I was off work for four months. When I did go back to work, my company allowed me to work partial days. It made a huge difference both physically and emotionally to return to my job.

It took a good year before I felt anything close to normal.I'm now almost two years out of treatment and I feel as though I have regained all of my energy. I've managed to gain about 20 lbs. Since my treatment. In many ways I'm a lot healthier than I was pre-cancer. I eat soft foods still, so you can't put snack foods of junk foods in the old food processor.

John

I am active duty Air Force and will be returning to my base in GA from TX wher I was treated soon. I haven't really spoken to Drs yet about when I can go back to work, but I'm only 15 days post treatment. While I feel OK, I do get tired in the afternoons. I'm not sure what Drs will say; I think that going back to work would be good for me mentally.

The days are long and boring and I find myself dwelling on cancer too much. I think if I were at work and thinking about other things that would be good for me.

Tim,
As they say eveyone is different. I wnet back to work 3 weeks after radiation (no chemo) but I have a desk job doing tech support on software. Doesn't require a lot of energy. I think it was good for my morale. Felt like I was going back to normal life. It was exhausting for a couple of weeks, but they fire you here if you are out more than 12 weeks in a 365 day period. I was saving last 4 for HBO if I needed it.

Second go round, I could have gone back earlier but decided to take 8 weeks just to relax and smell the roses. Work could wait. Then on the day I was supposed to go back, I tripped over chair in kitchen, flipped myslef in air and landed on hip fracturing pelvis in 3 places. That slowed me down for another 3 weeks.

I think everyone needs to do what their energy level allows them to do. I also think it helps the healing process to get out and do 'normal' things. Like Gail, we planned a trip to St Kitts to just chill out for the spring after my treatment. It di us both a world of good.

Take care,
Eileen

I am 8 weeks post tx monday. Some days are better than others (not much though). I usually am tired after taking a shower; taking the trash out to the street; feeding our 8 cats; getting to my car from my 2nd story bederoom; driving to the store and back; going to the office for a couple of stressful hours.

I was beginning to feel that maybe I was a weenie pussycat but after reading the above posts, I guess I not that unusual.

My wife and I own our businesses so the pressure to return to work is mostly self induced. I think my CPA practice probably is running as smooth WITHOUT ME, at least that's what they are telling me. LOL

My wife who is also my partner in her restaurant business and my caregiver has been very understanding but lately I feel she is thinking I should be able to do more. I used to work 15 hrs, 6 days a wk which took a lot of pressure off her. I also found time to ride my bike 100 miles a wk as well. She used to call me Pastic Man because I just never tired. Since 2 wks into tx she has had to really step up to the plate and I know she wishes I could take on more. Believe me, I do to but I just don't have the energy. I just hope she hangs in there until I do. I have tried talking to her and even tried to get her to read this site to no avail. She says she understands but I secretly wonder.

David, print off some of these posts and lay them around where you wife can see them and maybe she will pick them up and read them.
It took me about 3 months before I had the energy to move and then 15-18 months before I felt normal. Mary

David, Mary just gave you a great suggestion. I did the same thing with John[who started off not wanting to know anything about the real issues in his tx. protocol.] He thought "O.K.- cut it out, zap me a few times and that is all there is to it" As the reality started to hit the fan, so to speak, I just printed out posts that were relevant to what he was experiencing at the time and left them lying around [on the kitchen counter or coffee table] and he began to read them. It wasn't long before he was giving me questions to post and asking for printouts of what I had learned on OCF on my nightly visits. He won't sit in front of a computer to we have reams of paper and our own OCF book now. That old Indian wisdom has been in my caretaker mind for almost 2 years. now. "You must Walk in someone's footsteps before you can know their path". [ Iknow that is a paraphrase] Amy

Wayne,

I had an office job (with some out-of-town travel involved) at the time of my diagnosis. I was out of work for a couple of weeks after my partial glossectomy and neck dissection, and then went back on at least a part-time basis throughout radiation. When I started to feel really worn down in the middle and latter stages of radiation, I would adjust my office hours accordingly, and I pretty much cut out as much travel as I could until I could get back some strength.

Like Eileen, I felt that keeping up some of my regular routine was important for my morale -- it gave me less time to think about the nasty side effects of treatment.

Cathy