working/traveling during radiation (?)

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jep
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:45 pm
Location: New England, USA

working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby jep » Wed May 01, 2019 11:06 am

Hi everyone . . . my husband will begin 6 weeks of radiation treatments (to his colon) soon . . . he is hoping to continue working (as a school teacher) and he is also hoping to travel (via car) for a college reunion. This is new territory for us, so we're hoping someone can give some input . . . I know everyone is different, but how much does radiation interfere with the "normal" life routine? He has worked through 2 rounds of chemo, but we're wondering if the radiation will be different.
Thank you!
jep
Stage IV CC 5/16/17
Loc: recto-sig
Type: Adenocarcinoma
Size: 7.4 cm
Grade: G3
TNM: T3N2M1
LNs: 8/20
BL CEA: .9
LVI: present
Perineural invasion: present
LAR margins: clear (w/in microns)
Folfox (8/17-1/18)
Scope 6/18 - CLEAR! - 2 polyps
PET 10/17/18: 3 pos LNs
Irino + Vecti (11/18)
CEA: 1.7 (2/19)
Xel + rad (5/19)
Surgery: 8/21/19 (aborted)
P1 Trial 10/19 - 12/19
Bypass 12/6/19
Folfox + vecti 1/2/19 - 4/3/20
Kid Fail 5/1/20
Folfiri + Avastin 5/20 - 6/20
bypass 6/29/20
Stivarga 7/18/20 -
Home 9/10/20

claudine
Posts: 809
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:41 pm
Location: Montana

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby claudine » Wed May 01, 2019 3:52 pm

Hi Jep,
My husband had 3 weeks of radiation last Spring for a lumbar metastasis. He was given the radiation in the morning; that caused some mild nausea, and fatigue (he would nap for a few hours), but he was able to work in the afternoons. Not sure how this will translate to the type of radiation your husband will get?
Wife of Dx 04/18 (51 yo). MSS, KRAS G12A, no primary

Tumors: L4 04/18; left adrenal gland & small lung nodules 03/19
rectum 02/22 (pT3 pN0 stage 2A); L3 09/22

Surgeries: intestinal resect. 05/18 (no cancer - Crohn's); adrenalectomy 02/20
L3-L4-L5 fusion and corpectomy 05/20; LAR 04/22; ileo reversal 09/22
L2-L3 fusion and corpectomy 09/22

Treatments: EBRT 04/18; SBRT 02/19; Failed adjuvant Xelox ; Folfiri/Avastin 03/19 - 01/20
adjuvant chemorad (Xeloda) 06/22; SBRT 11/22; Xeloda/Avastin since 01/24

jep
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:45 pm
Location: New England, USA

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby jep » Wed May 01, 2019 4:52 pm

Ok, I think my husband is going to try to have the radiation treatments in the afternoon so he doesn't miss school....hopefully he will be able to rest and chill all evening....did the docs give your husband anything for the nausea?
Stage IV CC 5/16/17
Loc: recto-sig
Type: Adenocarcinoma
Size: 7.4 cm
Grade: G3
TNM: T3N2M1
LNs: 8/20
BL CEA: .9
LVI: present
Perineural invasion: present
LAR margins: clear (w/in microns)
Folfox (8/17-1/18)
Scope 6/18 - CLEAR! - 2 polyps
PET 10/17/18: 3 pos LNs
Irino + Vecti (11/18)
CEA: 1.7 (2/19)
Xel + rad (5/19)
Surgery: 8/21/19 (aborted)
P1 Trial 10/19 - 12/19
Bypass 12/6/19
Folfox + vecti 1/2/19 - 4/3/20
Kid Fail 5/1/20
Folfiri + Avastin 5/20 - 6/20
bypass 6/29/20
Stivarga 7/18/20 -
Home 9/10/20

claudine
Posts: 809
Joined: Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:41 pm
Location: Montana

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby claudine » Wed May 01, 2019 4:55 pm

I think so yes, but it was mild (he never threw up, I just had to drive really slow on the way back home) so he never took anything.
Wife of Dx 04/18 (51 yo). MSS, KRAS G12A, no primary

Tumors: L4 04/18; left adrenal gland & small lung nodules 03/19
rectum 02/22 (pT3 pN0 stage 2A); L3 09/22

Surgeries: intestinal resect. 05/18 (no cancer - Crohn's); adrenalectomy 02/20
L3-L4-L5 fusion and corpectomy 05/20; LAR 04/22; ileo reversal 09/22
L2-L3 fusion and corpectomy 09/22

Treatments: EBRT 04/18; SBRT 02/19; Failed adjuvant Xelox ; Folfiri/Avastin 03/19 - 01/20
adjuvant chemorad (Xeloda) 06/22; SBRT 11/22; Xeloda/Avastin since 01/24

Eleda
Posts: 328
Joined: Thu Dec 28, 2017 2:28 am
Facebook Username: adele Morgan
Location: Ireland

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby Eleda » Wed May 01, 2019 4:57 pm

TBH I found radiation ok( ish)
I worked through and only got bad last 2 weeks.
Bad.........being burned bum and urethra, and dioreah,,,,
Other than that
I found it quite tolerable
Take anything the doc will give you to ease any symptoms
My team said not to use aquaphore because it's like heating a pan of oil and will burn ur skin worse

