Hi Jamie,

Thanks for submitting your question, I will pass it along to one of our career coaches for their insight.

In the meantime, I’m sorry to hear about the challenges you’re having at work and that you’re sensing waning patience from your boss. Many people don’t understand that just because treatment is over, there can still be a lot of healing and recovery to endure. It’s an unrealistic expectation that cancer patients can return to work at 100% upon completion of treatment. Chemo brain, or brain fog, can persist long after treatment ends and it can be an added and unexpected challenge after treatment. I suggest taking a look at our article on Working With “Chemo Brain” for further tips and suggestions for how to address some of these challenges. Additionally, reading through our article on Back to Work for additional recommendations of steps to take can help you better situate yourself and create a reasonable plan.

These difficulties are likely things you’ve become familiar with, but your boss may be unaware of. So, with that said it’s a good idea to be candid with your boss about what your needs are, how you foresee moving forward, and what role she can play in supporting you. I certainly understand that this is a complicated situation, and there’s the added pressure that you feel she’s losing her patience, but it’s a good idea to address it before she reaches her wall. Explain your commitment to your job and your appreciation for their support thus far, and then expand on what you need in order to meet the demands of your job and help the company succeed.

I’m not sure how much you’ve shared with her or if she’s completely aware of your situation in general, but I suggest you starting figuring out what you want her to know and what would help her to fully comprehend your current functioning. Next it would be a good idea for you to sit down and take a closer look at where your major challenges have been. Did you used to rely on your memory to track tasks and responsibilities? Start implementing some organizational steps into your work. Write down everything you can, record meetings if that’s allowed, put reminders on your phone or computer calendar and fill it up every day with everything you need to do. This may sound, and feel, tedious, but at least you know you have somewhere to turn to get back on track if you’re feeling lost for the day.

As far as your question about the line between still recovering and no longer being able to do your job adequately, that’s a question you’ll need to answer for yourself, However, I would recommend that you test out some accommodations before making any big decisions. The ADA may provide protections against discrimination but it may also allow you access to reasonable accommodations, which are modifications that allow you to fulfill the essential duties of your job. I encourage you to learn a bit more by checking out the Legal & Financial section of our website, in particular the article on Requesting Reasonable Accommodations.

We have plenty of resources on our website, and always happy to hop on the phone if you have more specific questions or concerns – feel free to email us at cancerandcareers@cew.org to set up a time to talk.

Warm regards,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Assistant Director of Programs

Hi Jamie,

I am so sorry that you are experiencing this. Nicole did an amazing job of addressing your questions. I am a career coach, not a legal expert so my response is focused on you, your job, and your career. Is your job still interesting or fulfilling to you? If you can implement some of the tactics Nicole mentioned for staying organized, meeting deadlines, and managing detail, do you see yourself in your job mid-long term? Has your cancer experience given you pause to think that perhaps there is something else you'd rather be doing? 

So in addition to continuing to recover, it may be time to take some self-assessments, do some research, and think about what you really want work-wise. It is always agood idea to go through this exercise to assess your needs and wants regarding working from time to time anyway. AT Cancer and Careers, we see a lot of people who really start thinking about doing something different. 

And, as Nicole has suggested, I would still get up to speed on ADA, accomodations that you think you need, and onec you know more, script out the conversation you want to have with your manager and HR and make this a priority to assuage your anxiety. 

I don't know what your actual job or industry is, however I do know that there are many different jobs, and multiple ways to work. So, it's really important that you remember that you have choices. If you decide that you don't want or can't stay in your job, you will identify another path!

Good luck!

Julie

Thank you both for taking the time to respond. I deeply appreciate the validation and advice.