Exercise and energy levels during treatment
Hi, I start chemo and immunotherapy for TNBC in a couple of weeks. I am a fairly active person and race mountain bikes as a hobby. My husband and I have been considering trading my analogue mtb in for an emtb so I can still ride while having treatment. Our local trails are not flat at all so there is always imbuing involved - hence the emtb idea. I am getting mixed responses from friends who have either said "you'll be too sick to even get on an emtb" and others saying but you may not need the emtb. It is somewhat time sensitive because bikes are still limited in availability and our local shop has one in stock in my size that is similar capability to the one I have now. So....my questions are: What were your energy levels like when you were on taxol and carboplatin? If you used immunotherapy, did that impact your energy levels? I know everyone's experience is different, just want to look at some stats....
No energy
Diagnosed at 47 in Dec 2019 after I found a lump.My treatment consisted of lumpectomy, radiotherapy and Tamoxifen. About 3 months after starting Tamoxifen ( started April 2020 so 12 months ago ) it was like I hit a brick wall. I have little to no energy. I finished work at Christmas 2020 due to this and just do a little bit of work for my husbands business. Little as possible if I’m honest. I have tried regular exercise and still do. Doesn’t help.I started antidepressant. My mood is ok. I just have no energy. I have lost my Mojo which is frustrating. Anyone else that hasn’t had chemo feel like this? Or is it just me ?
Anxiety is a BITCH - as is depression
ANXIETY IS A BITCH All because someone said or did something, along comes that feeling, the tight chest, the unease etc... sometimes you don't even know what triggered it, it just hits you. Then you feel anxious about the anxiety! This in turn can lead to depression. So - That is how it starts - and the first step would be to call the hotline here & chat about it 1800500258 Or - see if your local health service or Cancer Clinic has access to a Counsellor/psychologist for a chat. There are many ways that chatting with a total stranger can help you ..... Some more benefits of counselling ..... It happens to ALL of us at one stage or another. Don't wait for it to become a major problem - get onto it early, learn some coping mechanisms (eg identifying the triggers) and disarm it before it becomes a major issue Take care xxx
Where did my gratitude go? I swear I left it right here somewhere...
can anyone relate to that feeling of getting through a bloody battle of all the treatment, the horror, the fight, and then that awesome feeling of sheer happy gratitude after it’s over? and you wanted to grab everyone and hug them and swore you’d never let a single second go by without being thrilled to be alive and not sick? and you were going to live an amazing productive love filled life embracing everything because you knew how fragile life can be? yeah. I’ve lost that. I’m depressed and wondering where the F_@&! did all of my pure gratitude and excitement go? I’m so angry at myself for being like this after fighting so hard to make it through. Has as anyone else found they just don’t have that spirit of gladness in everyday life anymore, that cancer stripped away your spark and you’ll never get it back and care about anything ever again?Three and a half years out and exhausted!!
Hi there, Do others who are this far out from surgery and radiation (still taking Tamoxifen) suffer from a whole body and mind exhaustion? I work as an Early Childhood teacher and have returned to work full time this year, after working four last year. I don't know if it's the Tamoxifen, my age (57) or the job..or all of the above!! Hard for anyone else to understand just how exhausted I feel? Cheers!
