Forum Discussion
2 year all-clear, 2 year all-fear.
I've just had my second year check-up scans. It's always going to be so stressful.
I've had a range of worrying new symptoms pop up over the last couple of months while on my Tamoxifen break, so I'm worried something was there and has now domino down my left arm lymph nodes.
Taking a look at my scans, my layman eyes don't see a disaster. There are areas in the ultra that look like masses although to my memory they don't seem to have the blood flow activity to indicate tumors, however on the mammogram they radiate the margins of my crash site (... that's what I call my scar tissue, haha). And as much as I'd like to think hey, it's just age, it's just calcification, there's nothing like it in my other breast to establish that.
I know, I know, the cardinal rule of check-up scans is not to look at them before your consultation but as if have scans of inside my body in my possession and not look? Ha!
I never shook the lethargy. My doctor told me that it's actually a normal thing for cancer survivors to be chronically tired. There are no solutions; work while tired, exercise while tired, eat while tired, struggle to sleep, wake up tired, repeat. And everything always hurts. It's just my normal now to need painkillers to get through the day. 2 years on and my radiotherapy pain still hasn't gone away - and it's not just that it's not gone away, it hasn't "settled" the way I was hoping. It might be that during healing I just got lucky and clumps of nerves got together to make particular movements painful. I hurt every day and I needed to complain about it. It's been so long of waking up with pain and no energy and I don't complain anywhere. Sorry BCNA. You get my worst side.
I've refrained from posting quite a lot and just kept to the activity threads because I feel that my particular forum needs are a form of clutter for those in active treatment. A follow-up/aftercare category/life after category would be nice?
I've had a range of worrying new symptoms pop up over the last couple of months while on my Tamoxifen break, so I'm worried something was there and has now domino down my left arm lymph nodes.
Taking a look at my scans, my layman eyes don't see a disaster. There are areas in the ultra that look like masses although to my memory they don't seem to have the blood flow activity to indicate tumors, however on the mammogram they radiate the margins of my crash site (... that's what I call my scar tissue, haha). And as much as I'd like to think hey, it's just age, it's just calcification, there's nothing like it in my other breast to establish that.
I know, I know, the cardinal rule of check-up scans is not to look at them before your consultation but as if have scans of inside my body in my possession and not look? Ha!
I never shook the lethargy. My doctor told me that it's actually a normal thing for cancer survivors to be chronically tired. There are no solutions; work while tired, exercise while tired, eat while tired, struggle to sleep, wake up tired, repeat. And everything always hurts. It's just my normal now to need painkillers to get through the day. 2 years on and my radiotherapy pain still hasn't gone away - and it's not just that it's not gone away, it hasn't "settled" the way I was hoping. It might be that during healing I just got lucky and clumps of nerves got together to make particular movements painful. I hurt every day and I needed to complain about it. It's been so long of waking up with pain and no energy and I don't complain anywhere. Sorry BCNA. You get my worst side.
I've refrained from posting quite a lot and just kept to the activity threads because I feel that my particular forum needs are a form of clutter for those in active treatment. A follow-up/aftercare category/life after category would be nice?
67 Replies
- HI everyone,
We now have a new category - 'what now? The highs and lows of survivorship'. Looking forward to your posts! - Dear oh dear!
- @iserbrown. The facilitators are volunteers but they should have been trained. One of them acted like a child calling hetself a "bunny"!?
I work with children who are more adult. - @Brenda5 My mum is 33 years breast cancer free. Mastectomy and chemo in 1986 and that was it. Still going strong at 84.
- In the Kimberley we have an all encompassing saying of "whatnow". It is a universal greeting. It means
What are you up to
What's happening
How are you
What are you doing
I like @Marianne_BCNA 's suggestion of "Now what........."
It works for me. - Yes, highs included would be good. Sad part is those past hormone therapy and on with their lives don't log back and tell us how they are going and give us all hope. I have a sister in law who is nearly 20 years bc free. She is older than me, still working and she has only just stopped entering in long distance running comps.
- I think that's a good name @Marianne_BCNA
- @Marianne_BCNA It's two thumbs up from me. :)
- Yep sounds good @Marianne_BCNA
- How about 'Now What? The highs and lows of survivorship'. This category can also be about acknowledging the wins and good days. What do you think? I would lke to get it up for you toay so you can start over the weekend so let me know your thoughts asap.
