Working and Chemo

spay2day

2 weeks ago, on a Monday, got a job offer that I've been wanting for six months. The very next day, Tuesday, went to doctor and found out I have IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer). Had my first Chemo on the next Wed. (things are moving very fast). I start my new job (State position) tomorrow (Monday) and would welcome any advice on coping with fatigue, head aches, etc. Need this job! Talk about bad timing!!

Dotti

artizan

Oh my
Schedule chemo for the end of the week so you have the weekend to recover. Cancel all low priority activities so as to concerve energy. Enlist help from friends and family to do necessary day to day tasks. Take good care of yourself. HUGS

spay2day

artizan said:

Oh my
Schedule chemo for the end of the week so you have the weekend to recover. Cancel all low priority activities so as to concerve energy. Enlist help from friends and family to do necessary day to day tasks. Take good care of yourself. HUGS

Work/Chemo
Thank you for the advice. The unknown is so very un-nerving. I've made it 4 days so far since first treatment and all has gone ok I guess. Nest treatment in 2 1/2 weeks on Friday. None of the usual side affects. Just fatigue and bad head aches. I'm sure mostly due to stress, depression over the newness of the situation. Any ideas on nutrition boosters? Dr. says no vitamins!

Joycelouise

spay2day said:

Work/Chemo
Thank you for the advice. The unknown is so very un-nerving. I've made it 4 days so far since first treatment and all has gone ok I guess. Nest treatment in 2 1/2 weeks on Friday. None of the usual side affects. Just fatigue and bad head aches. I'm sure mostly due to stress, depression over the newness of the situation. Any ideas on nutrition boosters? Dr. says no vitamins!

Drink tons of water. Eat
Drink tons of water. Eat tons of vegetables, raw when possible (some people say wash them carefully during chemo). Cut back or eliminate sugar, alchohol and caffiene. Listen to your body and give it what it is asking for. Honestly, even though I am mostly a vegetarian my body asked for a Macdonalds burger a couple of times during chemo. I always liked the saying, everything in moderation, including moderation! I found that coming to this site helped me deal emotionally. Reading about other people going through what I am or those who already been through it was wonderful. Also, writing and trying to be helpful helped me. Best of all is when I found myself laughing (we have some funny people on this site.) There is another saying...I can cry with the best of them and laugh with the rest of them. Sometimes sharing some pain was helpful and this is a safe place to do that. You seem very brave. I am glad that you are having a relatively easy time so far. No reason to anticipate otherwise! Just love yourself like crazy. love, Joyce

seof

Be as open as you feel is
Be as open as you feel is appropriate with your boss about how your treatments are affecting your ability to do the job as you go along. For example, most treatments take several hours, so treatments may require you take time off. You will learn what days will be your good days and what days will be your bad days. For example, some people feel bad the day of and the day after, some people feel OK then, but feel worse the third day, etc. You might schedule less stressful tasks for the days you feel better, or see if there is some work you can do from home (if you feel up to it). Drinking lots of water and eating as healthy as you are able to will help you cope. Your Chemo nurses can give you good suggestions too. Then there are some people who get through chemo without having to miss work at all...maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones. The main thing to remember is that chemo is temporary. You will get through it and be able to enjoy your new job to the fullest on the other side.

Live as well as you can for as long as you can. seof

mmontero38

Welcome Dotti to our
Welcome Dotti to our sisterhood and brotherhood. I had my chemo on Fridays because that way I had the weekend to recuperate. I was still tired on Monday but was able to deal with the nausea better. Drink lots of water to flush out the chemicals and eat a lot of protein. They say protein helps with the nausea. Accept as much help as is offered, your body needs to relax and rest during this time. Right now you need to concentrate on battling this disease. Talk to your immediate supervisor or office manager about your situation because there will be times when you need to have some time off to go to chemo. Take a multivitamin daily and buy a tub of lysol wipes and wipe down every surface, especially at your new office. You need to avoid getting sick. The rest is basically common sense, if it doesn't feel right to you then don't do it. If you develop a fever call the oncologist right away. As we go through chemo our immune systems are compromised and we can't fight off viruses in the same way. Best of luck. Hugs, Lili

Irishwhispers

Every dark cloud does have
a silver lining!! Welcome to "Silver" Dotti...
Sorry that you have a need for us... but you will find the most
incredible caring and compassionate people on the planet at this site,
I speak first hand, as I stumbled in here myself 2 months after being diagnosed.

and well, I have never been in a safer place!

I have just finished 4 cycles of adriamycin and cytoxan... my treatments were scheduled
for Thursdays and the first 2 treatments I was able to go back to work on Monday or Tuesday

Just remember to take good care of you. Plenty of fluids, protein, and rest.
Oh and yes!! lots of visits to chat... when it is up and running... its a great way to release some worries and get to know us.

Lots of love,

Trish

Derbygirl

Try drinking lots of water,
Try drinking lots of water, eat frequent small meals and get plenty of rest. I found that eating whatever foods tasted good at the time was best for me because there were days when I didn't feel like eating much. You can worry about a healthy diet after chemo. Limited exercise like a treadmill might help the fatigue. My oncologist also recommended no vitamins until after chemo. You're not required to tell your employer about your health issue, but telling a supervisor would be wise in case of appointments or illness. Come back often to this site for suggestions or questions. This is a great place to learm more about our common concerns and then decide what works best for you. Good luck!

Derbygirl

Derbygirl said:

Try drinking lots of water,
Try drinking lots of water, eat frequent small meals and get plenty of rest. I found that eating whatever foods tasted good at the time was best for me because there were days when I didn't feel like eating much. You can worry about a healthy diet after chemo. Limited exercise like a treadmill might help the fatigue. My oncologist also recommended no vitamins until after chemo. You're not required to tell your employer about your health issue, but telling a supervisor would be wise in case of appointments or illness. Come back often to this site for suggestions or questions. This is a great place to learm more about our common concerns and then decide what works best for you. Good luck!

P.S. Don't forget to get a
P.S. Don't forget to get a flu shot!

mmontero38

Derbygirl said:

P.S. Don't forget to get a
P.S. Don't forget to get a flu shot!

LOL Derbygirl, I forgot
LOL Derbygirl, I forgot about that in my advice. Hugs, Lili

spay2day

mmontero38 said:

LOL Derbygirl, I forgot
LOL Derbygirl, I forgot about that in my advice. Hugs, Lili

Work/Chemo
Thank you all for your advice! It's been 2 1/2 weeks since diagnosis and everything has been going like a whirlwind. I'm loading up on bottled water to take to work. Thank you for being here!!!