I have had 6 cycles of chemo, surgery, radiotherapy and then just when I thought it was all over, I then was faced with twelve cycles of Kadcyla chemo. I finished on Thursday and then developed an infection in my boob, on strong antibiotics and starting to physically recover…
I feel mentally and physically broken and like the days are just overwhelming. I have two young boys, and it’s all I can do to get their uniform reading and organise dinner. I just feel really flat and exhausted.
I guess my question really is how long do people feel like this and when can I expect to feel normal again?
Hi Jt23
I'm Daisy53 one of the Community Champions on this forum. I'm sorry to hear that you had to have treatment for breast cancer. What you are feeling is perfectly natural, you expect to feel great once treatment is over, but the reality is different. Your body has been through a lot both mentally and physically so don't be too hard on yourself There's a fantastic paper by a Dr Peter Harvey called 'When the treatment finishes - then what? which sums up perfectly what the post treatment world can be like. I've read it myself and it helped me. Here's a link to that article: After the Treatment Finishes - Then What?.
You might also find it useful to ring the Macmillan helpline on 0808 808 00 00 to talk to someone about how you are feeling, they can arrange counselling for you if you wish. If you have a Maggie's centre or another cancer centre near you you can also give them a ring or call in and talk to someone about how things are going for you, they can also arrange counselling and other treatments like Reiki and reflexology. I've had both treatments and I found they helped me.
It's hard to put a time-line on when you'll feel normal again as everyone reacts differently to treatment but you will get back to normal even if it's a new normal again.
Wishing you the best of luck with your recovery.
Best wishes
Daisy53
