After chemo

FormerMember
FormerMember
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hi everyone, 

what can i expect after finishing my chemo? 

I have my last (6th) round soon...

I will be starting radiotherapy for 3 weeks after 

  • Hi , I’m sorry you haven't had a reply back to your question, to be honest I wasn’t sure what you wanted to hear, or where your question was going, but I can tell you what happened next for me.

    For me I haven’t had chemotherapy I’ve had immunotherapy and my treatment was for a year, as I was no measurable disease 6 months in I couldn’t wait to stop treatment and get back to what I thought might be normal. I concentrated on getting my fitness level back up, I continued on health walks that I’d been doing and having read the Macmillan booklet Life after treatment I looked for a walking netball group as netball had been my passion in my youth and started going to those sessions, and to a local gym that had a session for cancer patients. 

    I have a different cancer to you as will many people who use this group so I was wondering if you might get a idea from reading the information and support page that I’ve put a link in for, or reposting in the breast group that you’ve also joined you can tell ask what their experiences were or say what your hoping to do and how others coped.

    https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/breast-cancer/treating/after-treatment

    i got hold of Macmillan booklets from the Macmillan booth at my hospital but you can also search and download from the link below.

    https://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/resources-and-publications/publications

    I worried just before each scan that it might come back, and unfortunately for me it did after one year of not being on treatment but I’m going through it again this time treatment is every three weeks since June 2018 and I hope to come of it in March as I’m currently no measurable disease. I seem to be having mixed luck with my treatment, but we are all different.

    Best wishes

    Take care KT

  • Hi ,

    Firstly, great job on nearly finishing chemo. I finished end of April and had rads in June.

    I can’t really tell you what you can expect because as you know everybody is different with different side effects etc. 

    Emotional it’s a bit of a double edges sword, relieved of course chemo is over, but a little anxious as after rads you realise you won’t be in the bubble of routine and have the security of seeing someone at the hospital on a regular basis.

    Physically, Side effects can continue for very many months if not yrs. I have severe phlebitis (inflamed veins) from chemo, my oncologist said it’s rare to have it as bad as I do and it could take up to 5 years to clear if it does at all!

    On the bright side, my taste came back pretty quietly, my hair started growing at the end of June and is a bit of a curly mess atm lol.(natural straight)

    I hung on to my eyebrows till the end of chemo but most had gone by rads, both brows and eyelashes have grown now, not as thick as before but they are there.

    My energy levels are pretty much back to the way they were before.

    Send me a private message if you want to know anything else.

    Take care Tina x