to do the next chapter of my professional life differently.  I am in my early 60s and whilst I want to dial up and remain engaged in working life, I do want to right size the commitments I take on - for all the good reasons set out in the comments.

     

  • cranky_granny's avatar
    cranky_granny
    Member
    2 months ago

    terrianneā€‹  after such a long break it is hard. I was off for nearly 9 months. Like you my boss was great. I eased back in by starting with 2 days then 3 days in one office then eventually 4 days spilt between my regular off ice and our head office.  The hardest part for me was catching up on all the new rules and regulation changes that come about in my field of work. I did manage it and now Iā€™m on the opposite end Im winding down to retirement. Donā€™t rush back in, if you donā€™t have to, it is amazing how exhausting it can be. Even though Iā€™m a desk Jockey multitasking was hard at first. Phones going off at the same time as trying to concentrate on the job in front of me.  Youā€™re right about the taste of retirement I was more or less counting down to when I could choose to work my days and hrs which is more or less what Iā€™m doing now. 
    Best of luck with the transition back into the world outside of treatment and Drs appointments. 

  • yoyo's avatar
    yoyo
    Member
    3 months ago

    I know that there is a book that helps you set goals (The First 90 Days) when starting a new job. I know it's not technically a new job, but maybe the principles and strategies can help you. I didn't do it myself, but in retrospect I should have. 

  • yoyo's avatar
    yoyo
    Member
    3 months ago

    Hi Terrianne, 

    What a journey you've had. You're so strong - and you'll get through the next hurdle of going back to work with the same strength and bravery. 



    I did not have as long a break as you, but here a few tips that helped me:

    • Don't put pressure on yourself and expect that you'd be able to work at the same pace or with the same vigour as before. Take it one day at a time. I have a type A personality, so that was the hardest part for me. 
    • Plan to have free time before and after your working hours as far as you can so that you can get maximum rest - you'll be very tired. I reserved seeing friends or doing my chores on the weekends. I also asked my mom to stay with my for a few weeks to help with cleaning, shopping and cooking. 
    • I underestimated the toll commuting and seeing people in person would take on me, so I found it helpful to wfh with special permission and then slowly eased myself back in with 1 day a week, then 2, etc. 
    • If you're overwhelmed and tired, allow yourself to feel that and then do something that fills your emotional tank. I spent more time at the ocean before/after work. 
    • It's ok to tell management that you can't take on too much work - my first week back, they put me on 3 new projects and I had to tell my manager that I couldn't cope with my workload. Hopefully yours will have a higher EQ. 
    • I experienced brain fog during presentations (don't know if you do that type of work) which was very embarrassing for me. Go easy on yourself if similar things happen to you - you might look like the version of you that used to do the job, but your body is still healing and recovering. 

    Hope that helps and all the best xx

  • arpie's avatar
    arpie
    Member
    3 months ago

    What a bummer about the infections that has prevented you returning to work earlier.  :(     I hope you settle back to work nicely without hassles ... as you say, it is great (in a way) that your boss has also been ill recently, so possibly more sympathetic to your cause.  Be kind to yourself - you may find yourself being quite tired in the early days (maybe do half days to start off with?)
    Take care & all the best