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Originally Posted by tammy8833  okay everyone helped me before and i know this is a yorkie website but it seems cancer touches us all. in other post i hve discussed how my mom is going through breast cancer, she has had 2 surgeries and on friday goes for her first iv chemo, she got a bunch of pills to take today.
the chemo is supposed to last from November to January..has anyone that has gone through this been able to go to work? my mom is still trying to go to work to keep her position, her health insurance and everything. she has been there 25 years, they are willing to work with her leaving 1/2 days and such if need be..but she only has 12 weeks disabilty so she wants to keep working so she doesnt eat it up in case she needs time later on. im thinking she cant work because he risk of getting colds while taking chemo..right? what happens if she does lose her job for whatever reason what do you do for health insurance? my husband said if they needed money he would get a second job and give them the paycheck but what do you do about medical coverage if that happened?
she cut her hair really short this weekend to prepare for the loss, she is planning on taking a seminar for cancer patients for makeup and wigs and she is supposed to get a free wig that day..she actually excited sounding about the wig stuff..she has always had shoulder length thin blonde hair so she wants to go red..lol
what happens during chemo? what can she and cant she do? |
Tammy, first of all, I am so VERY sorry that you and your mother and your family are going through this. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in September, so it is still a new thing for me as well. My mom went for her second chemo treatment yesterday and she is still working full-time. She takes off a lot for appointments (chemo, bloodwork, check-ups, scans, etc. etc.) but she does still work--by choice. The doctors told her that she can work as long as she feels up to it and as long as her white blood cell count stays high (which means she'll be less prone to infection). If the blood cell count goes low, the doctor is going to ask her to take off for a few days until they can get it back up. So your mom should be fine as long as her doctor says it's okay. Just be sure she has lots of hand sanitizer and wipes and such, especially if she's on the phone. Also, see if there's any way she can limit the contact she has with others. Those are the precautions my mom has taken and she is doing fine so far.
I'm trying to get my mom to go to the "Look Good...Feel Great" make-up and wig sessions as well, but here they are only offered on Mondays during the work day and she feels bad taking extra time off work since she has to leave for Dr's appointments so often already. I know her employer wouldn't mind, but she won't even consider right now.
I hope your mom is able to go and that she gets a lot out of it. It's great that she's excited about the wigs! That will be really helpful!
What kind of chemo is your mom getting? Some kinds are less prone to causing hair loss than others. My mom is on AC which is VERY strong. She lost her hair after only a week and a half. It has been hard, but I tell her all the time how great her scarves, hats, and wigs look on her. Hopefully that helps.
Sorry to ramble. This is all new to me too...
If you ever need to talk, feel free to PM me. I also use AIM with the same SN.
*hugs* Best of luck to you, your mom, and your family!