Hello all of you in a similar boat!!
I finished radiotherapy 3 and 1/2 weeks ago - WLE November 07. I am totally exhausted, feel as if my legs are filled with lead, suffering depression, plus excessive thirst (drinking 3 litres or more water/day). I am on Arimidex. Anyone else on Arimidex with excessive thirst and /or other symptoms?? My GP suggested antidepressants for the depression but I declined and so he told me I was my own worst enemy, which cheered me up no end!! I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has had a similar experience and reluctantly taking antidepressants. I would like to avoid doing so and would be inteested in others experiences.
MANY MANY THANKS ++
Hi Jesnej,
Sorry to hear you are feeling low at the moment, I will say this is all part of the journey but I also know this isn’t that helpful to you right now. Going by personal experience I think you are doing well to refuse antidepressants, I took medication10 years ago( before BC). I took just two Prozac pills and by g*d did I have side effects which were horrendous and so needed other medication to recover. I agree being told that you are your own enemy is very insensitive but I do believe we can only help ourselves. I got through the moods by taking one day at a time, stopped analysing myself and my moods and went for long walks in the countryside ( I am lucky its just at the end of my road). Exercise is better than any drug and forgiving yourself is the best route to recoverry ( In my experience). I can’t offer any comments on Arimidex as I am not being treated for hormonal BC.
Take care,
Carol
Hi desnej
I am sorry to read that you are feeling down. Breast Cancer Care have a telephone support group which offers you a chance to get together once a week to talk with people who’ve been there. Linked together by phone in comfortable surroundings, you can discuss the practical and emotional impact of living with breast cancer. The groups are free (we pay for the phone calls) and as long as you have access to a phone and have a quiet private place from which to call, you can join us from anywhere in the UK.
There is also the live chat session every thursday between 9pm and 10pm. Here you are able to share your experiences and feelings with other people in similar situation to yourself. This session is run on-line by a trained facilitator and a Breast Cancer Care nurse.
For more information about these services please telephone our helpline on 0808 800 6000 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-2pm) or email:
info@breastcancercare.org.uk
I hope you find this helpful.
Kind regards
Sam
BCC Facilitator
Hi Carol, I got very depressed after dx and a couple of months after stared on anti depresants and I can honestly say that after three weeks they did seem to work For some strange reason it seems that to take anti depressants is something that should be avoided at all costs why? Is it something to be ashamed of being depressed I don’t think so. A few times on this site I have read posts that imply that to take anti depressants is something to be ashamed of as if it is an admission of weakness, and you should be able to get through this without any help. I was glad to be mutilated, poisened then fried to get rid of owt lurking. To take a tablet to be able to get my head round it seems a minor thing. Try the anti depressants that your doctor prescribes you can always come off them if you feel thay are not working. Being depressed is awful. I hope you soon feel better. Love Eileen
Hi Desnej, looks like you have a lot of different opinions to think about! I have had depression on/off for many years, and have often thought about antidepressants but avoided them, not because its soemthing to be ashamed of but because its just more chemicals,they have side-effects and there’s a lot of conflicting evidence re. how well they actually work. Excercise really does help, and so does talking, and 31/2 weeks is not long since it started, However, if you feel really bad and it doesnt shift, get to the doctor and down the pills! Whether the effect is placebo or not it doesnt matter if they work.
Good luck, Zoe x
I have suffered in the past with depression and it was such a relief when I found the anti-depressant that worked for me (after a couple of false starts). I feel that taking these tablets is just like taking medication for any other ailment. I am a psychologist so I know that talking and exercise help as well, but the analogy I use is that it is like taking painkillers if you have broken your leg - they help you cope with the pain while healing is taking place.
I am sorry you are going through this and do hope you feel better soon.
Best wishes
Gwyn
Hi Desnej
I had WLE and finished 18 rads in Dec. I coped well with the treatment but found myself a bit down and lost after the treatment finished. I’d been so busy going to and from hosp and being in the company of others that when it stopped it was almost worse, I had more time to think about what had happened to me. I’ve found over the past month things have improved and I can honestly say that I do not think half as much about what has happened. Unfortunately I still get a bit of soreness and occasional sharp pain to remind me but that is happening less each week.
I hope things improve for you, give yourself time it’s still early days.
Best wishes
Caz x