How long after chemo do you feel good

Why

Hi that’s very difficult question to answer . We’re all different as is our treatment plans . You don’t say when you finished chemo and wether this was post or pre surgery .

I had masectomy 8 days after diagnosis so although not a runner reasonably fit for age . I asked how long chemo in system I was told by onco to remember I needed to finish 21day cycle first then approx three month before chemo out of system .

That took me to Feb 2020 yes that’s right just in time to be shielded wasn’t even allowed around block  So it has taken me a while to get back to near normal .

My advice would be to learn patience ,still moving forward to your fitness goal but don’t try too much too quick . I was up to 10000 steps quite soon but was very slow and needed rest stops .

What I found useful was hearing about the NHS active 10 app rather than concentrating on how many steps you are advised 10 active  minutes of walking is more beneficial to fitness levels . 
Hilarious results initially ie. 45 mins walking 2mins active I now easily do more active within a walk as it’s so easy to check progress on phone and speed up if needed .

take care hope you find a way to satisfy your need for fitness 

I am so with you on this one! Finished chemo almost 3 weeks ago and thought by now I’d be totally up and running. I still feel so tired and even thought I’m walking a few miles every day and have managed a couple of slow, short runs, I’m really exhausted by the afternoon. I have just over a week until surgery and then radiotherapy to follow and it just feels as though it’s going to be ages before I feel like myself again! How long is it since you finished chemo? Hope your energy returns soon.

Thanks for the reply.   I finished chemo about 4 weeks ago but I was running 3 miles on average every 3 days during it and some days I ran consecutive days.   

My chemo was post surgery in Feb.  I was ok at 3ish miles bit I guess I stupidly assumed after chemo that I would just get back to a normal... whatever that is.  But my legs just do not feel game and I can't get past 5 miles.  I know patience is key but it is not my best feature  

I’m starting chemo in a few weeks and am dreading it - I have visions of myself not being able to do anything - hearing that you were able to run while having it gives me hope that it may not be as bad as I think! Thank you  

My theory was firstly it will not beat me and secondly I can sit at home and feel rubbish or go out and run and feel rubbish.  I always felt better for it and it helped with the constipation .

You can do it,  stay with it and celebrate little wins

Why...Daisy06 I am so pleased to read how positive you are towards recovering from BC and the side effects from treatment. Running ( or walking ) has obviously been helpful to you.

However,  Northerner is right when she says that everyone is different and you must listen to your own body. If you can run 3 miles comfortably but 5 exhausts you.....how about aiming at 4 for a few weeks? The fatigue which often follows treatment is very different from tiredness. It is almost impossible to describe but many people post treatment experience it. It literally stops you in your tracks and it often means, that however positive you are, you have to alter your lifestyle to accommodate it. If you don't accept it , it can be very depressing especially if it comes when your treatments seem to be finished. In my own case, the worse fatigue came during a post treatment holiday to Italy. It was a treat from OH who thought he was helping after a difficult year, but we were only able to enjoy it once we rethought our plans to involve site seeing in very small chunks, lots of cafe stops and afternoons resting. Not our normal holiday .....but all the fatigue would allow. If fatigue hits you on a run and you are miles from home.....what will you do?  And can you cope mentally if you don't meet your own targets rather than those set by your body? 

It is so easy to set goals that you can't manage and then feel guilty. It is also important not to compare yourself to anyone else because there is no right or wrong response to treatment. It is great that Why you could run every few days but there will be someone reading this who can't do that. It is very important they realise that they can be positive by making  tiny challenges too.

Everyone said I was positive but the chemo made me very ill. I chuckle when I read about people running during the chemo now but at the time I had chemo, it would have devastsated me if I'd compared myself. Each cycle for several days I was sick if I moved my head in bed. The only anti sickness I could have was by injection as I couldn't swallow a pill! But I set myself challenges like taking a shower, getting dressed, going downstairs for an hour which at the time were as demanding as going out to run. Fortunately, I didn't feel guilty but over the years on this thread I have read many posts from people who do feel they should be doing more or those who are guilty because they haven't had too many difficulties.

This brings us back to the original point....because we are all different and react differently to treatment, it is vital that each of us does only what our own body allows. Suggest what helps us.....certainly.....but never compare or assume that what is right for us, is good for everyone. Never feel guilty about your own response to treatment. However you react, you are on the way to recovery and if being careful means it takes a little longer, in the long term, this is probably a good thing. 

Take care and I wish you continued progress with your recoveries. My own cancer was found in 2015. Last mammogram it was still clear.

Love Karen

Karen I know I do feel for everybody having chemo as even my side effects were different to friends that had it too.   I did what my body could do, some days not a lot others I cycled 20 miles feeling nauseas.  The 3 weeks were very different for me, week 1 awful, 2 better and by week 3 I felt OK enough.  That is until round 6 and I just feel the fatigue is there.  

I'm a stubborn person too... it did help me during chemo but can be a pain in the ass too    exercise is my go to for well being and mojo so not having this would have been crippling to me.

glad to hear you are clear... I look forward to a date in the future when somebody says that to me

I am a runner too and am interested in how you recover over the coming weeks. I am having adjuvant chemo, I had 4 cycles of EC and am currently 8 weeks into 12 Paclitaxel treatments. I was able to run to some extent through EC. Not at all in the first part of each cycle but running, or at least run/walking 5k during the last week to 10 days. It got progressively harder through each cycle with more walk interspersed with the run. Then I had my first Paclitaxel and ended up in hospital with a serious abdominal infection. Since then I have been unable to run and have accepted I will need to rebuild when on the other side. I still have radiotherapy to come too.

I have experienced rebuilding my running before - after a hip replacement. However I suspect this will be different given it’s more than having lost a bit of fitness whilst waiting for an operation and then for the bones to heal. The lesson from that was to build incrementally and listen to my body. 

Hope you are achieving your goals soon.