How long before normacy returns?

I_will_survive
I_will_survive Member Posts: 31
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I suppose this is similar to other questions previously asked, but at the urging of my husband, I'll ask anyway. I just finished chemo 6 weeks ago (Yeah!) but am still not feeling very well. Its not so much the fatigue I'm concerned about as I just started radiation too and know fatigue is a side effect...its the general overall feeling of not feeling well on top of the fatigue. I thought it was getting better a week ago when I had an afternoon in which I felt better than I had in months! Figured I was starting on the upswing, then the following day, I was back to the usual overall feeling "not good" (for lack of a better description). I do still have bone pain all over from the taxotere (dang, that is nasty stuff!) and I take Vicadine to help with that. I also started taking Saraphim for mild depression and that has helped. But its the overall not feeling good that is driving me nuts. I do take vitamins (multi, CoQ10, B-6) but am wondering if there is anything else out there I could try. I just want to get to feeling at least semi-normal again! Any suggestions/advice/comments will be greatly appreciated. I'm open to alternative medicine too, if there's anything out there that would help.

(a bit of background - I had a lumpectomy in August and they feel all the cancer was removed, diagnosed as Stage I (thank God!) but the cancer was agressive - Grade III - thus the chemo and radiation...4 rounds of A/C and 4 rounds of taxotere - now will have 36 blasts of radiation).

Thanks,
Joni

Comments

  • mssue
    mssue Member Posts: 242
    #2
    Hi!
    I wish I had all of the answers to your questions but I don't.I just finished up in Jan myself.But your having radiation and all so my prayers are with you.I too have days of extreme fatigue or just not feeling good but there are also days I feel pretty dog gone good,after the road we've all traveled there is a light at the end.I pretty much take the same thing you are taking maybe someone else will be able to point you in the right direction,but try to keep it as natural as possible.I just wanted you to know you are not alone,get plenty of rest and take good care of yourself.
    Love
    Sue
  • live42day
    live42day Member Posts: 64
    #3
    First of all I want to tell you I love your name! Just give yourself time. Your body had been through and is going through a lot. It will take time for it to repair the damage done by chemo. I have been finished with chemo just 2 yrs. Most of the time I feel great, but I still have days when I crash. Those times are when I try to do too much and think I am super woman. My oncologist told me it could take 2 yrs to feel like myself again. He has been right most of the time. Plus, we all recover at our own rate. You will notice an improvement each month. Good luck with your radiation.
    Janet
  • bunnie
    bunnie Member Posts: 233
    #4
    Cool glad to hear that you finished chemo.Good luck with Radation.I too have haerd that it can take up too two years too fell good again just dont push yourself and take it one day at a time.Bunnie
  • rob6
    rob6 Member Posts: 17
    #5
    Joni,
    Let me first say that everyone is different. My last chemo was on 12\11\00 and i still have my up and down days mostly down for me. I had the same chemo as you but only made it through 3 rounds of the taxatere before i became very sick. you might be anemic you should have you doc. or onc. teat you for this, that might be your problem.I am no sure what normal is anymore!!! hope your feeling better soon
    Robin
  • billandpatty
    billandpatty Member Posts: 86
    #6
    Joni:
    It takes time. Like the other postings, for me it was more than a year before I could really say I felt pretty good most of the time. I had fatigue from the treatments and pain from the surgeries and "hot flashes" from menopause and stiffness from ????, etc. I don't know what all you have had to have, but your body and you are having to do a lot of adjusting and mending. I think the fatique makes us take it easy 'til the rest of our body can catch up. I walked 3 miles every morning and worked while having treatments, but I had no reserve energy after 6 or 7 in the evenings. And as far as staying up later than 9, I just couldn't do it. I think it took awhile for my stomach to feel normal (I still don't drink many sodas - not even 1 a week). I think rest is the key, getting to bed at night (if I stayed up too late, it would just wipe me out the next day).

    Be good to yourself and give yourself time to heal. You've been through alot.

    Take care,
    Patty
  • I_will_survive
    I_will_survive Member Posts: 31
    #7
    billandpatty said:

    Joni:
    It takes time. Like the other postings, for me it was more than a year before I could really say I felt pretty good most of the time. I had fatigue from the treatments and pain from the surgeries and "hot flashes" from menopause and stiffness from ????, etc. I don't know what all you have had to have, but your body and you are having to do a lot of adjusting and mending. I think the fatique makes us take it easy 'til the rest of our body can catch up. I walked 3 miles every morning and worked while having treatments, but I had no reserve energy after 6 or 7 in the evenings. And as far as staying up later than 9, I just couldn't do it. I think it took awhile for my stomach to feel normal (I still don't drink many sodas - not even 1 a week). I think rest is the key, getting to bed at night (if I stayed up too late, it would just wipe me out the next day).

    Be good to yourself and give yourself time to heal. You've been through alot.

    Take care,
    Patty

    Patti, Robin, Sue, Janet & Bunnie,
    Thanks so much for your replies! I will just try to be more patient and ride this all out, taking life one day at a time and being thankful for the times I do feel "good". I think I had figured once I was done with chemo, I'd just return to "normal" (Robin I agree with you - not sure what is considered "normal" anymore! And so far I haven't been anemic, but will have it checked if things don't improve somewhat). Two years seems so long to have to deal with all of it, but then again its already been 9 months since surgery (dang, time flies by sometimes!).
  • deborah053
    deborah053 Member Posts: 4
    #8
    Joni, I just finished your exact regimen, except for mastectomy instead. Some days good and some days bad. And about the last week of rads I couldn't walk 50 yds. I was so tired. But that was a year ago and I am doing much better. Really started feeling better about a month after the rads. Gradually able to do more activity. Of course, everybody kinda does their own thing. Now on Arimadex (similar to Tamoxifen) and having a bit of joint pains and aches but able to work and behave normally. sounds like you are doing the right stuff. I recommend resting when you feel the need. Best thing I did was just try to think of the good things for each day, and if I had a bad day I just did the best I could. The good thing is the rads for breast CA don't cause bad problems with breathing or swallowing.
    You might ask your doctor if a medicine like Bextra would help your bone pain. keep laughing and kicking and screaming! Deb
  • I_will_survive
    I_will_survive Member Posts: 31
    #9
    deborah053 said:

    Joni, I just finished your exact regimen, except for mastectomy instead. Some days good and some days bad. And about the last week of rads I couldn't walk 50 yds. I was so tired. But that was a year ago and I am doing much better. Really started feeling better about a month after the rads. Gradually able to do more activity. Of course, everybody kinda does their own thing. Now on Arimadex (similar to Tamoxifen) and having a bit of joint pains and aches but able to work and behave normally. sounds like you are doing the right stuff. I recommend resting when you feel the need. Best thing I did was just try to think of the good things for each day, and if I had a bad day I just did the best I could. The good thing is the rads for breast CA don't cause bad problems with breathing or swallowing.
    You might ask your doctor if a medicine like Bextra would help your bone pain. keep laughing and kicking and screaming! Deb

    Thanks for the response! I woke up this morning and the bone pain wasn't quite as bad as it has been, so I'm taking that as a really good sign! I'm happy to hear you're doing better too.

    And I'll keep laughing, kicking & screaming to get thru this! Thanks again, Joni

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