What happens after year one; lumpectomy with radiotherapy (no chemo)

[Tomorrowisjustanotherday]

Ten months in. Blooming heck. A simple operation, a few drugs, right!!!!
well that’s another year of my life disappeared down the swanny where I’ve suffered fatigue I’ve never known and brain fog.

i am in a mood, need to vent, late fifties when Covid struck and then DH got ill and passed in 2025, eight months later breast cancer. Just feel life is being stolen.

61st birthday next week.

im really struggling, couldn’t walk due to fatigue a month ago, couldn’t function to think. All my drugs (letrozole, ribociclib) were stopped three weeks ago.

beginning to feel better, can walk the dog locally again, brain fog still not good but lots of other issues like constipation and the skins falling off my feet have stopped.

im waiting for the year mark, to have a mammogram to see where I am at and thinking about chucking all the drugs (oncology is planning on a spaced out reintroduction in a few weeks time).

wondering what happens from the year one mark? If you’re ahead of me can you tell me if you feel better now year one is out of the way. Thanks

I’m not a year in yet, was diagnosed in April after (first) routine mammogram. Ops for lumpectomy then sentinel node biopsy followed by radiotherapy. Recovery from ops was genuinely fine but radiotherapy has absolutely flattened me. Fatigue and brain fog. Went back to work a few weeks after each operation, no problems but now after radiotherapy, I’m still only on very reduced duties a month after it finished. I am so pissed off with being tired all the time and not being able to remember stuff. And the tears. I sob at almost anything at the moment. I just want to get on with my life as normal and not have to think whether I’ve got the energy to walk around the block or not.

Emotionally, I was absolutely fine until after the radiotherapy. Now, I’m all over the place. And mildly concerned that in February, I’ll have my next mammogram.

So I’m not exactly answering what you asked, but I can certainly emphasise with where you are.

So sorry about your cancer and losing your DH @Tomorrowisjustanotherday

I did treatment starting in Dec 21, when I was late 40s, surgery x 3 (2021, 2022 and 2024), chemo (2022), radio (2022), Tamoxifen for 10 years from 2022.

When I finished initial treatment year I had brain fog and struggled with walking any distance but could swim fine. So I swam building it up, getting to 3 times a week, mile or so each time but whatever you can manage will help. About a year after that I could walk much better again and now can walk for a few hours fine. My fitness level is now very good, no brain fog since 2023. Do have residual neuropathy from chemo but am used to it. Emotionally I was all over the place in treatment but better once it was over but people vary some people stay strong for treatment then struggle after though I think go on to improve once they have processed the trauma and as long as don't focus too much on reoccurrence.

Hope things get better for you. My fitness now and my brain are as good as they have ever been. I also did find I put on weight and went into overweight for first time with Tamoxifen though it was probably forced menopause and relief so ate what I liked. Losing that and getting BMI back to 23 also really helped, it's less weight to carry around walking.

Thank you both.
I was definitely having a pity party when I wrote the above

I had no idea that life was going to be like this. Especially concerning for me as I’ve spent the last three years of my life dealing with DH’s version of it which impacted a lot on what we could do.

I just feel that life has been stolen again. I’m trying to do things in small doses. So I’ve just done a few hours in the office. Heading for an early lunch. Then I’m going to sew for a bit have a nanna nap and then do a bit more in the office.

Aug 25: found breast lump.
Sep 25: confirmed breast cancer, hormone +, HER2 -. No lymph node spread.
30 Oct 25: lumpectomy and sentinel node removal.
Jan - Feb 26: 15 session radiotherapy.
Feb 26: started letrozole and oncologist basically told me (nicely) to go away & live my life.

I seemed to be recovering from the surgery & radiotherapy and getting better, then developed severe hip pain for about 6 weeks which was completely draining. Have had a bone scan & spinal MRI to rule out bone spread, but did show spinal deterioration.

This summer hasn't been much fun, I don't know whether it is the letrozole, recovery taking longer than I anticipated, the heat - or a combination of all 3. I've felt fatigued and run down.

I have started a weight lifting regime 3 times a week, part of a free gym package at the radiotherapy clinic, and I try to walk most days for around 45 mins.

By August I was starting to feel more like myself, I'd decided I wasn't going to continue the letrozole, but by the time I saw the Oncologist mid-August things had improved so I've stayed on in.

