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Dorothy_Parkes's avatar
Dorothy_Parkes
Member
10 years ago

Trying to get healthy

Hi, It has been a while since my last blog. I have finished Chemo - The Nabpaclitaxel trial was an overwhelming success with a complete pathological response. I hope that this drug becomes available for others soon.

Surgery is over, with 1.5 kg off both breasts - I decided on breast conserving surgery and a reduction of the other side.  Just as well - they found DCIS in the "good" side, so radiation was ordered for both sides.  This has now finished and I have started Arimidex.  Still on Herceptin as well.  Fatigue has become a major problem again - I was wondering if any one on arimidex has also experienced fatigue - or is it post radiation fatigue?  Anyway, back to trying to get healthy. Good luck to everyone.

chemotherapy
dcis
surgery
  • mum2jj's avatar
    mum2jj
    Member
    10 years ago

    Ah fatigue... I still struggle with it at times, even 4 years post treatment.  I think it has more to do with meopause now.  However I just drag myself out to walk no matter how tired I am and I always feel better afterwards.  I have become a big green juicer and know that I am getting great nutrition every day from my juices.  As Deanne says, slowly does it, if you make too many radical changes at once it is hard to stick to them. Be kind to yourself too and don't beat yourself up if you don't manage all  you set out to each day. Tomorrow is always there.

    Paula x

  • rivergum's avatar
    rivergum
    Member
    10 years ago

    That's great news Dorothy!

    I took up the offer of an eight week rehab program at my local hospital with an exercise physiologist. Even if I was tired when I started a circuit, I went at my own pace and found that I felt much more energised when I finished. It really made a difference by the end of it and I kept it up until my most recent surgery. Now I'm back walking again and thinking about getting back into a light circuit to build up the strength. It really helped with chemo brain too!

    Best of luck

    Meg x

  • Deanne's avatar
    Deanne
    Member
    10 years ago

    Hi Dorothy

    It is a good feeling when you near the end of all your treatment and you do just want to get healthy again. I found fatigue was the biggest side effect after I finished my chemo and radio and started hormone therapy (I am on tamoxifen). For me I felt it was just the whole combination of everything I had been through that probably caused it.

    Things that helped me to get healthy and leave the fatigue behind me were making small changes to my diet (one step at a time rather than anything radical) and exercise. I did a lot of walking and saw a Pink Pilates physio who really helped me to get moving again. I know a lot of ladies also recommend the Encore program. In the end it also just takes time. Someone told me to expect it to take about as long as treatment lasted to feel really good again. For me I think it took a little bit longer than that (7 months treatment but more like 10 or 12 months recovery!). But I definitely felt better the more that I got moving.

    Hope that you are soon noticing some improvements to encourage you along. Take care. Deanne xxx