Breast Cancer Now Forum

I agree that cancer treatment can have a long term impact on your immune system. I was diagnosed in 2015 & since then my lymphocyte count has always run well below the normal range. My GP just keeps a watchful eye on it, in the absence of repeated infections, but it has never managed to return to normal levels. I am a nurse, so it did cross my mind when Covid-19 emerged, whether it was a good idea to put myself in the firing line, given that one of lymphocytes’ functions is to deal with viruses. Occupational health organised a blood test for me & miraculously the levels have returned to normal 5 years after chemo/Herceptin.  Timing could not have been better. I’m telling you this so you know that the immune system can recover, even years later. I work in green hospital, so theoretically should not have had to care for Covid +ve patients. However all that colour coding went to pot during the peak & on a few days I spent my whole shift in isolation rooms looking after Covid positive patients who were coughing all over me. We cannot nurse people at a 6ft distance, so l was pretty close to the patients for a prolonged period & did not catch it. I was wearing a normal surgical mask, gloves & goggles. If your work wants you back, they should provide PPE given your medical history. I have to say the biggest risk is from other staff, when we have breaks etc when we are outside isolation rooms & not in PPE. The other think you could do is have a blood test &, if some of your white cells are also low, use that as a reason to register as vulnerable. Take care xx ... View more

Sorry you’re having such a tough time. It’s hard to start again after a break. I struggled with it & have ended up taking a lower dose, which means the aide effects have all but gone. My oncologist said all the  research was done on 20mg, but i did find some other studies  that indicate a lower dose may be similarly effective. My onc said a smaller dose is better than nothing, so i have proceeded on that basis. x ... View more

What a fantastic story. Thanks for sharing that. Really lively to hear you are doing so well after a scary diagnosis. So pleased for you xx ... View more

Hi ladies I just found this post, which pretty much sums up how I felt after diagnosis & wondered if it might be helpful for you https://ificouldtellyoujustonethingcouk.wordpress.com/2017/09/04/feelings-breast-cancer/ Good luck for your treatment. BB ... View more

Desdemona sorry to hear about all your joint pain. It was only about 9 months after I stopped Tamoxifen that I realised my joints didn’t hurt any more, so I think it carries on working in your body for longer than 2 weeks which fits with the fact it confers protection beyond the time u take it for. I listened to an arthritis summit recently, which was fascinating. It reckoned some people with bone on bone feel no pain & others with mild arthritic changes are in agony. They suggested a number of non pharma things you can do. It was free, but I think it’s pay now. It was run by Susan Blom, who has also written a book on arthritis. Might be worth a try? x ... View more