working during chemo????

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DanaSue
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working during chemo????

Postby DanaSue » Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:52 am

I am trying to decide what to do about going back to work during chemo. I do health education for monmouth county..so I am in the office about 50% of the time and I am out doing presentations about 50% of the time (in schools, community centers, etc.). Unfortunately I can't really do this job from home.

Did you guys go back to work and struggle through the bad days or did you stay out for your entire treatment???

Thanks!!

Dana
Dana DiPaolo Holbrook
Point Pleasant, NJ
22 at diagnosis, Stage II CC
Colon resection 12/22/06
FLOFOX4 1/07-8/07



::fear nothing::

missjv
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Location: FLORIDA

Postby missjv » Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:35 am

HI,
WELL WE HAVE A BUSINESS THAT I RUN FROM HOME, ALSO I WORK PART TIME FOR A VETERINARIAN I CONTINUE TO WORK AND ON BAD DAYS I DID OFFICE WORK AT VETS OFFICE INSTEAD OF BEING OUT WITH THE ANIMALS AND I HAD TO CONTINUE OFFICE WORK AFTER LIVER RESECTION BECAUSE I COULD NOT LIFT AND I WORK WITH HORSES BUT NOW IM GETTING BACK INTO IT. I KNOW THERE ARE DAYS WHEN I FEEL LIKE CRAWLING BACK IN BED AND NEVER COMING OUT I DON'T HANDLE MY NEW CHEMO RECIPE AS WELL AS I DID THE CHEMO I HAD BEFORE SURGERY BUT MY WEEK OFF OF CHEMO IS GREAT SO I TRY TO GET ALOT DONE THAT WEEK CAUSE I KNOW HOW I WILL FEEL THE FOLLOWING WEEK. CAN YOU WORK SOMETHING OUT TO POSSIBLY JUST STAY IN YOUR OFFICE UNTIL YOUR TREATMENTS ARE OVER? MAYBE DO PART TIME? GOOD LUCK!


MISSJV

Guest

Postby Guest » Sun Feb 11, 2007 4:28 pm

Hi Dana,
I am a sewing machine mechanic,both industrial and domestic.
I had chemo every tuesday for a year. I used to get very sick every second week because of an enhancement drug called Levamisole. Unfortunately there are very few sewing machine mechanics around so my clients begged me to return during my second month of chemo.
I managed to get thru the twelve months and everyone gave me a lot of leeway. It was not easy and it can be very difficult to concentrate especially when you are feeling unwell and trying to avoid the distraction of survival. I would do it the same way if I had the choice again but it would have been easier and less stressful without having to work.
Cheers Ron.

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Sweet Peg
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Postby Sweet Peg » Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:17 pm

Hey Dana

I worked in the District office for the School System here as a Receptionist/Secretary. I was able to work full time while doing the Chemo because it was mostly sitting. I still got very tired. I would go home after work and sleep for about an hour and a half....get up and have dinner, watch TV for about 1/2 an hour then back to bed the rest of the night. I wasn't around any of the kids so that is why I decided to continue to work. My Oncologist asked me if I would be around the kids or not. He was concerned about catching things from them while my immune system was down. I would talk to your Oncologist about working. That would be the only reason why I would think you couldn't. Everyone reacts differently with the Chemo, so you will just have to see what your body tells you as well. That is one of the biggest things you have to do during Chemo is "listen to your body"......rest when it tells you that you are tired. Depends on how strenuous the job is too. Might just have to try it and see how it works. I would even try 1/2 days if possible until you see how you cope with the Chemo. I think it was very good for me TO work as it kept my mind off the Cancer and kept me from having constant "Peggy Pity Parties"!! LOL One day at a time......see how it goes would be my advise and talk to you're Oncologist.

Hope that helps!!

