Working and radiotherapy

Hi Wolf Man,

I was off for 4 months, my treatment was 5 weeks of radiotherapy and chemo the rest was recovery.

Im 49 and it tired me out towards the end and after the treatment, plus the appointment times don't really fit with a working day, my advice would be do what is best for your health, let your body rest and heal as you go through the treatment.

Wishing you all the best for the next part of your journey to getting better.

xx Shelley

Hello Wolf man . I had six weeks of daily radiotherapy for bladder cancer, but talking to the prostate guys when I was there, treatment is fairly similar. I had a 60 mile round trip, but I was transported every day by the volunteer ambulance car service. The treatment gradually makes you tired, so I didn't fancy driving on the motorway feeling drowsy. It would be difficult to work during treatment because of the time involved and appointments each day were at different times. I didn't really have any bad side effects during treatment, but the tiredness and fatigue catches up with you after it finishes. I also had dodgy bowels for a month or so afterwards and I believe this is quite common. As I was 64 at the time, I took the opportunity of early retirement. That was 5 years ago and have never regretted the decision. Best wishes.

Hello 

Thanks for the feedback, the more I get will make the decision easier. I am a deliberator and sometimes feel like I need to be doing the right thing for other's. I have a strong sense of loyalty and although I have only been working with my company for a year, I don't want to just pack in. Perhaps its time to put my family and myself first? 

Wolrman

I worked throughout my RT , it did get a bit tricky when the side effects kicked in, I had a driving job at the time.

However I didn't have HT which could possibly make things worse. You could consider doing less hours if u wanted to continue working

Best wishes

Steve

Its time to put yourself first! This is about you and only you, no one else will feel your pain, understand your thoughts and worries...regardless of how sympathetic people can be, they really have no idea.

Hi,

I was 64 when my radiotherapy started.  Had 37 doses so that was 37 trips to hospital.  I was already on hormone therapy.  The timings for the treatment were all over the place ranging from 7.30am to 5pm but I'm sure you can ask for convenient timings in view of your long journey.  Depending on the hospital, you may need to self-administer an enema every day when you arrive then drink some water to fill up your bladder and this adds an hour to the time you are there.  Not all hospitals do this so check first.

The combination of hormones and radiotherapy will slow you down.  Some people get very tired and fatigued and working is probably not a good idea.  However, many carry on working (with a reasonable employer) and manage okay.  As said above, you may well get bowel issues towards the end of treatment and for a little while after.  I carried on working as a mobile mechanic which was sometimes fairly strenuous but being self employed, chose my work pattern.  If you like your job and can work around the journeys then I'd say carry on.  Sitting at home brooding, dozing, bored and tired will just make you feel worse.  The more exercise you can do the better you will feel even if it is just a walk.  No need to do circuit training.

Look at this treatment as an inconvenience.  It doesn't hurt and staying positive and active are your best friends.

Regards

Hi Wolfman,

Like yourself, my planned treatment, is hormone therapy, and radiotherapy, and I'm presently on day 8 of 37 sessions of radiotherapy, and have been on hormone therapy for the past 6 months. 

Whilst I was on hormone therapy I managed to work most of the time, even though I had a few weird side effects, that caused the loss of some working time, but I have an understanding team in my office, who have supported me.

Now that I'm on radiotherapy I've taken sick leave as it wouldn't be any good to me, my company, or our clients as I'd have to arrive and leave at random times due to the places I work, as I work out in the service industry, and having to allow time to travel for treatment.

To date it's usually a four hour round trip from home, for treatment. This allows me time to travel, allowing time for traffic variation, and the muppets at the hospital who simply cannot follow information about car parks, and seem to have lost the ability to park a car.

At my first session I was given a timetable of appointments, which has proved to be a little fluid as one of the machines was out of action, and things had to be revised. It's necessary to be there about 45 to 60 min early to drink your water when instructed to do so. Typically I've been there earlier so I can be settled in, and relax. This has proven to be an advantage when there's a no show, or someone is late. On two occasions I've had my appointment pulled forward and I've been in and out quicker. The staff like this too, as it keeps their day rolling.

The important thing is to look after yourself. Be a bit selfish if you have to. Eat, and sleep well, take exercise, and rest when needed. Keeping yourself as healthy as you can will help you on your treatment path, and helps keep you positive.

Best wishes to you on your journey 

Chris

Hi Wolfman,

I am just over 4 weeks past my 20 sessions of RT and have also been on hormone treatment for 6 months. I certainly could have worked during the pre-RT hormone treatment phase as the only real side-effect was hot-flushes and I managed to control those by taking evening primrose oil and sage leaf capsules twice a day. I still get very mild hot flushes occasionally, but nothing like they were at the start. I will be on hormone treatment for at least another 18 months and plan to continue with evening primrose and sage until the HT stops (and possibly longer as the effects of HT wear off slowly)

I probably could have worked during the first two weeks of RT, but certainly couldn't in the second two weeks, nor in the first week after RT finished, as I was having all sorts of bowel and bladder problems. However, I retired nearly 14 years ago (at the age of 58) because I felt it was time to be free to choose what I did and when; and I have never regretted taking early retirement. Although my pension was significantly reduced it is sufficient and I am busier now after 14 years than I was when I was working, it's just all done at a much more leisurely pace.

As everyone else has already said, you are the most important person in your treatment path and you need to be slightly mercenary about looking after your own body. Give up alcohol and caffeine as they can irritate the bladder and drink plenty of water or decaffeinated tea (I drink Roobois Earl Grey which is delicious). It's not forever, just whilst you are having your treatment and you might even decide you feel better without.

Also take as much exercise as you possibly can. I was cooped up in an hotel during my RT as it wasn't possible to travel to and from the cancer hospital on a daily basis, but tried to walk at least two miles every day. It was very weather dependent but sometimes I did quite a lot more. Swimming is also great exercise, but you may find the chlorine irritates the skin around the area where you are having RT so that might not work for you.

I have started rowing again and did nearly 5km this afternoon on a beautiful day when you're glad to be alive. Tomorrow I am starting a Macmillan sponsored "Move More" exercise class to try and get back to my previous fitness level.

I hope your treatment goes well.

It's funny how you mentioned the first two weeks, I was striding down palatine road thinking, "treatment, what treatment, I'm fine" then boom, coming towards the end of the third week the affects started to show, the burns, the bowels and bladder became affected, pelvic radiotherapy has the worst side affects, because of the organs that are in such close proximity, mine was or still is vaginal cancer so the treatment area is exactly the same.

I continued to get the tram and walk down that road for the full 5 weeks, that was my exercise and my mindful time, I couldn't have worked, I needed to focus on me, I'm back at work now and enjoying that normality, but I let myself heal, as I mentioned in my previous post, this is about us, not anyone else, this thing we have needs us to let the theraoy do it's job and in order to do that we need to take time out and concentrate on ourselves, it's not selfush it's self preservation.

Hi Wolf man, I started HT in October 2016 continued working until chemotherapy in December 2016, then went on sick leave until after my radiotherapy finished. I was on sick leave for a year, then I applied for I’ll health retirement with full pension which I got, so financially sound for the future. Over the last year my health has improved significantly, helped I believe with the lack of stress from employment. My advice is, if you don’t need to work go for retirement. I thought it through very carefully and it wasn’t a decision I took lightly but wow, it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Still keeping active with things I never found the time to do whilst employed. 

Hope this assists in your deliberation 

best regards