The Great Recovery! After cancer what next?

[TopOfTheCliff]

This thread was suggested on the general Cancer Thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general_health/4895824-cancer-support-thread-90-still-the-best-threads-no-one-wants-to-be-on?page=15&reply=129923637 as a place to come when you are recovering.

You may feel your treatment is over and you are cured or at least NED, or it may just be a lull between storms, but you want to step away from the daily grind of chemo and radiotherapy and look to the future.
Most of us come out the far side of a cancer diagnosis battered and unfit and probably overweight from the steroids and the comfort eating. Where do you start? How long will it take ? Should you diet to lose weight or try to exercise more? Then there is the huge mental hurdle of putting Cancer behind you and not worrying about recurrence with every twinge.
I am a veteran of the Cancer Thread having had breast cancer twice in two years and I managed the recovery after cancer no 1. Now I have to do it all again but in good company I hope.

Didn't make it to Norfolk but did go swimming again today and another 107 lengths done. My weight is slightly down which is good. Just about to have steak pie though and have had quite a few chocolate champagne truffles.

Good first day of 2024.

@TopOfTheCliff love your t-shirt.

@Ikeameatballlunch glad to hear that you're feeling better. I start radiotherapy tomorrow, tbh I've been busy over Christmas and I think I'm still a bit in denial about how it will affect me, so I'm going with the one day at a time approach. I've eaten too much over Christmas, but will hopefully get back to normal over the next few weeks

Happy New Year all

@Octopus45 Hope your radiotherapy all goes well.

Thinking of you @Octopus45 today. I have to say I actually quite enjoyed radiotherapy because I am a geek and loved the machines. The staff were nice but the stripping off is a bit brutal. I didn’t get side effects just a deep sun tan over the square they treated and some tight muscles afterwards. I hope things go smoothly for you.

Today I went back to my gym classes and am trying not be sensible and just do one activity a day. Or maybe two! The exemestane is making my joints stiff and sore but exercise definitely loosens them up. I think the Christmas leftovers have put my weight back up again but I am going to really try to shift some weight in the next two weeks.

It feels very January out there today. Grey and raining and dull. Bleagh!

@Octopus45 Hope it goes well today. I found radiotherapy OK I just got achy as it took them a long time to get me in position but mine was in an awkward place! Will be thinking of you.

@TopOfTheCliff Hope the joints get less stiff and sore. I am fighting side effects of letrozole with everything I can throw at it. A range of supplements (approved by my onc) and regular yoga. I get some aches and weakness, but not bad enough to stop. The yoga really helps - hope it does you too.

Ooh I have been so virtuous today! After the gym session I did three loads of laundry, made a bread pudding out of stale crusts, booked a haircut and a car service and took myself off to get a broken tooth fixed. The dentist was very jolly and didn’t charge me anything amazingly. Now trying to sit still for a bit.
DH is getting a virus which I don’t want to catch so I am upping the vitamins.
I actually feel well for the first time in ages.

Thanks @tam23 I agree yoga helps a lot. And it’s fun.

@TopOfTheCliff Wow! Your achieved loads today. That’s brilliant!

I’m still struggling with fatigue, not sure if it’s the radio, letrozole or just the whole thing really. In my head I want to do things but can only manage a couple of hours a day. I’m not very good at pacing myself, so tend to keep going until I crash!

Happy new year everyone. I agree about exercise helping with the letrozole stiffness. I had two days with no exercise over new year and felt like I’d aged 20 years. I worked and rearranged my office this morning then walked to the swimming pool through the pouring rain this afternoon and felt much better and less creaky for my 30 mins in the pool. Taking my DDs to London tomorrow and keeping fingers crossed the trains will behave. We have lots of flooding locally. Am heartily sick of all the rain.

Hope radio went OK Octopus I found it very easy and didn't have any symptoms, hope you get the same.

Yes miserable weather. I had zero energy today and did nothing and just felt meh, not entirely sure why, get it quite a bit dieting, it's either lack of calories or sugar crashes I guess. Back to swimming tomorrow hopefully. For some reason can swim fine even feeling half dead.

I ate lots of sugar yesterday which was lovely and gave me masses of energy for swimming so did it non stop but may have contributed to today's crash. Never mind onwards and upwards or onwards at least.

DD is out to dinner with her boyfriend. DS seems a bit better. Oxford results on 9th and getting a bit nerve wracking re them. I wish she hadn't chosen the course with the 5% acceptance rate. Oh well. Want to plan holidays at the moment but hard to without knowing what kids will be at come the summer. Lots of imaginary planning going on and ordering things for DSs birthday.

I often feel I aged 20 years since chemo Dotty especially if I am looking in a mirror at the time. 😂 Though Tamoxifen is at least not too bad for aches and pains, swimming is great and energy levels when not dieting are fine. Just need to avoid mirrors, cameras and MN how old do I look threads. Enjoy London and enjoy New York Sierra.

My neck is so much better though now am 6kgs down, hard work though. I want to eat cake, biscuits, sweets like I used to and be fine again, sobs. Though all the female line seem to have got this around this age so likely not linked to chemo or cancer at all as the only one with cancer on female side. Not that I know any of the science behind it but it's like we become intolerant to sugar. Maybe we had lifetime allowance in first 40 years 😎

I booked Orchid Festival at Kew, that is so nice though very busy if you are anywhere near, do need to book in advance and parking is a challenge. But lovely colour in Feb.

Thanks Silkie. I'm actually feeling a bit apprehensive about being so far away from home, I'm sure it'll be fine when we're there though! Our plans have changed a bit, the friend that we were going to meet today in London has a cold, so I have cancelled in case it's something even worse. There's also lots of flooding around us and the train line was completely flooded yesterday and all trains cancelled, it seems to be starting slowly today but all the trains are in the wrong place, so we're probably going to travel down to London a bit later today instead of going this morning. DD wants to visit Primark before we go!

