Simple Gifts,

It's good to have a contingency plan, even if you end up not needing to use it. I had both surgery and radiation (conventional radiation, as IMRT wasn't even an option back then). My treatment didn't include chemo. While I felt increasingly worse by week 4 or so of radiation (mouth sores, swallowing problems, fatigue), I was still able to go to work about 5 hours a day. Much of the time while I was there, I kept my office door shut, which probably minimized my contact with germ-bearers. If you have the option of working from home, that's probably safer.

When I started to feel significant dry mouth problems (in the latter stages of radiation and for a long time thereafter), I found that my time limit for talking, such as in group presentations, was around 20 minutes. If I ended up in a position of having to run a meeting, I found that I had to team up with a colleague who could help lead the discussion when I reached my speaking limit. I'm sure you'll hear from other people whose experiences were somewhat different. Just remember that the effects of radiation keep on going for weeks after your treatment ends, so try to allow for that in your planning.

Cathy