Hello again 😊
I’m doing OK thank you!
I started back “in” work on Tuesday (I say “in” as we were given a WFH directive at least until the end of January before Plan B was put in place) and it’s been OK: I’m so glad I didn’t attempt to return before Christmas and I’ve returned almost six months to the day after I was diagnosed. I spoke with my lovely oncologist again in a telephone review appointment on 14 December and told her I was planning to go back: initially she sounded surprised I had reached that point but time we’d finished chatting she was convinced!
Like I say below I’ve not felt too many Tamoxifen side effects but I have looked to reduce alcohol consumption (which can’t be a bad thing!) and I’ve also used my recovery time to look to build a new fitness routine to manage my health going forward eg I found I enjoyed doing the shoulder stretches the physios told me to do during my RT and carried them on incorporating further short Pilates sessions, I also “like” running and having lost fitness have looked to rebuild that, I signed up for the 50 miles for Maggie’s challenge and am running/walking for around 30 minutes a day which I’m really feeling the benefits of 😊 (and chuffed to bits at how much support I’m getting from friends family and work colleagues as I’ve not done a fundraiser like this before)
I’m glad to hear you are getting your RT: how many sessions are you having? I was warned that the fatigue can catch you unawares and even though you might not notice it during the course, the effects are cumulative and can peak around 2 weeks after. Remember to moisturise regularly (I did it at least 3 times a day during my course) and drink plenty, I got a little bit of redness where my bra strap goes and felt the benefit of going braless as much as possible. I still get a slight itch at times and the skin is still slightly darker, however my surgery scars have become a lot less noticeable which is really pleasing
Good luck with the RT!
AM xxx💕
