returning to work...

Hi All,

thought would try to get sorted early for returning to work, I’m only 3 sessions into chemo!!! I really want to return asap and go from part time to full time! Am I mad you ask - well maybe but I want to start to get more out of life and money will help very much!!!

how have you all returned to work — how long did it take to get back to your normal hours? any tips? or suggestions I can make to my employer??

thanks

Vicky

Hi snottrags,
I’ve been off for 13 months and have met with occ health to discuss return to work. My employer has been fantastic and we have agreed i go back once i rtn from my holiday to india 25.2.09, I asked my manager about phased return and she said do whatever i’m comfy with. I work 28hrs a week and have suggested for the first two weeks i work 2X4 hr days and week 3 work 3 x 4 hours and will then reassess it to see how things are going and how i’m feeling. i dont want to take the piss but i also don’t want to run before i can walk. I’ve got three young children and my round trip to work is 80 miles a day.

hope this helps
sukes

Hi Vicky

I am currently working through 21 day chemo cycles with days 1 and 8 being chemo days. I am in work for all but the day of chemo and day post, although I don’t work from the normal half 8 start time and usually get in by about half 9 (mornings are my worst!) I do forget to go home at usual home time though most days!!

A huge amount of this is due to the fact I adore my job and want to be there, but I know it’s incredibly hard for a lot of woman to work through chemo. We are all different.

In 2007 when first diagnosed I worked a few days each cycle once I had recovered from the mx, when on FEC x 4, but when I went to Taxotere, I had to admit defeat and could barely get upstairs, let alone to work. However I did do a fair bit from home with my laptop, which kept my pretty much sane. I also did a staged return over 8 weeks, easing back to full time hours.

This time round, my cancer is incurable, so maybe the dose is lower than it would have been back then, I am on gemcitabine / taxol at the moment and coping ok with it all.

I guess all I can say is if you want to go back, can go back then do it, but do take each day very much 1 at a time.

Good luck
Nikki

thanks for your replies.

its hard to fight against family pressure to stay off for longer, I know my body is getting punished by treatment but I am not too bad except chemo week for a few days. I am waiting for the second type of chemo to see how I am and if I am ok I might try to get an occ health appointment to see if they will let me return to work. I work part time and want to increase it to full time - am I mad - possibly but I want to provide more for my family and travel more - money is the key!!

thanks again. it helps to people who know. hope you are both as well as can be.

vicky.

Hi Vicky,
I worked throughout my chemo. Just like Nikki, I worked 2 weeks out of every 3. I did not work chemo week, worked from home week two as my immune system was at its lowest and did not want to cacth anything. I worked from the office on week 3.
I needed this to keep me sane. I have to admit, it got harder with taxotere as the aches and pains were not nice. Imagine being hit once; you just get up, then every time you are hit, it takes you a bit longer to get up again. This is how it was for chemo. It slowly got harder as it went on.
To make sure I recover fully, I took a month off after chemo. This allowed me to be back in form before going through radiotherapy.
I arranged my radiotherapy around work, and luckily enough it hardly affected me.
I am not sure what you do and whether your can work from home. If you can, take this opportunity. Your immune system is going to decrease week by week throughout the treatment. Catching something like a cold, ( and I hardly know anyone who has not suffered a bad cold this year), could set you back and increase the length of the treatment.
Have a chat with your employer.
Sophie

Hi
I only work partime but continued to work and only had three days sick.I had my op February 13 and am hoping to return after a month off. I personally chose to work during my Chemo if able as I felt it right for me to help with my well being. But I did recogise when I couldn’t make it in. At the end of the day if you feel it best for you and you can manage it go fot it.

thanks again people!!

am annoyed at moment - went into work today as needed to update password so can access e-mail from home so still “in loop” and found out that extra hours had been offered to the other two part timers but never offered to me. just because I am off sick - why??? so upset that I am not considered. I understand if they need someone soon but surely I should of been offered too??

I am so down that my life is on hold, soon to lose full pay and no where near finished chemo so might have to pull son out of private nursery -which gives me a break and keeps his place for when I do return to work. between rock and hard place - sorry for moaning just feel like c**P!!!

Snottraggs

You need to take legal advice as what your company has done (not offering you extra hours) is illegal, unless it is merely to cover you while off sick in which case it should be made clear (to all staff that it is only temporary while you’re away). Otherwise they are in breach of the employment law act!!

Go girl go!!

Regards

DecemberDee

thanks December Dee, I don’t know whether I am more angry or upset with them - I’ve been there 7 years and have had 3 years of hell. I am going to contact my HR about it. THANKS.

well, my manager got back to me and they are going to “keep” the extra hours for when I return… should I be sooo grateful!!!

They are shocking for bad practice but have accepted the hours - esp in current times at least if hubby loses his job mine is with local authority so safeish!!!

thanks for all your support people.

Vicky

I finished chemo in aug 2008 started back to work (phased return)in sept 2008 Im still finding it hard to do a full days work.I feel the chemo has killed my last brain cell!!!I cant concentrate and feel far removed from my workmates.I am half way through Herceptin treatment but cant seem to get my energy levels up??

I haven’t worked since July 2008 (3 months after my diagnosis). I have finished chemo and I am finishing Radio now. Have thought about going back to work part-time to keep my sanity, but hubby very much against, so I believe I will remain a housewife I don’t know for how long…!!! He says I need to have a proper break and rest once Radio is finished and should not be thinking about work at the moment (he says for at least a year)! I don’t know really what is best…I think that by going back to work I will feel normal again, tlking to normal people about things unrelated to hospital, doctors, exams, etc and this makes me feel good, but on the other side, I do not know if I am ready for it!
Difficult decision…

I was diagnosed on 16th April 08. I had a masectomy chemo and radio therapy. I am due to go back to work on Monday. I am looking forward to feeling more normal not off sick. My brain was affected by chemo and I think it has taken 6 months from my last chemo to work it out of my body. I have two small children so I was busy enough at home to not feel I needed something to occupy my time. I am going back on a phased return. I work for the local council and they have been great about the time off. I also had some Employment and Support allowance money once my work sick pay dropped. It involved jumping through quite alot of hoops but gave me a bit more money and more importantly the time I needed to feel fully fit and ready to work. I have met people who work during treatment and I admire them for me I needed to be able to pace myself at home and was lucky enough to have support to be able to manage at home.

I was dx on 30th April 08. Had WLE/ANS then chemo and rads. Live on an Island so had to travel and stay away during the week for the 6 wks of rads which made it worse for me. All finished on 28th Nov 08 and I went back to work part time on 5th Jan. I had hoped that this would provide some normality for me but it didn’t was there had been so much change in my 8 month absence, and I am still far from the same person I was before bc. My occy health advised to do this and use up the leave that I had accumulated whilst off sick, so I did 1/2 days for 6 weeks then 3/4 days for about 6 weeks and yesterday I went back to full time.

It was probably a little early to go back but I felt under pressure as I had gone to 1/2 pay and felt that I needed the money for my family. In terms of tiredness, it has been good doing a long phased return, but I did find myself still running around after everyone at home (children now aged 5 and 3) even though my husband is supposed to be full time Dad.

In terms of brain, it has not come back from chemo as I would like. I am still slow and think of things much later than I used to, which I hate. Hopefully I can get more into the swing of things now that I am full time again.

Hope it all goes well for everyone returning to work

Kinden
xx