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Early retirement

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User

Posted 10 Jun 2019 at 19:56

Interesting post ! Please don’t anyone be offended. I was retired at 46 from a high pressure position only to find at 48 I had prostate cancer and had surgery. At the age of 50 I was so damn bored I’ve had 3 jobs in the last 2 yrs. A whole year as a Healthcare assistant in a nursing home , 3 months washing up , and nearly a year as a school caretaker which is my dream job , and I’ve never felt such appreciation in all my 30+ yrs work. I know it’s all gonna go Pete Tong sooner or later , but my rollercoaster has led me to all sorts of new directions. All take care.

User

Posted 10 Jun 2019 at 21:01

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

That’s a tough one Bri. Hope you didn’t mind my more detailed response.

no not at all 😉

User

Posted 10 Jun 2019 at 21:36

Bri

how is your decision making and clarity of thought? I’m on bicalutimide at the moment and several have commented that it can lead to fuzziness of mind. I find it hard to concentrate, remember things and organise myself. Hopefully, once I finish bicalutimide in August I’ll be in a better place. If I have to restart HT, based on my experience of bicalutimide, I wouldn’t be able to do my job.

ulsterman

User

Posted 10 Jun 2019 at 22:38

How long have you been on it, ulsterman? I had the symptoms you describe (I’ve been on 150mg/day bicalutimide since last August) but fortunately in my case they wore off after a few months.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 10 Jun 2019 at 22:42

16 months, Chris. 2 more to go. My weight is rising, body hair has all but gone and I only need to shave once a week. It’s as if all the side effects are gaining more and more ground the longer I’m on it. Tiredness, lack of focus, lack of decision making are all getting worse. Tempted to stop, but I won’t.

User

Posted 11 Jun 2019 at 07:37

Sorry to hear that - HT drugs do seem to affect individuals very differently. I know I've got off lightly in terms of side-effects. I've gained quite a lot of weight (working on that now!) and of course had the expected total loss of libido, but that's pretty much it. The first couple of months I felt as though my head was full of cotton wool, but thankfully that wore off.

I hope that things improve for you once you stop taking the bicalutamide.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 09 Feb 2020 at 11:46

I’ve come to realise that most people (or so it seems to me) don’t get to plan and choose their retirement date. They either retire through I’ll health or it’s pushed on them via redundancy. I had a lot of time off with my cancer treatment and I guess my employer of 18 years just got fed up with it and made me redundant.

it has taken me a couple of years to come to terms with this and I’m now starting to emotionally accept retirement. I know that money plays a big part in the decision but having gone through cancer treatment I also know that there are things far more important. My advice to you is to find a way to pack in work and use your precious time doing the things you have a passion for. All the best to you.

User

Posted 09 Feb 2020 at 15:45

In my own case, Jim, my cancer diagnosis made me realise that there were far more important things in life than work, so I took early retirement last August. Fortunately I was in a position where I could afford to do so.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 18 Jul 2020 at 10:16

Just looking at this feed with views that my husband should retire if possible so he can enjoy a more relaxed pace of life....He is 52 with 34 years service under LGPS as a heavy diesel Motor Technician at our local Airport. He could potentially go on redundancy due to the current covid-19 situation with the Airport requiring to downsize its employees.

We haven't asked for figures yet but wonder which route he should look at first 🤔 He is likely to be in HT for life according to the doctor at his diagnosis appointment.

I work full-time with a healthy salary so could potentially support our lifestyle...any advice would be appreciated as I'm out of my depth as not sure he he will qualify for ill health retirement.

User

Posted 18 Jul 2020 at 10:42

I'm 56, sometimes I think retirement would be lovely. I have a few hobbies, I wouldn't have a lot of money, but maybe enough.

BUT I think it would be a bad idea.

I am lucky I work for myself, even with covid and hardly any work to do i still go in the office I do all the things at work I've been meaning to do. I talk to my colleagues.

If I retired I probably could cope, but plenty of people just can't cope with being at home alone. Once you OH retires I think getting back into work at his age and with his diagnosis may be hard (anti discrimination laws don't work). Now he could start a new business or do voluntary work, and he may have loads of hobbies, or enjoy the garden, so it may be a good idea, but think carefully what will he do with his time?

Edited by member 18 Jul 2020 at 12:54 | Reason: Added a year to my age I forgot I had a birthday this week.

Dave

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