Hi - am just feeling a bit odd - tomorrow will be the anniversary of my biopsy and the 28th will be the first anniversary of my diagnosis - Yesterday I had my check up with consultant and results of first mammo. which were all ok -which is great. However I keep thinking of this time las year and feeling quite down and confused. I wonder if this is normal ? I think at the time I underplayed the whole thing - my cousins were staying and no one in my family mentioned the dx - my cousins are coming again next week and it’s like a repeat of the whole thing,except this time I’m ok. I can’t think of any day that I don’t think about it. My dx was grade 2 IDC -no nodes-and associated DCIS - WLE and SNB - rads and tamoxifen.
I think it’s perfectly normal and you do whatever is right for you - never mind anyone else
Hug xx
Hi girls,
My anniversary is coming up next month. I’m feeling very like you.
I had to have 4 surgeries, grade 2 IDC and ILC, no nodes but I had chemo, rads and now Tamoxifen.
I have only just finished rads so have not had much time for a breather yet.
I think what your feeling is exactly like me. I think about it every day, worry about every little twinge and can’t see how I will ever not do that. I’m sure lots of ladies here will say exactly the same.
Anyway, congratulations on getting your good results. You must be very pleased.
Love,
Jane xx
Hiya
Congratulations on reaching your first anniversary. I call it my cancerversary! I’m 2 years next week, and looking forward.
Celebrate if you want, you’ve madeit through horrid treatment!
Kinden
x
thanks - I just feel a bit weird about things -I get on with stuff as it happens but reflect on it all later,if that makes sense !
(((Hug)))
love Katie x
Great you had clear results but while going through months of hospitals and worry its only natural I’m not there yet having rads at the moment.
This might be a silly question but on the first anniversary of DX do you have both boobs looked at via the mammogram or just the one that had the cancer in.
Love Linda x
thanks Katie xxxxx
rockinghorse- you get both mammogrammed !
chipper, I too am feeling very strange. My anniversary is 13th May and I keep thinking this time last year I had NO idea what lay ahead! It really has taken nearly 12 months out of my life. I am now back at work (phased return) and still on herceptin til Oct 10 with tamox etc. Only those who have gone through this know what we are talking about, it is a very strange feeling and completely understand when you say you reflect. I do the same.
Best of luck
x
Chipper, one year for me as well. One year today I went for my scan and biopsy after a mammo recall… and the rest is history.
Back at work last week (no phased return for me and my boss has gone off sick leaving me in charge…)
Anyway, I am here, we all are and didn’t we do well!
I had WLE, SNB and, unexpectedly, 6 months chemo for a grade 3, 6 weeks of rads and just had my annual mammo. I am on a course tomorrow and considering whether to brave it without the wig! No one else will be bothered but it will be a big step for me!
Good luck to us all!
Sheila xxxx
Hi everyone - this is my first attempt to post something here! I’m 49 and have just passed the first anniversary of my Dx. Since then (March 2009) I’ve had a WLE & SNB, followed by a Mx and ANC (1 pos node), chemo, rads and am now on Tamoxifen. I have my first annual check-up on Thursday, and am feeling quite jittery, especially as I’ve had a lot of weird pain in my lower right rib recently. I’m hoping this is just an after-effect of rads or something to do with Tamoxifen. I’m getting married in September, and would just love to have a relatively carefree few months to enjoy the build-up and the actual day - and the honeymoon, of course!
hi all - I was thinking last week that my teeth,breast and bottom all ached - think it was because of the impending check up and mammo results !
Hope you enjoy your anniversary now that you have had good results
Kinden
x
thanks kindensurprise - good results for which I’m grateful but still a bit of an odd feeling
Chipper,I think we spend so long worrying over appts and results that when we get them,even good ones it just reinforces the fact that this never goes away and we now have to wait on the next appt.It feels a bit of an anti-climax.
Meanwhile enjoy the good news and get on with your life as much as possible! I am fretting already about my check-up in July!
Love n hugs
Dot
xxx
thanks Dot - lots of good luck to you too x
Hi Chipper,
It is not my aniversary until June 19th but it is constantly in my mind, it is reassuring to know there are others out there with the same fears and mixed up feelings. I am not one for dates but i can’t get this one out of my head. Does any one know if this year counts in the five year survival statistic or does that start from the point that treatment finishes? I finished my rads in march and still can’t quite get my head round the fact that the treatment is over, I thought I would feel so happy but I don’t. Do others out there feel the same? I have started back at work and my phased return has just finished, I was always confident at work but at the moment I dont feel the same way. I hoped that being back at work would help me feel more like myself but I am probably expecting too much too soon!
I hope you managed to enjoy your aniversary and celebrate moving on.
Jano
Hi ladies,
I think we should start a new thread… what should we do to celebrate our anniversary? I haven’t a clue what I will do?
I think we are all expecting too much of ourselves. Come on girls, we have been through a hell of a rollercoaster of a year. Every emotion has attacked us one way or another. We have been constantly visiting the hospital for appointments in different departments.
Now what… suddenly there are no appts every week, no nasty treatments, nobody asking us every five minutes how we are feeling and the big wide world is available to us again!! Of course we are going to feel less confident of ourselves and of course we will worry about every pain we get no matter where it is. I think that’s being perfectly normal and I don’t think there are many who would say otherwise.
I think we have all done fantastically well and should not expect too much too soon.
Anyone know when I can stop using the ‘chemo brain’ excuse, does that have no more effect when you reach your anniversary??
Love to you all, have a nice bank holiday weekend,
Jane xx
Here, here Jane, we do expect too much of ourselves. I have been beating myself up about my energy levels and still feeling wacked and “when will I have more energy”. My expectations are far to high! I am still using the chemo brain excuse! Not sure how I will celebrate my anniversary, I am still on herceptin til Oct 10 so still a frequent visitor to chemo suite!
xxx
TBH, I’ve found the chemo brain thing does sometimes affect me in the long term. I’m about 3 1/2 years on from diagnosis and just over 2 years since I finished Herceptin. As well as being my OH’s project assistant at work, I also work as a copywriter (I finish an advanced copywriting certificate course soon). Whereas before I had no problem with words, punctuation etc., I now sometimes really have to think what I’m doing. I had to by a dictionary of grammar before Christmas as I’m still confused by the placing of apostrophes from time to time. It is just one of those things that has never come back to me.
I found the course I’m on a immense challenge, but it has helped my confidence which is good.