Nurses with Breast Cancer

Hi! I have been a labor and delivery nurse since the mid 80's. I rarely ever used a sick day so was lucky to have enough time saved up for my first 3 months off and then LTD kicked in. I was off from the end of last July before surgery until early March after chemo and rads were done. I had never expected to need that much time off but it really helped. There were so many days during chemo that the thought of taking a shower was overwhelming! I tried to walk for exercise if I felt well but many days spent alot of time on the couch. I was told by my MD that it may take at least 1 year after treatments to get alot of my energy back. I used to work 12 hour shifts 3/week but have gone back 8 hours. I rest after if I need to. Each month that goes by gets better. I have my expanders in which are fully expanded and cause backaches if I'm on my feet too much. My PS said I would need 2 weeks off after the exchange surgery. He said most of his patients just need pain pills for the first week. I'm not sure about restrictions after. Reading some of the other boards may give more info. I do have to say I have a new appreciation for my job after being a patient. I think I do my job better after all I've been through. I realized how important my great care meant to me and how I hope to give that care to my patients too!!

I hope you all are asking the poor uneducated who work night shifts to feed their families in your studies,  really annoys me that a female based  , educated  society could blame bc for working nights, mothers do that all the time, don;t they? too bad  that obese causes cancer, go back and ask that in the studies and then ask who weighs what? I have had too many obese women nurses tell me how to live a healthy life, I learn more from see  what I do than let me tell you, I remember when my oldest girl was an infant and this older than me obese nurse tried to tell me how to be healthy, I looked at her and felt what a joke taxpayers pay this fat woman to teach me?  just not right, I read her congrats upon retirement and figure yeah another fat lady we have to pay more health care money in thanks for being a diabetic from overeating. SHE should have lived what she taught, a much better example

I am so glad I found this group!  I have been an RN 17 years  (mostly ICU experience, recently working in cardiac outreach and nursing administration), I am working part time and going to school part time for my NP, due to graduate in 2010... no matter what! 

May 22 I start DD AC x4, then start Herceptin every week x8, DD Taxol x 4. wait 4 weeks, then breast tissue expanders replaced with silicone implants, then wait 4 weeks, then 28 doses of radiation.  Should be done right before christmas if all stays on track!

I have been off work on disability since my mammogram and biopsy on 3-24.  But, trying to complete my clinical hours for this semester as quickly as possible.

I'm anxious to learn chemo and xrt tips and tricks from you nurses' perspectives! 

Howdy fellow nurses,

I miss posting here but I can't post  as much as I  thought I could when I signed on, so decided to post with my September 2008 group.

I'm just getting over Taxol... enormous foot edema   and severe  neuropathy resolved ...neuropathy left in R big toe only; cane walking due to balance problems is over. I hope I never see  or hear of that drug EVER againlol..

All my docs think the side effects may have been due to my type 2 diabetes, which came back when I received steroids, before they gave me Methotrexate for my RA. arrgh. I had gestational diabetes in 1986: my perinatologist was right when he told me it could return.

Triple neg or should I correctly say double neg BC  is a battle. Just finished # 16 of 28 radiation treatments....af/am here ...skin darkening and beginning to hurt a bit...though not nearly as much as my pale sisters.{{{{{Hugs to ya}}}}}/

Port in until all scans  are completed and  to have easy access   for every two weeks blood work during  radiation.

Since I have Fibromyalgia, 1994, Subacute Cutaneous Lupus, 1977, and RA, 1999, I hoped my fatigue factor would be negligible...NOT.

