Can my body do this?

natly15
natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
1'st chemo 10/6 with adriamycin/cytoxan. Need 11 more chemo treatments,then rads. Diagnosed stage 2 ER+ (13%). Got neulasta shot,took claritin,it worked fine. My white count is very low and I have no energy. Muga scan came back 70, strong heart. Taking 6 antibiotics a day to treat infection at surgical site. I've had minor health issues thru the years but have always come out on the upside. I'll be 67 in Jan. Forced myself to walk yesterday and prepare dinner. Ached so much last nite needed benadryl to help me sleep. Doing a lot of sitting. I know attitude, prayer, and hope are so important but at this energy level I wonder if my body can do this? I may feel energized for 10 minutes and then thats it for the day. Any suggestions, recommendations or encouragement? I'm also taking zoloft.

Comments

  • Tux
    Tux Member Posts: 544
    #2
    Sorry to hear that your
    Sorry to hear that your energy level is so low. Hang in there--it will get better!
    In the meantime, get all the rest you need. I know it is so aggravating not to be able to do as much as you would like, but these days will end.

    My treatments ended a few weeks ago & I am finally beginning to feel a little more normal, and you will,too!

    Hugs & prayers sent your way....
  • RE
    RE Member Posts: 4,591 Member
    #3
    Exhusting
    Hi Natly, you can do it but it will be exhausting. Rest and sleep when your body wants to, it may mean a lot of unexpected naps or it may mean you sleep a whole day away and that is just fine. The most round of chemo I have had to endure during treatment was 18 and by the end of it I could barely walk across the street and down three two houses to the mailbox. Actually I couldn't make it without resting on a neighbors lawn. The Neulasta shots make your bones ache (which by the way means its working), I found that heading pad helped a lot as well as taking advil. If it becomes too troublesome your onco can give you stronger pain meds. I will be praying for you, I do believe your body can do this!

    Hugs,

    RE
  • e_hope
    e_hope Member Posts: 370
    #4
    right now you just need to
    right now you just need to let your body rest and heal... don't worry about walking or preparing dinner for others... get help and rest... rest... rest ... if you don't your body will do it for you and it wont be pretty... when you start feeling better and healed than begin walking... Over doing it... is going to make you feel worse... what you are going through pushing through is not going to help... its only going to make you hurt more and feel like crap...!!!!!!

    YES...... you can do it. just listen to your body.

    I finished dose dense chemo 8 treatments 7 weeks ago.. and I had days I barely got out of bed. I had to have family and friends and hubby take care of my 3 young children, but because I did that on those days my body bounced back a lot quicker.. This is not the time to feel like you have to do everything.... This is the time to take care of yourself and no one else...

    Best wishes
  • tasha_111
    tasha_111 Member Posts: 2,072
    #5
    e_hope said:

    right now you just need to
    right now you just need to let your body rest and heal... don't worry about walking or preparing dinner for others... get help and rest... rest... rest ... if you don't your body will do it for you and it wont be pretty... when you start feeling better and healed than begin walking... Over doing it... is going to make you feel worse... what you are going through pushing through is not going to help... its only going to make you hurt more and feel like crap...!!!!!!

    YES...... you can do it. just listen to your body.

    I finished dose dense chemo 8 treatments 7 weeks ago.. and I had days I barely got out of bed. I had to have family and friends and hubby take care of my 3 young children, but because I did that on those days my body bounced back a lot quicker.. This is not the time to feel like you have to do everything.... This is the time to take care of yourself and no one else...

    Best wishes

    Natly!
    Update that picture will you Girl? If you are 66 it must be a really old one!... You look GREAT! Anyway, we all have these doubts, you need to pace yourself, eat right, think right and rest! If anyone asks how they can help, Hand them a frying pan or a leaf-rake..Utilise them, they want to be useful. I know you'll get through this OK, I can see it in your 20 year old picture LOL.. Hugs to you Jxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • marilyndbk
    marilyndbk Member Posts: 238 Member
    #6
    Hi. You can absolutely do
    Hi. You can absolutely do it. We are stronger than we think. We have to go thru to get past. Take care of yourself. Marilyn
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #7
    tasha_111 said:

    Natly!
    Update that picture will you Girl? If you are 66 it must be a really old one!... You look GREAT! Anyway, we all have these doubts, you need to pace yourself, eat right, think right and rest! If anyone asks how they can help, Hand them a frying pan or a leaf-rake..Utilise them, they want to be useful. I know you'll get through this OK, I can see it in your 20 year old picture LOL.. Hugs to you Jxxxxxxxxxxxx

    Tasha thanks for your humor.
    Tasha thanks for your humor. I wouldnt even want to be 20 again. Hugs back to you ((((tasha))))
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #8
    marilyndbk said:

    Hi. You can absolutely do
    Hi. You can absolutely do it. We are stronger than we think. We have to go thru to get past. Take care of yourself. Marilyn

