How have people got on with radiotherapy and working? I had planned to work in the mornings and then go to the hospital for the afternoon for my treatment. I start on 21st September. I went back to work 3 weeks ago on a phased return and was doing ok until this week when it seems my head has turned to mush and I am an emotional wreck. I feel like a wimp because I am now thinking working and rads is not going to be the best option but if I go sick again I will only get half pay, which means financially struggling, just adding to my worries.
It doesn’t help that I work in a cancer unit in one Hospital but will need to travel to another for treatment. I am thinking working with cancer patients is too much when I am still going through my own illness! I am all over the place and just wondered if others have had this ‘meltdown’ after all the surgery is complete and before treatment started? Its like being in limbo, neither sick nor cured, if you see what I mean. Perhaps that is why the emotions are getting the better of me. Who knows!
Thanks for listening out there, and I hope everyone is as well as can be expected.
Hi Alison, I worked through rads , I finish at 3 so booked them from 4 onwards which worked great for me but I don’t have a stressful job and would have been on full pay but just wanted to keep things as normal as possible by going and it kept my mind occupied! my mini melt down came after I’d finished and i reflected fully on what the hell had just happened to me!
Hubby took us away on a nice break in the sun and it did me the world of good as for the first time in months I could just be me and not poor jo with cancer , it was wonderful and really helped me get my head back in the right place!
i think maybe see how you go and be prepared to take some time off if you feel you need to , it’s not physically hard having rads, it’s totally painless but the travelling and emotional side of it can wear you out! Good luck your on the home stretch! Xx Jo
I was the same as Jo, I worked mornings but was only allowed to do 3 mornings a week and then my bosses would only let me do 4 hours a day, on those days I arranged it so that my session was around 1-2pm so I was able to go straight from work as it was half way there.
As Jo said it is not the actual rads that I struggled with, although I did have a meltdown on the one day, it was the constant to and froing every day that was hard. I have a job which is not stressful as well and do not have any particular deadline to meet so that part was easy for me. It then left me the afternoon to do whatever I needed to do and the evening to relax.
What I would say is absolutely listen to your body, it will tell you when to rest. On the Radiotherapy section here there is a September 2017 Radiotherapy thread which you might find useful as you will be talking to ladies who are currently going through rads or are about to start in September. You will get loads of help and support on there.
I think you are right, we build ourselves up to and deal with the surgery, now the gap again, but just think you will be completely finishing active treatment in October. How many sessions are you having?
I start mine on the 19th September for 4 weeks. I am going to have to work full time due to my company not paying me unless I work. I work within a customer service enviorment and it can get a bit stressful at times. The hospital have been kind enough for me to have the appointment after work, so that I can go straight home and rest before my next days work. Has anyone else had to deal with working full 40 hour week and Rads, if so how did you feel.