body pain after chemo

Hi Vinn, I so understand what you are feeling and I am sorry you have to go through this. What you describe is exactly what I was feeling a few months ago in a post I wrote called Treatment is over. Where did normal me go? Being treated for cancer is so overwhelming both physically and mentally. At that time I wrote that post I was just so drained of energy, I felt that I had so much on my shoulders and I was overwhelmed with everything that I wanted to scream "ENOUGH ALREADY". I also wanted to punch out anybody who said "oh you are looking so great" when all I was feeling was crap. Being in constant pain made everything difficult. But most of all I felt that I was failing. I had an expectation that I should've been back to normal after surgery, chemo and radiation had finished and I just wasn't. I kept saying to myself, "what the hell is wrong with me?" It is only now, a few months down the track that I realise that nothing was wrong with me and what I was feeling was totally normal.

When I felt like that,  I knew I had to reach out for help in order to cope. I think I said at the time that if someone told me eating monkey testicles would help me feel better than I would do it! I was that desperate for things to change and would try anything. Anyway, the first thing I did was to ring the cancer council to arrange some counselling. I started light exercise. Then I joined a cancer rehabilitation program at a uni gym. I saw a psychologist that specialises in cancer patients, patients with chronic fatigue and patients that require pain management as well as a wonderful psychiatrist that specialises in women with breast cancer even though I was not depressed.  The psychiatrist was part of the cancer centre I was attending. Before I even spoke the psychiatrist said to me 'let me tell you how I think you may be feeling..." and then proceeded to describe exactly what I was going through. She was the first doctor that I saw that actually 'got it'. She reassured me that 95% of her patients report feeling the same as I did after treatment and then she promised me that things do get better - they just take time.  I thought a psychiatrist would put me on medication which was a fear of mine, but she didn't as I wasn't depressed and yet I am still getting better. 

But I did have to stop working in order to concentrate on myself. Best thing I ever did. Before, I felt as if I was hanging on by my finger tips. Now I don't. Just like during chemo I am taking it one day at a time. There's the physical we have to deal with but also the emotional/psychological. I now know I need to have heaps of rest in order to deal with both. So hang in there I promise you things WILL get better and remember you are not alone. We are here with you and we 'get it'.

There are many anti inflammatory diets on the web. Just google anti inflammatory diets. They will tell you what foods not to eat (like anything acidic such as tomatoes and citrus). My diet is something I developed with my GP who is a beast cancer survivor herself.  I also use the calorie and exercise tracker available when you register online with Optislim to keep track of what I eat and my activity which I find to be great. 

I am also reading a great book which is called  The Cancer Survivor's Companion: Practical Ways to Cope with Your Feelings After Cancer.  You can order it through Amazon to read online or purchase a hard copy through Fishpond.com.au which is the cheapest hard copy option I found. I have both an electronic copy as well as a hard copy. It is such a great book as it describes the mental trauma cancer patients go through and provides tips to help cope. 

Sending heaps of hugs, Nadine