Hi, I am new to the group. i was diagnosed with BC at the start of Jan this year, I had surgery in Feb and commenced Chemotherepy at the end of march. I had my 5th round of chemo and also met with my oncologist yesterday as my 6th and final round is in 3 weeks. They have referred me for radiotherapy and also spoke briefly about commencing me on Tamoxifen for 10yrs and oral Abemaciclib for 2yrs. I have just been looking these up to gather some information before I actually speak to the teams who will prescribe them.
My fear is that I work as a nurse, I assess people on general nursing wards as well as A&E. I am currently off work due to the side effects of the chemo and me also being immunosuppressed, i have been admitted on one occasion with neutropenia after catching a cold. the thought of some of the other side effects is something I don't want to continue managing for years, hair thinning, diarrhoea etc I have also been planning to travel next year, a cruise and some backpacking in Thailand amongst other shorter trips. whilst i understand that the combined therapy can reduce the risk of my breast cancer returning by one third I am more concerned that my quality of life will continue to be effected, resulting in a deterioration in my mental health, i have struggled to manage through the last 6 months but have always focused on the end of treatment and my life returning back to normal, work is a huge part of my life as is travel.
Has anyone had a similar experience? I'd love to know what peoples thoughts were and of course any advice welcomed.
TIA
Hi tasha663 and a very warm welcome to the Community and to hear about your ongoing journey,
Navigating the cancer rollercoaster can be such a stressful and challenging time but getting support from people who have walked the ‘exact same' cancer journey can help a lot. (I have a completely different cancer).
This New to Community area is like our reception desk where we look to try and direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is actually divided into dedicated Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our dedicated Breast Cancer support group. This will be a safe place to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.
To connect in with the group please click on the link below……..
…… then once the group page opens click in the [Black - Click to Join - Banner] that appears at the bottom of the page and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [+ Create new post] or [ + ] in the top right of the group page.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
You may find it helpful to call the Macmillan Support Line open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow 3 working days for a reply.
Talking to people face to face can be very helpful 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 give support to all the family.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community.
