Hi
I finished my teatment around 7 months ago..chemo and radiation..and have been on Tamoxifen ever since. I went back to work in Oct and was feeling fine but in the last 2 months I have started to find it hard to concentrate and I am having trouble sleeping... Is this normal?
I am wondering is it a side affect of the Tamoxifen? I am also feeling foggy in the mind...
On top of all of that my mastectomy scar is very tight and giving me neck and back problems!!
pip
I have one more chemo to go in a couple of days, so have started formulating an exercise plan to get me up and running. My first part is to walk to the end of the street and build on it each day. I do yoga through the kim walters choices program and love it as it keeps my chest supple. some of the movements in particular the clock was exactly the same one the physio recommended and it's very relaxing. The yoga they do is called Hatha. Before all this I thought all yoga was the same, but I'm a convert. They also run a social tennis up the road and when I'm further along will turn up each week but keep it to 3omins as I find it really easy to overdo it, then fatigue sets in and I have to lay down for a day or two.
Does anyone else have advice on exercise post surgery post everything?
cheers
majella
Just a quick note Pip, you were so helpful & kind to me earlier. I can really recommend a DVD my mentor from the Cancer council put me onto called 'Strength & courage' - excercises for breast cancer survivers. Has simple up to more challenging exercises where you incorporate weights into your exercise. I got it from the Cancer council library - check out the website for great resources or just call them and ask for the library section - they pop it in the mail. Im only 4 weeks post my mastectomy but its great even at the simple level.
Be kind to yourself, jackie x
Hi Pip, sorry to hear you are having so many symptoms. I can relate. I had severe flushes every 10 to 30 minutes and later night sweats, plus mood swings, irritability, fuzzy thinking, aches and stiff joints etc.
I too had laser. Mine was a low level Scanning laser. It seemd to help with softening scar tissue and range of movement, as I usually get thick scar tissue. I had 11 nodes removed, followed by radiation.
One word of caution. I am not sure what your job is, but if you are having hot flushes regularly at the moment, then please take it easy.
Vasodilation of blood vessels and doing lots of work at the same time might be counter productive. In time the sweats and flushes may diminish, and you will hopefully adjust to a new part of your life.
Yes, gentle exercise may help..to relieve anxiety and keep calm which may help with flushes to some extent.
I hated the " out of control feeling" my body was doing 20 times a day ! It is a lot better now, but I have slowed down too.
I also take low dose SRI antidepressant, which helps with flushes, pain, low mood, general well being. Mine is Zolft. Tonya is on Endep. I started on Zoloft and it seemed to help me not feel so miserable.. so I will probably keep taking it. Talk to someone, I agree. I left it a bit late and is certainly is overwhelming, but there is help out there.
TC... All the best, Kathy.
Hi Pip, sorry to hear you are having so many symptoms. I can relate. I had severe flushes every 10 to 30 minutes and later night sweats, plus mood swings, irritability, fuzzy thinking, aches and stiff joints etc.
I too had laser. Mine was a low level Scanning laser. It seemd to help with softening scar tissue and range of movement, as I usually get thick scar tissue. I had 11 nodes removed, followed by radiation.
One word of caution. I am not sure what your job is, but if you are having hot flushes regularly at the moment, then please take it easy.
Vasodilation of blood vessels and doing lots of work at the same time might be counter productive. In time the sweats and flushes may diminish, and you will hopefully adjust to a new part of your life.
Yes, gentle exercise may help..to relieve anxiety and keep calm which may help with flushes to some extent.
I hated the " out of control feeling" my body was doing 20 times a day ! It is a lot better now, but I have slowed down too.
I also take low dose SRI antidepressant, which helps with flushes, pain, low mood, general well being. Mine is Zolft. Tonya is on Endep. I started on Zoloft and it seemed to help me not feel so miserable.. so I will probably keep taking it. Talk to someone, I agree. I left it a bit late and is certainly is overwhelming, but there is help out there.
TC... All the best, Kathy.
hey pip, just came back from physio to work on my back. My scar often feels like i am wearing a very tight bra and the tightness goes right around the back in a band. When my scar is tight I tend to put my shoulders forward in a protective type stance- it is not something that i am consciously doing. but this then makes my back sore. Having the physio work on my back relieves this tension. They just need to be aware of whether you have had lymph nodes removed and where.
hope this helps
When I first started taking Tamoxifen I had trouble sleeping,hot flushes,low mood,forgetful.My ocologist put me on a very low dose antidepressant called Endep 10mg. It helped with all of the above but probably made the forgetfulness and lack of concentration a little worse.These are all menopause symtoms too so it's hard to know if chemo has caused this or if it's entirely Tamoxifen or abit of all 3! In anycase,you should really talk to your gp or oncologist- don't just put up with it. My mastectomy scar is very tight(done in 2010) -feels like I have duck tape across my chest.My surgeon says it's adhesions and not much can be done.Perhaps see a physio about your neck and back? Tonya xx
When I first started taking Tamoxifen I had trouble sleeping,hot flushes,low mood,forgetful.My ocologist put me on a very low dose antidepressant called Endep 10mg. It helped with all of the above but probably made the forgetfulness and lack of concentration a little worse.These are all menopause symtoms too so it's hard to know if chemo has caused this or if it's entirely Tamoxifen or abit of all 3! In anycase,you should really talk to your gp or oncologist- don't just put up with it. My mastectomy scar is very tight(done in 2010) -feels like I have duck tape across my chest.My surgeon says it's adhesions and not much can be done.Perhaps see a physio about your neck and back? Tonya xx
When I first started taking Tamoxifen I had trouble sleeping,hot flushes,low mood,forgetful.My ocologist put me on a very low dose antidepressant called Endep 10mg. It helped with all of the above but probably made the forgetfulness and lack of concentration a little worse.These are all menopause symtoms too so it's hard to know if chemo has caused this or if it's entirely Tamoxifen or abit of all 3! In anycase,you should really talk to your gp or oncologist- don't just put up with it. My mastectomy scar is very tight(done in 2010) -feels like I have duck tape across my chest.My surgeon says it's adhesions and not much can be done.Perhaps see a physio about your neck and back? Tonya xx
