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Resuming the full complement of professional responsibilities or volunteer commitments after cancer treatment has ended can be a wonderful experience, a way to occupy the mind with healthy things, a way to reinforce your belief in yourself and your re-emerging health with productivity and creativity
Often the feelings your coworkers express are a tremendous reinforcement for your well-being. To know you were needed and missed can be uplifting; to be part of a team again can make you feel you've rejoined the human race. Many cancer survivors report that welcome-back parties are planned to greet them and that coworkers pinch-hit for them if they continue to feel tired.

Kathleen Houlihan is looking forward to returning to work and life:
We're getting geared up for the holidays. We're going out to dinner with friends for Thanksgiving, my father is coming here for a few days over Christmas, and we're trying to get out to visit Holt's family sometime soon. Then I'll be teaching in the tax class in January, and teaching an intro to linguistics class, and doing income tax as a volunteer in the spring. Life is getting back to normal.

I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the convoluted set of circumstances that led me to the treatment center I chose, and I'm thankful for all the wonderful doctors, nurses, technicians, and staff there. I'm especially thankful for my recovery and for the love, support, and encouragement I've received from all of my friends!
Occasionally, the return to work is less rewarding. If you have been queried over and over throughout your treatment about when you will return, for example, you may feel that your employer thinks you're just a cog in the machinery rather than a human worthy of her concern. If some coworkers are reluctant to recognize your illness because of their own fears or lack of social skills, they might not refer to it ever, not even to wish you well or to say they're glad you're back. Very rarely, a cancer survivor will experience horrible reactions from coworkers, such as discovering that, in one's absence, ones desk was sprayed with antiseptic "in case the cancer was contagious," but these extreme reactions from coworkers fortunately are rare.

Often the public has misconceptions about lung cancer and how it can be treated. Some coworkers might treat you as if your days are numbered, even if your prognosis is quite good.
But more often, the hurtful reaction will be, 'The treatment is over, so now you're fine, right? Ready for a full workload now, right?" If you're still feeling like something Jacques Cousteau would've thrown back, be sure to make it clear that you'll be phasing back in gradually, that you're not feeling up to working a full day or a full week for the first month or two.
Another fairly common reaction among the blissfully healthy is, "Why are you in such a pensive mood? Aren't you glad it's all over?" Your attitude about putting it behind you or not putting it behind you might be worth an explanation, but this explanation might meet with limited success with the less perceptive and empathic of your coworkers. American culture, like some other cultures, has a quick-fix or even a superstitious mentality toward many problems, including health problems.
In general, it's nobody’s business how you're coping with the detritus of treatment, but problems can arise if you don't keep your immediate supervisor informed about problems you might still be experiencing. If your supervisor is unaware of your health problems and a dispute arises about your job performance, you might have trouble winning your supervisor as an ally if you inform her of health problems after the fact.

More subtle reactions from coworkers and employers are possible, as well, such as denying a promotion to a person who had cancer several years ago, assuming she will never again be able to meet certain challenges.
Remember that cancer is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. You have legal recourse for negative consequences that result in demonstrable harm to you or your livelihood.

Here are some tips that help get your career back on track.

1. Use A Composite Resume that highlights your carefully sequenced functional abilities
2. Old Connections Help a lot in this regard.
3. Women Have A Different Set Of Things To Worry About. If you have a babysitter at home or someone who can care for your child, you probably won't worry about the commute too much.
4. Self Evaluation helps a lot in preventing you from accepting a job you that you would leave a little later out of frustration.
5. Know What You Want. If you have to accept a smaller salary in a job that promises a good future, perhaps you would not want to pass up that opportunity.