Hi lovely ladies, Sorry but needing to vent . Feeling very down and totally over being treated for breast cancer today. Am 4,5 months into 6 months of chemo with radio to follow and am so tired all the time!!! Am a single parent with a busy 9 year old and am still work part time but not doing nearly as much as I used to. I generally sleep quite well but still wake up feeling so lethargic and sleepy - so my question is . Does this improve once treatment ends ? I'm so frustrated and feeling like life will never get any better. Sorry to whinge, Im just so worried all the time Hope you all had lovely Christmases Sophie xx

Hi Sophie. I am at the beginning of this journey so I can't imagine how you must feel but I guess I will find out! I was diagnosed with BC on 14 November, had a mastectomy on 18 December. I have clear margins on my chest wall (grade 2 tumour) but the results say I have it in my sentinal node so apparently that means more surgery and then chemo! I have a copy of the report and I thinkit says I am positive for hormone receptors. I thought I would try this blog to see if anyone has had a similiar experience? It is a bit frustrating that it is holiday time because I have to wait until the drs come back from their holidays. Yes it is the worrying that is so hard. Can't really talk to friends and family because then they start worrying too. But I reckon it is ok to vent! Hope you are feeling better soon. Tanya

Hi Tanya , Sorry to hear you have such a wait . The waiting is the hardest part . You will find plenty of women on here with similar circumstances to you ( too many of us with. This horrid disease) I've had a mastectomy and auxiliary clearance with 1 lymph node positive . My treatment is 6 months of chemo followed by radiotherapy and then Tamoxifen as my tumours were estrogen positive. Soon enough you will know your pathology report inside out and will have many questions which the lovely ladies on here will be able to answer for you as well as support you. The best piece of advice I have been given on here is to take one day at a time- when things get a bit overwhelming I really try to remember this. Take care and stay in touch, Sophie xx

Yes, life does get better pretty soon after treatment. I had 6 rounds of chemo (last one 19 September) and radiotherapy which ended 12 November. I started tamoxifen a week after radiotherapy ended. I am feeling better each day. I have found exercise helps to counteract most side effects of tamoxifen and am enjoying my daily 3 km walk and swim 500m most days (it is great in the Qld heat). I still get very tired at night but feel my energy levels are returning to normal. Oh, and my eyebrows and eyelashes are back and the hair is growing! I found the last 6 weeks of chemo were tough mentally and physically. My body was worn out and it felt like each day was a marathon or some sort of horrible endurance test! But you do get there and once you start to feel better it improves quickly. Just know that each day is another day closer to feeling better, and boy does it feel great to not have all those horrible chemo side effects anymore. I actually felt better each day of radiotherapy until the end when I got very tired and a bit sore. But life is great now. You will get there, just hang in there, one day at a time. Take care. Deanne xxxxoooo

Over it | BCNA Online Network

14 Replies

Tazza_A
Member
12 years ago
Hi Tanya I think I'm similar to you.....I was diagnosed with breast cancer on 28.10.2013. Things moved reasonably quickly from then on for me. On 9.11.2013, I had a left breast mastectomy and 7 left auxiliary nodes, 1 level 2 node and the left sentinel lymph node removed. Pathology shows a 30 cms, grade 2, invasive lobular carcinoma in situ, perineural invasion (1.5 mm) present, but no lymphovascular invasion. I have positive hormone receptors, too. On 12.11.2013, I had CT scans of head, chest, abdomen, pelvis and a full bone scan. All scans were clear. I'm on an enormous learning curve. I'm due to commence chemo on 22.1.2014 - 6 lots, 3 weeks apart and then daily tablets (not sure for how long). Will have a portacath fitted on 16.1.2014. I'm worried sick about the chemo and very anxious. I think it's fear of not knowing how I'm going to respond to the chemo and hearing and reading "horror" stories that is causing the anxiety. I've been told that it's "doable" and I'm clinging to that. Initially, I found the waiting the most difficult part. Feel free to message any time. All the best.
All_smiles
Member
12 years ago
Thanks Ladies, I know in the grand scale of things a missed holiday is not important but 6 months ago it's something I would have taken for granted. Wishing you all the best Joy when your treatment starts in the new year. Hopefully I can be of some support to you when you begin. I'm psyching myself up for chemo 7/12 tomorrow of Taxol so I guess I'm on the home stretch . I've found the Taxol so much better than the AC although after holding onto my eyebrows and eyelashes all this time they have decided to fall out - meanwhile my hair is growing back ( just :)!!!) Thanks again ladies , Sophie xx
Bearteggie
Member
12 years ago
Thank you for venting and sharing your experience so far in your chemo treatment. Your question about feeling better again after treatment and having it answered so positively by Deanne has made me feel less anxious about starting this treatment.

I can understand why you are feeling so over everthing right now. It must be very disappointing to be missing out on your holiday to Hawaii. I would be resentful and upset if it were me too. It isn't fair! I, like Deanne, hope that you get an opportunity in the very near future to take a holiday, if not to Hawaii, somewhere special.

All the best.

Joy xx
Bearteggie
Member
12 years ago
Thank you for venting and sharing your experience so far in your chemo treatment. Your question about feeling better again after treatment and having it answered so positively by Deanne has made me feel less anxious about starting this treatment.

I can understand why you are feeling so over everthing right now. It must be very disappointing to be missing out on your holiday to Hawaii. I would be resentful and upset if it were me too. It isn't fair! I, like Deanne, hope that you get an opportunity in the very near future to take a holiday, if not to Hawaii, somewhere special.

All the best.

Joy xx