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SweetVirginia
SweetVirginia Member Posts: 14
edited May 2015 in Just Diagnosed

I was just diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma on May 5th. I am scheduled to start chemo on June 4th. Unfortunately I lost my job over a year ago. In spite of the hundreds of jobs I have applied for and the countless interviews, I have yet to get a new job. My house will go into foreclosure any day now and I will be forced to move out within 90 days. All of this was more than enough to handle without my diagnosis. I feel like I've been kicked when I was already down. But....here's my question. How realistic is it that I will be presentable and well enough to interview for jobs and possibly handle the stress of starting a new job while I'm undergoing treatment?

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  • Holeinone
    Holeinone Member Posts: 2,478
    edited May 2015

    Sweet,

    Sorry you are in this situation. Finding employment & starting a new job is stressful for most of us. I think it's impossible to know. Many, many women work during chemo. .

    There are so many variables. Would you be doing something you are familiar with ? Would you be working full time?

    I, really struggled during chemo. I had A\C, dose dense. Lost a lot of weight quickly, I was not able to work . Like I mentioned before, lots of ladies here worked full time during chemo.

    I hope someone else pops in with better advice.

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  • Bippy625
    Bippy625 Member Posts: 890
    edited May 2015

    hi virginia,

    Well, the answer is each of us is different. You have alot of stress now, and it is about to amplify.

    At best, chemo can feel like a mild flu, and you will be tired. At worst, you can be very ill, repeatedly, all thru. I was unable to work and lost my job due to chemo, as they did not want to be inconvenienced by my many absences.

    It is a bad time to start a new job, i am sorry to say. But that does not mean that you cannot try it. And, your chemo experience may be not so bad. Worst thing is they will not keep you on, right? So go for it, as much as you feel like you can.

    I know how devastating all this is. Words really are not sufficient.



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  • SweetVirginia
    SweetVirginia Member Posts: 14
    edited May 2015

    Hi Bippy, I see that you received the exact same chemo that I am going to be starting. If I,can't wor and if I can't sta

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  • SweetVirginia
    SweetVirginia Member Posts: 14
    edited May 2015

    Bippy, I see that you had the exact chemo regime that I will have. It seems weird, but it feels as if I have more control over my cancer than I have with my working/living situation. I have an interview on the 28th. It is a 3rd interview and I am 1 of 4 out of 65 applicants. The job wouldn't start until mid-August. My strategy for dealing with 2 devastating situations at the same time is to compartmentalize and deal with each situation as if the other did not exist. It's too much for this tiny brain of mine to comprehend all at once.

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  • SweetVirginia
    SweetVirginia Member Posts: 14
    edited May 2015

    Hi Holeinone, I'm trying not to think negatively and remember that many women work every day while going through treatment. Now, if I.can just get a darned job! At 54, I do not relish the idea of having to move in with my 75 yr old mother. I believe that somewhere in this mess of my life there is a lesson to be learned

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  • ElaineTherese
    ElaineTherese Member Posts: 3,328
    edited May 2015

    Hi Sweet!

    I was able to work through chemo, but it wasn't always easy. It was made easier through the help of friends and my cleaning lady. A friend created a group on a website, "Lotsa Helping Hands." She then invited people to volunteer to do things for me and my family by posting specific volunteer opportunities on the site. Some brought meals; some went shopping for me; some helped drive my daughter home from school, sports practices, and games. My cleaning lady was also helpful; I just focused on the necessary work (dishes and laundry). She would come once a week to clean the floors, kitchen, and bathrooms. (If I didn't have my cleaning lady, I could have posted cleaning on the "Lotsa Helping Hands" website, and relied on volunteer helpers.) So, if you do plan to work through chemo, I hope you have a good support system in place. It's hard to accept help from others, especially if you're the one who is used to helping others. But, it could make it easier to work and do chemo.

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  • debiann
    debiann Member Posts: 1,200
    edited May 2015

    ssi short term disability

    I don't know if you'd qualify, put perhaps you want to look into social security benefits. I posted a link above 

    Many do work through chemo, I however would not have been able. I'm a teacher and I was fortunate that most of my chemo happened during the summer. I was still fatigued when I went back in September, but I could function. My energy level is still not were it should be, but my MO says it takes time.

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  • SweetVirginia
    SweetVirginia Member Posts: 14
    edited May 2015

    thank you for the link! I wondered about disability. Medicaid is paying for all my treatment so far. I wonder how disability would affect that

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