Life after treatment

epark
epark Member Posts: 339
in Breast Cancer #1
Hi Ladies,

So I’m still early in my treatment, I still have 4 more chemo treatment, than rads, etc... It feels like this journey will never end. I like to hear from women who have already completed their treatment and how you guys are doing today. How has this changed your outlook? I tell myself there is a reason for everything even though we don’t know at the time so I was wondering has anyone found their reason.

Take Care & God Bless
Eva

Comments

  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #2
    Finished 1/15/10
    I finished active treatment 1/15/10, did the lumpectomy, 4 rounds A/C, 12 weeks of taxol (that one sucked for me big time) 33 rads. I was diagnosed IIIa, 6.5cm turmor in left breast. I'm taking anastrozole (post menopause) which I had trouble with the first few months so I stopped for a couple months and MO convinced me by dangling the "we want to consider you cured in a few years" and I know that's as close to the good "c" word (cured) as I'll ever get.

    I have my energy back (for a 57 year old) I worked all through treatment so that's not different. I feel really good, and not just considering but really good in the scheme of life. I've finally been able to lose weight (33 lbs) in the last 6 or 7 months, hair is back, salt and pepper and I'm not changing that, I deserve every grey hair I've got, besides a friend asked me if I'd had it frosted, so it can't be that bad.

    Anyway, as awful as treatment is and it is, hang on, you'll get through it and you will begin to feel better and life will be excellent again, maybe even better because this has certainly been a learning experience and it does make you stronger.

    Good luck on finishing, praying you have minimal issues and a long and happy life dancing with NED.

    hugs

    marge
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #3
    mwallace1325 said:

    Finished 1/15/10
    I finished active treatment 1/15/10, did the lumpectomy, 4 rounds A/C, 12 weeks of taxol (that one sucked for me big time) 33 rads. I was diagnosed IIIa, 6.5cm turmor in left breast. I'm taking anastrozole (post menopause) which I had trouble with the first few months so I stopped for a couple months and MO convinced me by dangling the "we want to consider you cured in a few years" and I know that's as close to the good "c" word (cured) as I'll ever get.

    I have my energy back (for a 57 year old) I worked all through treatment so that's not different. I feel really good, and not just considering but really good in the scheme of life. I've finally been able to lose weight (33 lbs) in the last 6 or 7 months, hair is back, salt and pepper and I'm not changing that, I deserve every grey hair I've got, besides a friend asked me if I'd had it frosted, so it can't be that bad.

    Anyway, as awful as treatment is and it is, hang on, you'll get through it and you will begin to feel better and life will be excellent again, maybe even better because this has certainly been a learning experience and it does make you stronger.

    Good luck on finishing, praying you have minimal issues and a long and happy life dancing with NED.

    hugs

    marge

    Eva,
    Sweetie trust me, life if definitely better on the other side. I just passed through those gates three months ago. I'm all healed up from radiation, my hair is growing really quick and nice and thick and curly. My energy is almost back to normal and I feel great when I get my evening walks in. I still have my implant exchange surgery coming up in November and some other cosmetic follow-up stuff. But as far as treatments go... Woohoo.. Life is good.

    Hang in there sweetie, reflecting back now that time went really fast.

    Hugs,
    Lorrie
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #4
    I did not have chemo but I
    I did not have chemo but I hate to SAY "I ONLY HAD Radiation!"-writing in a journal truely helped me! I finished my treatments June 28, 2008 (the only date of all of this BC I remember)

    I have not changed my outlook , I DONT" THINK! I try to look on the good of things! I THINK everything in life is for a reason even though we may never ever know!

    I think to myself it could be worse!

    I did change my outlook in one way-while waiting for treatment daily I met many nice ladies. I DID find out I was much better off then most of them -so was greatful for that. I have never in my life thought for anything.."WHY me"

    Denise
  • dbhadra
    dbhadra Member Posts: 344 Member
    #5
    disneyfan2008 said:

    I did not have chemo but I
    I did not have chemo but I hate to SAY "I ONLY HAD Radiation!"-writing in a journal truely helped me! I finished my treatments June 28, 2008 (the only date of all of this BC I remember)

    I have not changed my outlook , I DONT" THINK! I try to look on the good of things! I THINK everything in life is for a reason even though we may never ever know!

    I think to myself it could be worse!

    I did change my outlook in one way-while waiting for treatment daily I met many nice ladies. I DID find out I was much better off then most of them -so was greatful for that. I have never in my life thought for anything.."WHY me"

    Denise

    Just finished radiation
    Which completes nine months of treatment for me. Now begins the tamoxifin....

    You will get to the other side of treatment. When I started chemo in January I was looking so far ahead to surgery, radiation....and yesterday, it was all done...amazing how the time passed.

