Postby BrownBagger » Fri Aug 12, 2011 8:38 am
Hey, welcome to the Club.
Like you, I'm a desk jockey. I work 2 days a week from home and drive 60 miles one way 3 days a week to get to my office. I returned to work more or less full-time 3 weeks after my LAR, which put me in the hospital for 4 days and nights. Five weeks post-op, I felt good most of the time. Before that, my biggest complaint was fatigue. I got back on my bicycle at Week 6 and never looked back.
I made an effort to get into the best shape possible before going in for my surgery, and then I worked at staying active post-op. You're laid up for a few weeks regardless, but I think being in good physical condition helped me recover more quickly. The hardest part about returning to work, from my perspective, was the drive up to work and back. Bumpy roads and with that incision in your belly and the temp ileostomy, you feel every bump. Early on, by the time I got to work, I was tapped out from the pain. Good time to take a Percocet.
Good luck with your procedure. If the stress starts getting to you, ask your doctor for a script for Ativan or some other sedative. No point in sweating out something that's inevitable.
Eric, 58
Dx: 3/09, Stage 4 RC
Recurrences: (ongoing, lung, bronchial cavity, ribs)
Major Ops: 6/ RFA: 3 /bronchoscopies: 8
Pelvic radiation: 5 wks. Bronchial radiation—brachytheray: 3 treatments
Chemo Rounds (career):136
Current Chemo Cocktail: Xeloda & Erbitux & Irinotecan biweekly
Current Cocktail; On the Wagon (mostly)
Bicycle miles post-dx 10,477
Motto: Live your life like it's going to be a long one, because it just might, and then you'll be glad you did.