Life after treatment

[Emma111]

Hiya, yes I am on herceptin until August and zoladex injections and arimidex for next 5-10 years - no real probs with either. Hope your treatment has gone well and you are getting on oK xx

[Elja70]

That's great to hear Emma are you on any long term meds like tamoxifen or herceptin? X

[j.reynolds958]

Brilliant post, Emma - I'm also 5 months post-chemo, and absolutely agree "LIFE is at the end of the tunnel".

[ladybowler]

Flossy

What a lovely inspirational post for those at the start of their journey and for ladies like myself who are now moving on from active treatment, thank you and well done

Helena xx

[Flossy03]

Evening everyone.    I don't often write on here because I actually feel that I've had a lucky escape from a potentially nasty diagnosis and feel that everyone else seems to have things loads worse than me. I do check in every now again but feel that it's important to share a positive view of breast cancer. I was diagnosed with Paget's disease at the end of July 2016.  After MRI scan it was confirmed that Paget's was superficial and just in the skin.   I was booked in for WLE on 5th September.  I initially thought that I should have a right mastectomy with immediate reconstruction which would have meant I didn't have to have radiotherapy.   My surgeon actually advised me this was not necessary and that he felt they should not be removing healthy breast tissue unnecessarily, so I decided to stick with initial advice and go with WLE and 15 doses of radiotherapy.   Day surgery went well and  I recovered quickly and was back to normal routines almost immediately.   2 weeks later I was given the news that surgery had been a success and my surgeon would see me in a years time.  Radiotherapy started about 3 weeks later. My hospital is an hour away so I arranged a rota of friends to take me each day, which was good excuse  to have a good chat each day on an otherwise boring drive.   I also seemed to sail through the radiotherapy with no side effects.   6 months on and when I wake in the morning I have a slight dull ache in my treated breast and it is still slightly tanned.  I have an appointment to have a nipple created  by a lovely lady who does permanent makeup tattooing and offers this service free to breast cancer survivors.    Hopefully for me it's onwards and upwards for me but big love to everyone else who is dealing with breast cancer x 

[RunningMum13]

Take care Gingernut, it's very early days for you and you've had major surgery. Rest and recuperate and be kind to yourself. Sending you a hug.xx

[RunningMum13]

Hi ladies,

Another wild Friday eve for me, not! Pjs on and sat in bed, I'm no night owl and never have been, but 2 weeks after rads and sometimes the tiredness just gets the better of me.

Hoping to sleep and not be too disturbed by the hot flushes. It's really odd, I seem to wake up and then a minute later I'm drenched. Is anyone else experiencing this? I'm on Tamoxifen, but to be honest this was starting before my bc so think it's probably my age...

Love & sleep to you all.x

[ladybowler]

Ali and Optimissy

I have exactly the same feeling, whenever the fatigue hits I am usually sat down and suddenly it is difficult to concentrate on whatever I am doing, watching TV, reading or doing my tapestery, the next thing I am fast asleep, usually for about 10 minutes and then I wake up and carry on.  There is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it, it just happens so I go with it.  I must say though it does seem to be getting better, it happened yesterday and that was the first time for a week but I do not take it for granted that I am over that part yet.

Helena xx

[Gingernut1]

All you lovely ladies are doing so well. Compared to you I feel like a bit of a fraud. I have recently with 1 high grade DCIS 37mm and 1 immeadiate to high grade 5cm DCIS in left breast. The consultant advised mascetomy with implant reconstruction. Op took place on 14 march with I drain and 3 dressings. There have been times when I feel fragile. Drain removed today. Felt tearful when I had to wait 30 mins for taxi to take me home from the hospital Everyone has been so kind to me. I didn't even feel ill or felt that I had cancer. Other people on my ward felt and looked awful. They are braver than me. I am currently waiting outcome of op. Consultant hoped that op is curative.

i wish you all well.

[Aine]

Interesting reading ladies!

I have been pontificating about how great I feel 5 weeks post chemo and today it has hit me hard.

I have taken 2 naps during the day!  It was supposed to be a days gardening and all I could do was to look out the window.

I managed an hours cutting down brambles and back to the sofa. OMG.  First really lovely spring day and I couldnt move.

Just shows you how gardening is great to get you back into shape!  Im hoping I will be a good bit better tomorrow.

We must listen to our bodies.  Yet again I have to say to myself - its not back to normal yet.  I have to pace myself.  I was used to being very active and fit.  I have to give myself time to heal and build up the strength.  I will get there.  Its hard to be patient and to tell myself I am not over it.  I have to deal with the Herceptin SEs and although the people around me think its all over cos Im not on chemo, I have to remind myself to pace myself and listen to my body....

