nurses with cancer

Published

Specializes in Surgical-Medical.

Hello,

I was diagnosed w, Breast cancer while on my first travel assignment. Since then I've had axillary lymphnode dissection and am doing chemo now. My travel company has offered me per diem work on the unit I was before. I went back for one 12 hr nightshift on a IMC w. Trauma but barely survived. I just can't do the difficult physical work for so long. I am receiving state disability pay but I am so bored and am trying to figure out what to do next. Luckily I still have my COBRA health coverage from a previous job. Until my Tx is over I don't think anyone would hire me. I would have to tell that I have to be out sick every third week.

Does anyone have suggestions or similar experiences?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in surgical, neuro, education.

I am so sorry to hear you have cancer. Right now in your life you should be nursing yourself--not stressing your body with taking care of others (esp working 12 hours shifts.) I know this is always hard for us nurses to admit we need care.(physical and mental). Try volunteering when you are feeling good. Accept help when you are not.

My prayers and thoughts are with you and your treatment.:nurse:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm going through a similar experience. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer (Ductal & ductal in situ) in Dec, was hired in a clinic 2 weeks after my mastectomy, & although my tumor was just stage 1, learned I needed chemo just 2.5 days after starting the new job. I work in a clinic so my work isn't as taxing as working on a floor.

My supervisor has been great, scheduling me around my treatments & giving me time off when I'm not up to working. So far I have been fortunate- no nausea or vomiting but quite a bit of trouble with WBC suppression & resulting danger of picking up every bug brought into the clinic. I've had to take a few days off when my WBCs were so low the oncologist didn't want me around people. The other nurses have stepped in to help when necessary & the doctors have expressed their concern for my wellbeing.

Don't know if my experience helps at all but is it possible to pick up clinic work though your travel agency? We even have work that doesn't require physical contact with patients. Boring computer work or phone triage but still nursing.

Take care of yourself. Like the other poster said, right now, your health is most important.

Dixie

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, Dialysis, Home Health.

I was diagnosed with lobular invasive breast cancer in June 2006. I had bilateral mastectomies with reconstruction. Chemotherapy treatments x 8. No radiation since I had the bilateral mastectomies however I had 6 of 13 lymph nodes positive. I am only 43 years old. I only missed 3 weeks work with the surgeries. Went to chemo on Friday and back to work on Monday. I worked in the office during that time and did not catch anything even exposed to plenty of germs through sick nurses that came to work. A few months after that during one of my routine CT scans they picked up a lot of cysts on my ovaries and uterus. In addition lots of cysts on my liver. Had a total abdominal hyst with oopherectomy. Can't take any hormones due to the hormone positive breast cancer. Right around that time my dad was dx with stomach cancer and had a gastrectomy. A month after my hyst mom couldn't take care of him anymore so he came to stay with us until he died about 6 weeks later. Now I am having back problems. One of my vertebra are not formed properly and missing the facet on one side of the L5/S1 so the disc is deteriorating and I have been having severe pain in my right hip and down the back of my right leg. My employer has been less than understanding and I was basically forced to resign from my position yesterday after having worked for them for over 3 years. Now I don't know what to do since I'm sure nobody wants to hire a nurse with a bad back. I started back to school and have about a year left before I can get a degree in healthcare management. :cry:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Surgical-Medical.

Thank you midcom and dpbrown523 for sharing your stories! 2 weeks ago I dropped my WBC's, picked up a virus and got pretty sick for about a week. I am now on weekly Taxotere for 8 more weeks. The SE are much easier to take. I have tried to get per diem work through my agency a few times but no luck at the hospital I used to work. They don't want to send me somewhere where I don't have experience. I agree with that. I'm thinking of possibly going to apply at an infusion company.But I'm worried that I'll loose my disability pay and if I get sick again I'll have to start all over again. I guess I'm going in circles here trying to figure out where to go from here. Thank you for listening and sharing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Surgical-Medical.

