I was diagnosed with bc in May 2017. Had chemo then 2 operations then radio. Thankfully got the all clear in Dec 2017. Still on going treatment but suffering from lack of sleep, dry tickly cough which also keeps me awake and losing concentration at work. Got pulled in today about the amount of mistakes I have been making which I was not aware of. Is it because of tamoxifen, citalopram, Lisinopril? Any comments welcome. Thanks.
Hi Miss Mo,
It’s not really possible to say, however, recovery from all that is bc treatment can take some time.
I’m sure you know this already, but having had cancer treatment, we are covered by the Equalities Act which means employers do have a duty to make reasonable adjustments if needed.
If your employers are making things a bit difficult, it maybe an idea to get some advice on your position.
Others here have found Macmillan helpful with this.
Wishing you well with it all.
ann x
tickly cough probably due to lisinopril. See you GP, they can change it
Hi Miss Mo,
Feel for you, it can to tough keeping everything going while dealing with side effects of med’s, let alone the rest.
Agree with the last post, check if any of your med’s may be contributing to the cough.
I took Citalopram for awhile after returning to work, in part to try to assist with hot flushes but also for anxiety re my employer expecting me to get back to a 40 hour week after about 3 or 4 weeks phased return. Over the longer term I did feel the Citalopram made me feel slightly indifferent, a bit like I couldn’t be bothered with things I would usually have been highspeed firing at.
Under disability and equality legislation your employer should provide reasonable adjustments, albeit there is a bit of juggling re business needs. Ask your GP about the lack of sleep Andy tiredness. If you continue to feel so tired and lack concentration could you afford to temporarily or longer term do shorter hours or go part time? If so would your job flex to this? When I returned to work post active treatment after the fast track phased return I was full time. I found I had little energy left over, so for a combination of reasons made the case to go part time and did feel a lot better for it. I do appreciate it’s not always possible to afford such things, but if you can it may be worth considering.
I hope things improve soon, off course it may be that if you had time off for treatment you are still getting back into the role, so perhaps it will get easier in that regard?
Seabreeze x