Chemo??

[Sadregrets]

Wondering if most people are able to continue working while on chemo. I have no idea what to expect but want to go on as normally as possible. I'm a teacher and my kids need me.

[scifiknitter Blogger]

Sadregrets,

Some people do keep working, either by choice orl necessity. Others can not - it's very individual and hard to predict. Have you talked about this with your doctor?

Anita

[Kenny1108]

I have stage 4 lung cancer. In the beginning of the chemo I took off the week I got the infusion because of how I felt. The other 2 weeks I worked. Now on Opdivo and work steady as the side effects are much less severe. I applaud your commitment to your kids but it's gotta be your health first. Get a feel for how your body reacts. In the beginning it might not seem so bad but the drugs can linger making side effects last into the next round and therefore making it tougher to get over.

[Sadregrets in reply to Kenny1108]

What kind of side effects?? Can you share your experience?

[Kenny1108 in reply to Sadregrets]

Fatigue was one that was gard to get around. Also the lack of appetite. Not eating properly means not getting the nutrients needed to fight fatigue. Also, due to another of my health issues one of the drugs..Avastin...affected my heart which caused extreme loss of breath. That started to get better as I got further from the date of the chemo. However, the more chemo I got ( rounds ) the longer that problem stayed with me. Keep some type of journal to write down how you are feeling. It will allow you to keep it all straight moving forward. Even your emotional response to all you're going through. Keep positive knowing you are working on this problem. One more thing......the amount of side effects or lack of them has no barring on how the drugs are working. Best of luck to you.

[stutheit in reply to Kenny1108]

WHAT IS Avastin is it something they give you with chemo I have COPD and my breathing is very compromised I had the CyberKnife and it did actually more damage to my lungs had wedge removal and that did damage so I'm afraid of anything that will compromise my breathing I start chemo next week thank you

[Kenny1108 in reply to stutheit]

Avastin is a chemo drug that I was put on after a VAT procedure that was done to get a biopsy and treat fluid that accumulated in my right lung. Avastin can cause bleeding so I had to wait until after the VAT. Anyway, that drug effected my heart in some way. Unfortunately my Oncologist and cardiologist were looking at each other as for the reason I had problems. It was frustrating going through tests between the two and not get definitive answers. Only after time where the drug was naturally becoming weaker in my body did the loss of breath symptoms get better. However, the longer on Avastin the longer the symptoms stayed. If you ever get put on Avastin just be aware that it may or may not effect you like it did me. I am on Opdivo now as the chemo stopped working and I feel alot better. I wish you all the best. Will pray too.

[Steph60]

I was not able to work during my chemo. I had bad fatigue which only got worse with each round of chemo. I would suggest that you not work if at all possible, so that you can put all of your energy into the fight.

[Ruthie1950]

I would say it would be determined by the strength of the dosage of chemotherapy you are receiving. Your oncologist should be able to answer your question and once you start, you'll know whether you're able to continue teaching. God bless you through this journey.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

Much will also depend on what chemo agents your dr uses. Can you tell us what they are?