Treatment and working?

Trinity789

Hello,

I am getting ready to start chemo this week. But just had the flu and wondering if I should put it off a week? I will have TCH every 3 weeks for 6 sessions. Then maintain Herceptin every 3 weeks for a year.

I want to work through this and am curious if anyone was has been successful? I know I will need to take some days off..but would like to stay active and working(keeping the house over our head).

saralmom

Hi.  I had AC/TH last spring and summer, and am still doing Herceptin until June.  When I was having my AC, I had it every 2 weeks.  I was concerned about working too.  I usually had treatments on Monday, and then didn't work much that week (I have a lot of job flexibility since I have my own business), for sure not for about 3-4 days.  The following week I felt good enough to work for the most part.  During the weekly Taxol part all summer long I felt mostly normal, and worked my normal schedule.  Maybe the A was what got me so tired so maybe you'll feel even better than me on the TCH.  I hope so.

bluedasher

I had TCH. I started chemo in October 2008, had 6 cycles of TCH and followed by Hercepting every 3 weeks until I'd had a year. I had a lumpectomy before chemo and radiation after chemo (during Herceptin).

I worked all during treatment. I'm an engineer with a full time job - mostly a desk job. I work from home most of the time but normally travel once or more per month. I was able to work through chemo. I considered taking disability, but I felt that I would be happier and more comfortable if I continued to work (having something other than my internal discomfort to focus on, not having to worry about how my projects were doing without me, etc.). There was also the economic incentive to keep working. I'm the sole wage earner - I would have my disability pay (70% of normal pay IIRC) which would be enough to meet expenses, but other compensation like bonus pay, employer match of 401K contributions and vesting of stock grants doesn't occur while on disability so taking it would have meant getting less than half my normal compensation.

I also looked at going on partial disability - perhaps working half time during chemo. But it is complicated to set up and our disability HR perosn had no experience with it - I guess it isn't used very often. And I didn't know what proporition of work that I would be able to do.

So I decided to try keeping at full time work during chemo. We were able to set the schedule so that three of my 4 monthly business trips fell during the third week of a chemo cycle. I only skipped one trip (and that one would have been out of the country which didn't seem wise while dealing with chemo side effects). There are times when it was pretty rough. There were some days toward the end that I didn't work very much, but most of the time I was able to work a normal or close to normal schedule. I would take my laptop to chemo and worked straight through chemo sessions. (I tended to feel at my best from the week before chemo to a couple of days after so no point in wasting the day of chemo.)

I was able to do all the business trips I had planned. I did skip evening meetings that I normally would have attended and sometimes used room service for dinner. I was careful to get plenty of rest and to wash my hands frequently. I hsd Neupogen shots in the week after chemo to get my white cell count back up. 

The first business trip after chemo was the hardest because I had a lot of weakness in my leg muscles at the very end of chemo (perhaps partly because my magnesium levels had gotten very low). At the start of the trip, it was very difficult to climb stairs and I had to ask for help carrying my bag down the stairs to board a small plane, but the activity during the trip helped a lot and by the end of the week my return trip was much easier.

I had to skip another business trip because it fell during the 6 weeks that I was getting radiation treatment every day. Rads was pretty easy compared to chemo

Working through chemo was the right decision for me. My management appreciated my efforts and was always okay with me doing what I could get done. 

Regarding flu, check with your oncologist as there can be a lot of factors - how bad the flu was, how much time it has been since surgery (if you did surgery first), your individual condition, etc. Personally, if there isn't a driving reason to start chemo on schedule, I think it would be good to let your body recover a bit from the flu before hitting it with chemo. Most oncologists have you take a blood test before chemo each time and may delay chemo if the results of that aren't satisfactory.

If you do start right away, pay particular attention to staying hydrated - dehydration increases some of the side effects of chemo - getting enough hydration when you aren't feeling well is often a challenge.

