Whole brain radiation/recovery - please help if you can

[mary colleen]

My husband is 4 weeks out from finishing WBR. He is struggling some with recovery - still very fatigued, sometimes dizzy, pretty inactive, low appetite. There is some pressure coming from his employer to return to work sooner rather than later, and to be honest, I just can't see it. He can be fairly alert and moderatly active for no more than a few hours at a time, not the 9 or 10 hours that would be necessary. On the other hand, I sense that he will be endangering his employment if he takes much longer. This is not really a problem financially, but it would be a terrible blow to his outlook.

Is there anyone out there who has had WBR and returned to work or (or any other type of sustained daily activity) that can tell me how long it took to do that and what it was like? The medical folks are not offering much in terms of insight.

Any info appreciated. I just don't know how to look at this.

Thanks!

[dchurchi]

Hi Mary Colleen,

My husband Alan had WBR 2 years ago. The effects of the radiation do take some time to get over.

I would say it was a good 8-10 weeks before Alan fully recovered.

Alan has had primarily radiation treatments and the

recovery time has been about the same for each.

Prayers for both you and your husband

[Bev'sSister]

Doesn't his employer require a Dr.'s release before he can come back to work? I know where I live, we are not able to come back to work after missing a period of time, without a Dr.'s release. (something to do with workmen's compensation, I believe) Anyhoo, POOH on his Employer.

I hope this works out for you and your husband and he can concentrate on getting better without them hassling him.

Take Care,

Bobby

[missyk]

Mom's recovery from the WBR took approximately 6 weeks...then her balance started coming back and she was much more active than she'd been in quite a while before it.

Much love and many prayers...

[alexan]

Mary Collin, I had the WBR (18) for the moment the only side efect is being tired. Best wishes.

Hugs & prayers

bucky

[mhutch1366]

The federal government has a beautiful phrase for this.

Under doctor's orders....

able to return....

under LIMITED CAPACITY ...

Have the Doctor spell out the maximum hours you think you can work for a week at a time.

eg, not to exceed 3-5 hours a day 2-3 days this week.

And you can make them progressive. 4-6 hours,

2-4 days;

5-8 hours,3-5 days....The last gives you leave to work from between 15 to 40 hours a week, depending on how you feel.

Play it by ear, with as much or as little play in the time as you think you need.

They can't legally let you go if you are trying... ( unless it is a very small company, in which case I think they make up their own rules).

Good luck,

MaryAnn

[Welthy]

Mary Colleen,

Have no real knowledge of WBR other then my girlfriend had it last year. She seemed okay at about four weeks, but I'm not sure how many days she did. Wanted to let you know you both are in my thoughts and prayers. High hopes for fast recovery.

Warm regards,

Welthy