I am really worried that I won’t be able to do my job when I return to work. I had a mastectomy and reconstruction surgery on 28 October 2025. Luckily I have not had to have radiotherapy due to the amount that was removed/margins etc. I am now on Tamoxifen for 5 years which has exasperated my menopause symptoms. I would love nothing more than not go back to work at all but unfortunately we are not in the position financially for me to be able leave.
I know I am lucky as I can work from home pretty much most of the time but I have a demanding and can be a stressful job. How have other people adapted to going back?
I’m Interested to hear how other people have adapted too. I’m not at the stage of returning just yet as I’m still having treatment but it’s something I’m thinking about. I work in retail on the shop floor and can’t imagine how I’m going to be able to stand up for 8 hours shifts again or have the patience to deal with customers. I’d love to do something else but I don’t know what.
I can’t help with the long term as I ended up taking redundancy, but for the short term make sure you check in with your manager/team frequently and have realistic expectations of what you can get done in a day. Do you have an option to do a phased return? It helps to get back into the swing of things and pick up little tasks or projects. As I worked in the public sector, I had check ins with occupational health as well who would let my manager know what they thought I would be capable of professionally. Their report allowed me to have flexi hours, which my employer didn’t usually authorise, so it was a massive help to be able to rest when I needed and then pick my laptop up again.
Hi I went back full time too early and was completely exhausted. I watched a breast cancer now webinar on returning to work which really helped - it said it’s not an event it’s a process. I took that to heart and got my management to agree I would do flexible hours and take time off if I got too tired. It really helped. I’m 6 months post radiotherapy now and can go back full time. But don’t rush it- you have employment rights!
