did you bounce back to near normal after rx?

roz123 · 10-15-2013, 04:15 PM

I am just over 2yrs out from diagnosis (last chemo dec 2011) I still don't feel "normal". Im starting to think I never will, and that's ok I just want to know what SE people have that are still lingering. Worst for me is the fatique, I just cant seem to do as much as before, I tire easily and am ready for bed by 9pm. The joint and bone pain is better since I stopped Lupron but still there. Hot flashes are brutal but I deal with them as best I can
Adjusting to my new normal and am mourning my old (energetic) self.
I hate to complain because I know my sisters here are dealing with so much more.

Any advice on how you are handling the changes and if they get better EVER

LeahM · 10-15-2013, 04:41 PM

Hi Roz,

I am 3 months out of my last Herceptin and cont. on Tamox. I feel fine. For the most part anyway. I tire more easily, forget things more easily too. Sometimes I need to remind myself that I am a year and a half older then I was at diagnosis so maybe this is normal aging?? I just try to do what I can, I may pay for it more the next day tho.

Here is what I do: I wake up, stretch my muscles (which usually causes a leg cramp in my right calf) and remind myself that it is TODAY and I am alive. I have no reason to think tomorrow will be any different. When that fails me, I take an Ativan.

I think it's all normal
Best
Leah

Rejoyce · 10-15-2013, 07:39 PM

In January I will be three years out from chemo. I am not back to normal. I have fatigue, bone and joint pain, memory loss, some hearing loss and permanent hair loss. It is frustrating because I feel like I should be so much better and the doctors don't seem to care or understand how I feel. I am thankful that I am still alive though!

roz123 · 10-15-2013, 08:20 PM

yes I am grateful aswell rejoyce I really am I just feel like so many other women who went through bc that I know are running marathons and such while I struggle to walk a few miles!
no the doctors don't care - their job is cancer care not after care. I don't even bother to complain to them anymore, they just shrug their shoulders and offer me MORE drugs to counter the affects of all this crap. yes it is a new normal

Rejoyce · 10-15-2013, 09:51 PM

I know how you feel. I guess treatment affects everyone differently.

Jackie07 · 10-16-2013, 01:31 AM

I saw that you'd had bi-lateral mastectomy with tissue expander just a year ago. From what I've read on this board, it's going to be quite a while before the reconstruction is done and feel normal again.

A few of us had worked through chemo - not easy, but several have done it. I think the 30-minute daily walk (and walk whenever I could) helped me a lot.

Because I''d had brain surgeries (1990, 2001 - unrelated to bc), I'm always 'tired' easily. Our body will heal - eventually. But if you have unusual amount of fatigue, you might want to let your care team know about it. I'd found the oncology nurse a great source of help.

Take a deep breath and enjoy your new freedom.

caya · 10-16-2013, 07:37 AM

I am 7 years out today, Oct. 16th,from diagnosis - I finished Femara in July 2012, and I noticed I had more energy, less muscle joint pain and in general just felt more like the old "me" around January 2013. My onc. had told me it would take a few months for the Femara to get out of my system.

I realized this past summer, one year being off the Femara, how much better I feel. I think while being on Tamoxifen and then Femara, you don't realize how crappy you feel, it's basically the new normal - until you are off it. After chemo, the year of Herceptin, and 5 years of anti-hormonals, you just adjust to the pain, fatigue, etc.

I feel so much better now. Not quite 100%, but I'd say about 90%.

all the best
caya

'lizbeth · 10-16-2013, 08:32 AM

I'm back to normal, but it took 5 years. I had the severe fatigue - 60 visits with my doctor of physical therapy made a dramatic difference. I was shaky and weak the first session and had to sit down and rest for 15 minutes after one test.

Dr. Joe had me do a Bruce protocol of which I lasted a not very impressive 7 minutes the first time. I complained the entire 120 hours (each session lasted 2 hours). It was so hard. I did an hour of resistance training and 45 minutes on the treadmill, and a generous dose of therapeutic rest. I would come home after the first sessions and crash - literally fall asleep from exhaustion. I was worn out and struggled the first 2 months (about 20 sessions). I was skeptical that exercise was going to make a difference.

The next block of sessions we saw a dramatic difference. I was tired, but not painfully exhausted. My memory started improving (Dr. Joe has worked with cognitive injuries and used music and conversation too). I started to feel, well, more normal. Daily life was not such an effort.

We were able to get an additional 20 visits approved by the insurance company over the standard 40 visits. By the end of the program I was buff and fit. I felt better than before cancer, amazing. Dr. Joe had me do the Bruce protocol test again on the treadmill and I was only his 2nd patient to ever finish the test, and I was coming down with a cold at the time. The only other patient to finish was a Navy Seal! The doctor was so proud.

He wanted to get me above 10 METS because of a study on exercise and reduction in recurrence rates. I found some information that explains about METS. Using METS to avoid mets, isn't that ironic?

Quote:

The patient walks on a moving treadmill while EKGs and heart rate are continuously monitored.[12] As tolerated by the patient, the speed and incline of the treadmill is gradually increased in stages according to whatever protocol is being used. Permanent records of heart rate, blood pressure and EKGs should be made at least once during each stage, and is usually done during the last half minute of a stage before change is made to the next higher stage. If possible, the patient continues exercising until at least 85% of their predicted maximal heart rate is reached.
MET stands for metabolic equivalent and refers to the amount of oxygen used by the body. One MET means the body uses 3.5 ml oxygen/minute/kilogram of body weight, and is about the amount of oxygen required by the body to just sit. METs allow exercise capacity to be standardized, so that a given physical performance on an cardiac exercise test indicates a certain level of fitness. About 5 METs are required to do very light work. People who don’t exercise regularly and lead a very sedentary lifestyle often can’t do more than about 7 METs on an exercise test. Healthy people who get regular exercise can reach higher MET levels.
The patient walks on the treadmill through successive stages until maximum exercise capacity is reached or the test has to be stopped for medical reasons. Each higher stage involves increasing the speed and/or grade of the treadmill. When a treadmill is set for 1.7 mph and 10% grade, a person walking on it for 3 minutes has completed close to the 5 MET level. Such a speed and grade is Stage 1 of the frequently used standard Bruce protocol. Each standard Bruce protocol stage lasts 3 minutes. Some other protocols have 2 minute stages, which is about the minimum duration needed required for the body to reach physiological equilibrium at that to a level of exercise.
There are numerous types of treadmill stress testing protocols that use different speeds and grades, but the Bruce protocol is the most common protocol. Stage 2 of the Bruce protocol is 2.5 mph at 12% grade, and requires about 7 METs. Stage 3 requires about 9.6 METs at 3.4 mph and 14% grade. Completion of Stage 4 at 4.2 mph and 16% grade requires about 13 METs. Stage 5 (5.0 mph/18% grade), Stage 6 (5.5 mph/20% grade), and Stage 7 (5.5 mph/22% grade) require about 15, 18 and 20 METs respectively. Even most normal people cannot reach the higher Bruce protocol states, with the exception of athletes and those who perform regular intense exercise.

roz123 · 10-16-2013, 08:38 AM

caya - thank you - just affirms that I am not whiny or crazy for feeling this way. These anti-hormonals are tough drugs and they do a number on our bodies. I think I may be on for 10 years instead of 5 so I better adjust to this !

'lizbeth - not sure I understand the bruce method but I am trying to get as much exercise as possible. 3x wk at the gym (cardio and weights) and walk on the other days (2-3miles)