teachers working during chemo

hi,

I think I posted a reply to you about this when you put a message in the other section.  I will be curious to hear what others have to say.  I am an elementary teacher, so I am not sure I want to be around all  of those germs.  Also, I have not gotten a wig yet; I don't want to look too different to the kids.

Misty

Hi,

I have a wig that my friends say it is "ok".  Maybe the middle schoolers are so self involved they won't even notice lol.

 towens-How did you go about taking short term disability?  Was it a hard process?  I am also sick the first week so far.

As a former school health nurse...I would encourage you NOT to work. You and I both know what these kids come to school with !!

It isn't the fact that you still "feel " good it is the fact that your immune system is compromised and at a low point and your risk for developing a real problem  is quite high. I remember that my instructions were to stay out of crowds and away from small children (that weren't my own) .

I guess that his is one of those issues where you have to judge the risk for yourself..is it really worth it ?

Hi:

 I also received cytoxan and taxotere 4x but not herceptin as I am not triple neg.  I taught 8th grade English and the kids were just great.  They knew I had BC but  got over it very quickly and it was at the opening of a new year, of all things.  I am older and I had several of their siblings, so they knew me.

I never worried about germs, although maybe I should have.  I had my chemo on Thursday  after  school.  I was feeling fine on Friday ( I am not sure why but it didn't kick in until Saturday) and so went to school.  I was sickly (very) on Saturday and Sunday and still rocky on Monday.  I took off Monday (4 days total sick days).  I was actually okay with the chemo.  I spent money on a very good wig.  I then went through  the radiation which I tried doing during the lunch hour.   That got too hectic, so I switched to after school.

I  will not tell you it was the best year of mu career and that I wasn't tired a lot, but I got through it.  I had an agenda that I was determined to get through it.  I would not encourage anyone to be stubborn as I was.  It is  just such a personal thing.

Good luck.  If you teach older kids, they will be fine. As someone mentioned, older students  are so worried about their own looks and status, that the teacher is of little concern as long as she is a good teacher and does her job well.  They also pretty much know how to use a tissue and wash their hands often!

Good luck!

Susan 

Bump again

Wow this place went crazy this afternoon.  Someone let a child in the room and everything was all messed up.  Ok everyone my school starts in less than a month now...August 21...then I have my third chemo the next Tuesday.  I hope I do well with this second one!

I'm not a teacher, I am an intake investigator in a maximum security prison.  My office is in the cellhouse and we have our medical isolation cells just across the dayroom from it, most of our isolation inmates are there because of MRSA or other contact type bugs, not airborne diseases such as Tb.  My job includes interviewing 1-5 new arrivals in prison every day, these are inmates who just came in from the county jails within 24 hours of the interview and trust me, schools have nothing on the bugs and germs floating around in the county jails.

I worked through chemo, only had one bout with a flu virus that was ciruculating throughout the community, onc did not appear to believe the chemo was a factor in it, I was getting neulasta from the beginning and my counts stayed within normal ranges the entire time.

If you want to work and you're not already getting neulasta or something similar, I would talk to your onc about maybe starting it, it worked for me.

Hi, mommy3abc,  I am so torn about going back.  I teach kindergarten and always have lots of hugs and kisses, runny noses, etc.  I'll see the rad onco on Wed.  Maybe she'll help me decide. 

 Also, I need advice on whether to send a letter to my parents explaining the circumstances.  I live and teach in two small towns, and many people in each town know that I have bc.  Has anyone else sent letter out?  I want them to know that I'm going to be fine and will be there as much as possible during treatment, as I've heard several parents are already concerned about their little guys not having a smooth start to school.  Shoot, I'm worried,too, but i just don't know what I'll be able to handle.

Susan

I teach K,1, &2 and am now on my second chemo oc AC. Aside from the fact that my young students are normally a trial on my immune system, I am really wiped out for three or four days after. It takes a week for my white blood cell count to return to normal even with Nupigen. (which makes my bones ache) This time , I also developed Thrush which makes eating and drinking seriously difficult. Unfortunately, the long-term disability I hoped would help me has not been granted. If I am denied, I'll have to go back in September no matter what.

hi everyone,

A co-worker 4th grade teacher 3 yrs ago had bc.  She did most of her treatment during the summer. She missed about 10 weeks of school. During the year, she wore a turban.

Oct 07, I was dx and  Nov, before my surgery, we told the kids that I had bc and answered any questions. I've alway been healthy, so to miss a day would be a noticable thing for my students. When I had  surgery I missed 5 days -the most at one time. 

I started cytoxan and taxotere, late Dec.  I had a cough after the 1st and 3rd treatment, and did take a few days off after the 3rd more to rest  from the cough. Had a few other se but nothing that I felt I couldn't  work. My white count was alway good during chemo.

My students (6-8 grade special education, mostly LD) were very understanding and curious.  My 8th graders were the most comfortable with  asking questions, wanting me to take my wig off.  With them, I could take the wig( later headwrap) off.  They occasionally asked if they could feel my hair as it came in. I recall one day, I couldn't open a bottle of gatorade, one immediately jumps up and offer to open it for me.

So working with kids is do-able. Everyone is different. My neighbor just did chemo with cytoxan & taxotere. She felt so miserable that they changed her chemo.

May I did  radiation and missed the first period every day and occasionally the 2nd period. I just kept the assit principal up-to-date when I would miss more than 1st period.

I must add that my administration was very good in working with my situtation. I had told my assist principal when I dx, the principal was gone that day. Next day I went to talk with him, we sat down in his office and I noticed he was wearing a pink ribbon.

I didn't hesitate to ask co-worker for assistance if I needed.

Hope you do well.

 Rob

My mom went  through 6 chemo treatments and did not lose her hair, her hair  just got thinner, she read from a booklet the American Cancer So. gave her about staying away from hair conditioner and to go to a wig place BEFORE she could lose  her hair so that they could best match her a wig to how she has her hair now.  she got the wigs but never needed them.

I was dignosed last August. It was only my second year teaching high school English. I had no sick days my first year. I felt like I had to work.

I took off for appointments: 4 rounds of AC, 4 rounds PAx, Ten days off after my masectomy, and then I had 33 rounds of radiation. I used up all twenty of my sick days for the two years. I was approved to take all the days I needed from the "School Sick Bank". I took one out and it was to see my son run at WI State Track. It was worth it, he is a state champ. He told a reporter that I was his hero :}

One of my sisters provided me with a fridge in my classroom so I could drink nonstop to get the chemo out of my system. I had multiple bottles of Germ-X to keep my hands clean. The kiddos were good about not caughing around me. They broaught in cards and treats the first month or so. The teachers provided a meal-a-week to help out on the homefront.

I did not even get a cold, which I think is a miracle considering I taught all winter with 130 kids a day. 

After a friend cut my hair to 1 1/2 inches, my two children shaved it all off a week later. I wore caps and scarfs all winter. I felt more comfortable. My students loved to see my bald head. I even had my teacher photo bald headed. Everyone said I had a nice shpaed head! When the hair came back in it was so soft-like a little kittie. Some of my students-these are high school kids-loved to touch it. I think we all learned emphathy. 

I had a great sub who filled in for me when I was gone. I scheduled appoints for Friday-sometimes Thursday, so I would have all weekend to recover. Somehow I made it.  

lewisfamily503

We have had so many bc ladies at our small school that we have often wondered the same thing!  It would be interesting to know if there have been any studies done on the incidence of bc among teachers.

Susan

Anne, thanks for the link.  I'll check it out.

Susan