But that's only my team, I think others say it's ok!!!!
A sitz bath or bedet would b very welcome
Good luck u'll get through it :!:
Adele X
SWF, 47
Mom to 3 sons 6/8/12
Dec4th 2017 colonoscopy for minor intermittent rectal bleeding during Summer
CEA 4.4
DX T3 L3C M0 2.5/3 cm above AV.
JAN 3RD started 1650mg Zelda 2xday, with 28 radiation
Did tagamet 800mg daily and 75mg IV VIT C WEEKLY UNTIL SURGERY and
Tumor reduce by 80% 1 LN still remaining
TATME May10th, temp illeostomy
10/07/2018 CEA 3
MMR INTACT
Began FOLFOX July 10th
24/08/2018 Allergic reaction so next infusion lucovorin and 5fu
CEA 4
Second attempt with oxi aug 12th

User avatar
kellywin
Posts: 492
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 4:46 pm
Location: Northern CA

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby kellywin » Wed May 01, 2019 6:22 pm

Working is very possible, depending on how he tolerates radiation. I worked every day, walked across the street for radiation and came right back. The only issue I can see with traveling would be how far into the radiation treatment would this trip be, if it's toward the end, the urgency (and the pain - think razor blades) can be the hardest part. You don't want to be too far from a bathroom - cause when you got to go, you got to go...
Kelly, mom 14 yo girl
Dx 11/15/12 Rectal Cancer @ age 40
Stage IIIC
5.5 weeks Xeloda & Radiation - complete 2/5/13
Colectomy 3/12/13, 7 of 14 nodes positive - no ileo
4/24/13-8/20/13 - 5 rounds Xelox, 1 Xeloda only

jep
Posts: 260
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:45 pm
Location: New England, USA

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby jep » Wed May 01, 2019 9:08 pm

Great advice everyone...thank you so much!
Stage IV CC 5/16/17
Loc: recto-sig
Type: Adenocarcinoma
Size: 7.4 cm
Grade: G3
TNM: T3N2M1
LNs: 8/20
BL CEA: .9
LVI: present
Perineural invasion: present
LAR margins: clear (w/in microns)
Folfox (8/17-1/18)
Scope 6/18 - CLEAR! - 2 polyps
PET 10/17/18: 3 pos LNs
Irino + Vecti (11/18)
CEA: 1.7 (2/19)
Xel + rad (5/19)
Surgery: 8/21/19 (aborted)
P1 Trial 10/19 - 12/19
Bypass 12/6/19
Folfox + vecti 1/2/19 - 4/3/20
Kid Fail 5/1/20
Folfiri + Avastin 5/20 - 6/20
bypass 6/29/20
Stivarga 7/18/20 -
Home 9/10/20

User avatar
CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby CRguy » Wed May 01, 2019 11:20 pm

jep wrote: . . . I know everyone is different, but how much does radiation interfere with the "normal" life routine? He has worked through 2 rounds of chemo, but we're wondering if the radiation will be different.
Thank you!
jep

Will link you to a very old post from me .... HERE
where I am talking more about Xeloda / timing / radiation stuff ... BUTT all this was to get me to work by 9:30 a.m.
which I did for the full 28 radiation doses. Once I got to work I was back in MY zone and it would have helped me get back to being ME
and leaving cancer at the Cancer Center.

In terms of chemoradiation issues : I was working fine through most of this phase and was able to work as a vet doing appointments / surgeries.
Then wifey and I took a road trip to wine country for a week prior to my resection and other than lack of energy ... I was good !

My tumor was rectosigmoid, so maybe a little lower than a colon site, which may result in different issues ?????
I had no nausea issues with chemorad at all.

As your later post mentions doing afternoon rads ???? WOW that may well be a very good option for hubby.

The whole chemorad thing for me was pretty much a non issue. I recall very mild handfoot ( compared to adjuvant chemo ), minor diarrhea issues and some fatigue / taste issues ... BUTT totally DO-able.

Cheers and Harmony

CRguy
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

princey
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2018 2:53 pm

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby princey » Thu May 02, 2019 11:57 am

My husband had 6 weeks of radiation in the afternoons. He's a local truck driver. He worked everyday. Bouncing around in a truck. That being said, he would come home and pretty much go right to bed...

Surroundedbylove
Posts: 3126
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:43 am
Location: Seattle

Re: working/traveling during radiation (?)

Postby Surroundedbylove » Sat May 04, 2019 3:29 am

I had 6 weeks of chemo and radiation before my surgery. My doctors warned me that those 6 weeks would likely be the hardest and they were. Daily radiation and basically daily Xeloda wiped me out plus I had excruciating pain from the radiation because of the field needed in my case to reach the lymph nodes affected. As such, a couple of weeks into radiation I was on morphine every two hours for pain management. I truly didn’t do anything during that time except treatment and sleep.

The best advice someone gave me was “expect the unexpected.” I had hoped to work all through treatment but found that just wasn’t possible in my case.
Surroundedbylove

Rectal Cancer @ 43, '08
Clinical: T3,N2a,MX (IIIB)
6 wks XELOX & radiation
LAR, colonic j-pouch, & temp ileo '09
Surgical: ypT3,ypN0,ypMX (0 of 20 nodes)
FOLFOX; XELOX
Ileo Takedown ‘09
LARS for 10 years before learning it is finally being studied
InterStim Sacral Nerve Neuromodulator 2019


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