    Thanks for the encouragement
    I'm so accustomed to working and doing that sitting and not doing is so foreign but I dont have the energy now. I feel better today! I paid 3 bills, walked to the mailbox to mail them, and that has been my activity today. Yes I need to post a more current photo, this was taken about 4 years ago. I want to hold on to all your comments, it gives me license to just veg. Thank you ladies each and everyone of you :)
  • meena1
    meena1 Member Posts: 1,003
    #9
    natly15 said:

    Thanks for the encouragement
    I'm so accustomed to working and doing that sitting and not doing is so foreign but I dont have the energy now. I feel better today! I paid 3 bills, walked to the mailbox to mail them, and that has been my activity today. Yes I need to post a more current photo, this was taken about 4 years ago. I want to hold on to all your comments, it gives me license to just veg. Thank you ladies each and everyone of you :)

    You will make it through
    You will make it through this, if you feel exhausted and have no energy, take a break from life for a bit. Try to relax, watch a little tv, talk on the phone. Maybe your body needs a little rest. I went through the same thing, I still get very tired at times. Make sure that you are drinking enough water, being dehydrated can make you feel sluggish. In a few months, you will be done with treatment and back to your old self. Take care,
  • mlmjt1
    mlmjt1 Member Posts: 537
    #10
    HI Natly
    I took a/c. I did 4 rounds every 2 wks apart. Muga scan for me was 70 at the start down to 66 after the a/c. I have been a runner for 19 years, regularly exercise and I will tell you that a/c kicked my butt!!! I managed to work about 25 hours on week 1 then closer to 35 week 2 but a/c is no cake walk. The best thing about a/c is that you eventually will finish it...isnt that nice????

    By the way, I am 52...you will get thru it because you have to...we all have been dealt a hand that we didnt want to play but we have no choice but to play it anyway...

    Hang in there. YOU WILL DO THIS

    Hugs
    Linda T
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #11
    mlmjt1 said:

    HI Natly
    I took a/c. I did 4 rounds every 2 wks apart. Muga scan for me was 70 at the start down to 66 after the a/c. I have been a runner for 19 years, regularly exercise and I will tell you that a/c kicked my butt!!! I managed to work about 25 hours on week 1 then closer to 35 week 2 but a/c is no cake walk. The best thing about a/c is that you eventually will finish it...isnt that nice????

    By the way, I am 52...you will get thru it because you have to...we all have been dealt a hand that we didnt want to play but we have no choice but to play it anyway...

    Hang in there. YOU WILL DO THIS

    Hugs
    Linda T

    Linda thank you so much for
    Linda thank you so much for your pep talk. My onc nurse said the same thing to me this week. She said just think, in 6 months this will be over and you can throw all these meds away. One day at a time, I cAnt think 6 months out, that is way too exhausting. Hugs back to you. :)
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #12
    natly15 said:

    Linda thank you so much for
    Linda thank you so much for your pep talk. My onc nurse said the same thing to me this week. She said just think, in 6 months this will be over and you can throw all these meds away. One day at a time, I cAnt think 6 months out, that is way too exhausting. Hugs back to you. :)

    You can do it......
    Try not to think of 6 months out....But I did love hearing a "completition of treatment" date....NOV 2 for me........I'm on month 7 with light at the end of the tunnel...after dx in April, surgery in May, chemo June-August and now 22 of 33 rads treatments. I couldn't even think of the next day at first.....I found that taking it day by day and sometimes minute by minute was how I got through it..Do what ever it takes to get you through the days and nights. I take a big RED sharpie pen and mark off each day.....I take great delight in marking off the days of treatments, doctor appointments, etc. I do this as soon as I walk in the door from any of the above........and I smile when I do it!

    Oh and PS....You are such a beautiful woman!
    Hang on and Peace be with you
    hugs to you
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #13
    MAJW said:

    You can do it......
    Try not to think of 6 months out....But I did love hearing a "completition of treatment" date....NOV 2 for me........I'm on month 7 with light at the end of the tunnel...after dx in April, surgery in May, chemo June-August and now 22 of 33 rads treatments. I couldn't even think of the next day at first.....I found that taking it day by day and sometimes minute by minute was how I got through it..Do what ever it takes to get you through the days and nights. I take a big RED sharpie pen and mark off each day.....I take great delight in marking off the days of treatments, doctor appointments, etc. I do this as soon as I walk in the door from any of the above........and I smile when I do it!

    Oh and PS....You are such a beautiful woman!
    Hang on and Peace be with you
    hugs to you

    Majw I like your Red marker
    Majw I like your Red marker idea. It's crazy how many appointments we have each week. Thank you for the compliment, that photo was taken 4 years ago, and when I figure out how to upload a more recent photo I'll post it. I dont look quite so energetic now. Peace be with you as well.

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