Hi, I'm sharing my experience here in the hope someone here might feel less daunted by the diagnosis. TL;DR: Cancer does not necessarily spell doom. Treatment protocols for certain cancers are almost assembly-line-like. It is good to be wary, but also important to remember that there are teams/co-workers that will be supportive. --------- Short: -In my case, at worst, it was a tremendous inconvenience. This is even considering I was interviewing during the diagnosis and between surgeries, and started a new job shortly before radiation started. -I was told to expect mood swings a couple of weeks following radiation. I managed the situation by giving a heads-up to co-workers without using the c-word. -This period also coincided with an important launch. I became worried about possibly becoming a liability to the team. I took the decision to mention to management I was undergoing aggressive treatment. I was fortunate to be with this team. ---------- Long: My diagnosis was at early stage. Initially stage 0, then after surgery, found to be 1A. I was lucky to need only lumpectomy and radiation, no mastectomy or chemo. Diagnosis, 2 biopsies and 2 surgeries were completed in 3-4 weeks. Protocols are well defined for breast cancer. Biopsies are painful but definitely tolerable, even for someone with a low pain threshold as me. Post surgery complications were minimal, except for the anesthesia causing slurred speech for a couple of days. The first surgery I was in bed for a week, the second, I was up and about in 2 days. I could not lift anything for a couple of weeks. I interviewed for the job a few days from the second surgery and joined a week after. Radiation was exhausting, not just during the treatment, but also in the weeks after treatment, I was left with just enough energy to drive myself the short distance betweeb home, work and hospital. The positive is, after a couple of hours of lying down, I would be recharged and catch up with work. I took the occasional day off, but it was the exception, not the norm. I was lucky to have a mature management team. They trusted a new employee, someone they did not have a shared history. I had to step-out for radiation every single day. I did not stay late either since I could only work in short bursts, with rest in between. There is no doubt I did well at work; I was enthusiastic, proactive, met deadlines and a couple of times beat them by a margin. Be that as it may, for my leads to allow such flexibility to a new employee is something. The challenge came when I was advised to expect mood swings in the weeks After radiation. During this period I also had to start the process for oocyte preservation. The prospect of not having control of my mood and thereby potentially jeopardizing work relationships was the scariest part of cancer. In the end, I decided to give a heads-up to my immediate co-workers. I was vague about the exact treatment. They promised to have my back and that made me feel relaxed. The second challenge came toward the end of the radiation, this period coincided with a critical launch which would need us to work overnight for a few consequetive days. Up until this point, I don't think anyone could tell I had stuff going on. Now I was anxious about becoming a liability to the team. Missing a ball at a time like this would also cause irreparable harm to my professional reputation. Then again, sharing a cancer diagnosis could be costly. In the end, I decided to mention to the leads that I was undergoing aggressive treatment. I was kept out of the launch frenzy but did not incur any repercussions. It was a good call. Emotionally, cancer left me unscathed, although I experienced other serious setbacks that year. Sometimes it appears that the universe is out to get you, and no matter what, you are jinxed. There were definitely âwhy-meâ days but I was able to bounce back. In my case, cancer brought the will and energy to take life by its horns. A few things worked in my favor; a diagnosis that could not have come sooner. Family and friends that went out of their way to be supportive. Having a great insurance plan. Finally I was simply fortunate to be in a place where management trusted and allowed flexibility to even a new recruit. Being in an environment where you are able to trust in the general goodness of management and co-workers, this is the best perk. Hope this helps.
Glad to hear that you're doing good. Keep smiling :)
What was the bill amount?
Thank you for sharing. This is the best thing I have read on Blind in a long time.
Thanks for sharing
How did you detect the cancer early? Cancer scares me because I honestly don't know when I'm supposed to perform checks so we can detect it early.
In my case it was sheer luck.
@tostida thanks for sharing your road to survivorship. I am also a BC survivor. @nhzl21 always be your own advocate. Self checks can start right now. I was diagnosed at a very young age and I detected it just from applying lotion.
Thanks for sharing and you are a hero.
Thank you for sharing. Did you need any chemo?
What a great story! All the best
Thanks for sharing! Wishing you and your family well. This is a disease that kills everyone around mentally.
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Thanks for sharing this. More power to you.