Feeling overwhelmed and unsure what to do

I’m at the other end of the scale - I finish ten years of hormonal therapy next May, after a mastectomy, six months of chemo and a year of Herceptin. It seems to have gone rather quickly! A decision on continuing work depends so much on how you react to chemo - nausea and fatigue are common. Best to discuss some options.  I didn’t have any bad reactions and preferred to work to keep things as normal as possible. Like @Kabee, I had a couple of wigs and while I told most of my immediate colleagues what was going on, many others had no idea. One of the things I discovered was, surprisingly, how adaptable you can become to circumstances you never imagined. While you will have lots of guidance on healing your body, look after your emotional health too. Do what makes you feel good as often as you can. Best wishes for the next steps. 

Hi @Honestly, sorry you are going through this. It is such an overwhelming time. I had a lumpectomy and 2 nodes removed. My breast cancer was grade 3 so aggressive and high risk of return. I was diagnosed in 2020 in lockdown. I had surgery, 4 months of chemo and 20 rounds of radium and now hormone blockers for 5 to 10 yrs. I am still here and going well. 

Chemo doses are weight calculated and also determined by your blood work as to dose required. You could get fatigued from it. I didn't work during treatment. I had only just retired. Not a great retirement start. I didn't use the cold cap because I can't stand the cold and my oncologist said it had mixed results. I shaved my head before it fell out which is usually around 17 days after the first chemo session. 

I managed treatment rather well I guess. I walked every day, ate well, never got sick but it was an emotional ride and hard sometimes. I had good husband and son support. Some family and friends were ok and others weren't as supportive as I thought they would be.

This is a time to put yourself first. You must do everything you can for you to recover and some people will support you and others may not understand. Everything from here is about your recovery.

 In terms of working from home now, that's up to you. Is that what you want to do? Is your work place supportive? You may want to work from home during chemo so you aren't exposed to others germs etc as chemo reduces your immunity. 

Happy to answer more questions. Good luck with your decisions and treatment.

Hi @Honestly
Your title says it all - feeling overwhelmed on a diagnosis of breast cancer is perfectly normal

Hi @Honestly,
It’s such a whirlwind of emotions with so much happening all at once. Like you, I’m also high risk for recurrence. I had a lumpectomy but I had a re-excision too. I did my chemo before surgery though as my tumour was big, I had lymph node involvement and it was aggressive. Im not sure what low dose chemo is but perhaps someone else might know. 

A big hug to you @Honestly This is a difficult time and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Just take one step at a time. Cold cap is used for chemotherapy which can help with hair loss. I know it works for some people but I still lost quite a lot of hair using the cold cap. I’d recommend taking some time off work if possible, you need time to deal with all these treatments. On the other hand, work may help to distract you from thinking too much, so, it really depends on how you feel about your work. Do you have a breast care nurse? A breast care nurse can be an important source of support during your treatment. Hope your appointment goes well. I’d be thinking of you ❤️