Re: Will the old work schedual be realistic?

[Guest guest]

Ray, I'd say be prepared to make some changes, at least early on in treatment,

if necessary. Gleevec is truly a miracle drug but it sure can make you sleepy. 2

1/2 years after I started on Gleevec, I still need a good 10 or 11 hours of

sleep a night. For the first few months, I would sleep 12 hours and nap in the

afternoons! My energy came bounding back, though.

@...: monkeyfun_16901@...: Fri, 26 Oct 2007

18:15:08 +0000Subject: [ ] Will the old work schedual be realistic?

Hi, as stated in the introduction my wife is newly diagnosed with CML. Her DR.

told her that after starting Gleevec she should be able to go back to work as

normal. I'm not sure he heard us right or understood as she is a respiratory

therapist. They are in and out of isolation rooms all day treating pt.s with

everything from RSV to MRSA and all other kinds of baddies. Of course Isolation

precautions are taken but it's still a bit scarey for us. Also she is the Mother

of a three year old and that involves getting up stupid early sometimes on

weekends when we both work to do the sitter drop off and all that. Is it

realistic to expect to continue our daily routine just as before? That sounds

just a bit to easy to me. Any insights would be very helpfull.Thanks,Ray

_________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Hi Ray,

She may very well be able to work as before but I think it's easier at the

beggining to take one thing at a time. If she was dxed a short time ago I

think she should take it easy the time to get in good blood remission, to

get used to gleevec without worrying with other things than getting better.

It's hard enough to get this kind of news and to get over the emotional

stress. But getting back to normal is also important for moral, and moral is

half of the fight. A former president said that the important is not the

size of the dog in a fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

Here's my personal experience, everybody is different so take it as one

example. I resumed work a week after, a normal work schedule in 3 weeks but

it took me longer than that to perform at 100%, I have a desk job but I need

to have a clear head. It took me a couple of months to feel strong enough to

resume my usual sports/hobbies (diving, hiking & climbing), most

friends/family were worried I was doing too much too soon but it went

well. My priorities at the beginning were just to get healthy, eat well (I

had lost a lot of weight), some easy walk & work out and enjoy day to day

life and family without worrying too much about tomorrow. After one year I

was back to my normal shape with just a few small side effects once in a

while.

Best wishes for a prompt remission,

Marcos.

On 10/26/07, Rosen Lum <rrosenlum@...> wrote:

>

>

> Ray, I'd say be prepared to make some changes, at least early on in

> treatment, if necessary. Gleevec is truly a miracle drug but it sure can

> make you sleepy. 2 1/2 years after I started on Gleevec, I still need a good

> 10 or 11 hours of sleep a night. For the first few months, I would sleep 12

> hours and nap in the afternoons! My energy came bounding back, though.

>

> @... <%40From>:

> monkeyfun_16901@... <monkeyfun_16901%40Date>: Fri, 26

> Oct 2007 18:15:08 +0000Subject: [ ] Will the old work schedual be

> realistic?

>

> Hi, as stated in the introduction my wife is newly diagnosed with CML. Her

> DR. told her that after starting Gleevec she should be able to go back to

> work as normal. I'm not sure he heard us right or understood as she is a

> respiratory therapist. They are in and out of isolation rooms all day

> treating pt.s with everything from RSV to MRSA and all other kinds of

> baddies. Of course Isolation precautions are taken but it's still a bit

> scarey for us. Also she is the Mother of a three year old and that involves

> getting up stupid early sometimes on weekends when we both work to do the

> sitter drop off and all that. Is it realistic to expect to continue our

> daily routine just as before? That sounds just a bit to easy to me. Any

> insights would be very helpfull.Thanks,Ray

>

> __________________________________________________________

> Climb to the top of the charts! Play Star Shuffle: the word scramble

> challenge with star power.

> http://club.live.com/star_shuffle.aspx?icid=starshuffle_wlmailtextlink_oct

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ray,

I think this is a time to be kind to yourselves- both

you and your wife- this disease takes an emotional as

well as physical toll. I work as a social worker and

I go into schools and there are various strains of

germs there and I haven't gotten sick. But all that

depends on how low the meds drop your levels , too. I

haven't missed one full day of work yet although I did

go home a couple of hours early when the gleevec made

me really sick and spent a day from you know where

when I was sick , stuck on the freeway and 50 miles

from home. But you'll see from some people's posts

they can barely get out of bed. It is so individual

to each one of us. But I say if she has an

opportunity to sleep in she should take it. But with a

three year old probably won't happen. Some extra

snuggle time for the both of you wouldn't hurt either.

Ray, I also want to thank you for being a caring mate

and being interested enough to join our group.

Chi

--- monkeyfun_16901 <monkeyfun_16901@...> wrote:

> Hi, as stated in the introduction my wife is newly

> diagnosed with CML.

> Her DR. told her that after starting Gleevec she

> should be able to go

> back to work as normal. I'm not sure he heard us

> right or understood

> as she is a respiratory therapist. They are in and

> out of isolation

> rooms all day treating pt.s with everything from RSV

> to MRSA and all

> other kinds of baddies. Of course Isolation

> precautions are taken but

> it's still a bit scarey for us. Also she is the

> Mother of a three

> year old and that involves getting up stupid early

> sometimes on

> weekends when we both work to do the sitter drop off

> and all that. Is

> it realistic to expect to continue our daily routine

> just as before?

> That sounds just a bit to easy to me. Any insights

> would be very

> helpfull.

> Thanks,

> Ray

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I was dx May 24 this year. Iwas given 6 days of chemo before they

realized it was cml not aml but that is all in the past and I try

not tofocus onj that and the fact that caused my levels to drop so

much I had 9 blood transfusions and 6 platelette transfusions. Now

after 3 mos on gleevec I am feeling pretty good and the tiredness is

subsiding, headches I realize are due to not enough sleep and

sickness is caused by gleevec and not enough bread which I am only

happy to oblige with!!!

My spleen was a problem for approx 10 weeks, I still felt " full "

under my ribs and only really comfortable when laying down then I

seemed to get jabbing pains now it feels great!

The emotional roller coaster is the biggestproblem for me. I am

blessed with a wonderful husband that has been there every minute

for me, sometimes I worry that he doesn't have the support he needs,

I feel I have changed from the strong able bodied Mother of 4 to

someone " high maintenance " that stresses out about things I never

worried about before.

This web site has been so helpful to me. Thank you

Donna Berry

--- In , " monkeyfun_16901 " <monkeyfun_16901@...>

wrote:

>

> Hi, as stated in the introduction my wife is newly diagnosed with

CML.

> Her DR. told her that after starting Gleevec she should be able to

go

> back to work as normal. I'm not sure he heard us right or

understood

> as she is a respiratory therapist. They are in and out of

isolation

> rooms all day treating pt.s with everything from RSV to MRSA and

all

> other kinds of baddies. Of course Isolation precautions are taken

but

> it's still a bit scarey for us. Also she is the Mother of a three

> year old and that involves getting up stupid early sometimes on

> weekends when we both work to do the sitter drop off and all

that. Is

> it realistic to expect to continue our daily routine just as

before?

> That sounds just a bit to easy to me. Any insights would be very

> helpfull.

> Thanks,

> Ray

>