Work and Cancer Progression

Hello MaryKat

I am 10 days post treatment so can totally empathise with how you must be feeling. I’m sure it won’t go to Stage 4 before you get started as I am sure your treatment team will have you signposted now and be putting your plan into place to zap your tumour away. 
I’m not sure what you mean about have to work for insurance etc? I’m retired so didn’t need to work but was lucky as had few side effects from Chemo, just a bit more tired than usual. The actual radiotherapy is not painful but accumulative so by week 4 you are likely to become sore and uncomfortable. I drove  myself to the hospital for treatment every day and asked for early times as that suited me and reduced delays to treatment. I hated delays as I found holding my bladder difficult after drinking 450mls of water!!! 
So my answer would be it depends on your job type. I could look after myself but have needed to be close to a toilet as movements became urgent and erratic. 
Try not to be be scared. Be positive as the treatment has a good success rate. Be strong- there are many on this site who will offer guidance and support. 
Tips and shopping list....

Dead sea salts for bathing until sores become open

Portable bidet ( for later in treatment when sore) soothes and keeps you clean

V pillow so you can get comfy 

Flushable sensitive wipes

Mild soap

Soft sponge for gentle cleaning

Disposable sheet protectors (again for later as stops messing on sheets) 

As well as a doughnut cushion I have a pressure cushion  to sit on-  I take it everywhere!! 
I use Tena pads for security

Boxer shorts, again for later in treatment as knicker line can be sensitive 

I am sure your treatment team will give you creams to help- I have Medihoney, Instigel ( but I found that to sting!) and a morphine based gel. For pain I take paracetamol and now no bleeding  Ibrofoben. 

Do ask if you have questions, hope your work is empathetic and supportive. 

Sending you lots of positive thoughts

Ruth

Marykat, anal cancer is slow growing but I understand your fear. My treatment was delayed 5 months because my stupid pcp thought it was a hemorrhoid.  I was stage lll also.  I finished treatment Feb this year and I'm fine now.  Kind thoughts to you.

Hi and welcome to the group.  I am just wondering where you are based with your question about insurance (I assume you mean medical insurance?), I hope you don't mind me asking. If you are outside of the UK, the chemotherapy regime is a bit different. In the UK it tends to be a combination of a one off short infusion of fluorouracil (5FU) administered intravenously on day one of treatment, followed by 8 tablets of capecitabine a day for 5.5 weeks, Monday to Friday. Radiotherapy is also daily Monday-Friday Monday-Friday. The radiotherapy can be quite time consuming in terms of the travel, unless you live close to your treating hospital. The actual radiotherapy itself is only of a short duration, mine was about 8 minutes. It depends on your reaction to treatment and the type of work you do as to whether you will be able to work through  treatment. The chemotherapy tends to be well tolerated, the only side effect I had was feeing nauseous from day 2 to 7 of chemo. The side effects of radiotherapy build up, I felt the effects from about week 4, which were diarrhoea and tiredness. If you are able to work from home at all this should help you to continue to work as my main issue was having to be near a toilet. I wonder if you could also discuss working reduced hours with your employer during treatment?  However, some people go the other way and become constipated.  It is important to tell the nurses of any side effects as there are lots of ways they can be alleviated, eg anti-sickness, anti-diarrhoea medications and so on. It will also help if you moisturise your skin from day one of treatment, 100% aloe vera gel (alcohol free) is helpful but don't apply creams right before your radiotherapy session.  After treatment ends, the radiotherapy effects continue to build for 7-10 days. It was during this period that I was exhausted, partly due to the fact that I had become anaemic. On the plus side I did not need any assistance with self-care and still did all my own housework and shopping.  I understand your fear that the cancer may progress to stage 4, but as anal cancer is generally slow growing (the vast majority are squamous cell cancers) and you are just about to start treatment it's probably not likely. The cure rates for anal cancers are generally pretty good, which is reassuring. Please come back on here for more advice or just to sound off if you need to.  I wish you all the best for your treatment. Bev 

Hi sorry I meant to say that the one off chemo infusion administered intravenously on day one of treatment here in the UK is a drug called Mitomycin. I think in the USA that the chemo drugs used include fluorouracil (5FU), also known as Adrucil.  You should be given full information sheets on the drugs to be used from your treating hospital. Bev.

Hi MaryKat,

I'm so sorry you are here, but you've found a wonderful, supportive, and uplifting group. I was diagnosed with stage 3 anal cancer in late October, and I started my treatment on November 22nd. I have two more days (tomorrow and Tuesday) of radiation, and I start the recovery process. Do you live in the U.S.? I do, so working and keeping my insurance was paramount. I teach at a local college, and all classes are remote, so I worked from home, using Zoom and graded non-stop. I found the fatigue kicked in by week 4, and I would not have been able to work outside of the home at that point. Luckily, I can lounge in bed and still grade papers and respond to emails. Can you also work from home?  

I had the same fears of cancer spreading while waiting for treatment to kick off. Two of my lymph nodes were slightly enlarged and they assumed cancer had spread to those localized nodes. I can't deny the fear and hopelessness I initially felt, but once my treatment plan was organized, I was caught up in what needed to be done. It's been sad at times, and I still worry, but I look forward to the next few months of recovery until my first check-up scan. I lived in a hotel all week during treatment, and left my children at home, so that alone unsettled me.

Allow yourself to worry, but know many people have great success and are cured--even at stage 3. I have a support thriver in the U.S. who calls/ texts me, and she had stage 3 in 2012 and is now cancer-free and living a healthy life. We can do this!

Please let us know how you are faring. Good vibes are being sent to you!

Sarah            

Yes!  I was diagnosed with a hemorrhoid too!  

Sarah,

Thank you so much for taking time to answer!

I can work from home, and my boss is very, very understanding.

I just went to medical oncologist today.  He wants to me to take Xeloda for 5 days a week while going through radiation.  Did you take any type of chemo pills?  I am thinking I may not take chemo pills if the tumor can be shrunk without chemo.  I don't want to endure the side effects and cost.

MaryKat

I am in the United States...Dallas, Texas.  Yes Medical Insurance.  It is expensive and no way I could afford treatment without it.  Thank you for your lengthy response!  I have so much hope. I will be taking Xeloda pills for 5 days a week for 5 weeks.  Supposedly this with the radiation shrinks the tumor fast.  I prefer just to have radiation.  I don't want to endure all those side effects of chemo. It scares me.

Hi Marykat

i believe the Chemo with radiation makes the radiation more effective. Personally I had few effects from Chemo which was capecitabine on the days of radiation. I felt a bit more tired than usual and a wee bit of heart burn which the anti sickness pills got rid of. So I would day if that is what you oncologist recommends go for it! 
Good luck with your treatment- my most difficult time was the last week and the week after treatment finished- tired and very sore with toilet pain and urgency. 
I hope it goes well. Great your boss is empathetic. Thinking of you! Ruth 

Hi ,

I haven’t jumped in before now as you’ve had some great responses to your post thus far. I’d just like to echo that although I know sometimes treatment in the US varies slightly to that here in the UK I too had very few side effects to the chemo side of the treatment regime, Xeloda is the same drug that we’re prescribed here in the UK under the name Capecitabine & you don’t generally get the severe side effects that you would if you were on other infusion chemotherapy drugs. 

Nicola