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JennyD78
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Joined 8 years ago
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Re: 66-year old male with triple-positive breast cancer - still working
Hi @pnienaber I echo what everyone else has said about chemo and just wanted to say an extra "Hi" from a fellow rail infrastructure company worker (I'm at ARTC). I was lucky enough to work all the way through my treatment (chemo, surgery and radiation) with just a few days off and a lot of working from home. I was incredibly busy at the time organising rail and sleeper deliveries for Inland Rail but my wonderful manager was happy for me to work flexibly so I could stay on top of everything while managing appointments, fatigue etc. Being able to keep working definitely helped my mental heath :)7Views3likes0CommentsRe: Feeling different after cancer
Hi @MicheleR, I second @Afraser's suggestion of seeing a counsellor. After I'd finished all my stuff I was feeling totally fine...so fine that I convinced myself that it wasn't ok and I needed to see someone about it. I didn't know what to say in particular either so pretty much just said "I feel really ok and I think that's weird, am I weird? Do I need help?". The counsellor was excellent and asked some probing questions and after a couple of visits we concluded that yes, I'm totally weird. But I'm ok and my weirdness is just my "normal" lol. It was so bloody good though to talk it out with someone who didn't know me though, I really do recommend it.12Views4likes0CommentsRe: What did you do to mark the end of active treatment?
I lucked out and managed to line up a week in one of the Otis Foundation's properties in Bendigo so that was my main celebration. The private clinic I did radiotherapy through have a tree mural which you can put your fingerprint on which was a nice way to put a full stop on it.7Views3likes0CommentsRe: New and wanting to say hi 🙋♀️
Welcome Donna. I'm in Newcastle too and happy to have a chat if you ever want. I was diagnosed age 39 in Nov 2017 and did basically the same treatments as you, except I did chemo first. I did all mine through The Breast Centre at Gateshead/Lake Mac Private. Hope you're keeping reasonably well. Take care xo18Views4likes0CommentsRe: Need for Lyphodema Arm sleeves
Hi @Abbydog I didn't wear a compression sleeve on my first overseas flight after a bilateral mastectomy and axillary clearance (no lymphodema but a fair bit of cording, flight was 1 year post surgery). I had asked my physio about it and she said if I was really worried to get something but I decided that seeing as I was going to a friends place in Denmark first, I'd get something there if I needed it. Luckily, I didn't :)34Views0likes0CommentsRe: Tamoxifen side effects
Hi @cassidie Tamoxifen does commonly cause pain in joints so there's a chance your wrist pain is caused by it. I had to stop Tamoxifen because I also have rheumatoid arthritis and both of them combined made my hands almost useless. Other people seem to have had some success with requesting the brand name rather than the chemist brand tablet. There are also other medication options you could talk to your oncologist about if the pain is becomes unbearable.57Views0likes0CommentsRe: Down and depressed
Hi @Dreaming2019 I had a rough time on Tamoxifen too due to already having joint issues thanks to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had an oophrectomy and am about to start Exemestane and see how I go on that. If it exacerbates the joint pain, I'll stop taking it and try something else, or just stop all together. I'm all for doing everything I can to prevent a recurrence but, if it severely impacts my quality of life now, I'll definitely be choosing quality over quantity. If you haven't already, have a chat to your oncologist about how much benefit it will really have and that might help you make a decision. My onc suggested it would add about 2-3% benefit to recurrence prevention so I rest easier knowing that if I have to stop in order to be a functional human being, it isn't a huge risk I'm taking.15Views0likes0Comments
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