Feeling sad☹︎

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Feeling very low today. I am 6 months past my last chemo and the numbness in my fingers and feet is no better at all. I am a crafter and am desperate to get back to papercrafting but my horrible numb fingers just don't do what I want. Was anle to crochet until the letrozole caused such bad pain in my wrist joints I had to stop that too. Does anyone have any ideas how I can make things better. I am all alone with this. No family or close friends nearby

Feel really sad and lonely but so, so want to feel better. I have been told how well I have coped with all the treatment (surgery, chemo and radiotherapy) but no one saw the tears I was shedding behind closed doors. Now that treatment is over I am supposed to be really happy and "cured" but I'm not. No one seems to understand just how awful it is all the time, it's harder than I ever imagined it would be. I'd be grateful for your thoughts, xx

  • I would just ask your BC nurse for the exercise sheet. It is basically just lifting your bent arm up level with your shoulders and then above the head. I shall try to find my sheet and take a pic.

  • Re the restless legs: it may be worth getting your iron levels checked. Could be totally unrelated, but this is often a common cause of restless leg syndrome. X

  • If they are going to give you radiotherapy for the left breast, they are going to ask you to hold your breath for 20 seconds. That is all you need to do. No other exercises. I had no problems with this and it was even after having covid. If you want, just practice that twice a day. In a session you have to hold your breath for 20 seconds about 15 times or so. Dont stress about it though. Just do it regularly over the next two weeks so that you can comfortably do it during the sessions.

  • Yes good advice Capazi.I practised for 2 weeks holding my breath as I was rubbish at it initially as I have bad asthma. But practicing helped and although difficult (mine was for nearer 40 seconds) I managed it.

  • I agree with everything you have said, although you saying ‘the radiotherapy was just to kill off any remaining cells which could have re grown” - that’s a huge worry for me so I don’t think I will consider myself cancer free until after the radiotherapy. They have already made my one year scan date for November

    your comments about not being able to do anything about it coming back are so positive and inspirational. ‘Time given back to you’ - so true but I have never thought about it like that, thank you I will keep reminding myself of that phrase. Keep in and we will definitely remind you of your positivity ! x

  • thank you, yes it is the left. When I went for the planning meeting I had to hold my breath for 25 seconds so I’m assuming it will be that again. I wasn’t told to practice so good to know to do so. Why do they do it 15 times !?

    I will be practicing, can’t believe they didn’t tell me this 

    x

  • Don't know how to like a comment on here! Sweat smile but I do like it

  • They firstly have to position you. That takes longest. While they do that  they might ask you to hold your breath to check measurements are good. Usually a few times. Then when they say you  you have to hold your breath. They will do this more than once. Around 3 to 4 times and then the machine moves around and they zap you again. Hope that makes sense? It is over before you know it though. Not long at all. It took longest for them to position me but you just lie back and relax  they do all the work. 

  • Good description of the process. Mine only took longer because of the damage to my vertebrae.

    I am going to try to attach photos of the exercises

  • thank you so much I have screen shot the exercises Slight smile