Tips on working and treatment
Hi all, I will be starting Chemo soon which will be followed up with more surgery and then radiation. I know l will have moments where l will be tired/sick and anything else that goes with it. I jo...
Forum Discussion
I think it all depends on your job as well as well as how you react to chemo.
I was on ACT-H. The AC wiped me out for 2 weeks each cycle. Felt okay the 3rd week...then it was appointments, tests then start next cycle. Everyone told me the next part would be easier. I found taxol really hard and got increasingly depressed. I thought I was going to be able to return to work but as each week came I just got tireder and tireder. It was a testing time. I then believed 3 weeks after woukd be long enough for me to recover post chemo. It wasn't. 7 weeks after chemo I started back at work at half the hours under a planned return to work plan. 2 months before I was ready to increase. I continued on Herceptin for another 3 months but was stopped early due to heart issues.
My workplace had a previous bc patient who worked through. Different regime and very few issues. Of course they expected the same of me. In the end I had the Cancer Care Coordinator speak with my manager so she understood post chemo fatigue and how well I was actually doing. That really helped.
My friend was able to work some of the time. However mentally she still hasn't really moved on or accepted breast cancer and being a SURVIVOR. She did find working a good distraction. Her job is very very different from mine where I work with people and have to be out driving and seeing people.
We are all very different. Accepting we might not be in control of how our bodies react is not easy. I was able to draw against my trauma component of my life insurance and take some Long Service Leave to see me through and help with my only part time work for 6 months.
I hope some of this info is helpful. Kath x
I was on ACT-H. The AC wiped me out for 2 weeks each cycle. Felt okay the 3rd week...then it was appointments, tests then start next cycle. Everyone told me the next part would be easier. I found taxol really hard and got increasingly depressed. I thought I was going to be able to return to work but as each week came I just got tireder and tireder. It was a testing time. I then believed 3 weeks after woukd be long enough for me to recover post chemo. It wasn't. 7 weeks after chemo I started back at work at half the hours under a planned return to work plan. 2 months before I was ready to increase. I continued on Herceptin for another 3 months but was stopped early due to heart issues.
My workplace had a previous bc patient who worked through. Different regime and very few issues. Of course they expected the same of me. In the end I had the Cancer Care Coordinator speak with my manager so she understood post chemo fatigue and how well I was actually doing. That really helped.
My friend was able to work some of the time. However mentally she still hasn't really moved on or accepted breast cancer and being a SURVIVOR. She did find working a good distraction. Her job is very very different from mine where I work with people and have to be out driving and seeing people.
We are all very different. Accepting we might not be in control of how our bodies react is not easy. I was able to draw against my trauma component of my life insurance and take some Long Service Leave to see me through and help with my only part time work for 6 months.
I hope some of this info is helpful. Kath x