SAMayoFL

I did A/C every other week x 4 and have done 7 of 12 rounds of Taxotere.  During A/C I took off the day of chemo because the premeds made me soooo sleepy.  With Taxotere, I go back to work right after I finish.  During A/C I had chemo on Wednesday and Friday-Saturday were my worst days.  I get off work at 1:00 on Fridays and would go home and sleep for hours.  I have only called in sick one day.  Like you, I worked to keep the roof over our heads. 

Best wishes to you!

Susan

Fighter_34

Hello all:

I just finished TC this pass Thursday and I worked the whole time as well like others I had to help keep a roof over our heads.

I work a compressed schedule so I went in for treatments on Thursday and Fridays would be my day off; which gave me the wkd to recover. Plus we had a few bad weather bads that worked right with my schedule.  

Well wishes and take care.

Paula1231

Hello,

 I timed the AC for Thursday in the PM and spent the worst days Saturday and Sunday at home.  It took about three days for the SE's to kick in.  Occasionally I needed to take off the Monday following chemo off, but not too often.  I worked pretty much thru it.  You need lots of fluids during the day and warm soups helped me get thru it.  I had my last taxol last Thursday and I am done with chemo now.  It is not the greatest but it can be done.

bluedasher

My worst days started 3 or 4 days after chemo. I usually had chemo on Monday and Wednesday or Thursday would start the crash. I'd usually have about 3 or 4 days when I'd fell pretty wiped out - it got a bit longer on the last couple of cycles.

By the way, there is a thread in the chemo part of the forum titled taxotere, carboplatin and herceptin where you will find others on this chemo. It has been going for years now with new people joining. There are a lot of pages - you can just go to the last page and introduce yourself. It was really helpful to be able to talk to women in various stage of the same chemo.

Trinity789

Thanks everyone for their response. It helps to hear it can be done. I am glad so many of you are moving on nad have made it through treatment.

Take care!

Trinity789

Hi,

Already had the lumpectomy on 1/5/11. Doc thinks I should stay with program on Friday since my flu symptoms are "over". Unless I have a fever we a "go". Once I am done I will go into radiation like you did. I will check out that thread you mentioned.

Work is working with me. We will play it by ear. My treatments will be on Fridays so I can have the weekend. It sounds like it might be a extended on occasion.

Best wishes!

BonoboGirrl

I, too, worked full-time during chemo. I had six rounds of TCH and finished the year with Herceptin. I scheduled my TCH infusion for every 3rd friday and would take the day off. Occasionally I would take the following Monday off, too. Mondays were usually my hardest days following treatment that Friday and by Wendesday I was usually feeling fine. The meds really make it all doable. It's rough, but nothing like I had imagined it would be. It was doable. As a single mom of two, and with no family around, like many of the women posting here, I had to keep the roof over our heads. I'm glad I had work--it kept me sane and focused. Wishing you all the best. You'll make it through, you will. And it will likely go by quicker than you imagined. 

hugs,

Anne Marie 

Chan_go_foill

I also worked full time during chemo. It was brutal, but financially, I had no choice as my husband is disabled. Fortunately my boss was very flexible and I was able to work remotely on the worst days, or work remotely half a day and come in for half.

I learned a few things that will help:

Get one of those vibrating back massagers. It helped to ease the aches and was kind of nice and comforting.

Have a pair of slippers and a lap blanket under your desk. Little comforting things really go a long way to help.

If you work in a supportive place, let your coworkers know what is going on. It will be much easier on you if they understand what is going on. I found it was far easier just to "lay my cards on the table" than it would have been to try to conceal what I was enduring. I think it made it easier on my coworkers too.

Do NOT try to drive yourself! If you are the least bit wobbly, you should not be behind the wheel. It took me about a week and a half after chemo before I could drive.

Finally, get yourself a sock monkey. (yes I'm serious!) Nothing like a sock monkey on the desk for making you smile when things are most difficult. Mine is still on my desk! Gotta have the sock monkey!