I had my breast cancer removed in Jan 2005 followed by radiotherapy. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced ill health afterwards. I seem to spend my time at the doctors being diagnosed with so many different things, from carpel tunnel syndrome to lymademia in my legs. My whole body aches and have fallen a couple of times lately as my leg gives way. Waiting results from bone scan. Also seem to have lack of energy and feel anti social not like the old me. Is this normal?
Hi Chezza
I totally understand where you are coming from.
I had mastectomy followed by chemo in nov 06, and since then I have felt so old. (I am 36)
I ache all the time in my muscles and joints, I run to the doctors at the slightest little thing,(in fact I am doing quite well as I haven’t been for about 6 weeks)
I am always tired.
The thing is I always try to make an effort to make myself look ok, so everyone looks at me and say “God you look well” when deep down I feel dreadful!!!
I am constantly feeling for lumps or anything that doesn’t feel “normal”
I haven’t been offered any scans, I am not sure if it would put my mind at rest anyway.
They do say it can take years to get over what we have been through, but I just don’t feel things will ever be “normal” again.
I am sick of being told to listen to my body and rest when I need to, but so many people think that things are in the past and everything is ok now, so I should just move on.
EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
Take care
Angie
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
oh how your words echo just how i fell sometimes people say the silliest things about how im looking, and i think oh if only they knew just how awful i do feel ,but its putting on the face and trying to be and act normal ,not that i know what that is anymore !" i recently lost a sister and brother in law and i think well now is the time to get on with your life girl as they werent given the extra time like ive been given ,now i just take one day at a time and so far its working .i do hope you will soon feel more like yourself again . take care. lynn x
I had a partial mastectomy in April and don’t need any radiotherpay or chemo which is fantastic. I’ve been feeling very positive on the whole but seem to be suffering from what I term post-cancer paranoia, in that any ache or pain immediately starts me wondering if its cancer. I thought I’d found another lump this morning but now am not sure if its normal tissue - how do you stop feeling like this, is it just down to time, or will we never be back to our previous selves? I can’t keep rushing to the doctors every five minutes but what do you do?
Andrea x
Hi
I think you will find this link very useful, it is about how people feel after they have had I dx of cancer I found it very helpful and I have passed it on to a few other people who also found it helpful.
Best wishes
Dawne
Hi Dawne,
Thanks for letting us know aboutthe article, I’ve just read it and it made a lot of sense. I have always been impatient with everything, including myself, so I think I need to learn to take a bit more time with myself.
Cheers,
Andrea x
Thank you for the reminder of the article. I remember seeing it when I was undergoing treatment, and now I have finished the active treatment, it is the right time to read it.
When I was having treatment, which lasted 12 months, I felt really well most of the time, even throughout chemo and rads and post surgery. I was walking and horse-riding daily, and doing pretty much everything I did pre dx.
The treatment finished two weeks ago, and now I ache in every part of my body and feel perpetually exhausted. Not helped, is it, by people wanting to ‘celebrate’ the end of your treatment! I feel like my life has been taken away from me and I do not know where to go from here.
I can’t imagine having my old life back, and can quite frankly say that I found it easier to be on treatment with regular visits to the hospital than just rattling around here wondering how much worse the arthritis will get.