Going back to work

You're certainly not being mamby pamby, I had a WLE lumpectomy and lymph node removal, chemo and Radiotherapy. Now on Anastrozole, hormone blockers.  I finished treatment on March 11th, and started back on 1st April.  I began on a phased return, but had to drop back to 8 hours a week.  The physical and mental fatigue is real. You really have to listen to your body. Take care x

You're certainly not being mamby pamby, I had a WLE lumpectomy and lymph node removal, chemo and Radiotherapy. Now on Anastrozole, hormone blockers.  I finished treatment on March 11th, and started back on 1st April.  I began on a phased return, but had to drop back to 8 hours a week.  The physical and mental fatigue is real. You really have to listen to your body. Take care x

It will be my first day back at work tomorrow after mastectomy, chemo, radiotherapy and covid. I have been off work for a year. I work as a nurse in the department I was diagnosed in and had my treatment in. I know it will be good for me to have some normality again but not sure how I am going to cope mentally. I feel like driving in the opposite direction!

Oh dear Gilliebean what a stressful time your having poor you, its very daunting isn't it. I have an oncology appointment Thursday as I had to have a sternum biopsy. They found something they're not sure what it is. I tell you it isn't half a journey this has sent us on. 

That will be hard, being in the same place as treatment, also you'll be on you feet all day xx

I have had two surgeries chemo and will shortly be having radiotherapy.  I am going back at the beginning of Sept I will have been off for 11 months and have been told by the consultant not to go back before then and I need a phased return. 

Take your time you have been through a lot both physically and mentally. 

Xx

That was so brilliantly expressed. Your absolutely right. Things aren't the same. You do feel so different,  different priorities, different ways of looking at things. I've been a confident person mist of my life, I now however don't seem to have as much of that get up and go and hootspa. Without a reconstruction (they're still investigating) my clothes don't feel the same. Yes I'm still wearing softies so maybe prosthetics might help but I'm not sure when I'll get them as I'm still healing. This summer will come with a few challenges which to some may seem frivolous but they're all a part of me I feel I've lost. 

Thank you everyone who replied to me.

I was very apprehensive walking back in to the department but everyone was great. A few tears, lots of hugs and loads of support. No pressure on me at all. After we’d done all the emotional stuff I wandered down to my usual clinic and was back to work. It was good to focus on other people again and get out of my cancer bubble although it’s never far away, hopefully with time it will move more in to the background and things will be more normal but I think the fear will always be there.

Take care 

Gillie x