Return to work
Chemo 5 coming up soon then operation on December 6 and unsure about radium after that. I have been on sick leave since July and that continues til school resumes in 2020. I am a teacher so I do need...
Forum Discussion
Hi @KayB55
Most people find a straightforward mastectomy relatively mild from a pain point of view. I was advised to take two weeks off work, and that’s perfectly sensible advice, but I was perfectly OK to go back after one. Discomfort seems to vary due to several things, most common is discomfort in moving the affected arm particularly if lymph nodes have been removed. I had 17 nodes removed but my arm mobility was excellent, so no difficulty there. If however you plan to have immediate reconstruction or preparation for reconstruction, recovery can take longer. I have remained unreconstructed, so can’t advise on that. I can sympathise with your wish to get back into things (I was 67 when diagnosed) but it really does depend on how you feel and that’s very hard to predict. After chemo, I enrolled in a gym for the first time in my life, conscious that although (not counting cancer!) I was pretty healthy, I wasn’t very fit. It’s become a pleasant habit. Best wishes.
Most people find a straightforward mastectomy relatively mild from a pain point of view. I was advised to take two weeks off work, and that’s perfectly sensible advice, but I was perfectly OK to go back after one. Discomfort seems to vary due to several things, most common is discomfort in moving the affected arm particularly if lymph nodes have been removed. I had 17 nodes removed but my arm mobility was excellent, so no difficulty there. If however you plan to have immediate reconstruction or preparation for reconstruction, recovery can take longer. I have remained unreconstructed, so can’t advise on that. I can sympathise with your wish to get back into things (I was 67 when diagnosed) but it really does depend on how you feel and that’s very hard to predict. After chemo, I enrolled in a gym for the first time in my life, conscious that although (not counting cancer!) I was pretty healthy, I wasn’t very fit. It’s become a pleasant habit. Best wishes.