Hi Michele, Thanks for writing to us, it is incredible to hear that you’ve gone back to work! Your challenges balancing your ongoing health needs and work are ones we hear often from our community and they are understandably stressful and exhausting even before you factor in the chronic fatigue. And though each person’s work situation and treatment demands are different know you aren’t alone in needing to figure out how to manage this. It is also important to remember that it is a fluid process so don’t worry so much about a permanent solution let’s just think through what you can do right now as things might change over time anyway. In terms of taking time during the work day for doctor visits, you may be entitled to the benefits of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) if you work for a company with 50 or more employers. Under that law, you can take the leave in small increments, even as little as one-hour blocks of time. Leave under the FMLA is job-protected and health insurance protected, meaning that you can’t be fired while taking it. There are some eligibility requirements though, which you must meet to qualify. For more on the specifics of the FMLA check out this webinar: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/healthcare-professionals/presentation-archive/2016edseriestakingtimeoff I would also to encourage you to consider reasonable work accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Reasonable accommodations are adjustments in the workplace that help qualified employees stay-on-the-job. These may include things like a modified work schedule such as telecommuting or flex time (working the same number of hours but distributed differently over the course of a week) or changes to your workspace or access to technology. Reasonable accommodations are not one size fits all and will depend on several factors, and many people require more than one to fully address the challenges they are facing at work. A great resource for getting ideas about accommodations is www.AskJAN.org, you can look up cancer and look up several types of jobs and see potential accommodations. However, eligibility requirements tied to this law include that your employer must be a private or state/local government employer with 15 or more employees and that you have disability based on the ADA’s definition. There are also state fair employment laws that might be helpful to consider. Some states’ laws protect individuals working for employers with fewer than 15 employees. Our partner, Triage Cancer, has a Quick Guide to Cancer-Related Laws by State available at http://triagecancer.org/resources/quickguides. Besides learning more about the ADA and the FMLA (if you haven’t already) to see if either of those (or both) might apply to your situation, I recommend reviewing any employee handbook or contract you might have that would highlight your employer’s specific policies around flex time, paid time off, sick days, etc. Some other resources you may want to check out are: • Additional info on the FMLA: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/legal-and-financial/cancer-and-the-ada-fmla • Working through Treatment webinar: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/2016-webinar-treatment • Article on Relieving Stress: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/back-to-work-after-cancer/relieving-stress Finally, I don’t know if you’re already informed your employer about your medical history, but just so you know, in general, you are under no legal obligation to disclose your medical condition to your prospective or current employer (however if you want to access a reasonable accommodation you may have to disclose some information to show you are entitled to it). Although this is a completely personal decision, I would recommend watching our webinar to get a better understanding on issues around disclosure: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/2016-webinar-online. I hope this is helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032 so we can discuss your situation in greater depth. Kind Regards, Nicole Franklin, MPH Manager of Programs Cancer and Careers