Recovery post treatment
Hi out there... I have just finished my last radiotherapy appointment following a mastectomy and immediate reconstruction in Feb (with sentinal node removal only - node was positive after final pat...
Forum Discussion
Hi Meg,
It is such a long process and you do just desperately want to start feeling better at the end of it. I had a mastectomy, partial node clearance, chemo and then radio finishing about this time of the year back in 2013.
It does depend on your individual circumstances but I found I started to pick up about 4 weeks after I finished radio. As soon as my skin healed I started swimming. This really helped with the energy levels. Then I found I needed to exercise for short durations but everyday if I could. Early in the new year I started a pinc Pilates program. This helped a lot too.
Fatigue was sporadic and on-going for quite a few months but with regular exercise I think it helped me to recover more quickly. You just need to listen to your body and build slowly. After a while I noticed that it was not the physical stuff that wore me out but the emotional or mental stresses. Exercise actually helped.
I also concentrated on a very healthy diet. I figured my body needed nutritious food to help repair the damage that treatment had caused.
Look after yourself, like you said, take it little by little. Getting some help from a professional (like an exercise physiologist) is a good idea too. You will have good days and days where you feel a bit disheartened by what seems like a backward step. But those not so good days or times will gradually get less and less. Patience and persistence will get you there. This is a great place for help and encouragement. Take care. Deanne xxx
It is such a long process and you do just desperately want to start feeling better at the end of it. I had a mastectomy, partial node clearance, chemo and then radio finishing about this time of the year back in 2013.
It does depend on your individual circumstances but I found I started to pick up about 4 weeks after I finished radio. As soon as my skin healed I started swimming. This really helped with the energy levels. Then I found I needed to exercise for short durations but everyday if I could. Early in the new year I started a pinc Pilates program. This helped a lot too.
Fatigue was sporadic and on-going for quite a few months but with regular exercise I think it helped me to recover more quickly. You just need to listen to your body and build slowly. After a while I noticed that it was not the physical stuff that wore me out but the emotional or mental stresses. Exercise actually helped.
I also concentrated on a very healthy diet. I figured my body needed nutritious food to help repair the damage that treatment had caused.
Look after yourself, like you said, take it little by little. Getting some help from a professional (like an exercise physiologist) is a good idea too. You will have good days and days where you feel a bit disheartened by what seems like a backward step. But those not so good days or times will gradually get less and less. Patience and persistence will get you there. This is a great place for help and encouragement. Take care. Deanne xxx