When to return to work after radiotherapy? Your route back to work.
When dealing with cancer and radiotherapy, you often can't wait to get back to work. However, treatment has had a huge impact on your life. Yet most people are determined to get back to their "old" life as soon as possible.
Work is an important part of this. It is fulfilling and provides social contact with colleagues. What should you think about when you want to resume your work?
The uncertainty after radiotherapy
Due to the (effects of) radiotherapy, such as fatigue, nausea and pain, many people lose confidence in their bodies. Work, on the other hand, takes energy, can be stressful and demands a lot from body and mind. Going back to work is therefore also exciting.
But the question remains: what is the right time to return to work? After all, you don't want to act hastily and hinder your recovery.
Your return to work
- Talk it over with your boss: have timely discussions with your employer and company doctor about when and how you can start working again. The Dutch Federation of Cancer Patient Organisations has created a handy conversation aid to help you do this. You can download it here.
- Take your time: Working takes (a lot of) energy. Not only physically, but also cognitively. Think of a busy office environment, deadlines or early meetings. The company doctor can help you with a build-up schedule.
- Specialist guidance: reintegration after cancer requires specialist advice. Fortunately, there are several reintegration agencies in the Netherlands that specialise in work reintegration after cancer. Consult with your employer about whether they can guide you. Are you an entrepreneur? Even then they can help you.
- Find suitable work: Maybe you were job-hunting when you got cancer, your old job no longer fits you or you are looking for a new job but are worried that your gap on your CV or cancer past will make you unattractive to companies? There are several initiatives that can help you find suitable work. Through oPuce's Talent Connector , you can find employers who offer space for people who have dropped out due to illness. Or Emma at Work who will help you with a gap on your CV.
The desire to get back to your "old" life as soon as possible
It's hard to stay patient while waiting to return to work. You may miss the structure and sense of accomplishment that working brings. Try to put your recovery first and not rush your reintegration.
Tips for better work-cancer balance
3 examples of successful tactics used by users of the Healthy Chronos app for greater work-cancer balance.
- Starts at 10:00. When you resume work with or after cancer, you often do not work full days. Yet most working days start at 09:00. Data from our app often shows that when people start the day later, their mood at the end of the day is often better. Try starting your working day at 10:00 so you have more rest and energy to boot (and also avoid traffic jams and public transport congestion ☺️).
- Work at home more often. Some of our users find that working from home days are less stressful than office days. You don't have to travel to work, you are less disturbed by others and can start the day more peacefully.
- Limit meetings. Meetings, especially with many people, can be a taxing activity. In the app, you can easily track how many meetings you have attended. This way, you can find out if there is an optimal number of meetings for you. For instance, some users do not schedule more than 4 meetings a day.
What's next
Returning to work after radiotherapy is an important part of picking up your life again. It will probably be a process of trial and error. It is also one of the biggest challenges of the young people using the Healthy Chronos app. If, like them, you want to monitor your recovery during work resumption after radiotherapy, download the free Healthy Chronos app.
In less than 2 minutes a day, you can track your work-related activities. Think about the number of hours of work in a day, whether you work at home or in an office, how many meetings you have had, etc. Keeping track of your symptoms, such as stress, fatigue and pain, will give you a more complete picture of your recovery and going back or working more.
