End of treatment blues are normal, no matter how long treatment is but I will give you my perspective as it is different than some women here. That is because Herceptin wasn't available to me at first so I did the dense dose AC followed by taxol. Then I had rads. About 5 or 6 weeks after rads were over, the remarkable results from the adjuvant Herceptin trial was released (with recommendations that women who were 6 months or less from their last chemotherapy begin Herceptin immediately - this was later changed to 12 months but many women 2 yrs from the last chemo also ended up being included). Treatment blues (especially when you were Her2+ and you know that that pathology is more aggressive) were bad for me when I ended radiation. Between chemo and rads, you go to the cancer center non-stop for 6 months. For me, during chemo, I also went back every day for 10 days following treatment because I took Leukine instead of Neulasta as my WBC booster so I would go for chemo and then for 10 days thereafter (11 days), get a 3 day break and start all over again. Of course, rads is an every day event for 35 days. Then - off you are on your own! I think now with Herceptin, the Her2+ women don't get as much anxiety over it as the non Her2+ women because they really are just cut off whereas we are there very periodically for over a year. I was grateful BOTH for the Herceptin and the ability to be going to the cancer center on a very regular basis again. Then, since I started 4 months after my last chemo, if I got a couple of extra Herceptin treatments beyond the one year, I was at 2 years past my surgery date so my onc and I did that too. So when I got my last Herceptin, I was about 3 weeks past my surgery date. At that point, I was really ready to quit although it was very emotional. However, by Christmas that year (3 months after my last Herceptin) I really began to feel like the new and better me (since I really wasn't 100% while I was on Herceptin but I didn't know it).
Life will never be the way it was but that doesn't mean that life is bad. I don't think badly of having had bc anymore but I don't forget that I am a survivor either. I realize, even after 4 1/2 yrs that it could come back but every day that it doesn't improves the chances that it won't. I don't think one is ever really out of treatment if you try to exercise and eat right. But really living means not always having time every day to take a walk because your kids need you to do something, or you are going to a great party with yummy appetizers full of fat and wonderful wines (that don't treat my head and stomach so wonderfully the next morning). I am not a monk everyday
Everyday gets so much better. Its scary at first and you live in real fear but that goes day by day to the joy of having a second chance.
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