Working on abemaciclib

Hi Darceysnowball  I have done my chemo and radiotherapy. I am due to start abemaciclib next month. When I asked my consultant about the immunosuppression effect he was quite relaxed about it. I am supposed to be going to a gig at the o2 later in the year and he said that was fine. It would definitely wouldn't have been a good idea on chemo.  He said the immunosuppression is different to chemo as once you stop taking it your immunity bounces back quickly. So I guess they can stop your dose if they need your immune system to fight something.

I work for the NHS in a hospital but not in a clinical capacity. I don't encounter patients very often but do come into contact with doctors and nurses regularly. I am planning to head back to the hospital for work when I feel up to it. It might be the fatigue that keeps me away for a while. I will probably wear a mask a bit more often, for example if there are colleagues with the sniffles. I did go into the office between chemo and radiotherapy.  They are really good about letting me know if they are under the weather so we can just be extra careful. 

Good luck with the chemo and the occupational health appointment 

Hi Libwithlob

Just to reassure you I have been taking Abemaciclib for 7 months and I   am working full time also in the public sector with contact with many people every day. I have not to date picked up any infections and my blood tests have been normal so far. The only issue really is having to rush to the loo with  little warning but I have learnt what foods cause this for me and when and so I am able to carry on pretty much as normal. It is worth also mentioning that my oncologist said that whilst white blood cell counts can drop on Abemaciclib it is becoming evident from patient experiences being reported on that this is strangely not leading to individuals becoming ill with infections. I did also read an article saying this somewhere- if I find it I will post a  link. If you have any other questions about my experience I would be happy to answer. 

Best wishes 

L

Sorry my reply was to Darceysnowball 

This sounds reassuring, thank you for replying :)

I usually work on the wards but they have been really good and have made me non-clinical whilst I'm going through this.

I'm mostly worried about sick pay running out tbh but hopefully I'll be able to work on the abemaciclib. 

Excellent, thank you so much for this info!

I'm really pleased to hear you're managing to carry on working - very reassuring for me.

I'm feeling more positive about it now :) 

Hello, I'm just finishing cycle 12, had dose reduction to 100mg twice a day at 7 months which helped with diarrhoea & fatigue, those being the main problems for me.

I have read such mixed reviews on other threads some people have very little problems, some so many they have to stop taking it 

I took early retirement in June this year but hadn't returned to work following my treatment. I am 55 & lucky to be able to take my occupational pension. Tbh I would really struggle to have returned to my job as a project manager. The combination of anastrozole & abemaciclib can be really bad some days. I try to pace myself but can't do as much as I would like to 

I have a monthly review & bloods bit like chemo they need to make sure you are OK to have treatment. My red & white counts are below normal & I think that contributes to the fatigue. My neutrophils last month were 2, so above the 1 deemed safe for treatment. 

I have another year & really hope it helps stop a recurrance.

All the best & I hope you have a good experience with the drug x