Part-time vs Full-time post treatment

markatger
markatger Member Posts: 314
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hi all,

I am back to work full-time for about 2 weeks now after finishing chemo in March and my ileostomy reversal in May.

I had concerns before coming back fulltime and am really feeling unsure about the decision.

I am considering asking if I can return to part-time, so that I have less stress in my life, more time to eat well, juice and exercise. I am not sure if they will agree. And it is a hard decision because I would like to get back into worklife. I know there are many out there who worked fulltime all the way through there treatment and thrive at work as a good distraction to cancer. I don’t think I’m one of those people though. I feel drained and sick today, like I am coming down with a cold. I am scared I am compromising my much needed immune system and not doing as much wellness activities to keep the cancer from recurring.

As background, I was originally dx as stage IV in Feb 2005, but after liver resection in Jan 2006, I was downgraded to stage III, I’m unsure how much lymph node involvement I had, because I had FOLFOX and radiation before my colon resection.

I could possibly switch to full-time but work additional time if I felt up to it.

Anyone’s input or suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks,
Maria

Comments

  • lfondots63
    lfondots63 Member Posts: 818 Member
    #2
    Hi Maria,

    I know what you mean about not having enough time to do the healthy things. I'm one of those people trying to work through chemo. Some days are hard and I have to leave early. Can you maybe work from home a day or two? That might help with the stress/feeling unwell. Unfortunately when going back to work you also have that chance of catching colds other people have. Do you take vitamins like vit C? Multi vits. Maybe ask you regular doctor what things he might recommend to help keep your immune system up. Maybe juice before going to work and when you get home? Good luck and I know that it is a hard decision. HUGS.

    Lisa
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #3
    Maria,
    Hey, gal, May...THIS May??? and you are back now...it's only JUNE!!! I'm almost a year out from my last surgery...and still there are times I get tired...
    The trick is to 'ramp up' to back to full time...just say "I'm really tired, I need to go" when you are at work...you are no good to anyone if you don't take care of yourself...
    I LIKE your "I could possibly switch..." THAT would be the ticket!
    PLEASE realize that your body has been directly ATTACKED in this last year....both from the cancer AND the treatment....give it a chance to recover...it's the only one you have got!

    Hugs to a very wise woman!
    Kathi
  • markatger
    markatger Member Posts: 314
    #4
    oops... i meant to say - I could possibly switch to PART-time but work additional time if I felt up to it.
  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #5
    Dear Maria,
    First and foremost you need to take care of yourself. Because you come first and then everything else. For this reason, if you feel that working full-time would compromise your recovery, I think that you should work part-time. It is also good idea to start slow. You don't know how you are going to feel when you start working. So, it is better to start slow and see how it goes.

    Best wishes, Eleonora
  • nanuk
    nanuk Member Posts: 1,358 Member
    #6
    the contradiction in all of this is the fact that the treatment, although possibly beneficial, destroys your immune system. Anything you can do to reduce stress, build up your immmune system, and get sunshine and exercise is going to prolong your life, regardless of the cancer. Stress and diet are probably 80% of the cause for cancer..work is probably in that equation somewhere. If you can do it, go part time - no questiosn about it. Bud
  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    #7
    Hi Maria -

    Not sure what kind of job you have, but I find part time with option to work additional hours is a great thing. I work 24 hours a week, nominally. My benefits are pro-rated based on 24/40 and I have trained myself to only get used to 24 hours of pay. But, I often work up to 30 hours (and then the extra $$$ seems like a bonus!) - depends upon what is going on at work (and how I feel). I have flexibility in my job and while in theory I work only 3 days a week, I often work 4 days - but days where I feel free to shorten each day if nothing really significant is going on. In fact I love not feeling obligated to hang around when there is nothing I really have to do right then. And I can schedule all my doc appts etc around work, so even though I earn less vacation, I feel like I need less since I don't have to use it for junk like doc appts and waiting for the plumber.

    Believe it or not, I am a manager and yet this still works. I admit I have mature and responsible people working for me, and I am able to keep up with email even while not in the office, but the flexible part time schedule has been a godsend and one I have no plans at this point on changing. I have a pretty stressful job, but find doing it part time has greatly reduced the stress in my personal life - e.g. I can shop on Friday morning when things are relatively quiet and can pretty much avoid the stress of an errand-crammed weekend if I want to.


    I hope you are able to work something out like this. I am a year (and 8 days!) out from surgery and still find I like a little more sleep than I used to get. You are only 6 months out from pretty major surgery, so if you can do part time for a while, I think you should. You know what's best for you, and I hope you can get your employer to agree.