Peg

Luv2Run
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Postby Luv2Run » Sun Feb 11, 2007 8:33 pm

I work in marketing for an industria robotics company. The week I had chemo (Monday-Wednesday cycle), I would schedule my appt. for mid-afternoon and able to get in about 33-35 hours per week. I was able to still be on disability - it covered whatever hours I did not work up to 40 hrs/week. The week off chemo, I worked the full 40 hours. Also, when I was not connected to my pump, I would hit the gym after work for 1-2 hours a 4-5 times a week (purging the toxins out)

Magnolia
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Location: Virginia

Postby Magnolia » Sun Feb 11, 2007 8:50 pm

I didn't work during my chemo week, and worked part-time the off week. I could have worked a bit more, but the office where I worked only needed me part time for those weeks. I'm glad I could take the chemo week off. I did get very tired, and would not have liked going to work with the pump. I got my infusions on Monday, and it did kind of mess up the rest of the week. I have a friend with ovarian cancer who gets her treatments later in the week and rests up over the weekends. She manages to work close to full time. All I can say is I'm glad I didn't have to.

Lifes2short
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Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:54 pm
Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Postby Lifes2short » Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:26 pm

When I was having the chemo/radiation combo last year I tried to work - I got my dream job on the same day that I was diagnosed with cancer. I was only able to keep it up for five weeks, then I had to stop because I was so exhausted.

I don't believe that I could have worked on Folfox. It knocked me down almost completely for the first three to five days.

I also have two young kids, so didn't have the ability to come home from work and take a nap. I think that maybe without kids I would have been able to keep up with work except on the very worst days.

It's different for everyone. If you can afford not to work, then give yourself a break. Chemo is tough. Cancer is tough. Be as gentle to yourself as you can.

pjmanes
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Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:54 pm

Postby pjmanes » Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:56 pm

I worked fulltime the first year of my treatments - I took the day of chemo off and the day after and then went to work and had the visiting nurse come there to disconnect me from my pump. I just worked extra hours the other days to make up for any missed hours. And anytime I wasn't working I was sleeping. I did not have kids but I did have a very high pressure job. In the end I had a stroke. Then I took off work- went on SS disability (as my diagnosis was less than a year to live and my doctors and SSD agreed) for another year and then went back to work part-time for the past 10 months. 12-20 hours per week is about all I can do anymore. It all depends on your money situation. If you can go on SS disability then stay home and only work part-time. I still need lots of sleep even with part-time. But I'm not as strong as I was 3 years ago when I started this fight. I wish you the best! PHYL
Thanks, Phyl

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pjpeace
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Postby pjpeace » Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:32 pm

I moved 1/2 was accross the country to move home from my job when i got sick...if i was working for the same group of people i think i would've done every other week. i was lucky enough to qualify for SS disability though and not have to work. Not that it covers all my medical bills esp. since i have to live with my parents to get by! your job sounds a lot like the one i had. i was a training supervisor for borders so i'd train new employees about 1/2 the time then the other 1/2 doing office work or supervising the floor. if you have flexability to do your office work on chemo week and do presentations on your good weeks that would probably be ideal.

i would definetly ask you employer how you can work with them. you probably can't avoid treatment days for taking time off for that. explain to your employer that you may need to adjust your schedule since you don't know how your body is going to tolerate stuff while working.

there was a lady who was working full time as a nurse that did her chemo every 3 weeks instead of the typical 2 weeks. it just too her longer to recover from the fatique. so you can also work with your Onco.

Best wishes :D
"When you've been abandoned in the desert and the vultures are circling and squawking at you...raise you fist at them and yell "I'M NOT DEAD YET!!!"
Stage IV @ 30 yrs. 6/06 Ms. April 2008
Recurrence to pancreas 2/09 & 6/10

missjv
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Location: FLORIDA

Postby missjv » Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:50 am

hi,
well i guess i am lucky having landscaping business run from home and my job at the vet i can come and go when i want after 20 years. my boss is great cause he expects me to beat this crap and be back to my old self then i can work more he says. i guess the exhaustion from the drugs is the worse part i also go to the gym and now im pretty much healed from liver resection i have started to run again everyother day try to get my muscles back. i noticed i lost alot of muscle after surgery and then starting chemo 2 weeks after major surgery did not help. i guess we are all doing what we can to beat this crap, and my hats off to those who have been on chemo for years i do not know how you do it.

missjv

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Work

Postby Guest » Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:33 pm

I worked every other week for 6 months while on FOLFOX for stage IIIa cc. I ws totally wiped out the week I had chemo. I tried to work a couple of days, but would get sick. the week I was not on chemo, I would work, but was tired. After the 6 months was complete, I returned to work fulltime and continued 6 months of Avastin with no side effects.


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