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Gainful Employment and PCa

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Posted 11/27/2013 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
I just turned 65, the line of demarcation for all kinds of things, including day one of officially recognized old age (okay, young old age).  I am still working because I like my work and need the money. I am lucky that my prostate cancer--according to some lay experts who post here, weird cells--was treated with surgery and I have remained free of cancer (or, if you prefer, Gleason 6 cancer-free) ever since. So having had prostate cancer has not affected my employment other than incidentally.

How has prostate cancer affected your employment?  Did you have to stop work due to your cancer?  Did you have to cut back?  Have you retired early (under age 65) because of PCa? Have you had to change jobs?  In other words, how has your gainful employment changed due to prostate cancer? Feel free to expand on this topic or on something tangential to this topic if you like.

Posted 11/27/2013 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
Happy birthday, Tim.

I quit my job. I worked for a huge organization for 16 years and because of new management and added stress, Ruthie preferred I wasn't working while I took my first steps. I have worked for three companies over 30 years and the only down time was the 5 months from Dx until I started with my present firm.

The feel good part is there. As you recall I was very scared with suspected stage 4 disease after surgery and after a couple months it was time to start adjuvant therapies. I had my present guys were hounding me to start a new operation in Nevada. The company had limited business here and I was considered a hospitality engineering expert is telecommunications. I told them that I was settling in with my disease and was about to start radiation daily and I didn't think it would be right to join them and be missing a lot of time. They told me they didn't care. They wanted me to start asap. I started April of 2007. I was able to get my radiation done with a 3 mile walk everyday by 9:00am and be sitting at my desk in my home office. We soon had a multimillion dollar operation originated and ran from that home office where I still work out of. I was very lucky to get out of one situation and into this one. I have worked over 6 year now out of my home and have the backing of a billion dollar organization.

They stuck with me and I am quite loyal to these great folks. The bills are getting paid.

I know a lot of Nevada guys in the exact opposite situation. I work with them to get them financial assistance and I realize how lucky I am. I know quite a few at HW as well that would want better health results so that work could return to normal. My surgery went well and no pads or leaking. I lucked out on that one. My Radiation had me a bit fatigued but I think the exercise helped with that so I lucked out on that one. MY cognitive issues while on HT were present and probably the worse part but I did well enough to never miss any days at work. I had the luck trifecta.

It's funny though. I miss more time at work than ever due to being a patient advocate and traveling around to health related events and conferences. Go figure.

Tony
Posted 11/27/2013 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
didn't affect it at all other than me having a year working sabbatical in Europe. If anything focusing on my job became more important so I didn't have to focus on my cancer.
Posted 11/27/2013 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
I have not missed a beat work-wise, although my PC treatments failed and I am now on HT (which is working).

I missed some work time due to my PC surgery. So far, that's been it.

If I didn't enjoy my work, I would retire in a heartbeat.

Life has both good and bad. I have been dealt a lousy hand on the health front. On the other hand, very few people get up every day excited and looking forward to going to work. Every day is just as fresh as it was when I was younger.  So, for me, that has been a blessing. As I said, life has its good and bad aspects.

I might add that when I got dx., I did send an email to my entire Dept. delineating my situation. I did this once I decided on having the surgery. I knew I would be out for awhile. For me, it worked. I didn't have to be that guy that you say "I wonder why he was out so long...buzz..buzz...buzz...buzz." I didn't have to be evasive. Next week will be my 4th anniversary since dx. I suspect my Dept. thinks I have been cured and moved on. I like it that way.

Mel

Posted 11/27/2013 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
It's been 2.5 years since my surgery and other than 4 weeks or so of working from home immediately afterwards, I've been going to my padded cubicle at the office as I had been for the past 12 years or so.

However, a little over a month ago, I approached my boss about me working from home full-time. 

With my perpetual limbo status and my PSA not making up it's mind about going up or not, I have constant PSA anxiety.  That, coupled with the added stress of the work environment, I felt it was important that I reduce my stress levels as much as possible.  That was my justification for working from home and surprisingly my boss agreed with me.

So it's been a month since I've been back to the corporate office.  And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I could go back now.  I just enjoy working from home too much.  Perhaps if the time comes that I do SRT and get that behind me, I might reconsider my position.  After all, I am only 52 and this horse has a few more good working years left.  But as of now in my present state of mind, I have no intentions of going back to the hustle-and-bustle of a corporate office environment, at least not if I can help it.

