What happens now I'm finished my treatment?

SYT
SYT Member Posts: 13
I have  been  through breast cancer for the last 8 months.  I went on  to have two surgeries. 12mm lump in my left breast and one lymph  node had caught cancer. So all 26 on my left side were removed. Then I had 4 rounds of a/c Chemo. Then onto taxol. I had one only and ended up in hospital with bacterial pneumonia. Kidneys starting to shut down. Allergic reactions to medications and ended up with 4 hospital stays over 5 weeks. So oncologist decided no more Chemo. So then onto 20 rounds of radiation. This finished last week. Now I'm wondering how do I find out for sure that there is  no more cancer in me. Surgeon said all was taken. Oncologist said as my cancer was so small they do not expect any further issues. What experience have you had with this?? Thank you. Julie 

Comments

  • LMK74
    LMK74 Member Posts: 795
    Syt, sorry you've had a bad time with chemo. I imagine you have had bone  scan, mri scan,and ct scan at beginning of treatment. If all looked good just trust your medical team. I did chemo first to try shrink my tumor and had a zero response to chemo. It failed for me despite doing six months of it. I guess we can only be guided by our doctors.
  • primek
    primek Member Posts: 5,392
    Yes...returning to normal life isn't easy. But years of experience and the women before us found  that over testing...yearly bone scans or body CTs hasn't been helpful detecting early if disease has advanced.
    So now they just do additional tests if symptons arise and back to the annual screening of mammograms and regular reviews by breast surgeon and oncologist for next 5 years. They might keep an eye on your bone density though. (dexa scan) ..different from a bone scan,  looking for osteoporosis. As hormone treatments and chemo can affect that.

    My treatment stopped earlier and it was some time before I could think of myself as a survivor. But that is what you need to say to yourself. Eventually you'll believe it and start to go about the process of living again and not just living in fear of return. Kath x 

    https://breast-cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au/life-after
  • Zoffiel
    Zoffiel Member Posts: 3,374
    It is a bit disconcerting. I remember standing in the rain in the car park after my last rad treatment feeling like I'd spent six months in an industrial tumble drier. I must have looked a sight; bald, fried, disheveled and actually panting with stress thinking 'That's it? That's really it?' 

    Of course it wasn't really 'it' , there where odds and ends to tidy up and I'm still fine tuning myself on the road to recovery. I do feel strangely disconnected from my life and that feeling of being spat out lingers but hey, compared to the first six months of the year, things are fine. Try not to get too wound up about future tests and scans, I think we just have to trust our intuition with that. I figure I knew when something was wrong before, I'll know if things go shit shaped again in the future.

    Get out there and get into it, Julie. Putting this all in a box and chucking it overboard isn't that easy, but keeping busy and looking forward helps. Marg xxx
  • CarmelS
    CarmelS Member Posts: 269
    Julie. I remember the same feeling when I finished rads over five years ago. Even though I had anxiety just driving to the hospital every day (& I still do !!)  I was able to stop......   Stop worrying about being there every day. Stop wondering how late they would run. Stop wishing they would get some new gowns. Stop avoiding talking to people. Then I rested. I was done, it was over. I had done everything I could to stop Cancer returning & I could get on with the rest of my life. While it took some time to recover, once I felt somewhat better I stared walking every day & just that time in the fresh air helped a lot. 
    Its like losing a job ......what will I do now. You will find something much more enjoyable to fill your day. Just treat this period like a little holiday & use it to recover your strength. .....& enjoy. 
    Carmel