I just wanted to share my recovery story, as I am suddenly feeling much more normal, and couldn’t find info from other women about how long this might take, when I was trying to imagine and plan the future during treatment. I had two WLE surgeries, Sept and mid Oct, went back to work roughly 3 weeks after each, and then had 3 weeks of radiotherapy which finished on 18th December. I worked for two weeks of this, with some reduction in my workload so I had treatments in the afternoon then came home to rest. After 10 treatments I was just too tired, so took 10days off before the Christmas holiday (I’m a teacher). My breast was extremely sore and hot for 2 weeks after this, as predicted, and I napped a lot but enjoyed a few 5 mile walks too. Started to turn a corner on New Years Day, and went back to work on 8th, but with a reduced timetable so I could nap during the gaps. I found three 20-min naps a day enabled me to keep going and enjoy teaching. Two weeks of this, with workload gradually building, and then suddenly this week I felt normal, as in normally tired rather than ‘must nap NOW or I will fall over or cry’ sort of tired. By Friday I was even laughing and enjoying lunchtime conversation with colleagues instead of finding a quiet space to sit. Glad it’s the weekend now, but I really feel quite normal. In terms of pain, my breast felt much better by 7th Jan and not sore or red, so I tried a tiny one mile run (I normally run half marathons but haven’t run much at all since Sept) but regretted it - my breast felt swollen and uncomfortable for 2 days after, and looked like fresh bruising near the scar. This was shocking, 12 weeks after surgery. But clearly the radio had stopped it healing up properly inside. So I decided to give it another 3 weeks. I bought new pretty underwired bras after Christmas, and have been happily wearing them this week too (very soft non-underwired cotton crop tops were all I could cope with up till then) So normality resumed 14 weeks after surgery and 5 weeks after end of radio for me. I am 52, and took high dose vitamin D oral spray during recovery as well as lots of water, and coffee and ibuprofen helped me when I started back at work. I am still going carefully and being kind to myself, gentle yoga and early nights. Obviously everyone is unique, but this may give others some rough timescale.
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