1 year after diagnosis

Hi, I completely understand your worries, I finished treatment last June, mastectomy, chemo, rads. Most people just think the cancers gone, your treatment is over you should be fine now, if only it was that simple right.

 Im waiting to hear about 2nd year anniversary Mammo, I do start to think about it more, but on the whole I try my hardest to not think about it coming back.

I had Lymphoedema after node clearance and it pops up a bit, although nowhere near as bad. I also have some numbness under my arm and slightly limited movement on the left (surgery side) My other arm has vein damaged from chemo and although looks better is still there, my oncologist said he hasn’t  seen it as bad as I have it! So I know what you mean about ‘normal’. 

We are here if you need to chat. x

Hi Sparkler. It’s good to know I’m not alone. My last 12 months have been lumpectomy, wide excision, chemo, radio and mastectomy, in that strange order. All was well I thought until this afternoon , when I couldn’t stop crying. The trigger was that a colleague’s mum in law had a lumpectomy and that was it. The injustice, or envy, hit me and I fell apart. 
I started back at work yesterday, on a phased return, so very gentle. But I think that normality is part of the problem. Everything carries on as normal, but we’ve all had this huge thing barge into our lives. 
My family and friends are great and all say how positive I’ve been, so sobbing down the phone now seems really weird, so I haven’t. 
I know I’m lucky. It hasn’t spread. I live with a great partner in a fantastic location. I’ve been sea swimming this last week, in a bikini, 8 weeks after the mastectomy. So why am I so weepy?

I guess tamoxifen may be partly responsible. And I know also that I, and you, so WE should give ourselves a break. We are Wonder Women, though sometimes with our pants on inside out

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-I have sent a link to an article I found helpful....I’m 2 years plus....it does get better. It takes longer than you think or want. 

discussions-components-files/38/0250.After_2D00_the_2D00_treatment_2D00_finishes_2D00_then_2D00_what.pdf

Annoyingly the link doesn’t exist....I’ll see if I can track it down....

https://www.workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf

try this....

Thank you GG. The very nice chap I had an online chat with at Macmillan also sent me the Macmillan booklet about after treatment. This is the kind of thing I need now as it’s not really a stage I’ve prepared myself for. But if a shock when it happens! I passively coped with all the treatment, but now it’s down to me rather more!

Thank you for your kindness and for caring, and good to know that your experience is that it gets better. Hope you’re now very well

leggy x

I think I found after treatment harder than the treatment itself...for quite a while. I wanted to move on, feel better, get my energy back, exercise! It really got me down that I couldn’t just ‘get on with it’ physically and mentally. I had no idea how long it would take me to ‘recover’ ....I wish I had known that it would take so long....but....I am soooo much further on now. My advice is to be kind to yourself. Don’t worry about saying ‘no’ to anything you don’t feel you are up to...

My 2 year anniversary was a bit of a turning point....but the worry doesn’t go away...it just lessens and life (thankfully) gets in the way! 

That piece you sent really spoke to me. Although, with the order of my treatment, the chemo was several months ago, it’s been one thing after another for over a year. Sitting at home, going out for walks, etc I feel fine. Two half days at work have shown me that things are different now. I think now it’ll be the mental side of my rehab that’ll need to happen as up to now I’ve been concentrating on the physical. 
mill be kind. I’ll aim to be in control of making good decisions for me, rather than appeasing those who’ve been so kind to me over the last year. And I’ll look forward to the completion of each month of each year of recovery. 
Thank you for sharing your experience and your knowledge 

leggy x

No worries....feel free to pm me anytime....I am here!

Lots of people will want ‘ a piece of you’ Not sure if that makes sense....but people wanted me to be the person I was...and I am not that person anymore. I quite like the ‘new me’ I am clearer on how I want to spend my time, more focussed on the things that are really important to me......my kids, my family, my pets, being outside, my key friends...I worry less about what other people think....and I spend less time humouring some people. Going through the crap we have been through focuses your thoughts and actions....don’t apologise for that. 

You know where I am....if I can help or just listen to you rant....crack on!