work related questions

I am self employed. My level of activity is the same as it was before the diagnosis, barring the first few months when I was on the whirlwind of testing and beginning treatment and getting emotionally acclimated to the diagnosis. When I get deep into my work, I forget alllllll about cancer and that's a good thing!

Of course, I have flexibility that many 9 to 5 jobs won't give. But if you enjoy going to work, I think it is a good thing to continue.

I worked through chemo except for the day of my infusion, which went well, I stayed active. I took a few weeks off for surgery and worked part time through rads. Then, I was diagnosed with brain mets and continued for another 8 months but decided to use sick leave donations from coworkers. I’ve been essentially retired for about a year now and travel a lot. So far, so good.

here’s the link:

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/8/topics/868361?page=2#top

I remember very vividly the week I spent at home between being diagnosed with cancer and having confirmation of the bone mets. I looked at all the professional clothes I had bought in the prior year for what was supposed to be a new career and wondered if I would ever get to wear them again. Then I got the MBC diagnosis, met with my MO and started treatment and realized that at least for the near future I would still be me. And that a 20% chance of making it to 10 years was good enough for me to give the new career a go. Like Pajim, I have a desk job and a very supportive boss, and I’m on hormonal treatments, which means the side effects are tolerable. I have a 7 year old who is extremely low key and easy, so I don’t think she adds any extra stress or work - just a lot of love. I work full time during summer and go to law school full time and work part time during the school year. My classmates and most of my coworkers don’t know about the cancer, which means most of the time I get to be normal and think about normal things like exams and grades and clients.

I do occasionally wish I could just take a day off in the middle of the week, but not enough to make me want to give up work and especially school. Not yet.

I work full time and haven't slowed down since diagnosis. The only change is I appreciate my work so much more now and I have made a conscious choice I want to continue with it and that it brings me joy and satisfaction. I honestly think that it has positively contributed to my survival. Like you, I don't know if I would fare as well if I stop working. I might spend too much time feeling like a cancer patient that is going to die and it all may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I may feel a bit of fatigue with work but I am very personally satisfied and spend the majority of my time feeling like a "normal" person rather than a cancer patient and thinking about things other than the fact I have cancer. I forget many times throughout the day that I have cancer. I keep my diagnosis to myself and don't take time off other than for actual appointments. I will tell my boss I have a recurring appointment for my chemo appointments or that I have a minor outpatient procedure that will require me to be out for a day and/or work from home a few days or something like that (when I had Y90) That being said, I have a professional job and have the luxury of working from home occasionally. Not everyone has that option.

I haven't figured out the home situation fully and do need more help. I find that my evenings are more exhausting chasing after my 4-year old and trying to do things around the house than being at work. My work requires my brain but is a mostly sedentary desk job. I have someone clean the house once a week and we recently started ordering those delivery meal services that are precooked. They have so many healthy, reasonably priced options out there. No cooking and no dishes/cleanup. It is great and I am eating much healthier, balanced dinners as is my son. I spend less money as the delivered meals are so much less expensive than ordering from a restaurant a few times a week. Also, the house just doesn't look as great as I would like it to and the dishes will pile up more than I would like. It is what it is and I just don't have the capacity to keep everything in tip top shape all the time.

Good luck. I say don't throw in the towel if you do not yet want to do so. If there comes a day when you want to stop working, you can do so at that time.