Life after breast cancer ?

Hi there, I've just been for the results of a mammogram and I'm very glad to say all ok. However, the consultant didn't physically examine me this time( why that should affect me I don't know, I hated it!). He then went on to say that he will see me in six months and then that will be it ! I've longed for that day but now it's nearly here I'm terrified. Will I stop taking these awful pills ? Anastrazole........will the pains in my joints stop, will I lose weight ? And what about my paranoia ? I did tell him of my concerns. What I actually said was although I really didn't ever want to see his face again at the same time I wanted him to come live with me ! I feel quite low about all this and am confused. Anyone been in my boat ?

  • Hi Marian , i know the feeling well i have said the same as you ,to the profesionals come and live with me it just would take the fear away.I had my mammogram 2 weeks ago and yes had the letter all is well and it will be 12mths till next one but like you i do worry at times Sue xx

  • Thanks for your reply Sue. I wonder if we'll ever stop worrying, I doubt it ! How are you finding the drugs ? Im on Anastrazole ?

  • hi marion  im on tamoxifen an like u having bad joint pain  when i asked oncologist he said it might settle down or i will just have to live with it   i started it in dec 15 an i think its getting worse  its not a nice thought that it could last for 5yrs   when did u start ?

     

  • I started about 4 years ago. I must say that things are a little better now. I thought it would never go until I fifnished the pills, but some people report it can get better after about 18 months. Who knows ! We're all different I suppose. I was offered another pill but I didn't change as you con't be sure what side effects you'd get with another one. Berty, I know it doesn't seem like it at the moment but it will and in no time at all you'll be looking back at all this just as a memory Marian x 

  • thanks marion i needed to hear that   every ache an pain i have i think its the cancer back  i imagine this is how a lot of people feel  but im glad i found this site as it helps to hear how other people are coping xo

  • Oh my goodness that is one of the worst bits. The more I think about a tiny little ache the worse it seems to get too....I went through the stage of if my toe hurt it was a tumor, if I got a cough it was lung cancer, a headache of course was always a tumor too. You, having bought it up though makes me realise that slowly but surely that has got a bit better. Even now some days I think I'm not coping and I'm the only one that can't seem to get over it. However, I know from other posts on here over the past couple of years are in the same boat.

  • Hi Marian. I finished treatment for breast cancer on Jan 16 2015. I had 6 bouts of chemo followed by surgery and then 30 blasts of radiotherapy. I struggled greatly towards the end of the radio and am still struggling now. I am also on Anastrozole and completely feel the same as you. If I get down to the lower cupboards in the kitchen I cannot get up again, in the morning my finger and leg joints are painful, I feel very old and very broken/damaged. I know that I shouldn't complain about feeling like this because people before us who weren't lucky enough to have treatment at all and have lost their lives due to this horrible desease would have given their right arm to have gone through the suffering and still been here with their families and for that I feel grateful. but still, it's very hard to carry on normally and live how I did. I hope we both get over this one day and start to feel "normal" again. Best of luck! 

  • Hi Marion. It's been eight years since I had my treatment for breast cancer. I had five years of anastrozole and as the 5 year period came to an end, I was very anxious about stopping it completely. However, thinking had altered since I'd first had treatment and I was then offered 5 years on tamoxifen. The main side effects for me have been hot flushes, but in my view, it was a trade off. In the eight years since my operation, I've been to Australia twice, welcomed two wonderful grandchildren and am so grateful for every minute. Just now the treatment is still fresh in your mind, but with time, it wil fade. Focus on all the things you still want to do. The aches and pains are are nuisance but they are also a sign that you're alive and fighting back. Good luck. 

     

     

     

  • Hi there, We're very similar then although I will say it isn't as bad as it once was. The general painful joints seem to move about as well. Someitmes it was my hands and other times my feet, at the moment it seems to be my lower back. BUT  as I say not as bad as it was. I've seen some people say that it only lasted for about 18 months so there is hope that yours won't last long too. Like you I feel a little old and damaged. I wonder if you ever really really get over it ? Marian x