Thanks for sharing your stories! I am now on weekly Chemo for 8 more weeks. The SE are much easier to take. I'll try to get some hours through my agency again. After all the TX and rad is over I'm thinking of applying at an infusion company. I have also thought about switching to oncology now that I know from experience. But I have to find a place that will hire me without hands-on experience and is willing to train me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi everyone, I will point out I'm only in my first of 3 years of study to be an RN in Australia, but I have come into this with a long list of medical problems, which will continue to lengthen during my life, when I was 1 I had a liver tumour, at 4 had gardners syndrome and had my large bowel removed, at 14 had the rest of my bowel removed. (I have an ileo J pouch, not an ileostomy bag) and testicular cancer at 16. The bowel cancer has affected my ability to do physical work and like a diabetic I must keep fluids and electrolytes up so I don't faint/pass out etc. Its quite an extensive ordeal, and I'm thinking it could become a lot harder when I become an RN. But of course I will try my best, but when it comes to finding a job, they probably won't like the part where I need to be snacking every hour or so. People may look at my situation and say I haven't chosen a suitable career, but really it doesn't matter what I do (and I really really want to be a nurse) I will still have to manage my health. Keep your chins up everyone! Take care

Up Vote Up Vote ×

To Kookiepumpkin, Beejay, & dpbrown523, if there is an upside to getting this diagnosis, I believe it is to gain empathy for what our patients are going through. I used to feel sorry for people with cancer & then forgot about them, frankly. Now, when I realize that one of my patients has cancer, I understand what they are going through, not just the physical part but also the mental agony. If appropriate, I share that I'm in the midst of chemo treatments and am open to any questions. I've been known to point out my wig even.

I believe that good nurses have empathy. My coworkers are so considerate of me. My last treatment was last week. They were thrilled for me. Now we wait out the next 2 weeks to see how I handle the treatment. Each Monday we celebrate the results of my CBC if it's good & they are even more protective of me if it's bad. Today my WBCs were low again so they watched for patients who might expose me to something contagious and took them for me. They realize that I have been faking feeling good this time but allow me to try to continue as normal and pretend they don't notice. It's important for me to not let this get the best of me & to live a normally as possible & that includes working when scheduled, if possible. I admit that last week I should have been home a couple days. I was exhausted & in pain but tried to hide it. My coworkers knew & did what they could for me. "Oh, Dixie, I'm heading that way. Let me drop that at the lab" or "I'm not doing anything important right now, I'll room that person" (the one who was coughing up a lung). How sweet is that????

Beejay, I think you have an uphill battle but I suspect that you can work through it. Eating frequent snacks probably won't even be noticed since most nurses stations have food around all the time. As long as you are able to do the work you are expected to do, I can't see a problem. However, you'll probably really have to sell yourself to get the job. Here in the US, it 's supposed to be illegal to discriminate due to disabilities but there are ways for them to get around it, unfortunately.

Good luck to you all & keep fighting.

:yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

Dixie

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You are blessed, I kmow of a nurse who had to go to radiation therapy and all see asked this large hospital/snc was day off after tx and understanding guess what they fired her she was the sweetest rn I knew and its was sad. disabiliy can be a blessing but can be a curse she had no close relatives, shes dead now and Karma will come that companies way inthe end

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Can you take care of yourself?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Not sure who you are asking, but I'll answer on my behalf, I am extremely self sufficient (except when I haven't eaten or dont have readily access to food, I tend to need someone to prepare my snack/meal while I try to stay awake, it gets tough sometimes, but my soon to be wife (june 8th) has helped me out over the last 5 years if I "chuck a wobbly" I have a bub on the way (and no it wasn't a shotgun wedding :p) but seriously at the moment living with my uncle is harder work than triplets. I just do what I have do/what I can when I am well and walk forward. I had my chemo over a year span when I was 15 months, and to say I didn't expect myself to be able to have kids, well I've surprised myself and everyone else. I've always remembered that there are people worse off than me, and I should just do my best in life. (A moment in the life of me, haha)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion