Hi I had a lumptecomy in August and my lymph niodes were clear. I’ve had four sessions of chemo out of six and then have got to have fifteen sessions of radiotherapy. I’ve heard that some people start back to work whilst having radiotherapy. I’ve got a meeting with my employer (about changes they implementing) next week and my employer also wants to discuss when I’m likely to be back at work. I’ve been told that its about four weeks after last chemo when you start radio and it can make you tired so I dont know what to say to my employer. Can anyone give me some help
Hello, I’ve just had my third chemo with rads to follow after 6.
I have a friend who had radiotherapy earlier this year ( she didn’t have chemo). She says it made her really tired and she couldn’t work, but someone else being treated at the same time did not suffer from tiredness at all and worked around her appointments. I guess you have to see how it affects you, but after chemo I think you are likely to still have tiredness from that.
There is a thread somewhere with ladies talking about phased returns to work etc with advice to go through Occupational Health. Your GP can give you a sick note saying fit for altered hours and amended duties - and that would be after Rads.
Be kind to yourself. Stella
Hi joodles 1968
Have a look under Living with Breast Cancer, Employment Travel & Financial Issues. There’s loads in there about working during treatment, returning to work, phased return to work, etc.
Sarah x
HI joodles i had chemo and finished 20 rads sessions 1st nov and havent worked throughout treatment although i know people who have but didnt have chemo aswell .I did feel more tired more with the travelling in to hospital early every day I think it also makes a difference in the job you do aswell i need a lot of concentration and its very physical and stressfull so emotionally i wasnt up to it and couldnt have coped with added stress ontop of treatment so im going back phased return in the new year cos oncologist also wanted my immune system and bloods etc to fully recover and wanted me to have 6 weeks after treatment ended .Julie
Hi
I have just finished 15 rads yesterday. I didn’t work through any of my treatment. I am a teacher and I just don’t think my mind was capable of being on the job enough. My rads app were all before 9.00 am just about, but the weather made it a nightmare to get to the hosp in the snow. Even the staff were delayed, just somethingvto consider with winter rads if you are on a tight schedule. Like Julie my oncvhas told me to give my body six weeks to recover before going back to work. But I totally understand why some people want to work to feel normal. For me there is nothing normal about any of this so working wouldn’t help. I just want to rest and have some convalescence before going back to work, as I know it will be full on when I get there.
Best of luck
Debx
Hi there
I had 18 sessions of rads in Oct/Nov and had to drive 45 mins to get to hospital and then back again. I am a self-employed massage therapist and felt that my brain would benefit from maintaining some semblance of normality - plus I needed the income!! I worked half-days throughout and felt fine - the travelling took it out of me more than the treatment but was still able to work although slept like a log every night. I wish I had taken the last rads day as a day off though, as it felt like such a landmark day, and I felt I needed some quiet time to absorb what had happened.
I really think its an individual thing - the first week or so you should be fine, but maybe make provision for time off later in the treatment.
Good luck and hope it all goes well!
Georgie x
Hello,
Just to say how I’m finding rads. I’ve managed to have them after work and haven’t been tired but then I only have a 15 minute walk to the hospital. Reading other posts I think it may be the travelling to and from the hospital that causes fatigue, especially if you have to do it two or three times a week, plus you have had chemo, I didn’t and obviously that is going to make all the difference in the world. Your body has already taken a bit of a battering. I think I would agree with other’s comments - just see how you feel, listen to your body and be guided by that.
I do hope it all goes well for you though and I do think making sure you keep up with the Aqua cream is beneficial - I’ve been doing this and I haven’t had any redness etc.
Let us know how you get on.
Myfanwy
It really depends on what you feel you can manage, physically, emotionally and finacially. I did not have chemo, worked as teacher leaving 30 mins early each day to get to rads appointment. I was fine, although emotionally a total head case so maybe I returned before I was ready. So you need to think hard about what YOU CAN DEAL WITH. How you feel now, how demanding your job is etc.
All the best Alice
Its a real personal thing.Depends on what job you do. How far you have to travel to hosp and so on. I was able to return to work inbetween chemo and rads but took time off during rads mainly as journey took a big chunk out of the day. I was very lucky that my employer allowed me a phased return to work, starting 10 till 2 increasing to full time over several weeks.
Best wishes Sarah
Hi there,
I have just had 11th day of rads today, 4 more to go. I thought I could do it all, work ( trying 3 days a week), looking after the family ( hubbie not too good on that one) and getting to and from hospital ( 40 minute drive), but today the tiredness has just hit me like a brick wall, so I have just slept.
With hindsight for me I should just have stayed off work during treatment (but financially this was difficult).
I have also found that because I can not use deodorant on the treated side that I am conscious I may smell- and this is not good when working ( I know its a minor point but for me its a big one!)
I think we hope we can still do everything, but Rads is a big thing, it is something new every day for at least 3 weeks, so I would say consider “can I cope with adding something else which I can’t control into my schedule?” before deciding to work through treatment.
Best wishes. Kim