Recently diagnosed with Non Hodgkin Lymphoma and about to start chemotherapy.
can I still work while receiving treatment ? My wife has early onset dementia and I am the only wage coming in. I can work from home most of the time.
Hi Jftbrian and a warm welcome to the Community although I am sorry to hear about your Non Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosis.
I am Mike and I help out around our various Lymphoma groups.
I was diagnosed way back in 1999 with a 8 in a million rare, incurable) but treatable type of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma then in late 2013 a second more aggressive type of Lymphoma arrived so I was Stage 4 in late 2013…… so although my NHL ‘type’ may be different I do appreciate the challenges of living with Lymphoma.…… but I am sorry to hear about your wife’s diagnosis.
can I still work while receiving treatment ?
The simple answer is yes some people can continue to work, more so from home…… but there are points during treatment where this may become challenging due to the accumulative effects if the treatment.
There is a significant Risk of infection so care needs to be taken to control infection contacts. Generally it takes about 48 to 72 hours for the body to break down and/or get rid of most chemo drugs.
But the effects of the chemo on growth areas and your general immune system will last for weeks and is important to remember that you may well be more open to infections at about days 7-14 as this tends to be the window when your immune system is at its lowest……. then the body recovers in time for the next cycle….. but the more chemo you have the longer the recovery can take so by the end of treatment it could take a few months this to recover completely.
I was given this simple rule for keeping eye on infections…… If my temperature is 37.5°C, repeat in one hour. If my temperature has increased, whether I feel unwell or not, I must contact the hospital.
Cancer-related fatigue may well build up over time so take each day as it comes but at the same time keep some activity going as this does actually help overcome some of the fatigue..... the less you do the longer the recovery……. But a times your body will say it’s needs to rest.
This link… Top Tips for the day of your Chemotherapy….. will give you suggestions as what helps during chemo.
This New to Community area is like our reception desk where we look to try and direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is actually divided into dedicated Cancer Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in one our dedicated Lymphoma groups….
General Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma
This groups are safe places to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.
Click on the best link above then once the group page opens click in the [Black - Click to Join - Banner] that appears at the bottom of the page and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [+ Create new post] or [ + ] in the top right of the group page.
I will keep an eye open for you in the groups but do get back to me if you need further help.
Hi again Jftbrian …… I see that you have joined the Follicular Lymphoma support group.
Your Follicular Lymphoma is in the same Lymphoma grouping as my type of NHL…… in that they are seen as incurable but treatable types of Low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
There are many levels of treatment for FL and as it is the most common type of low-grade lots of research and development has been done it this area.
Always around to chat.
