hey girls, its been six weeks since i finished a months radiotherapy at the QE. I expected to be back at work by now but still am having a sleep everyday - is this just me being pathetic or did others find themselves zombified after treatment debbie from walsall xxx
Hi Debbie,
I had 25 doses of rads and they say the dosage builds up in you over time and it will be about six weeks after your last dose that it starts to subside. I worked through it all but was then exhausted and ended up taking 4 weeks off sick to recover,so, no, you are not pathetic!! Sorry to say this but i’m still feeling the effects 1 year on…but everyone is different. Take care. x
Hi Debbie, I’m 4 weeks post 24 rads and am still shattered. Don’t think the chemo has left my body let alone the radiotherapy. I’m not back at work yet and don’t think I could manage a day let alone a week x
HI Debbie, I had 15 rads after 2 ops and 6 chemo - sorry to say I had a “siesta” every day I could for about 4 months!! Please don’t fight it, just let your body recover. I was told its a bit like your good cells are restoring so its hard your your body is doing. Good luck, Nicola
Hi Debbie, as others have said, your NOT pathetic, 5 months after rads, I’m still very tired, last hospital appointment I mentioned it to the surgeon, she just said yes you will still be tired, just rest when you can. I am back at work was phased back in 6 weeks after rads had finished, but as I work in a school, there is always a countdown to the next hols, so I do get plenty of rest!
Don’t be too hard on yourself, everyone has different experiences, rest when you need it, take care x
Hi Debbie,
I finished my rads in march 2010 and rushed back to work 5 weeks later. I have struggled with energy ever since. I have found accupuncture very useful for giving me a boost. I had a breast reduction in April 2011 and have found that has knocked me sideways! I should have gone back to work this week 6 weeks post op but the GP has signed me off for another 3 weeks. I was terrible beating myself up for not moving on and not being at the point of recovery I thought I should have reached. Be nice to yourself and give yourself a little bit of time.
Jane x
I have just read somewhere that your energy levels are like a “high street Bank”, and when you have no energy or have used it all, the “Bank” is overdrawn, so you have to make “deposits” into the Bank to get the levels up again. So you have to take “30 minute naps” or rest every day, whether you feel like it or not and this will “top up” the Bank again and your energy levels will get back to normal. A good idea after or during radiotherapy. x
Im on my 8th radio 12 2go and im still v.Tired after chemo,now radio on top phew dont think i could b thinkin of returning2work as im havin lots of day time naps…Well i suppose its normal after puttin the body through all the treatment…I think we all expected2b back2normal straight after…Plus im on tamoxifen now so hope the tiredness doesnt last the 5yrs i have2take it as that is 1 of the side effects…Xsarahx
From all the posts I’ve seen on here it seems that those who have gone through chemo first find that rads knocks the stuffing out of them and leaves them very tired for quite a while. Whereas us (relatively) lucky ones who didn’t have to have chemo still find it tiring, but seem to recover more quickly.
Although it seems to defy common sense I found that the advice I was given on here to do some exercise each day helped a great deal. I went for a 2 or 3 mile walk nearly every day after my rads treatment and really didn’t suffer at all.
Sarah x
Hi
My experience is that I’m still tired - and I finished chest wall rads a year ago. It’s just knocked most of my stuffing out of me. But I am back in full time work,and also on Arimidex, so I think that’s a lot to do with it. Some days just got to go to bed, but when I get there I’m soooo hot and bothered with the hot flushes. So I think lack of proper restful sleep is another factor. K x
Hi all
I finished chemo end of March 2010 and rads end of May 2010 and I took advice from someone on the site at the time by taking regular exercise. So I walked as much as I could, forced myself to keep up with the others etc. Even started Nordic walking towards the end. And it does keep up the stamina. I still get ‘tired’ days and so rest. But find fresh air, garden and walking do help. I am no youngster either - 64. Am doing the Pink Ribbon 10 mile walk next saturday at Petworth House!!
So don’t give up ladies, keep walking. P xxx
hi all, im on number 5 of 15 rads finish 4th july daughter gose in hossi 6th july im looking after her kids (7 year old and twins 2 1/2) for around 3 weeks so far im fine with rads but geting a little worried about the tiredness that comes with the treatment, is it common to feel tired? and any ideas to keep on top of things, i have started trying to have a long walk each day, thanks
You are certainly not being pathetic!!I was told it takes a year after treatment finishes to recover. Treatment being Chemo, Rads and Mastectomy. Everyone is different but it can take quite a long time. Just listen to your body and rest when it tells you. It’s not only the bad cells that are killed off with Chemo but good ones too and they have to regenerate.
Hi ladies,
I’m really pleased to read your comments, at least it’s not just me. I finished rads and went back to work a week later, that was 4 weeks ago and I was wondering why I was getting more and more tired. Work aren’t being terribly sympathetic now I’m back.
Richard
Last time round, which I ‘only’ had WLE and rads, I went back to work (part time) a couple of weeks after rads finished, and I had to have a nap every day when I got home, and that was with getting lifts for at least the first week. My Onc said it’s at least 3-4 months before you really recover. This time round I’ve had chemo as well, and there’s no way I could go back to teaching so soon.
Hi
Is it really 3/4 months before we feel well again? I am just one week post rads and I was OK at first. Now the soreness is coming out and I feel really down, also tired too. Is this normal. Today I kept crying for no reason whatsoever and couldn’t stop. chris xx
hi everyone,
everybodies different arent they? I finished my rads last week and felt really down, depressed, etc,
I have felt slightly better in myself today, apart from my chest being a bit sore, and red I dont feel too bad,
I seem to be ok energy wise at the moment, although I couldnt go to work, I am getting by but must admit do seem to have to sit down a lot more than I did before surgery, chemo and rads,
what I need to keep in mind is, give myself time to recover and take it easy even if I feel ok, I do tend to overdo things and end up shattered which doesnt help me or anybody else,
Listen to your own body, do things at your own pace, and rest when you need to, sounds simple and straight forward doesnt it lol,
Chris maybe crying is the best thing you could have done to let out all the pent up emotion following your treatment, I think thats quite normal for most of us
all the very best Liz xxxx
Hi, Im new to this, I had breast cancer in my left breast and finished my radiotherapy 4 weeks ago, I cant believe how depressed and emotional I am, I am a very active busy person and am just finding life so hard at the moment, I sailed through the op and kept all my emotions in during all my treatment, when it all finished I did have a short cry, I find it very hard to talk to people about all this but am sure it would probably help, I have tried to just get back to normal life but it really isnt happening in my head, has others felt like this.
hi Backup.
Yes it is quite normal to feel emotional after treatment has finnished. It s a time when you and everyone round you think that you should be leaping around with joy, but for so many it is just not like that. Either you are still recovering from treatment or sometimes its because of a sudden realisationg that the normal you accepted before illness just is not enough any more, you want more out of life.
are you on any hormone treatment? that can play havoc with your emotions.
why not give the help line a ring, they are trained in all aspects of this minefield, from first suspicions right through to the end of treatment. Sometimes an annonymous ear can help.
Just met my onc team who said because i had relatively minor surgery, dont smoke, did not have chemo, etc they can see no reason why I should get side effects bad enought to interfeer with my daily life.
perhaps they thought the demands of a 64 year olds life were not that taxing, but even when i talked about gigging, they did not turn a hair. Except the skin nurse jumped in and said it was her job to keep me pain free so that i did not find movement a problem.