Prostate cancer and work vs. retirement

@jeffmarc I just your opinion the most, how do you deal with a cold while in radiation salvage therapy

@carloshenna
Well, I never personally had any health issues while I was doing it. If you want to take a drug to dry up your nose you can use Sudafed, You actually have to ask the pharmacist for it, but it is a legal drug without a prescription. They just put it with the pharmacist to prevent people from using it to make illegal drugs.

It works, the other drugs they sell to dry up your nose and clear you up do not work or at best barely work.

That’s what I would do If I had a cold.

I was diagnosed a year ago at age 63, had surgery this past spring just before turning 64. Recovery went really well and I was back to work after a couple weeks. I'm feeling healthy enough to continue working full time, but had been planning to retire within another year or two. My prognosis is really good, so I don't have any direct reasons to change my plan. That said, my mother died at 67 and my eldest sister died at 65 - both of cancer. My finances are decent enough to retire at any time. All things considered, I've got things I want to do that don't involve my occupation. I don't know how much time I have (odds are I'll live into my 90's), but I am choosing to retire this coming spring when I turn 65. I'd say it's a personal choice to live out my best life on my own terms.

@keith125
Have you had hereditary, genetic testing? When you have multiple relatives getting cancer, it can mean that you have a genetic issue. Better to know about it than to have a reoccurrence because you inherited a problem. I had surgery and 3 1/2 years later it came back. Didn’t find out about the fact that I had inherited BRCA2 From my mother until 10 years after surgery. I had three more reoccurrences since then. Both of her sisters and one of my cousins got breast cancer. One sister and my cousin died from it. My grandfather died from pancreatic cancer. On the other side, my father died of prostate cancer.

How To get free hereditary genetic testing? Has it been offered to you by a doctor? You can get it done free with the below link, if you live in the United States. Do not check the box that you want your doctor involved or they won’t send you the kit until they get in contact with your doctor. It takes about three weeks to get the results and then a genetic counselor will call you.
`
Prostatecancerpromise.org

Just as with our PC progression, everyone's work/retirement situation is diffxerent. I was diagnosed wth PC at age 60, and stage 4 at 73. I'll be 78 in a few weeks. I've been self-employed since 1989 as a professioonal genealogist and book publisher. My wife and I both love the work we do, so are still working, just not quite as long or as hard each day. I feel fortunate I'm able to do that despite my health, with PC and other comorbidities. My work isn't as physically demanding as many jobs.The self-employed part gives me lots of flexibility for my medical care, even though time away from work is time without income, period. Medicare and UnitedHealthCare's supplement have really provided excellent insurance coverage since I became eligible for that.

Some folks really want to get to retirement and do other things, more family time, travel, other interests, while they are reasonablym healthy. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to continue doing what fulfills us without really retiring. Like so much in life, its choices.

I was diagnosed in 2019 and retired in 2023. I was a child welfare social worker and was in the field driving to visit homes multiple times a week. I also took two long air trips to accompany children to other cities to see their parents. I was on ADT most of the time and also incontinent (later fixed with AUS). I had no difficulty in maintaining my job during this time. Hope this helps.

@jimw77 A person who loves his job will never work a day in his life.

@jeffmarc I have not had that genetic testing. I'll give it a look. Thanks!