To retire early or keep working
I'm 58, in 2021 diagnosed PC 3+4 had surgery.
I was off work for 10 weeks mainly due to nerve damage during surgery.
Lost weight, blood pressure normalized felt good.
Since then back at work, I travel alot. Gained weight, job stress is back, just don't feel that I am going in the right direction.
For me travel is always stressful.
I know maintaining a healthy diet, managing stress levels, and ensuring adequate sleep is the best.
However this is not possible in my situation.
Example I was due to land at 4:00 pm and due to delays landed at 4:00 am the next morning, then meetings started at 8:00 am then work thru catered lunch, then corporate dinner till 10:00pm
So the question
Do I retire early, with barely enough money, or do I keep doing this?
I believe I know the answer, quit or get different job. However just want to know what others did.
Did you stick it out?
Get a different job?
Did you retire?
Let me know your thoughts.
Hi
wow that sounds like a stressful job! No wonder you are considering your options. I hope our community members respond here with their personal experiences. In the meantime, I would suggest making a pros vs cons list of your job and perhaps do a financial deep dive into your expenses and see what is possible. Hoping for all the best for you. Jill, prostatecancer.net team I never went back to work and my life is pretty good. I am a better person, a better husband, to be really honest I'm just better !! I still have cancer but you got to die of something I just happen to know the what of (most likely). I guess I did get another job......ME !! Work on Johnny is a full time job and the benefits are great. I found out that money is not as important as I thought. Only you know what's good for you.... please do what you know is good for you.
I also discovered that PCa has a way of impacting how we view life and what is important. It would have been nice to have learned some of this a different way but in the end change happened and that at least has been a move in the right direction. Dennis (ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
oh yea......... peace out , JohnnyB.
I just turned 59 here in 2024. In 2023, I was diagnosed with a Gleason 4+3=7 Group 3. PSA was super high at 40.9. PSMA scan showed tumor in the prostate with left neurovascular bundle involvement, and lesions on several local lymph nodes near my spine. PIRADS 5, PC Stage T3N1M0. Orgovix (ADT) has knocked my PSA down to 0.87. Testosterone is below 3. I'm halfway through chemo with DOCEtaxel (Taxotere) at 130mg along with a cocktail of other meds. The chemo is currently hurting me pretty bad, and my mental focus due to "chemo brain" is almost too bad for me to work as an engineer.
I can retire in approx 1 year at age 60 if I want, but had planned to work until age 65. I am hoping to have defeated this cancer thing by the end of this year, or sooner. But if I don't and need surgery and/or radiation, I may need to consider age 60 for retirement. And I have enough vacation time and "goodwill" at work to see me through until 60 if I have must go then. With my age at 65, and factoring in Social Security, my wife and I can retire at about 75% of our combined income. But if I retire early at 60, it will only be about 50%. That might be okay since our home and my wife's college loans will pay off in just a few months from now. But retiring at 60 it will make a big difference, and our plans to travel a lot in retirement probably won't happen.
For me, the decision will come down to time. If I can reasonably expect to beat this cancer and live into my 90s or beyond, then I will want to work the next 6 years. But if I'm going to have to fight cancer for the next few years and then possibly fight it again in the next decade, then I may want to retire as soon as I can and live now while there's still some good life to live.I really hope you can continue working as you had hoped. It sounds like you have your finances in order and you know what to expect. Sending you lots of strength and support! Jill, prostatecancer.net team I never expected to beat my Gleason 9 cancer when i was diagnosed at age 70 in 2013 but did and --- have beaten 2 occurrences as well. Hormone therapy hit me hard as well on many levels - brain fog, emotional upsets, and significant weight gain. Once the ADT stopped life returned to a better kind of normal . Hang in there Dennis(ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