I got a cold 2 weeks ago and have been totally knocked back by it, still not over it and sleeping in the day.
Restarted weights after 2.weeks on Monday and had to decrease, need to do 2nd set today as didn't have the energy yesterday. Have restarted walking this week although again not for as long.

Have 1 year mammogram on Saturday.

I know what you mean about the time having been stolen from you.

Edit: sorry, skim read and missed your DH dying - so sorry about that.
My late-DH died nearly 10 years ago and coping with that was bad enough without then having your own health problems on top. I hope things start improving for you with your health x.

Ohh, this so resonates with how I felt during the summer. I cried lots which I almost never do.
Despite being knocked back by this cold atm, I do feel much better atm than I did just a few months ago. Hang in there.

Big hugs to all of you!
I am starting this journey and having a lumpectomy and radiation after a DCIS diagnosis. I was scanning the board looking for people with similar experience and spotted this thread. The radio therapy does worry me more than the op. I havent been told of sentinel node biopsy. Spent the day buying soft non wired sports bras for after surgery from my 50th birthday vouchers...
Xx

@RainyDayCoffee good luck with everything.
For me the surgery was straightforward and the wounds didn't really hurt at all (the worst thing was the base of my thumb where they'd taken bloods for a trial and hit a nerve!).
Radiotherapy itself wasn't so bad, just tiring as it progressed and for a couple of weeks afterwards then that started to lessen.
It is very scary at the beginning when you don't know what it going to happen, and for me my main experience of cancer was my late-DH so that wasn't positive at all.
Once you get into treatment you at least feel like things are happening and just go with it as best you can.
If you need to rest give yourself permission to do so.

I am sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. I am almost 6 years past treatment (lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy and radiotherapy) I have been on tamoxifen for almost 6 years too. I just wanted to say in my experience it does get better so hang on in there. I remember thinking about BC everyday for the first year or two after my diagnosis. I don't think about it much now. The recurrence fears come and go but they are occasional rather than regular. In the first year or two I could not imagine a time when I would not be worrying about recurrence or thinking about BC everyday.

I have been lucky with the tamoxifen and not had many side effects. Because I was in my early 40's when I was diagnosed my oncologist has advised me to stay on it for a few more years. I found when I first went on it that my knees would be painful if I wasn't active enough. I have heard that Letrozole can be awful for joint pain and I definitely wouldn't have agreed to more years of tamoxifen if I had side effects that made me miserable. We instinctively want to do everything we can to prevent a recurrence but quality of life is important too so maybe have a conversation with your oncologist to help make an informed decision on recurrence risk and balancing that against side effects etc.
I looked at the predict tool to help me decide about hormone treatment pros and cons (although I don't know if they still use it).The tool can be found here and might be worth discussing with your oncologist: https://breast.predict.cam/tool

Newer version of predict: https://breast.v3.predict.cam/

I’m fourteen years now past breast cancer, and had lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy , then Zoladex injections (length?) and tamoxifen (ten years)

The radiotherapy wasn’t too bad. You just lay there and the machine is above you. It just made me feel much more tired than normal.

I didn’t really suffer from tamofen side effects either. Did get rapid weight gain from zoladex though.

Are there any local support groups you could join ?

Sending love to everyone in this thread.

We have a life after cancer recovery thread which anyone who wants is very welcome to join and I am on under a previous username. Sending love to everyone on this thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/5483933-the-great-cancer-recovery-part-5

Thank you all.

I went to the breast physio yesterday afternoon and she told me that my experience at the moment is very similar to a lot of her ladies. But she also thinks I am particularly got by the drugs.

It is really helpful to read all your experiences.
thank you

Hi op. I had lumpectomy, radiotherapy in 2024. Was prescribed letrozole but decided not to take it. I also used the predict tool. I have to say I feel absolutely fine and am about your age. I understand my choice is not for everyone though . I have been told that if I change my mind I can start to take it.

@Chasingsquirrels thank you.
I know I have to be patient and wait for the pathology report which will determine next course of treatment. Most of the time I am ok but for the brief wobble.
Can I ask for suggestions about showering after the surgery. Even after the biopsy showers were a pain for 48 hours.

I honestly can't remember if I was told not to shower for a certain time, but the dressings were waterproof and I just showered as normal with them.
The underarm dressing came off in about 5 days and the breast one about 7.