Hiya. I am sorry for posting this as I am normally very positive and glass half full kind of fella yet I really am struggling and would like to hear if this is normal?
I was diagnosed with nasopharynx cancer in August 2023. I had a very intensive course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which ended in January 2024. Obviously I was in my bum for a few months afterwards yet then started getting horrible symptoms which to date are getting worse.
I lost my hearing and now have hearing aids which is no real problem. To be honest, gets me out of trouble when I actually haven't been paying attention and blame my hearing loss! My main problems are, extreme fatigue, pain in all body, not aching, really painful. I have to walk with a stick as I stumble a lot due to muscle loss, drop foot and loss of sensation in legs, mainly my right. My vision is terrible and swallowing is horrendous due to lack of saliva. My memory is terrible, i get confused with words and going places etc. I am cancer free which is fantastic yet I am feeling worse than I was before treatment.
I am undergoing lots of tests which I am so grateful for and I must sound ungrateful for all my positive treatment yet I'm feeling so rotten, frightened and basically don't no what is happening.
Is this a normal experience considering its almost a year since I got the all-clear?
Sorry if I'm sounding sorry for myself, I honestly am not I just want to be me again.
Thank you in advance for any advice.
Many thanks and love. Rich
Hi again Rich123 ……. It’s 7 months since you put up your first post in this area….. remember I sent you the paper After Treatment Finishes - Then What by Dr Peter Harvey.
Sorry that you are still navigating the post treatment effects….. my journey was rather different (see below) but even 9.5 years out from my last treatment there are still little issues I have to deal with.
Reflecting back it took a good 2 years post treatment to overcome the main challenges and slowly get into a new rhythm of life…… like you I now have hearing aids but as you say, this is not a significant issue.
It’s good that you are still being checked out and not left to fend for yourself.
One of my Lymphomas is actually incurable but thankfully it’s asleep at the moment so I can’t go around kissing a princess.
I have accepted that I will always be a shadow of my old pte cancer self but as a family our aim is not to let this define us…… we aim to define how we live within the limitations as much as we can.
During my challenging years we found talking to people ‘face to face’ helpfuled a lot so do check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support in your area……. do also check for a local Maggie's Centre as these folks are amazing and were a lifeline for me and my family during the dark times.