Be good to yourselves.  Treat yourselves.  Think positive vibes only.  Carpe diem 

A x

[Optimissy64]

Thank you so much Ali49 - very interesting that this should be the case, and rather reassuring that it is common so long after rads. I shall continue to have as many naps as my body demands (well, more my eyes really, as they seem to close all by themselves....) Sorry you're missing a Gin festival - sounds like my sort of night out! Hope you're back full of beans before very long. X

[Ali49]

Hi Suze and Optimissy. I seem to have been the same as you both. Strong through my diagnosis of high grade DCIS, two ops and 15 shots of radio. I returned to work 3 weeks after rads feeling good and sure i didnt need a phased return. Then 6 weeks after rads i was wrecked!! Shattered and a blubbering mess in work ( which just isnt me!). I constantly feel and look tired. I phoned my BCN as i was so down too. She told me that this probably happens to about 80% of people and that tiredness after radiotherapy can last for ages. She also told me that after 12 weeks it should improve. Its 9 weeks now and i am currently sitting on the settee in my PJ's when i should be at a Gin festival!! Our bodies need rest and unfortunately the only think we can do is acknowledge tah and give ourselves a chance to recover!! Hope you both feel beter soon xxx

[ladybowler]

Suze

You will get there you just need to listen to your body and work with it.  Small steps at a time will get you there, you are tired today just go with that, tomorrow is another day.The trick is to pace yourself each day, just because you might feel as if you can climb a mountain so to speak, does not mean you have to do it, xxx

Never compare yourself to anyone else, each of us are different, you will only beat yourself up and that is not good.  I think it very much depends on the jobs that people do as to how easy it is to get back into work again or to work whilst having treatment.  I was able to do it only because I work in a quiet office, the job I do is not stressful and has no deadlines so it was easy for me, plus they only allowed me to work 12 hours a week, and that was on the understanding that if I struggled I was to tell them straight away and I would be put back on sick again.

We are all trying to work out wha the new "normal" is and that is going to take time, it is still only 4 weeks since you finished rads, I am now 6 weeks and am feeling better but still have days when my fatigue lets me know its still there.

Helena xxx

[Sue C]

Hi suze

Don't feel bad......I didn't work either and am still getting over the fatigue. Keep up your liquid intake though. I definitely go down hill if I haven't drunk enough xx

[Optimissy64]

Hi Suze

I think i am having a "delayed" reaction to the rads. Sailed though them, no fatigue during or for 3 weeks after, then BANG, this week i am knackered, and am not working so have no excuse, so I think i must just have overdone things as i was "fine", "back to normal"  and "no side effects at all" Ho Ho. That'll teach me to be smug!! So I'm happily unplugging the phone and putting a note on the door not to knock, and having afternoon naps. I also wonder if it may be that after all the active treatment where we had to be strong and get ourselves to appointments etc, we have just let ourselves flop a bit with relief maybe? Having cancer is a funny old thing and affects us in ways we may not have expected. You enjoy your bed while it lasts, I know i am, and I know normal service WILL be resumed as soon as possible, but maybe not as soon as i expected! X

[Suze4000]

Thats lovely to hear. It's just over 4 weeks after finishing radiotherapy and I'm in my bed exhausted. I have no energy today and I'm so low and frustrated. How long did it take you to feel 'normal' again? I read of women who work throughout their radio and afterwards and I feel so pathetic. It's good to see that normality can resume although I can't imagine it right now. 

[maryminder]

Thanks Emma, read your lovely post today and although I still have radiotherapy starting next week to get through, it has helped me look further ahead than my next treatment/appointment etc, I was dithering about booking a hotel for a long weekend in June to liverpool, even said to my OH "but what if" well sod what if's have booked it and I will be fit enough to go.

Well done to you and everyone else who has come through this

Mary xx

[Leigh446]

Well done you!

[Sue C]

Thanks Emma, this is so lovely to read. Bought a tear to my eye! 2 months post treatment, I'm still getting there but improving all the time xx

[ann-m]

Hi Emma, what a fantastic post, thanks so much & so glad you're out the other side.
wishing you all the very best,
ann x

[Emma111]

To give ladies during treatment hope I thought I'd give a little post of my life 5 months after chemo.
During treatment some days it was a challenge to get to the bathroom myself and if I could, I considered it a good day.  I thought life would never get back to normal, I thought I'd always look and feel ill and couldn't ever imagine being able to return to work, fitness, happiness. ..life!

I cried a lot for 6 months.

Anxiety and depression I thought would never leave me. Thought it was my 'new normal' !!

I felt guilty for putting my family through it, felt angry it happened to me at 37, felt scared I wouldn't survive.

AND NOW ............

Life is returning to normal. I'm happy, ive returned to the ditsy and silly person I was before. I love life. Doing stuff I enjoy doing every day ....because I'm happy I'm alive and because I can. I'm grateful for the treatment although I may not have been at the time! It's given me my life back. Life doesn't have to change for the worse .... I thought it would!

I'm running again, walking, seeing friends, loving family, on a phased return to work and appreciating life that bit more.

Treatment can at times be hard, it can make you feel the worst you may have ever felt ....... but it's worth it.

Accept help, use the support network you have, talk about your emotions, counselling, get in the fresh air when you feel able, don't think life can't be good again  ...... we all have treatment so we can live again and not exist.

Don't give up no matter how bad you feel today. Remember the horrible times will pass, good can come again.

Keep believing.

Light really is at the end of the tunnel.

LIFE is at the end of the tunnel xxx