When will I feel well again?

ladybug626
ladybug626 Member Posts: 25
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi,

I finished 5 rounds of chemo 5 weeks ago. I feel tired all of the time. I think I am depressed. The threat of recurrence is so frightening. There is also a constant burning in my stomach. It is difficult to think. Sometimes it is hard to complete a sentence without forgetting the words. The oncologist thinks I may need more thyroid medicine due to the chemo. Has chemo effected anyone else's thyroid? How long does it take for the side effects of chemo to wear off? I am in remission and hope to feel better soon. Since the cancer is hormone receptor negative, the oncologist decided to watch and wait instead of giving me Megace. Your advice & support is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

God Bless,

JAshe2350

Comments

  • blessings1020
    blessings1020 Member Posts: 54
    #2
    Jashe...I am so sorry you are feeling so badly. I am almost a year post op (4/25) and my last chemo was in Sept. 03 and I am still totally fatigued.

    I think the depression is adding to your fatigue as this is one of the symptoms (I am also biPolar and have clinical depression).

    It is natural to fear recurrence when you have cancer, however, I would certainly have the depression, your thyroid (I had 1/2 of mine removed 26 yrs. ago) and the burning in your stomach checked.

    As far as forgetting your words...I think chemo does this to our brains. I am doing that as well as walking into a room and forgetting why I went there.

    I have a quick question for you re your cancer being hormone receptor negative (so is mine), what is Megace if you don't mind telling me?

    Take good care of yourself and I pray that you will soon start to feel better.

    Blessings...Diane
  • ladybug626
    ladybug626 Member Posts: 25
    #3
    blessings1020 said:

    Jashe...I am so sorry you are feeling so badly. I am almost a year post op (4/25) and my last chemo was in Sept. 03 and I am still totally fatigued.

    I think the depression is adding to your fatigue as this is one of the symptoms (I am also biPolar and have clinical depression).

    It is natural to fear recurrence when you have cancer, however, I would certainly have the depression, your thyroid (I had 1/2 of mine removed 26 yrs. ago) and the burning in your stomach checked.

    As far as forgetting your words...I think chemo does this to our brains. I am doing that as well as walking into a room and forgetting why I went there.

    I have a quick question for you re your cancer being hormone receptor negative (so is mine), what is Megace if you don't mind telling me?

    Take good care of yourself and I pray that you will soon start to feel better.

    Blessings...Diane

    Hi Diane,

    Thank you for your message and comforting words. Megace (Megesterol) is similar to progestin. It is sometimes used to treat metastatic breast cancer and endometrial cancer. My tumor tested negative for progesterone and estrogen receptors. If it tested positive for estrogen receptors, then Megace would help prevent/interfere with cancer growth.

    Megace is also used in some cancer/AIDS patients to stimulate the appetite, its main side effect! It wasn't a popular one with me, so I am a bit relieved I don't need to take it. It can also cause swelling in the legs with a potential complication of blood clots in the leg.

    While I am relieved not to deal with the Megace side effects, I feel nervous about not doing any type of treatment. The oncologist mentioned chemotherapy every 8 weeks for maintenance. I think he based the suggestion on some studies with ovarian cancer. He felt it may prolong remission. It went into remission at the beginning of March. It is metastatic so recurrence is a concern.

    Did you do anything in addition to the chemo since Sept./03? I almost miss the chemo because it made me feel like I was doing something active against the disease. Is that crazy? Remission is still new to me.

    Hopefully the beautiful Spring weather will renew us and increase our energy! Best wishes to you!

    Many Blessings,
    Janet
  • vac
    vac Member Posts: 97
    #4
    hi everyone i am doing great. i have been back to work almost a month i work 2- 12 1/2 hrs a day. my energy is pretty good i am a little tired after 8 hours, i am really happy to be back at the work force. i love the people that i work with. they have gone out of their way to accomadate me. i had my stem cell in oct 2003. and finish my radiation tx march 1 the day i started back to work. i want to wish the best for everyone. you to will get through this
  • blessings1020
    blessings1020 Member Posts: 54
    #5
    ladybug626 said:

    Hi Diane,

    Thank you for your message and comforting words. Megace (Megesterol) is similar to progestin. It is sometimes used to treat metastatic breast cancer and endometrial cancer. My tumor tested negative for progesterone and estrogen receptors. If it tested positive for estrogen receptors, then Megace would help prevent/interfere with cancer growth.

    Megace is also used in some cancer/AIDS patients to stimulate the appetite, its main side effect! It wasn't a popular one with me, so I am a bit relieved I don't need to take it. It can also cause swelling in the legs with a potential complication of blood clots in the leg.

    While I am relieved not to deal with the Megace side effects, I feel nervous about not doing any type of treatment. The oncologist mentioned chemotherapy every 8 weeks for maintenance. I think he based the suggestion on some studies with ovarian cancer. He felt it may prolong remission. It went into remission at the beginning of March. It is metastatic so recurrence is a concern.

    Did you do anything in addition to the chemo since Sept./03? I almost miss the chemo because it made me feel like I was doing something active against the disease. Is that crazy? Remission is still new to me.

    Hopefully the beautiful Spring weather will renew us and increase our energy! Best wishes to you!

    Many Blessings,
    Janet

    Janet,

    Thank you so much for your reply to my questions. My tumor also tested negative for progesterone and estrogen receptors.

    I am having quite a few complications with my expander and my bone scan and PET scan results are showing "something" (I am in excruciating pain every day) but my oncol. said it's "nothing" (easy for him to say) so I changed oncol as of yesterday.

    I know what you mean about chemo being over and feeling you should be doing something else to keep the cancer at bay. With every cough, every pain, I just "know" it's back.

    I have done nothing since my last chemo treatment and no, you are not crazy for missing the chemo. At least then you knew that these drugs were working to kill those "nasty" cells. I too, almost wish I was doing something to assure that I am cancer free. All I do at this point is have my port flushed and see my oncol.

    I pray that you will find comfort, peace, and boundless energy and that your mind will be at ease.

    Blessings...Diane
  • billandpatty
    billandpatty Member Posts: 86
    #6
    JAshe2350
    Feeling tired after the treatments is pretty normal for all of us. Everyone recovers at a different pace, but for most of us it takes awhile. In my own case, I had 2 surgeries, 4 rounds of chemo and then 7 wks of radiation -- even after a year, I couldn't stay up very late at night and if I did for more than one night in a row, I paid the price. I would feel like I had a hangover -- it would just wipe me out. So, as long as I got my rest I did pretty well.

    I finished radiation in the Fall amd would try and rake the leaves in our yard -- couldn't do it all at one time, I could do a little bit and then I had to rest. I think when you start feeling better, it's hard to believe just how weak you've gotten. So, be patient with yourself, you'll get better but it takes time. It probably took about 2 years after my treatments to actually feel about normal, as far as energy.

    My cancer is ER - also. It's a worry, but I try to get going and live my life that I've gotten a second chance at. I ask my onc about it almost every time I have a check up -- to see if there's anything on the horizon to help us ER- people.

    And your concerns about your memory ... been there too! I think it's due to a couple of factors 1) you're under a lot of stress while you're going through all this and added stress can make you forgetful 2) you've had chemo that has killed off cancer and healthy cells -- so it probably got some brain cells too. I know I had trouble remembering simple details or names, but I did get better. Now, I try to make a more concious effort to remember stuff. But do check your thyroid if that's what your doctor wants you to do.

    There's always some advice and support out here, so whenever you need it, just ask -- someone will answer.
    Take care,
    Patty

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