Yesterday I wanted to lie down in the Radiation Oncology waiting room, but I  had a wonderful chat with a  beautiful sweet young--to me--38 year old who is triple Neg with the  gene. She is a marvel. We compared our  treatment plans,  rated our oncologists and talked about everything from hair to what's up  for us in the future.   

 nurses....luv you all

Mina

Hi everyone, another RN here.  I graduated from a diploma program in 1984, and have worked at the same small hospital for all of my career.  I have worked in med/surg, dialysis and ICU, then I went on to be the Infection Control Nurse, then Director of Quality Management and Risk Manager.  I am now on SSDI due to extreme exhaustion from the weekly chemo.  I miss working, but really had no choice but to go off on disability.  I give you girls who are still working a lot of credit (especially those who are in direct patient care).  Nursing is not easy, especially these days.  I am really surprised at the number of nurses there are here with BC.  I am another one who worked nights for many years; I have read many times that night shift work can cause many serious health problems, and wonder if it may have contributed to my BC.  My best friend who worked right along side me for many of those nights also had BC.  She had treatment and is now 10 years out and doing well.  I was originally diagnosed in 2006, and developed mets in 2008.  Now it is treatment for life.  My Dr's are wonderful and treat me with respect.  I have worked with them for many years and in fact my oncologist was on my Patient Quality of Care Committee when I was diagnosed.  He was very upset when my mets was diagnosed and said to me "why did this have to happen to you."  I was very touched by his concern. 

Hi, I just found this board.  I have been a nurse since 1993.  Worked 4 years in Med-Surg 12 hr days, then 3-11 for a yr and a half, then 18 months in MICU on 12 hr. nights.  I moved to another hospital to get into L&D, and that's where I've been for 9 yrs on 12 hr nts.  I've wondered if that night shift had anything to do with my diagnosis, or if it was lack of consistent exercise, drinking a little more alcohol than recommended, or the environment of living here on Long Island.  Bottom line is, I'll never know what caused it.   But I am doing things to change my lifestyle around. 

I had a lumpectomy, followed by radiation, which I worked through without a hitch, and now am on tamoxifen, and  I'm constantly rethinking whether I will stay on it or not due to side effects and worries about long term effects.

I just started on an 8 hr 7-3 shift,  I work out regularly now for the past yr and a half, have cut down on alcohol, and am eating very a healthy cancer fighting type of diet.  I'm also trying to work on being more expressive, not holding my emotions in, because I think that stress had a lot to do with it.  I read something about a cancer prone personality being someone who doesn't express emotions and worries about others without taking good care of themself.  That's me and I'm trying to be a little more selfish instead of just trying to please all the time.

I'm curious about other nurses with breast cancer and what you all think caused yours.

BethM2boys and all -

How is everyone this morning?  I keep checking when I have time, which is sometimes more often than other times! It's always great to hear the updates! Still have some very minor issues but life is busy and God is always there to lift us up! Hope you all have a wonderful day.

I have a unique problem. I am a oncology nurse, and work with breast cancer patients only. I was dx with breast cancer and had mastectomy. I am finding it difficult to return to work and deal with patients. any ideas or help?

I am a stage 1,ER/PR+,0/2 nodes, no chemo just hormones. I had a BSO so they could start AI. having lots of side effects. planning reconstruction in the fall. I  returned to work after my BSO and nearly had a breakdown. my job is triage for a breast service. I was so overwelmed by the medical patients needs( i provide support and  reassurance) that It was liking reliving everything I have been through over and over afgain for 8 hours. I agree that we know to much. I really know to much about my disease and treatment and outcomes. I have a diffucult time se[parating the nurse from the patient. I thought I could plow straight ahead and have no problems with adjusting. was I wrong. working everyday with patients with the same dx is very hard, I also am being treated with the same doctors and staff as the patients I care for. I really loved  my job  and miss it. I am going to try to return to work 2 days a week. and only work with the surgery patients in attempt to see if I can mnange this population. I hope that at some point this experience with allow me to provide better care to the patients.