    Good luck,
    Betsy
  • ron50
    ron50 Member Posts: 1,723 Member
    #8
    Hi Maria,
    My surgeon suggested that I retire shortly after I was dx. Unfortunately I had no insurance. Unfortunately cancer and real life have nothing in common. I had no choice but to go back during my second month of chemo (I had 12 mos of it). It was terrible at the time and I am amazed that I never threw up all over someones sewing macchine. I still get very tired but I do work long hours and travel long distances to do it. I have had heaps of health problems with pancreatitis,gall bladder and at least 5 lots of ulcers ,both duodenal and peptic. Sometimes why I do it but unfortunately the truth of the matter is that we all have to survive life as well as cancer. I'm now an eight and a half year survivor of cancer and life after cancer . I live for the good bits ,I hope you find balance Ron.
  • 2bhealed
    2bhealed Member Posts: 2,064 Member
    #9
    Hi Maria!

    Wow, I am so amazed at anyone A) working during chemo B) wanting to work at all.

    I have been a full time homemaker for the past 21 years. Just this spring I took a part time job (financial reasons). I CANNOT imagine working full time during chemo or trying to heal from the effects of chemo.

    As a homemaker and homeschooling mother with 5 kids at the time of dx, I needed a lot of help to get through my day to day work....laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, running kids to--ballet, soccer, school, activities (I had one in school at the time) etc etc. My parents moved up to help. My mother cooked the family meals so I could cook my own macrobiotic meals and all my kids learned to "juice me". I made sure that I was eating well, taking naps (my baby was 20 months old), exercising daily, and just having some down time. My father drove me to my weekly alternative "treatments".

    I could not have done it without my team of helpers. I just cannot imagine how I would have survived it if I had to throw a full time job in the mix.

    Again, I am amazed at how anyone can work throughout healing from cancer. I just don't think there are enough hours in the day to focus on curing cancer while working full time.

    I wouldn't even work part time if I didn't have to and surely not while healing from chemo.

    I don't think, personally, that being distracted from curing cancer is necessarily a good or positive thing. I think when our life is on the line that that needs to be in the forefront and everyone and everything else can wait...especially until we feel we are more "out of the woods" and have some survival time under our belts.

    That's my $.02.

    peace, emily who thinks curing/healing cancer is a full time job in itself!!!!!
  • goldfinch
    goldfinch Member Posts: 735
    #10
    Maria,
    Your message makes it pretty clear that you need to cut back. I like the idea of cutting back to part time and picking up extra hours when you are ready. I hope your company will go with that for you. Good Luck!
    Mary
  • Moesimo
    Moesimo Member Posts: 1,072 Member
    #11
    Working kept me going through it all. I would have stayed home and cried. But I did go back part time for about 3 mos. after my reversal surgery. I was wiped due to 2 major surgeries in 8 weeks. When my manager told me i had to switch to part time of go full time I increased to full time. My family was great and all I did was work. They did everything else. But it worked for me. If it's not working for you, you should switch to part time. Can you increase to full time when you feel better. It takes a while to recover from all you have been through. You will get better though. It does take time.

    Maureen
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    #12
    Maria,

    I worked full time (usually 12 very stressful hours a day) for the first 3 months I was on chemo, then went to part time but found myself doing a horrible job. For the sake of the people that worked for me and my customers, I went out on disability. That was the beggining of me taking over "my treatments". I had to teach myself how to take care of me and that took awhile. When I chose to stop chemo, I think my company and social security thought I was going to die because I qualified for long term disability from both last summer. I was very fortunate to be able to concentrate on my healing and firmly believe that is one of the reasons I am NED today. The changes I have made in my diet and exercise are now habit and no job will ever compromise that again.

    Now this summer, I have been deemed too healthy to be on disability anymore and will be going back to work gradually (part time at first).

    Like most of the others I like the part time with the flexibility to work more if you chose.

    Lisa P.
  • markatger
    markatger Member Posts: 314
    #13
    Thank you all for your input!!

    It is a tough decision for me...on one hand I am at an age (35) where I want to be advancing my career. And it feels like I have purpose when I am at aork, which is good for my mental health. But stressing about not taking care of myself properly isn't good for me emotionally nor obviously physically.

    I'll likely bounce it off my boss and see if its even an option.

    Thanks again for your support!! The caring on the site is wonderful : )

    Maria

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