a lot of people have been asking...

what do i do about work while going through chemo treatments?

well. many people maintain a job through chemo. they often have take off a few days around their treatments. they often are pretty exhausted at work. but many people do it.

i was supposed to have started at a new elementary school on august 20th. when i talked to my doctor about working...she was worried about working at a school that was new to me. often starting at a new school, new staff (with normal immune systems) are sick on and off for the entire year...getting used to the new strains and germs in the environment. my doctor was particularly concerned about me starting at a new elementary school with germy little 5 year olds crawling all over me.

when you do chemo it kills all cells that are rapidly dividing in your body...the cancer cells, your hair, and it messes with the red and white blood cells. that's why people on chemo are so susceptible to getting sick because the white blood cells are often super super low. so my doctor recommended not working for the three months that i'm going through my chemo treatments. she also recommended trying to avoid places with a lot of people where i could potentially catch something. if your white or red blood cell counts are too low you often have to postpone your chemo treatment until your counts are back up to a healthier level. so...in a protective attempt to avoid all of that...my dr. recommended not working.

so. it's weird. in one way it's definitely a relief. i can't imagine going through all of this at the same time i was learning the ropes of a new school, new kids, new families, new coworkers, new schedules. starting at a new school with hair. then losing my hair. and being so nervous about my immune system. but it's also very weird not working at all. i guess everything that's happened since july has required a lot of adjustments.