Work and multi myeloma

Hi

I'm new to the forum.

I'm post bone marrow transplant 3 years.

So, I'm in the in-between stage of being in

remission and watching paraproteins going up.

Waiting to relapse.

When I was diagnosed I was not well at all

Bone pain, exhaustion and low blood count.

Surprised I was still working!!

I think you'll find once you start the treatment working a full time job is going to be next to impossible. 

The fatigue, nausea etc will be to much

Also you'll have little to no immune system, you'll be open to infections.

Just take the time to get through the chemo.

And work on your recovery.

All the treatments are miserable. 

I wish you all the best.

My advise is forget working for now .

1. There'll be plenty of time in the future.

Many thanks Yvonnet.

My consultant did not think it was wise but when you enjoy a job as much as I do it is going to be very difficult to finish or even go on sick leave. I fear being home and dwelling on treatment is going to be very detrimental to my mental wellbeing.

Wish you well.

Hi I’m sorry to read you have been diagnosed with Myeloma .  My husband was diagnosed in February this year and is coming to the end of his 4 month stem cell induction therapy.  He has been in Dara VTD (. Daratumumb, velcsde known as Bortezomib thalidomide and dexamethasone) firstly everybody responds to treatment differently.Secondly they have to tell you of every possible side effect most people usually only experienced a few .  My husband is retired and I really don’t think he could have managed all the appointments if he worked but he so far has only suffered minor side effects and looks so fit and well .  Hopefully your experience will also be good ( the modern drugs are much less toxic and very targeted especially if you’re newly diagnosed)  you may not be able to work at the moment but please stay strong talk to your CNS if you have worries or questions they are there to help you .  And focus on what you can do not what you can’t .  Wishing you well  and take one day at a time . 

Thank you Kent lass, it is a long haul..my next appointment is the start of treatment but not b re enough told what yet, I had went to my last appointment with about 15 questions in my note pad and only asked about t work.

Wishing your husband and yourself well.

Hi. I was diagnosed  last September  and have been off work ever since for treatment and now recovering  from a SCT. I am/ was a primary school teacher and was advised that a classroom environment  was not a good place to work while undergoing treatment. I am not planning on going back to work until I've had my revacinnattions  as I will.be open to infections easy at school. I would be I interested to.hear from anyone e else  who is a teacher.

Hi.   Alamo 57.    I just retired and got diagnosed on the same day !     June.   My wife is the gardener     She loves it.  All weathers.       I am. Was. Self employed.     And travel through my work and stand work in large food factories.     Right now I could not do that.  A walk to the shop exhaust me.     Awaiting first chemotherapy cycle.      Guess yours is done now.    Would be interested to find out if you felt you could have or indeed did work.     

Hi Vespa,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. My consultant had signed me off for an initial 3 months and has now done another 3 months. Basically I went through the RADAR Trial got the dates for priming, harvest and stem cell transplant. so Priming was supposed to happen last Monday, down to Edinburgh for Harvest on the 27th and Aberdeen RI in early February for SCT. regretfully it was all cancelled on the 19th as my cancer was progressing under the trial. Consultant signed me off for another 3 months. My Wife and myself went to see him last Tueday to give me my new treatment which is DVD which i started on Wednesday. one of his parting shots to me was you are 66 retire and enjoy life and do the things you want to do. i did say i wanted back to work and he was pretty honest and said work will be to dangerous for you. Anyhow i have reluctantly decided after my current sick line finishes is to retire.

But have decide to blow some of my pension on new pc and software for garden design, at least still involved.

Hope you are coping well.