Emotional and scared

Hi Everyone, I finished treatment in May 23 for HER2 + Breast cancer. I was supposed to carry on with Herceptin injections every 3 weeks for a year but unfortunately these have had to stop, as it was affecting my heart. Now they are trying me with a new tablet for 3 years (designed for osteoporosis) along with calcium tabs. Everyone says how strong and brave I've been, but as fellow sufferers you know that's not the case. When i was undergoing treatment I was busy with appointments, or sleeping and generally feeling miserable. Now its all over I was initially very happy and couldn't stop smiling when I rang 'the bell'. But now its sinking in what I went through and I have a great fear now of the cancer returning. I wake up with a feeling of dread in my stomach and now I'm back to work its difficult to confidently do tasks I used to sail through. I am already on anti depressants so I don't want to increase those. Is there anyone out there who is feeling the same, do I need counselling or just to talk it through with people like this forum?

  • Strong girl 

    I had BC in July 22 just had 1st her clear  msmo 2 weeks ago 

    here to chat anytime xx love Lara xxx 

  • Hello , I think what you are feeling is entirely normal . I would describe having breast cancer as a roller coaster ride . You get bombarded with information , face surgery , change of body image , hormones all over the place then when it’s all done you breathe a sigh of relief , but it’s a bit like post traumatic syndrome . You’ve been through so much and expect to bounce back . I would just like to say take a day at a time . Maggie’s cancer centres are very good to either drop in or make an appointment to have a chat x Or of course you could ring the helpline x I hope you soon feel better x 

  • Hello Strong Girl,I finished chemo for bilateral breast cancer in March of this year . I know what you are saying , suddenly it’s all over and no more appointments. We are happy but it’s always there in the back of your mind . Try and move forward and stay positive but use Maggies . Hope you get on well , it’s not easy but we are strong women 

  • Thanks for replying and hope you are doing well yourself. Ive looked online for Maggies but my closest one is 36 miles from me. I have looked into cancer support groups in my area and i have found a couple that meet once a month so i might try to attend. I will try to stay positive, to be honest I had just watched something on tv last week that put the idea in my head of it coming back. I wish someone had warned me not to watch it, it was Firefly Lane which started out innocently enough but I broke my heart at the end. No more emotional tv for me.

  • Hi, thanks for your advice and I hope you are fit and well. I will take your advice about a day at a time and try to focus on the future with whatever that has in store for us. I am going to go to a support group in my area, Maggies is not near my part of the country. I will try to keep smiling, thank you again x

  • Thanks Laraj, it is good to see how many people are getting the all clear, i will focus on the positivity and try not to worry about the future. :)

  • Strong girl 

    you are strong you can do it the worst part is over , partyy shoes back on lol mi r are stuck on now xx love Lara xxx 

  • Offline in reply to laraj

    Hi there , I’m glad you’ve found some support , I don’t know if you can just ring Maggie’s and have a chat if you’re having a wobble , but there are lots of helplines out there and I believe Breast Cancer Now have “ someone like me” where they put you in touch with someone who’s been there too. Don’t expect too much of yourself , you’ll have good days and bad days and sometimes just something really insignificant will set you off . Be kind to yourself and you’ll get through it xx

  • You can phone Maggie’s ,a friend of mine was having telephone counselling as they were so busy x

  • Your GP practice may be able to signpost you to local talking therapies in your area if you feel this will help. Or ask your breast clinic. My close friend is going through chemo and radiotherapy following mastectomy with reconstruction and also lumpectomy and it overtakes your life. It’s natural to feel the way you do, don’t think anyone going or been through cancer would not have fear of it returning. My friend is so positive she is inspirational. She want this treatment finished so she can get out and live life. It takes time to get your confidence back, take each day at a time and try focus on positive things. I am now trying to raise money for cancer and she is getting involved too which is giving her some distraction. Good luck and best wishes. Xx