Hi everyone, I wonder if you any of you are experiencing the same? Just for context. I was diagnosed in Dec 23 with HER2+ ER - PR +1 plus DCIS. In Feb 24 I started 6 rounds of carboplatin and Nab Paclitaxel (as had an allergic reaction to Docetaxel on 2nd round). No lymph involvement but had a single mastectomy followed by reconstruction in July 24. I had a complete pathological response to the chemo but also had 9/15 rounds of radiotherapy in the Sept 24. I could only tolerate 9. The radiotherapy was 2 years ago now. Phesgo was downgraded to Herceptin and that finished in Feb 25. THE PROBLEM: I feel worse today than I did 2 years ago. I have questioned by thyroid function but Drs say TSH is normal. My WBC , Neutrophils, Lymphocytes and RBC are all still quite low. I catch ‘everything’ and always feel run down. I find it hard to sleep and any exercise makes me so tired but I do try. I am feeling very desperate as I want to work but am so fatigued I just want to sleep all afternoon but can’t go to sleep. I accept that I have had a lot of treatment. I do live on my own but I only have to look after myself as my children are grown up. Is anyone else also very, very tired 2 years on?
I just read your post and was thinking I couldn’t personally reply and then immediately afterwards I read the attached post on Facebook by Sarah Cawood. So far there are 229 responses from women who can relate. Definitely worth a Follow I reckon.
My main issue is the weight gain and massive slow down of my metabolism. Can’t really complain but I do wish my jeans weren’t straining at the seams.
Hi @beccy1boob Im so sorry you are struggling- unfortunately fatigue after cancer treatment does seem to be commonplace yet not so much talked about yet at the same time I don’t think it’s something we should just accept x
We are discharged and told to live our lives yet no one tells you that you might actually feel more exhausted and run down that before .
First off, cancer treatment can affect your thyroid so do ask to see your recent thyroid panel results
A healthy tsh should ideally run no higher than 2 depending on whether you are already on thyroxine , and you also should have your t4 and t3 checked . I’ve had underactive thyroid for 25 years and early this year I started to feel so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open . My gp had marked my recent thyroid function as normal , it wasn’t and Im now on an increased dose of thyroxine .. so definitely get that re checked or ask to see the recent results , in most cases if TSH is within the lab reference range they don’t check t4 .. but if that’s too low you will feel rotten
Also get your ferritin , b12 and vit d checked out too.. I was low in all of these and getting levels regulated can make a huge difference
’m so sorry you’re still struggling with this. Please don’t feel that because it’s been two years you should somehow be “back to normal” by now. Cancer-related fatigue can last for a very long time after treatment, and it can be absolutely crippling.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is not to constantly push through it. It’s so easy on a better day to try to catch up with everything, then completely crash afterwards. Pacing yourself, doing things in smaller chunks and gradually building up what you can manage seems to be much kinder on your body.
And please don’t compare your recovery with anyone else’s. Two years might sound like a long time to other people, but your body has been through something enormous. If the fatigue is affecting your everyday life this badly, …..you deserve some proper support with it rather than just being expected to live with it. x
Thank you. I had a look but most posts were about being on AI’s and I’m not which is why I expected to feel a little better by now. I still feel there is something else going on for me.
Not my experience but I’m going to suggest a trip to your GP just in case it’s caused by something other than your cancer treatment. It may be totally unrelated to the cancer.
I’m also going to suggest a magnesium supplement. It’s made a huge difference for me. I just take a cheap supermarket one.
Yes Beccy1boob, I feel exactly like you! I have an overactive thyroid issue now and am taking carbimazole as treatment. I’m continually being told by the endocrinologist that the medication and my condition are not the cause! TSH levels are abnormally low but
the T3/T4 are mid normal. Not sure where this leaves me or whether it has helped you?
I’m 2+ yrs on from diagnosis, and 1 yr post end of immunotherapy for triple negative BC. I still get tired, and feel equally frustrated like you. No-one can “get it” when they think that because the treatment is over, we shoukd somehow be back to ‘normal’. I realise I am able to do more than a year ago, but I can’t face anything in the evenings as I’m too exhausted.
I’ve recently braved a short flight holiday away, but my husband is desperate to travel further afield - he doesn’t really understand my tiredness. He’s off to China on his own for a holiday, whilst saying I could come if I wanted to! I have given up trying to explain.
I struggle with patience too - I want to be who I was before all of this - it’s hard to accept the changes, and be content with the current version of me.
My oncologist has never been empathetic, and so I’ve stopped even bothering to mention how I feel. My breast surgeon is much more understanding and makes me feel heard.
Wishing you well on your onward path through this minefield.
Hi i am also 2 1/2 years out from diagnosis, er+ her2-, lymph node involvement, hormone therapy, targeted therapy and 15 rounds of RT, i am so tired, suffering so many side effects from treatment, but i have managed to start aqua fit a couple of times a week, it is the only exercise i can manage, i have also developed neuropathy in hands and feet as well as lympheodema, be kind to yourself, your body has been through a lot and it takes time. Wishing you well
Arty1 
I have given up trying to explain.