Posted 11/27/2013 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
I am still at the same job. Other than taking a few days off, PC hasn't affected my employment at all.

and I don't expect that it will.

Andrew
Posted 11/28/2013 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
I had chosen to take early retirement after 33 years of teaching 7 months prior to my diagnosis. Not exactly the way I envisioned retirement, but life and retirement is great so far and more and more I'm beginning to view this as a bump in the road. about my only stress is about a week before each PSA test.

Tom
Posted 11/28/2013 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
I am fortunate to have been young and very healthy when I was diagnosed. I barely had any impact on my work throughout the discovery/prep/surgery/recovery cycle.

I missed a few hours of work here and there for doctor appointments/tests prior to the surgery. I missed 2 weeks of work for the surgery and recovery. I miss a few hours of work here and there for follow-up visits. That's it.

-Gedman
Posted 11/28/2013 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
I am self employed (partner in an large investment management firm).   If I don't work, I don't get paid.   I lost three days to prostate cancer in the last three years, actually one of the days was for a colonosocpy.   I feel great, I am better at my work than ever and will continue for the next 5-7 years to maximize the value to my clients.....then the sale of the practice should be at its highest point.  Then on to retirement at about age 70.

Next week I will take seven days off for some great PCA Brotherhood on the GFMPH cruise.    Will be great.

Actually, the PCa has not been an obstacle.   My wife's breast cancer and my eye problems have had a much greater impact on my daily life than my PCa....except for maybe a 0 level testosterone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all....we have so much to be thankfull for,

Jack

Posted 11/28/2013 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
Funny this topic comes up today.
I started IMRT 10/15 and finished 11/18, I had to go to work today to get cleared by my company medical department and do a drug screen being a DOT designated "Safety Sensitive" title.
I took the time off to do the treatments because I have plenty of accumulated time. Did I need to? No, but I just didn't want to go to work. Sunday 12/1 I'm back to the grind.
I have exactly two years until I can retire from my job, I can't wait.
As I tell my wife, it's not that I don't want to work anymore, I just don't want to work where I work now.
Posted 11/28/2013 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
My husband was supposed to take 2 to 3 weeks off after his surgery. A few days after his surgery Hurricane Sandy hit NYC where his office is, and his office was closed for a few weeks. By the time his office opened, 4 weeks had passed. It worked out well for him because he did not miss anything at work while he was recuperating and even got to stay home an extra week.

He works long hours and for the first month or so after he returned to work he would get tired, but that did not last long. Now he is back to his usual amount of high energy, and commutes and works hard with no problem.

He has no plans to retire.
Posted 11/28/2013 5:36 AM (GMT 0)
I retired a couple of times over the last 15 years and always went back to work after a year or two. Getting PC made me reevaluate my priorities and I gave my consulting business to my partner, he did most of the work anyway. I still do some work for my old clients from time to time, mostly as a favor to them. Sometimes I miss the intellectual challenges, but I sure don't miss the planes and hotels. My goal was to retire at 50 and I beat that, so everything after that was a choice and not a necessity. I don't miss getting up to have to go to work everyday. Retirement is everything it is supposed to be for me.
Posted 11/29/2013 12:21 AM (GMT 0)
I went on short-term disability for 6 or 8 weeks at the time of my open RP in 2002. The first week I returned to work I walked into an impossible deadline, and before the weekend was pulling an all-nighter to get the project out the door in time--back in the saddle just like old times.

Not long after returning I refused to participate in a company team building workshop that required us to sign waivers of liability to the company running the event. I said I wouldn't sign the waiver. I was still having some stress incontinence issues, which were nobody's business but mine. And besides I thought the event was a) a farce and b) would have required me to work double time to hit immovable deadlines. My refusal annoyed the heck out of a vice president. But nobody dared order me to attend or threaten to fire me. So in that case I'd say my PCa did me a favor and got me out of something I was really happy to be out of.

In 2010 I needed SRT and worked full-time throughout, but arranged to work at home--mostly because of the travel logistics of getting to the hospital every day. Because I already often worked at home I was already set up with VPN access to company networks, etc. I finally retired at age 65 1/2, which I would have done with or without the PCa. So I guess other than a couple of minor accommodations during treatment, PCa had no effect on my work.
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