Hello,
I returned to work 5 weeks ago. Only work 3 days a week so didn’t think I needed a phased return. Saw Occie Health on day1 saying I thought I could manage by the end of the 3 days had to discuss dropping to 2 days temporarily. It wasn’t an option for me to do mornings as I wouldn’t leave at lunch time ( work on a busy hospital ward). I still get tierd but is getting easier.I had a mastectomy at the end of July and finished 6 cycles of FEC just before Xmas didn’t need radiotherapy. I also have 2 small children so home isn’t very restful. It is great to have some normality in my life! As my Aunt who had breast cancer 10 years ago says ‘be kind to yourself’. I am sure work will be just pleased to see you when you are ready. I am now awaiting reconstruction but don’t see the plastic surgeons until June and my breast care nurse has warned it could be a 9 month wait after that!!!
Best wishes
Christine
Hi Tinfish
I went to see a consultant geneticist about 8 years ago when my consultant wanted me to come off Tamoxifen (after the 5 years) but my GP was adamant I needed to stay on it. So they did a family tree as you’ve had but he said at the time that the test wasn’t that accurate so although it might come back as a negative, it might be positive!
I’m doing the testing this time really for my cousin (our mums were sisters and both died young to bc) as she has two daughters plus she’s mid 40’s herself now but I will chase it up once my year is up as they said 6 - 12 months.
I agree with you, it is hard going back to work - I was off for 10 months from my first lot of chemo and when I returned it was so difficult from the tiredness point of view but also I felt that I’d had a lobotomy!!! I remember thinking how is my brain going to be able to function normally again but it did.
Good luck and take care.
Pinkdove
Hi
I went to see the consultant yesterday, and it looks like my recon wont be until September (the earliest) so she signed me off for another month and then I will be going back to work. We have a another HR manager (as the other one is sick) and she is coming to see me Wednesday to talk about phased working.
Hi Tinfish
Glad to hear that the other HR manager is coming to see you next week - fingers crossed that you get something sorted which suits you and the company.
Good luck.
hi everyone
Any suggestions about how to phase return to 30hours a week. Have continued to do 15-20 hours over 3 days during chemo though did do some work from home and as I had to use up annual leave took 3 out of the last 6 weeks chemo off. am just about to finish 30 rads so have been working 4 mornings 4 -5 hours. Have found this a struggle and the housework has gone to pot.
Just to add to the fun have got a new job?promotion (don’t recommend writing an application form with chemo brain) within the same organisation. When I saw occ health at the beginning they suggested that I wouldn’t be ready to return to full hours for 3 months after rads. New manager will probably be very supportive and has said that she doesn’t want me to overtire myself.
have people found it easier to work longer hours over a few days with days off to recover or short hours over several days. Is there a danger that you find yourself working longer hours if you take the short hours over several days.
All suggestions gratefully suggested
Hi Everyone,
I had WLE and lymph node sampling in Dec then rads Jan/Feb. I am a teacher of children with severe and complex learning difficulties who all have physical difficulties too needing manual handling. The only contact I had was a phone call from Head Teacher on 4th Mar asking what my plans were regarding return to work and saying I was being referred to Occ Health. Finally saw Occ Health on 29th Apr and am now on phased return to work. Dr I saw at Occ Health set out exactly what my return would be – 2xhalf days 1st week (that’s this week), 4xhalf days next week, 3xfull days the following week, 4xfull days the week after then full time. He also said no manual handling until he did a review in 6 weeks. Yesterday at work Head Teacher asked if I could do whole day next Tues!! I very politely said no, I was doing 4 half days but could make Tues one of those if it would help to which the reply was a brusque “It would only complicate things even further”!! It seems to me that my return is being looked on as a nuisance. In fact the day I returned, I had a meeting with HT and my dept head at which I was asked if the manual handling ban was permanent because if so that would have implications and that the Education Officer had been asked to look at my job description! Hope that no-one else has a “welcome back to work/nice to see you” etc quite as “lovely” as that.
In fact Occ Health was great. There was no question of pushing me back and I felt he listened to what I had to say and really took note of my concerns.
Good luck to you all!
Jacquie
Hi all
Good luck with your head Jacquie. Stick to your guns. I’ve been just pushing the boundaries of what Occ Health recommended during rads and have now had to take a week off sick as I’m overtired.
Have a meeting with new manager next week so what do peopel think stick for shorter days or more hours over fewer days?
Crispy
Hi Crispy,
If you’re overtired, maybe you’d be best to stick to shorter days meantime. We all tend to push ourselves too hard I think. We need to admit we’re not Superwoman!
All the best anyway.
Jacquie xx
Having been through 29 rads and working at the same time I would recommend shorter days. I was under no pressure from my employer to work at all but chose to go into the office every day and arranged my rads appointments so that I worked until about 2 or 2.30ish… I usually work 8-4.30pm so I basically cut down my hours by 2-21/2 hours per day.
My rads finished on 29th April and I went back full time on 30th (again my choice) and have coped well so far. Do be careful about how much you do - it is tiring, even I was foced to admit to that and I never admit to being anything other than ‘fine’.
Thanks both of you
returned to work today. the last day of rads and the next few i certainly felt like I was hit by a spade so was advised to take a week or two off by the consultant (I’ve tsken one and am much improved)
New manager spent the first ten mins of our meeting asking how Tx had gone and how the family had coped. She has decided that for the next 3 months my desk will be in the same building as hers and that I am expected to leave early and sleep (I can also take some work home if that is better for me). She has had family members have chemo and has always said that she was wary of letting me loose on my new job before I was fit.
I’m glad that there are others out there who are “fine”
Crispy
So although i will put pressure on myself I think I won
just read the posted comment. disregard the sentence after my signature (Typo)
Crispy