When to go back to work? If to go back to work?

  • 1 reply
  • 14 subscribers
  • 127 views

Hello all, 

First of all sympathies to all of us who find ourselves here. It's not great. Secondly what happens if you start to feel ok again?

3 and a half months ago I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer which had spread 'extensively' to the back- the bottom of the spine, right pelvis and many ribs on both sides. Pre diagnosis I had been in increasingly severe pain and while waiting for the diagnostic bone scan, I ended up in a wheel chair  unable to walk. 

Amazingly to me, 3 and a half months on, after being prescribed letrozole, Ribociblic, calcium and vit D, monthly zolendrolic acid infusions and a huge one off blast of radiotherapy on my right pelvis, my symptoms mostly seem to have cleared up, save the odd twinge or two in the lower ribs. My right leg is very much back in action and I'm able to get around the house unaided and only take out a crutch out for long walks, which ,on a good day, I barely need and use more for balance than support.

It hasn't been an easy ride- the first two zoleronics (zolendronic?- can't remember spelling) were horrendous and both times they felt like the old chemo- from the breast cancer I had 10 years ago- with pain, misery and sickness to follow for many days after. The third zoleronic, with the help of a few anti sickness pills, was ok but I noticed I was particularly grumpy and out of sorts for a week, and the forth infusion was almost fine, with only a bad headache for one day to follow and achy feet and legs for the next two days. On this trajectory I am very optimistic for the 5th infusion to barely bother me.

The Ribociblic I take daily with a week's break every 3 weeks. Very quickly I came off morphine as I noticed all back pain had ceased! After two weeks however, my white bloods plummeted and my doctor reduced the dose from 3 to 2 ribociblic pills. This is when I noticed some much reduced lower rib pain return.

Very long story short, in the last couple of weeks I have started to feel very much like my old self- my old 'well' self again. When this happens I feel that maybe instead of planning buying a camper van and driving off into the sunset, I should really be turning my attentions back to going back to work, who are incidentally fully funding my illness in as much as are paying full pay for sick months off, then half pay for any other time off needed up to six months. 

I am 54 and a primary school teacher. On a feeling very well day my whole body silently screams 'get back to work you sciver!' My doctor will give me as much time off as I ask for which seems a 'perk' of the illness. (Am I being insulting to myself and others here?)

I have no idea whether I should be thinking about returning to work. My question is, what do other's do? Do you go back to work, or if you can sort of afford not to do you not go back to work? Or is it simply put, a very personal decision that only an individual can answer? I'd love to completely stop thinking about work. But what if I get so well that I have to go back and am totally unprepared- mentally if not physically. Anyway, if you don't mind I just wondered if anyone else is wondering whether they should go back to work again.  (very sorry for long post- it does help to get it all down though- and makes me realise how ill I've been!)

  • Hi  and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.

    I’m Anne, one of the Community Champions here on the Online Community and, although I'm not a member of this group, I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. Responding to you will 'bump' it back to the top of the discussion list again.

    When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I had already finished work so I never had to make the sort of decision that you're faced with.

    You might also like to you join and post in the life after cancer group, which is for people who have finished treatment, where you can discuss things like the physical and emotional after effects of cancer, returning to work, or trying to move on with your life.

    If this is something that you'd like to do just click on the link I've created which will take you straight there. Once you've joined you can then start a new post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.

    While you're waiting for replies, it would be great if you could put something about your diagnosis and treatment to date into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

    Best wishes with whatever you decide to do

    Community Champion Badge

     "Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"