Working 9 to 5

Diagnosed with breast cancer DCIS/LCIS
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I was diagnosed with DCIs 2 weeks ago and am waiting for my mastectomy and reconstruction at the end of August.

I have quite a big role that’s high pressured and I’m finding my work very overwhelming at the moment. I think it’s because life is also overwhelming and so feel I have no space or time to think and process.

I’ll feel I’m letting people down if I don’t work but wanted to understand some other people’s journey at this stage and if they managed to balance work with everything that’s going on…

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It’s been just over a year ( 25th June 2024) since I went to the drs about my lump which turned out to be stage 1 hormone positive BC. I can honestly say it was the most worrying time of my life. My life was turned upside down with the diagnosis, not knowing what’s going to happen, what my pathology results would say, whether I would survive, etc.

I also had a highly stressful job, one which had alot of pressure and accountability. Overnight I turned my laptop off and went on sick leave. This was something I had to do for my own sanity really, and also I couldn’t cope with the not sleeping, my body not wanting to eat etc.

I had my mastectomy in August (and further surgery a week later to treat a hematoma) and I didn’t return to work until the end of January as i didn’t feel ready and also mentally I needed to get over this with counselling.

I sometimes wonder if I could have worked and
if it would have been a good distraction or not. Generally I always come to the conclusion that being off work was the right thing for me to do.

Good luck in what you decide to do, it’s not easy but you need to do what’s right for you xx

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Hello , sorry you find yourself here but you’ll find the forum a great support and with lots of information.
I work in customer facing retail and went straight on the sick after my diagnosis as I couldn’t concentrate or be friendly and ‘on’ all the time and don’t intend to go back until my treatment finishes which will probably mean I’ll be off for at least a year. My employer is fine with it, or rather they don’t have a choice :grinning: I’ve got sick pay for 6 months and the I can claim ESA and I’m lucky I have some savings to support myself.

Everybody is different though. Some like the distraction of work and sticking to a familiar routine. It’s important though to acknowledge this a life changing diagnosis and it takes a long time (if ever) to process. There’s a lot of things to think about and it can really make you question everything. Take time for yourself.

The financial side of things are also a big consideration. What is your company’s sick pay policy? Do you have any life insurance policies you could claim something from? McMillan have a lot of information on benefits on their website too or you can ring them to talk it through.

Lastly, I think we can get into the trap of feeling we are letting people down by not being at work. The reality is we are replaceable at work but not in our lives and by not looking after our mental and physical health we are only letting ourselves down :hugs: Hopefully you will be able to make a decision that is right for you x

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Thanks so much for this. Yes, the fear of letting people down is so real! But I think I do need to prioritise me at the moment.

I’ll talk to my hr team to understand our policies and then have a real think about what to do. Good luck, keep strong and we are all in this together xx

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This makes me feel better. I think I need time for me at the moment and I think that may mean time off. Thank you so much for sharing xx

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I’m firmly in the keep working as long as you can camp. I feel it is best to keep life as normal as possible so that you remain a person with a medical problem rather than a cancer victim. Cancer is just one part of your life which you would like to
Jettison asap. It should not define you

Then there is the practical side. If you work for a large company you may be granted endless sick leave but this is not the case with smaller organisations who may struggle without your input

All that said YOU will know what is right for you
And will act accordingly. Just remember that chances are you will come through this you will need your workplace to be intact so that it can support you. Cancer is a terrible thing but most of us will survive so keep your normal
Life intact

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I wanted to work and went back a few times after diagnosis. Things would be okay then it started to seem that every few days would bring another phone-call with another curveball and I would be upset again and unable to focus. In the end I decided to stop until surgery. My work has a significant impact on other people’s lives so it wouldn’t have been right or professionally responsible of me to continue when I was in that state.

But, I do agree with what @teddy271 says in principle. If my role was different I may well have been able to continue. Looking back life seemed to grind to a halt. I cancelled a holiday and a running event, both of which it turned out I could have done as surgery was delayed by more tests and other stuff. I don’t dwell on it, but I realise now that I let cancer steal that time and those experiences from me. If I had to go back but could change one thing it would be to have not allowed that. x

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Hi @motherducky
I was signed off for 2 weeks for my mastecomy (no recon), happily went back to work on a phased return to work plan for just 2 weeks before my chemo started.

When I met my onc consultant to talk about my chemo/rads plan, we discussed work.

I’d gone mad if I couldn’t have worked when I felt well enough. My treatment was in the latter months of lockdown, which probably influenced my decision - gave me interaction with people when we couldn’t meet anyone.

The consultant agreed to do a to whom it may concern letter to say about my treatment, that she’d sign me off for six months but after discussing with me was in agreement to please allow ‘my name’ to work as she feels able. Words to that effect anyhow.

She also said the 6 months signed off could be extended.

I had a wfh desk job (had been for years as I worked with people all over the world in different time zones) and 1 yr of full pay off sick.

When I had chemo every 3 weeks, I worked the 3rd week. When I was on weekly chemos (on Fridays) I worked Tuesdays to Thursdays and did Friday am if the appointment was pm. I only did 5-6 hours a day when I worked rather than the full 7.25.

My boss took all my work off me and gave me little projects (the things we always wanted to do but never got time for them) for the duration. My job was mid-management so quite pressurised and needed much juggling of projects. I did not feel guilty - too many other things to worry about!

For rads, I took a few hours off each day for my appointments. Don’t tell anyone but I did have a ‘sod it I’m having a week off’ that I took as sick leave just before my rads started. Well, it was early summer by then!

My sick record only showed the full days I was off.

My boss had a HR sickness specialist assigned so they caught up regularly to make sure everyone was happy with our agreed approach and I was not over doing things.

If I my time again, I’d probably had done half days say 10-2.

I hope you find/agree what works for you.

AnGELa
x

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Some inspiring posts on here from a lot of brave ladies. Whilst sadly there are still some employers who could give Victorian mill-owners a run for their money, thankfully most are not like that. If you are a valued employee I like to think that most will welcome the opportunity to provide support. After all, it could be them next. Wishing everybody well