I would like to give this group a nod on behalf of my mom, Clara Jean. She passed away March 10th 2006. She was diagnosed with BC in August of 1998, 11/11 positive nodes. She had a radical mastectomy followed by high dose chemo and what she called stem cell rescue, maybe a BMT? She lived cancer free until November 2004 when she was diagnosed with a large met to the brain, this was also removed, shortly after this she was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia from all the BC treatments. When I was diagnosed with my BC almost 2 months ago and talked to my Oncologist for the first time she said "wow, they very rarely do that treatment anymore". What a difference 10 years makes. Anyway, when I saw your group I thought wow my mom would have for sure been a member, lol. She was a ICU nurse for over 25 years and also had alot of co-workers diagnosed. Although she never questioned enviromental factors in her work place, I always have. Anyway, your group just made me think of her so I thought I would say hi and best wished to you all!!

Anne and others, I am not a nurse, I am actually a mammographer, so I understand the irony of your situation and the difficulties that go along with it. My first few patients after being diagnosed were hard, especially those "difficult" patients. After surgery, I had troubles with positioning due to arm limitations. I am 10 months out of dx, 6 months passed rads. I have more 'better' days now than bad, but do find emotionally some patients hard to deal with. A very limited few, I have even confided my own story with, but very few, maybe 4 or 5. I did consider getting out completely but now feel that with more time, things will get easier. The one major problem I find still working closely with BC is it never gives me a chance to just forget for awhile, I am hoping that will make me stronger. Best of luck to you all.

Penny

Hi! It's great to find a group of nurses. I've been an ER nurse for 33 years. I was diagnosed in April and had a bilateral mastectomy with expanders placed on June 2. I'm blessed I didn't have to take chemo or radiation, but have started on Arimidex. I was scheduled to go back to work tomorrow. I was getting anxious about it this weekend. I just didn't know how I could do a 12 hour shift in a busy ER. I get so tired just getting dressed and doing a few things around the house. I'm still in pain due to lymphedema in my back. I guess the Arimidex has a part in the fatigue as well as hot flashes & a few other unpleasant side effects. My PS told me to take 2 more weeks off and use my energy to heal instead of work. I was feeling like a wimp. It helps to know others have had difficulty jumping back in to work also.

 For WNYnurse with edema in the chest, I have been going to the Lymphedema Center where they did manual lymphatic drainage several times a week. They have taught me how to do it on myself and gave me exercises. I wear a  Assest camisole from Target and it acts as a compression camisole. It has helped the pain & edema. there was so much swelling it was compressing the intercostal nerve. It was 9/10. Now it's between 3-4.  Hope you are doing better.

I returned to work this week(only 2 days) , my work has limited my time with the med-onc breast patients. so far this is working for me. I hope to gradually resume my job( triagenurse for breast service). take care of your self or you cannot take care of patients. listening and providing support 8hrs a day was to much, I felt like I lived my disease 24/7. the breast patients are very needy(I know what they need, as I need the same thing) unable to give it to them now. I thoiught I was was a superwoman, and crashed big time about 1 week after I returned, please listen to your inner voice, dont' go back until yoou feel ready.  You need to heal emotional and physically. I hope you have support amoung your co-workers. anne26

Yes, our personalities are that of being 'superwoman' and head caretaker that lead us to nursing.  Add to that I am the typical ED nurse---short attention span and going 1000 miles an hour--anything less makes me crazy!  So, no, I am not a good patient nor do I possess patience!  I have thought that maybe one of the lessons I am going to learn from this proccess is PATIENCE...but I am not counting on it. 

I had my MRI the other day and had to tell myself the entire time that if I freaked out I would just have to do it again.  I literally had a running commentary in my head telling myself to slow down my breathing and not think about the claustrophobic feelings I was having!   I am a baby...but I got through it.  One step at a time is how we manage this disease.

I began to tell co-workers this week.  Everyone is great.  It is hard to see the fear/care/loss of words when they hear (and why I considered not telling anyone).   As with most night shifts, we are a pretty close group and it is nice to have their support.  I know I have lots of prayers going up on my behalf due to these wonderful folks.