    Laura
  • mamolady
    mamolady Member Posts: 796 Member
    #6
    Eva,
    Hang in there, it will
    Eva,
    Hang in there, it will be over before you know it. For me, I am looking forward to the holidays! Last treatment was 6-29. Started arimidex in july. I am feeling pretty good so far! Still tired but that doesn't slow me down too much!
    Cindy
  • roseann4
    roseann4 Member Posts: 992 Member
    #7
    mamolady said:

    Eva,
    Hang in there, it will
    Eva,
    Hang in there, it will be over before you know it. For me, I am looking forward to the holidays! Last treatment was 6-29. Started arimidex in july. I am feeling pretty good so far! Still tired but that doesn't slow me down too much!
    Cindy

    Over 2 years
    since I completed my radiation. I feel great! Prior to my diagnosis my life was very stressful. I had gained 25 lbs and felt worn out and very old. When my surgeon outlined what was ahead of me I didn't think I could handle it. Then an interesting thing happened. All those stressful things took a back seat to my healing. I started meditation and reading healing books. I also joined a support group. I was then selected for a post treatment study at Yale called The Lean Study which will hopefully lead to changes in the way breast cancer treatment is handled. They want to prove that nutrition and exercise counseling should be covered by insurance in the same way it is covered for other major illnesses. I have lost 26 lbs. and wear a pedometer so I can be sure to take 10,000 steps a day. I no longer have any obvious side effects from Arimidex. I am 4 months in on a 6 month study. I know when they run the same tests they did at the start of the study the results will be significantly better. This has reset my metabolism and my outlook on life.

    Life did not go back to the way it was but for me it has improved significantly.

    Love to all!

    Roseann
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #8
    roseann4 said:

    Over 2 years
    since I completed my radiation. I feel great! Prior to my diagnosis my life was very stressful. I had gained 25 lbs and felt worn out and very old. When my surgeon outlined what was ahead of me I didn't think I could handle it. Then an interesting thing happened. All those stressful things took a back seat to my healing. I started meditation and reading healing books. I also joined a support group. I was then selected for a post treatment study at Yale called The Lean Study which will hopefully lead to changes in the way breast cancer treatment is handled. They want to prove that nutrition and exercise counseling should be covered by insurance in the same way it is covered for other major illnesses. I have lost 26 lbs. and wear a pedometer so I can be sure to take 10,000 steps a day. I no longer have any obvious side effects from Arimidex. I am 4 months in on a 6 month study. I know when they run the same tests they did at the start of the study the results will be significantly better. This has reset my metabolism and my outlook on life.

    Life did not go back to the way it was but for me it has improved significantly.

    Love to all!

    Roseann

    Oh, Eva, honey it is so worth going through
    I finished 6 rounds of TAC in May of '10 and 33 rads in August of '10. The best advice I got was try not to think of the whole picture--with all the treatments and all the days of radiation. Try to think of it one step at a time, ticking off the treatments as you accomplish them.

    Since I was diagnosed as Stage 3C invasive ductal ca with 10 positive lymph nodes, my onc. said we were going to hit this hard with everything we had--at first a little scary to hear, but I'm so glad I did. I have gradually gotten my energy back, my hair is great now, I've gained a few pounds because of the Arimidex and Lexapro I'm on, but who cares! I'm alive, enjoying life again and still--taking one day at a time and trying to make the most of it. Are there some gray days--sure--just like before cancer. But life is good and I want to try to make the most of it. Like others have said--my support group means everything to me--they are the real people who truly "get it." I'm also on a low dose anti-depressant (Lexapro) which helps me keep my sad feelings at bay and keeps me balanced. I'm back to the gym 4x a week.

    It's normal to feel the way you're feeling right now, but, trust me--it will definitely be worth the effort. Good luck to you.

    Hugs, Renee
  • pokrydi
    pokrydi Member Posts: 99
    #9
    missrenee said:

    Oh, Eva, honey it is so worth going through
    I finished 6 rounds of TAC in May of '10 and 33 rads in August of '10. The best advice I got was try not to think of the whole picture--with all the treatments and all the days of radiation. Try to think of it one step at a time, ticking off the treatments as you accomplish them.

    Since I was diagnosed as Stage 3C invasive ductal ca with 10 positive lymph nodes, my onc. said we were going to hit this hard with everything we had--at first a little scary to hear, but I'm so glad I did. I have gradually gotten my energy back, my hair is great now, I've gained a few pounds because of the Arimidex and Lexapro I'm on, but who cares! I'm alive, enjoying life again and still--taking one day at a time and trying to make the most of it. Are there some gray days--sure--just like before cancer. But life is good and I want to try to make the most of it. Like others have said--my support group means everything to me--they are the real people who truly "get it." I'm also on a low dose anti-depressant (Lexapro) which helps me keep my sad feelings at bay and keeps me balanced. I'm back to the gym 4x a week.

    It's normal to feel the way you're feeling right now, but, trust me--it will definitely be worth the effort. Good luck to you.

    Hugs, Renee

    Hang in there it seems like
    Hang in there it seems like it's going to take forever I started this 1/4/11 and just finished on 8/25/11 my 50th bday after 2 surgeries 8 rounds of chemo and 6 1/2 wks of radiation. I know I thought it would never end but it actually went faster than I thought it would. Life will be better I do have some joint pain and not 100% but just knowing I am done makes it all worth it. Remember it's hard now but you are doing everything now to get yourself better for life. Love Diane
  • Phoenix10
    Phoenix10 Member Posts: 47 Member
    #10
    Appreciation
    Hello epark,

    Its all worth it and I found it amazing how much more appreciative I am of everything now. I take nothing for granted. (3 years of fighting through 16 chemo cycles and radiation)

    My doctor called me the graduate after all was done, being 17 when I started. That was 18 hears ago, but I prayed and prayed that I would take anything else than have to go through more chemo. Today, I admit any scare freaks me out but I am much stronger.

    I live life to the fullest knowing how fragile it can be. As for the chemo, etc. I also looked at it as a project that I just had to complete, then I'd be free. Today, I'm happy and always make sure I stop to smell the flowers (literally, I do!).

    Thinking of you!

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