Fatigue study
Hey All. This popped up in my facebook feed. Now as I think I've almost beaten my fatigue monster I'm not going to join but thought this may be helpful for some of you. It's an app to assist in overcoming fatigue with prompts, to rest, exercise etc. It might just be what you need. Free if you become part of the study for 5 months. https://www.efs-survey.com/uc/untire/eligibility/ospe.php?SES=80205b0b62a1abd2d06ec2a31ca92e02&syid=100249&sid=100250&act=start&js=16&flash=0&devicetype=1
What is this? BC was all behind me
I have been doing really well. I mean really, really well. Diagnosed Oct 2015, surgery chemo, radiation, 12 months Herceptin all over by Dec 2016. Finally got back to work full time more than a year ago. Full steam ahead. Hot flushes - damn annoying - ever present and fluctuate in number from week to week, but so much better than before. Doing a demanding job that I love working 50 hours plus a week which I also don't mind. 32 kgs weight loss post chemo maintained. Neuropathy and osteo arthritis pain from taxol being managed. Did big OS trip which was great. Had port removed. Wasn't thinking about BC at all. It was in the past. All over. All done. Finished. So long and thanks for all the fish. Really everything was great. Then 5-6 weeks ago I started getting tired and didn't quite feel like myself. This has since turned into fatigue. Knock-me-down-wipe-me-out-have-to-sleep-right-this-very-minute type of fatigue just like back when I was doing chemo. Dragged myself around for weeks and then was sent home from work because I literally fell asleep at my desk. Totally not the new me. Had to go on reduced work hours which is hurting my pay packet. Blood tests show my billirubin levels are high but I am not jaundiced. Blood pressure 160/120. Stomach bloated but not firm. Still my GP thinks that it could all be nothing serious as sometimes liver function tests show weird things, my blood pressure has been on the high side in the past, and my BC was node negative, so we'll test again in 2 weeks. Then today the cancer psychiatrist mentioned that a lot of women similar to me who are forced into menopause by chemo often report a return of the same exhaustion they felt during treatment sometimes 2 or more years after treatment. Really??? I have never heard this. I mean I knew that the hot flushes can linger or come and go for a long time, I also heard that some women never quite return back to the way they were, but I don't think I have ever heard anyone mention their fatigue had returned after they have enjoyed a long period without it. Just wondering if this sounds right? Have others experienced a return of fatigue so long after treatment finished and after doing well for a period of time? If so, is there something that made it better or go away? I so need to get my mojo back. Any advice is appreciated. P.S. I am really careful about what I eat (good, sensible food, low-no sugar, minimal alcohol), am maintaining good gut health with diet and a probiotic, have reasonable activity given my arthritis, and tests show good iron, Vitamin D etc etc.Well being
Today I filled out a questionnaire for the Ex-med Cancer program. Well I cannot believe how it has caused me to feel slightly emotional. Naturally the questionnaire is in depth and what it has done has stirred up all the emotions. I can talk about it until the cows come home but to actually relive it as I went through the questions...............I guess it never leaves us, we just park it and hope that the treatment we are on knocks off any strays and we don't have a recurrence, but we never know do we! Fragile and vulnerable - hopefully when I have my assessment appointment next week, along with GP and Oncology appointments I won't be such a fragile little flower! End of whinge, just needed to get it off my chest! Take care everyone
Exercise during chemotherapy
I am halfway through my chemotherapy today. I have walked almost every day during treatment so far. I like walking and did it a fair bit before BC. When I was diagnosed I asked about what I could do, and was advised to eat well (a very nebulous statement with which I was NOT satisfied, and rectified soon after with visits to an excellent dietician) and exercise. I was informed that the latter had been proven to reduce side effects and fatigue. I am having TC chemo. Bloody awful, and so far, Day 3 - 5 sees me king hit with fatigue. I walk early, 1.5kms and that's me done for the day. By afternoon I can't even sit upright. However by Day 6 I've been managing 3kms and through the rest of the 21 day cycle I slowly build up to 5 - 6kms. I've been hit with a host of physical side effects, but so far they're sitting in the low to medium band of irritation. Nausea, constant low level headache, reflux, sore nail beds, itchy sore plams & soles, gritty eyes, dry nose, and a few more I can't recall now! Has anyone out there walked through their chemo? If so, how have you found it?
Strength training study
Has your Physio, Doctor, Oncologist or Surgeon recommended exercise as part of your Cancer treatment? Exercise has been shown to reduce side effects of treatment, such as fatigue, help your treatment be more effective, reduce your risk or recurrence and reduce your chance of dying from cancer. Read this interesting article about research out of University of Sydney: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/11/01/strength-training-not-cardio-helps-prevent-cancer-study_a_23263859/
