Likewise on the "everyone is different" comment. I haven't been to work since 3/22. After the surgery I was crying at the drop of a hat, couldn't focus to boil water, and didn't have appropriate makeup to cover the radiation burns - not very professional, especially necessary in my line of work. There were two weeks in the middle of radiation I felt AWESOME, but I'd already told work "sorry". They're not seeing me until after brachey next month.

If they had cut my pay, I probably could have found it in me to work a reduced schedule or from home. But my body wouldn't have received the sleep it needed to heal as quickly. Now I'm asleep more than awake.

There may be some laws requiring them to hold that position or a similar one, but that's not my expertise.

Sabrina

PS - to all those needing makup that covers your regular skin and ointment on your radiation burns - BareMinerals works incredibly well. Okay, so I gave into the infomercial. I was desperate. It was certainly worth it - you wouldn't even know I had radiation burns, and I have WELTS on my neck right now! HIGHLY recommend it.

I had a Radical Neck Dissection, Radiation & Chemo. RAD ended early December. I felt ready for office work 13 weeks later. I worked half days & am still working up to doing full 8hr days. Can do 6.5 hrs before that sense of fatigue takes over.

PS LOL! I use BareMinerals as well. I love the effect. People @ work were amazed at my healthy glow. I bought mine at Ulta.

Thanks for the tips on BareMinerals. I haven't felt much like makeup, but I might try that out. My rad burns are all gone, but my skin tone is uneven now. I look like I have burn scars, I wonder how long until they fade? I have a very fair complexion. Sorry men, forgive me while I talk a little girl talk.

Lynn

Hi Lynn
Talk girl talk all you want.. the men hog enough for barbeques and weights..
need you looking your best girl
love and hugs
Helen

Besides the weights and barbecue, I have a two-toned neck, too. I am somewhat dark skinned with Japanese ancestry. In the sun my skin gets very dark but now I am either avoiding the sun or using sunscreen. The radiated area looks like a band of suntan and under my chin is white, white, white. I'll try anything...even the BareMinerals, if it works! (I'll put it on while I am smoking the ribs!)

Ed

I used a prescription cream called BIAFINE for the radiation burns and it really helped them heal. I think it also helped heal the scars from the two neck dissections I had. It is a deep wound dressing. It was brand new when I had radiation back in the dark ages and unfortunately they didn't prescribe it to the end. You are really supposed to start using it immediately to prevent the burn in the first place. My surgeon says it's a good cream to use after the neck disscetions. Just thought I'd mention it.

Take care,
Eileen

I was able to do some light duty work throughout my radiation treatments.

Ed if you put that stuff on the ribs...I don't care how well it works I ain't gonna eat them! :p

Seriously folks, check with your radiation oncologist before putting ANYTHING on radiation damaged skin. This is particularly important if you are still in treatment.

Angie,

I'm one of those who worked for most of the time during treatment. (Shortly before my diagnosis, I had received a significant promotion for which I had worked long and hard, and I felt as though I couldn't be out of the office very long.)

After my neck dissection I was recuperating at home for couple of weeks, but able to do some work there. During radiation I was working partial days at the office (about 5-6 hours a day) for most of the time, but I have to admit fatigue and pain were really setting in. I think I also had another motivation for being at the office during that period -- it seemed that some of my coworkers, who didn't know much about oral cancer, thought the treatment was just slightly more involved than a root canal. I guess I figured that when they saw the radiation burns, the effects on my eating and speech, the weight loss, etc., they might get a better sense of the seriousness of this disease.

It's fairly clear from this series of posts that there's no single answer as to how much or how soon you can expect to work during and after treatment, but your body can tell you a lot about when you're ready.

Angie,
I am one of those who DIDN'T work through treatment. I was too sick, in too much pain, drugged and too fatigued to even think about it (not to mention depressed). By the way, I "only" had radiation and chemotherapy - no surgery. I did lose 60 lbs. Since I am a consultant, talking is key and my voice and throat was wiped out for a very long time, making it impossible to negotiate with clients or the FDA. Because I spent a lot of time in bed, all of my muscles atrophied and they are still trying to make a comeback 14 months post Tx. I still have some fatigue effects. I am still 30 lbs lighter than I was.

I understand that the recovery from the surgery is about 3-4 weeks - it's the radiation part that gets complicated. The general rule for recovery from radiation is 1 month for every week of radiation.

I am not trying to discourage you here, just give a little balance because not all of us are able to work in the immediate post Tx and nobody presented that view (well, except Joanna). And I am almost 10 years older than your brother so age may be a factor as well.

I was a CFO for a company that was struggling and even though I helped orchestrate a turnaround in 90 days, a group of the owners sucked all the cash out of the company in fear it was going under. They totally changed our business model that was showing positive cash flow and return to the first profit in years. They pulled the wool over the eyes of the lender and they tried hard to keep me from coming back by threats of cutting my pay and not letting me into the numbers when I came back, fearing I would tell the lenders. I worked at home (400 miles from work) on the telephone and computer up to the last 2 weeks of treatment and 2 weeks after treatment. I had to do this because my contract had a clause that 60 days off would void it. I took Short Term Disability in January because of the stress, they folded up shop and quit paying me in March and told me to sue them to get my back pay.

Was it worth all this? Absolutely not. I even enjoyed being off since January and I really turned the corner in March, feeling about back to normal right now, 7 1/2 months out from treatment.

Take your time, live life today because it may not be there tomorrow. Love unconditionally.

Ed