Recovery time - still not up to going back to work

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mdyna
mdyna Member Posts: 3
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer
Recovery time - still not up to going back to work
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  • mdyna
    mdyna Member Posts: 3
    edited October 2010

    Hi,

    I am new here.  It has been one month since the end of my radiotherapy.  I am due to go back to work in 2 weeks time, but my emotional and fatigue levels are still not that good.  My husband doesn't understand and wants me to go back to work.  I would like to take another 3 months off.  Am I being selfish for doing this?  I worked FULL TIME through chemo and only took time off since radiotherapy started.  Looking back retrospectively, I thought I was crazy to work full time during chemo.  There were times when I couldn't even walk up stairs!

    Also, would work understand?  I read somewhere that there was this woman who took like 1 year to recover and get her fitness back!  Am I alone?

    Thanks 

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  • pickle
    pickle Member Posts: 1,409
    edited October 2010

    You are not alone. I didn't work through chemoI didn't try to be superwoman. I was dx in January and went back to work in October. I needed the time off. I was quite fatigued and I was still emotionally trying to process it all. If you are able to take the time off then you should. If I've learned anything from this whole experience it's that I have found my voice. I speak up about what I feel is best for me. I didn't ask my husband...I told him that I wouldn't be going back to work for a while. He was supportive so that helped.

    Good luck and do what feels right for you.

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited October 2010

    I totally agree with pickle.  Unfortunately, no one tells us what to expect when our treatment ends, and as a result, we're frequently surprised that we don't feel ready to move on and just resume our pre-bc lives.  Breast cancer takes an exhausting toll on us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and I think we need time to work on both rebuilding our bodies and emotionally processing what we've been through.

    The obvious questions are (1) Can you afford to take time off without jeopardizing your family's finances?; and (2) Can your employer do without you another three months?  Those pieces of the puzzle have to fit, otherwise you may end up more stressed than if you'd returned to work.    Deanna

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  • nikola
    nikola Member Posts: 466
    edited October 2010

    Hi,

    I agree with them. If you can take three months off without having financial problems do it. I was diagnosed in March, had surgery in May and since my surgery \i am not working. I got 12 weeks off after surgery, then started chemo for another 12 weeks. I just finished chemo last week. I cannot imagine working through chemo. My energy was down, my WBC went to zero after first chemo..I am still planning on staying at home and recovering from everything. Our bodies went through a lot.

    Good luck.

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  • dlb823
    dlb823 Member Posts: 9,430
    edited October 2010

    mdyna ~ One more thought ... Now that you're finished with treatment, it's probably a good idea to get checked out by your primary doctor, who will usually run bloodwork beyond what your oncologist does.  If they don't, ask for it.  After chemo & rads, in addition to my WBCs & RBCs still being extremely low (onc checks this), a lot of my other readings (homocysteines, cholesterol, etc.) were way off.  Getting some baseline bloodwork will help you understand what's happened to your body and what you can work on to rebuild and feel better.  If they haven't already, your primary doctor can also check on things that are believed could be linked to bc in many of us, like your thyroid and Vitamin D level.    Deanna

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  • mdyna
    mdyna Member Posts: 3
    edited October 2010

    Thanks so much people.  It's a great help talking about things.  Yes, I see my doctors next week for a check up.  I have decided to take the rest of the year off and I'm not going to feel guilty about it.  Thanks again

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