living / working
How did your surgery and recovery impact your ability to live life as you had prior to the surgery? What challenges have you faced as you try to return to your “normal” activities of life and work?
How did your surgery and recovery impact your ability to live life as you had prior to the surgery? What challenges have you faced as you try to return to your “normal” activities of life and work?
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How many weeks or months were you off from work due to the surgery and recovery? My surgery was 3/25/08 and I’m planning on going back to work in July. I don’t think I’m fully healed yet but I think sitting at home thinking about it isn’t helping. I think going back to work and focusing on something else will help to speed the healing process. What are your thoughts?
Janet
June 17, 2008
I have been out for eight months. I started with a six week course of treatment including daily radiation and twice-weekly chemo. That was followed by eight weeks of recovery prior to surgery on 1/29. I was eight days in the hospital and thought things were getting better in March but in the middle of March, six weeks out from the surgery, began having problems. The first half of April I was hospitalized and the second half was home on IV antibiotics. It really wasn’t until I got them to stop treating me that I started not just having good days, but actually getting better. It’s been about a month of feeling better so far.
whipplelife
June 18, 2008
I think the question with work is what’s required. In my case there’s a lot of walking, standing, and emotional/intellectual investment with the public. It’s demanding. I know that I could have done it two weeks ago, but I also know I will be able to do it better a week from now.
whipplelife
June 18, 2008
Be sure to check your employers leave policy. Where I work you’re terminated after 20 weeks of leave, regardless of the reason, so I’m having to reapply for my old job! I didn’t know about the policy until I found it applied to me.
whipplelife
June 18, 2008
One aspect I’m finding extraordinarily difficult is that there are people in critical corners of my life who have seen my recovery as an opportunity to press their own advantage or agenda at my expense. I never would have expected it to be possible but it certainly is. Even more shocking, to me, is the fact that some people’s attitude is, “Yeah, it’s tough,” instead of seeing the injustice.
whipplelife
June 18, 2008
After eight months being out I’m finally cleared to return to work at the beginning of July. I say “return” even though it was my (health industry) employers policy to terminate after 20 weeks out on long-term disability. I didn’t know this when I started the journey and, in all fairness, must say that I wasn’t terminated for six weeks after the deadline, but once my job was re-posted I applied and was accepted back. It was interesting to learn that despite my absence due to cancer, there were colleagues who sought to get my position, even though they knew I intended to return! That aside, it will be good to get back to a regular routine and paycheck.(!)
whipplelife
June 21, 2008
I’ve been back to work for one month now. The biggest and most obvious issue was my own ability to pace myself. The second was the reaction of my coworkers to my weight-loss and improved appearance. I find myself eager, though, to let them know that I’ve survived pancreatic cancer!
whipplelife
August 10, 2008
I had a whipple procedure four weeks ago and still have my feeding tube in. I have been eating for about two weeks and have not been using the tube. I’m ready for the tube to come out but my surgeon thinks it needs to stay in six to eight weeks. At this point, the tube is causing me pain and I don’t understand the need to keep it in. Any thoughts?
Kim
September 7, 2008
Kim, my surgeon said that I might have a feeding tube but later said he didn’t place one because the surgery had gone well and he felt that the risks of complication with a feeding tube did not justify the placement. He does approx 30 Whipple procedures each year whereas the national standard for a “well experienced” facility is one that does 11 or more! How experienced was the surgeon that did your procedure?
I can certainly imagine that you wouldn’t want to have go through the procedure of replacing a feeding tube, if it was needed, but my question for the surgeon would be to specify the circumstances under which it would “need” to be replaced if it came out now. My personal experience and understanding is that the fewer invasive elements there are, the faster recovery will take place.
While not a similar issue I did face a situation where I felt the surgeon was just treating me with antibiotics because he didn’t know what else to do. In hindsight I didn’t push for answers soon enough but when I did he admitted that he didn’t know why the antibiotics couldn’t be discontinued and when they were I started getting better.
I’m all in favor of patient’s being strong advocates for themselves and demanding specific answers in the face of the physical realities we face. Please keep us updated on how this works out.
whipplelife
September 8, 2008
Kim, I can’t believe you still have a feeding tube! I left the hospital with one but my surgeon took it out in the office during my first follow up visit. If you’re eating and feel like you don’t need it, you should demand that it be taken out. I felt that having a feeding tube was quite uncomfortable and a big nuisance. Good Luck!
Janet
September 14, 2008