Post Treatment

Cressida,

Good to hear from you and that you now have chemotherapy and radiation behind you. Hang in there -- you'll hear from others on how to deal with exhaustion and other after effects soon.

Best,

Maria

I once read an interview with an oncologist who said that the time it takes to recover is the same length of time as the period between discovery of the lump and the end of radiation. So go easy on yourself (and on the expectations)!

That being said, living like an invalid can just make us feel more tired. When I returned to work after treatment, I worked out a plan with a rehab specialist from my insurance company and we mapped out an extremely gradual return to work (just a few hours a week, at first). My advice to you would be to take baby steps. Drive yourself somewhere but bring a friend who could take over at the wheel, if you need to. Go for walks, but bring cab fare, just in case. Plan short outings and don't feel bad if you need to excuse yourself early.

The period post treatment can be really hard for some of us as we impatiently wait to feel "normal" again. Also, sometimes, folks who have previously supportive forget that the support shouldn't end after the last radiation treatment!

So....don't be afraid to ask for help and go easy on yourself (repeat many, many times to yourself and others, if you need to).

Take good care,

Laurie

p.s.: stay in touch!

But nice to hear from you again.

You might want to read my piece called Will I Ever Feel Better Again? As Laurie says, it just takes a lot longer than you think it should to get over the effects of all of this treatment you've had. Your body and spirit both take a beating... but time heals. You can't rush it.

My one piece of advice would be don't be too inactive, even though you're exhausted. Go for a walk ever day, even if it's just 50 yards down the street and back. Inactivity often makes you feel worse and worse; how you feel now isn't going to be "cured" by rest, as illness sometimes is. I think you need to gradually get moving again. And give yourself a break; don't compare YOUR recovery time to anyone else's. Your experience  with cancer and recovery is yours alone; comparisons aren't useful.

So, good luck to you, Cressida. Be good to yourself; and gradually, you'll feel better. - PJH

Hi All,

I can't tell you how overwhelmed I feel by the prompt response from all of you. It's relieving to know that what I'm feeling at the moment is to be expected,and I'm so grateful for the helpful tips. I had a real scare one month after my last rad when I felt a lump in my right armpit where my healthy and only breast is now. On the doc's advice I had an FNA done on the swelling/lump/whatever & a mammography of my breast. Both came out clear.The doc at the cancer hospital said it was not related to cancer. Now I've begun to wonder could it be lymphoma? Is it possible for lymphomo to follow hot on the heels of treatment of breast cancer? I didn't put this query into my earlier post because it would have become pretty confusing.

Cressida