At this stage last year i was under going radiotherapy. Although it was still a form of treatment, and i was still of work, i remember i felt better each passing day. The chemotherapy drugs form a full assault on the body. The last Chemo treatment was on December 22nd and by the end of January i was truly over the chemotherapy side effects - the short term ones anyway. The radiotherapy had little effect compared to the chemo - i had sore skin at the stop of radiotherapy and the skin did break also - but after chemo this felt like absolutely nothing.
I felt more sleepy and was told this was common - i remember feeling sleepy a lot of the time. Other than that i was trying to build myself up for the months ahead.
As i neared the end of treatment i realised that i was going to have to try and go back to my previous lifestyle. That involved quite a few responsibilities and projects and tasks to manage. Work was a definite concern. I had only been in the job 4 months when i got my diagnosis and only 2 months of that had been in the team i was currently in.
What would going back to work be like? Would people treat me differently? What would be expected of me? How long would it take my hair to grow back? What would my energy levels be like with the commute to and from work? Would i be able to focus on work?
A year on now all of those anxieties and worries are water under the bridge.
It was hard getting back to all those things - there was a lot going on - it was difficult focusing on work at times. I needed to come back to work slowly, on reduced hours and days to start with. At times i needed to talk / email / post on forums about how i was feeling - my experiences - how i had found things.
Friends and family are just as important in this period as they were during treatment.
To anyone who is facing a return to work - or is trying to get things back in order following treatment i would say two things.
1. It gets easier with time. Don't expect things to be as they were before right away. A year down the line i think now i feel settled again at work. It comes slowly. Also you are a different person now - don't worry about that, but embrace it and view it as a positive.
2. Use that support network. After treatment is complete there's fewer hospital trips, fewer blood tests, fewer drugs to take - its less obvious to those around you that you are still going through this experience. Take whatever help is available to you and see your friends and family as often as you can
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