My brief story and next steps...

Welcome and how to use the forum Introduce yourself
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A big hello to all you wonderful brave ladies out there.

A little background…

I found a lump last June in my left breast and was diagnosed in July 2021 with grade 3 invasive ductal breast cancer…oestrogen and progesterone positive. Then aged 45. I was so shocked…I have always been positive person (and cancer was never going to happen to me…duh!!) and my happy bubble was popped that day! I did soon pull up my positive pants though and ‘got on with it’.

So…breast surgery (therapeutic mamoplasty), chemo and radiotherapy all done. I found surgery recovery hard…I fully expected to bounce back and struggled to come to terms with a slower pace. My oncotype results were very high, 68. This took me a while to wrap my head around as this means that ‘my cancer’ is likely to try to come back. I have walked for at least 30 mins every day and ate my way through chemo. I gained lots of weight. Generally though my body coped well and i count myself lucky. I have done all I can to stop my cancer coming back so I’m doing my best and putting my best foot forward now!

So…now I’m on hormone treatment for 5 to 10 years. Starting 2 and a golf months ago…monthly zoladex injections (ouch that needle hurts!!) and daily letrazole tablets.  The aim of this …to stop all oestrogen production in my body. The results of this…I feel like I have the body of an 80 year old! (Important to remember here …stopping oestrogen is gooood as helps to stop cancer!!) But … I seize up when I sit for more than 5 mins and have to walk. Walking does help though and I do soon feel OK. Hot flashes and menopause brain are both ‘a thing’ for me now…such fun! And emotionally I guess I feel ‘vulnerable’ …randomly crying for no reason and often having to tell myself to pull up my big girl pants and crack on!  Wow…5 to 10 years of this! But worth it I know! 

How are you all coping with your ‘next steps’? 

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Hi @Libster75  - first of all welcome to the forum, I think this is your first post.

I wonder if you have read this article by Peter Harvey - workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf

Evie xx

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Hi Libster75,

Sorry to hear what you have gone through so far & the rollercoaster of emotions that go hand in hand with it all. Although I am at the very start, the random crying/big girl pants (great saying) definitely resonates with me. I go for a walk whenever I can it seems to calm me down (maybe just tires me out).

My cancer seems to be the same type as yours but I am at the very start, diagnosed middle of May 2022. I’d hoped to have at least a plan in place by now but feel like I’m never going to get there, going round in circles with tests.

Hope you get to do some fun things in-between & best wishes for your continuing treatment. Hugs 

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@Libster75   I did 7 years of Zoladex implant injections.  Ask for the spray that numbs the skin before they put the needle in.  They may tell you that you don’t need it but if it makes those appointments more comfortable and therefore less stressful then just stick by your guns.  My GP practice nurse always used it, without having to be asked, but on the odd occasion that she was away and someone else did it, they always got ready without the spray and I always asked for it without any problem.  I can honestly say I never once felt any discomfort from having the Zoladex implant.  It’s well worth a discussion with the nurse.  Oh and I never used to look when they were putting the implant in either.  Good luck. X