Thats really good to hear! All the very best Loobers x
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Yes, self care is essential. Following advice from my surgeon I was absent from work for about two months while recovering from two surgeries - a mastectomy followed by a lymph nodes clearance then resumed work with a phased return. But then, when I started the chemo my oncologist encouraged me to keep active. Thankfully I had an understanding line manager and colleagues who didn’t grumble when I flexed my schedules to accommodate the low energy in the first week of each cycle. Self care can mean different behaviours for different people in different circumstances. Being fortunate to working in a friendly environment, I was glad to keep active during the chemo as it kept me distracted from dwelling on the side effects. I chose to be open with my colleagues about my breast cancer and it’s treatments. In a way, finding ways to continue engaging with work while also being gentle with myself when not feeling well enough to contribute much, taught me a lot and brought me closer to the people I work with.
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Thank you for your response. It’s good to see how a supportive work place can help with working following diagnosis.
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I work in mental health. Cancer is classified as a disability (I know🧐), so your work have a legal duty of care to make reasonable adjustments.
Tell them how you’re feeling and ask for a phased return. It’s also more than reasonable to ask for another sick note. In fact I’d say do it. It might just give you some time to get some professional support you need , so you are in a much better mental space. Do you have access to EAP at work?
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Hi @glamit thanks for your response. I’ve got a phased return starting in 2 weeks so hopefully I’ll feel ready by then. I think we’ve got the EAP at work so I’ll look into that.
We also have EAP and I did contact them a couple of times but the Moving Forwards course was more helpful in getting me to the right place. I’m glad you have something sorted out and I hope it goes well . As it’s coming up to the end of the financial year there might be some outstanding annual leave you can take to extend your phased return if you need it xx