Anyone else work during treatment?

Char,

Congrats on making it to your halfway point! That in itself is HUGE, and I applaud you!!! I worked through both times I had chemo....the time prior to my surgery which also included radiation, as well as the time after my surgery, which was to clean up microscopic nippers still cruising around. I was stage 4 with liver mets, and that was 5 and a half years ago. Been clear ever since. I was WAY fortunate to have had no side effects, but I think my 3 kids kept me from being able to get tired. You can do it! But also listen to your body....REST WHEN YOU NEED TO!!

Hugs,

Stacy

Hi Char - I was on Xeloda/oxal/Avastin. I also had a flexible work schedule and had recently switched to being part time, so I didn't HAVE to work more than 24 hrs/wk. I took the week of my infusion off (for the most part - sometimes worked a handful of hours from home). Then, the next two weeks I was in the office. Back home for the first week of the next cycle. It worked for me - glad, however, that I did not have to put in 40 hours - made it easier to work around the tiredness.

Congratulations on being almost halfway through - you can do it!

Betsy

I'm on Folfox. I have my 9th treatment out of 12 or 13 tomorrow. I was off work for about 4 weeks after my surgery, a laporoscopic abdominoperineal resection for rectal cancer. When I went back to work, I started half time and increased my time as I felt better. My work is physically easy. I work at a library, and since I started treatment they have had me cataloging and processing books in my office. I keep away from the public due to immunity problems. My treatments are every 2 weeks, and I have had delays totalling 3 weeks so far due to white cell problems. My red cells are pretty low, but I just get a shot and my treatment goes on as planned. I take the whole day off on the Tuesday I have chemo. I go home with a pump for 48 hours, and except for one time, I work on Wednesday. I take a little time off adjacent to my lunch hour on Thursday to go have the pump taken off. Once or twice I went home afterwards, and once I took off Friday, too. After work, I am useless. I go home and lie around or play at the computer and then go to bed. We go out camping every month or two to recharge. I've been lucky with side effects. My hair is thin, I've had mouth and throat sores, and my hands are sore and cold-sensitive most of the time now. I have gotten really, really tired, and it didn't go away as much as it did early in my treatments, but I'm making it. When I don't feel well, they leave me alone, and I work with the Ipod plugged in my ears. When I feel okay, we joke and laugh a lot. I live close enough to work to go home for lunch, where I spend 40 minutes in a recliner. I take breaks morning and afternoon. I admit to having dozed off in my chair a couple of times, but not for long. Accept help, get rest where you can, lighten up on any activities you can, and see what adaptations you can make at work to ease things for you. Working makes it go faster, and the money is nice, too. The daily contact with friends is very good. And for goodness sake, laughter helps a lot! God bless. It's temporary, and you're closer to finishing it every day.

Hello Char

Well done getting half way through! I'm also doing ten cycles (rather than the usual 12) and will have to gird my loins for round four next week (wonder why your onc recommended 10?). The first two were bearable, the last one quite a bit worse (particularly the sore mouth, tiredness and blistering of hands). How I loathe chemo!

I'm not working at the moment, although I probably could during the second week of each cycle, if I really pushed myself. My worst 48 hours are immediately after the pump has been disconnected when I find myself wilting. I am a single mother with two school two age children and I find that taking care of them plus all the usual domestic chores saps most of my energy. I do try to exercise every day (walking, plus a bit of gentle yoga and Pilates) which seems to help.

A friend who was successfully cured of his lymphoma told me me to view this chemo in the context of eternity, which makes the duration of the course seem relatively short.

Good luck!

Catherine

Hi Char!

First... CONGRATS on being half way done. Like someone else said it is a big milestone. You should now be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I worked through my treatments. I work in the IT dept so I could work from home. I would go in Wednesday to get my infusion and go home with the pump. I would then go in Thursday for some more infusion and go back home until they unhooked my on Friday afternoon. I would dialup in the afternoon and work some. I tried to take naps whenever I felt like it. I was very tired and sluggish right after my pump came off for a few days. Usually by Monday I felt less nauceous and would go back to work. I kept Immodium stashed with me anywhere I went just in case also. I found that little meals of easy to digest food helped me too. It was hard but I think it helped take my mind off of everything. I also had great friends at work that I could talk to which also helped my mood. My kids were the best and helped me through it with lots of hugs and kisses both ways. Big HUGS to you. Nobody can know what it is like unless they have gone through this. You are almost done.

Oh, for the mouth sores, try a mouthwash called Biotene. It doesn't have anything to irritate your mouth and sooths the mouth sores. I know that going out in the sunshine helped me with the yucky feeling/fatigue from chemo. Also walking around helped others.

Lisa F.

am' I the only one that dind't work ????
I decided to take advantage of my short and long term disability...I did feel verryyyy tired. My job was kind of stressful and I wanted to save as much energy as I could. Between the vomiting and the diareah...i don't think I would have been of to much help anyways...I guess every case is different. For some is better to stay busy working if health permited...We just have to do whatever feels better for ourself...

Char,

I didn't work. My doctor told me "no work". I was off for the surgery and then 6 months of the FOLFOX so I was off a total of 9 months. I went back full-time for 4 months and then had a recurrence so I was off again. I worked part-time for a little over a year and just started full-time in mid-April. My hats off to everyone who worked. I couldn't have done it. With the sensitivity to cold and diarrhea - no way.