Anyway, gives us an opportunity to go to the gym in the morning! I have done yoga class and swimming and spa twice in the last couple of days, I will really miss my posh gym, but there is a fitness room in the hotel in New York, and might see if I can find swimming and yoga over there.

The flooding has actually been quite scary, we've got friends who've had their house flooded and the local park has been closed because the river is so high and has broken its banks, and I suspect it's mixed with raw sewage.

I normally no sugar other than a couple of squares of dark chocolate, but I have been eating more over Christmas, I need to stop! Not quite sure what to expect food-wise in New York, I will try to stick to as healthy as possible.

All you fit people on here, you are very inspiring, haven’t been in the gym since before Christmas so these healthy vibes are motivating to get back into the groove. I’m packing away my Christmas deco now, not much out so shouldn’t take long. Wishing you all a good Wednesday !

Hi ladies, first session of radio done, it was fine, once they got me into position it was very quick. I'm tired today, but think I might be catching my younger DS's lurgy. He's been unwell over Christmas and now has tonsillitis, so is on antibiotics. Haven't got the energy to do Get Fit with Rick this morning, but at least its down to the later not the former.

@SierraSapphire have a fabulous time in New York. @Silkiebunny
know what you mean about sugar, I'm not very good at managing without it, I have to have some even when I'm trying to lose weight. I've put on a couple of pounds over Christmas which I need to lose.

I'm not looking forward to getting on the scales on my weigh-in day, which is Friday.

I seem to have been given an awful lot of chocolates as presents this year. I've asked DH to take some to work to share with his colleagues.

Have a fabulous time in New York Sierra I have never been but one of the threads I'm on has a lovely lady from New York. She seems to eat quite a few lobster rolls but presumably all kind of cuisine in New York.

Just went swimming and did another 100 lengths and in jacuzzi and steam room. Then some house tidying / cleaning when back then a lovely bath. Getting things ready for DSs birthday. Weighed myself again and am slightly down again, very happy about that and you can see the difference a lot now, though am lucky could control things with it being just us for Christmas. I really wouldn't worry if you have put a bit on over Christmas its nice to enjoy it took and its only a week or so. I have cake and sweet things arriving for DSs birthday soon though I love swimming days as that uses up 400 or 500 calories and can then eat them back.

No weighing myself here as we are still dashing around Australia! We’ve travelled from Melbourne to Canberra to Batemans Bay to Woolongong and now we are in Sydney. It’s been great but exhausting.

At times I’ve wanted to be relaxing at home but it really has opened my eyes up to the wonderful world again.

All the swimming sounds great! I’m still struggling a bit with sciatica and will be getting some physio when I get back home.

Also have an interview but it’s in a school. Good school good job, but I’ve just woken up from an anxiety dream about teaching Romeo and Juliet with cramp in my leg! I think my brain is trying to tell me something!

What should I do? Hold out for something else? Or suck it up for stable income for a term or two?

That sounds an amazing trip Fairywren I would love to be doing that. I went to Australia once and loved it but its so huge you only see a small part of it.

Re the job I would go to the interview and see what you think. But sometimes your gut feel on things is right. I also don't know what teaching is like in Australia or what the alternatives might be so its a bit hard to say. Here I think teachers sometimes do private tuition when full time gets too much. Teaching is very long days here.

Woke up today with Floof face to face with me on the pillow, 1.2 metres of fluff in my face, very sweet but he's a bit clumsy.

@FairyWren7 I guess it will come down to whether the interview process inspires you or puts you off. It’s natural to be anxious after all you have been through.

I have had a peculiar day. It started with the premed assessment for my hip operation, which was fine except they failed to get blood from my juicy veins four times and had to fetch the doctor. Then I dropped off my ebike to have the lock fixed and went to a friend’s funeral. This was lovely, moving and sad but full of love. Afterwards I picked up the fixed bike and came home to find my mammogram has been booked for the day I have surgery. I knew that would happen!
It feels like everything is a low grade struggle but I am moving forward. On the plus side my BMI is not Obese any more just overweight.

@FairyWren7 I work in schools, so know what you mean. I echo Top - go for the interview and you’ll make up your mind. I’ve had school interviews where, by the end of it, I knew I didn’t want to work there. You can always turn it down if it doesn’t feel right.

@TopOfTheCliff I too went to a friend’s funeral today. Warm and moving, with lots of lovely friends, but I cried buckets - think it’s the lack of oestrogen, as I’m not usually a crier, although it was a very quick illness, so none of us had really had time to process it properly. Congratulations on the BMI!

I managed to change my mammogram from the same date as hip surgery to next Wednesday which is a gain I think. That is assuming it comes back normal and doesn’t derail my life again ( year 3 for BC no 1 and year 1 for BC 2)

It has been an odd week and I feel a bit dissatisfied but I am not sure why. I have managed four exercise sessions as well as 3km of a Parkrun and been quite sociable but have scoffed too many Christmas leftovers and am annoyed with myself. I need to remember that six weeks ago I was still exhausted and unable to get through a class without stopping to rest. I am much stronger and have lots more energy but I am impatient and expecting faster progress and more weight loss. This is unreasonable and I need to cut myself some slack. It’s not a race! Last time it took nearly a year to get back my strength and fitness.
I also relate to those struggling to plan ahead and book trips and treats for the spring and summer. It feels like tempting fate to arrange anything until after I have had my hip surgery and it could be sabotaged at any point by a recurrence of the BC. I am going to wait until March before making any firm plans.

So tell me fellow travellers, have you set any goals for the year? Or is it too hard to do?

I think you're doing amazingly @TopOfTheCliff you definitely need to cut yourself some slack!

My goals or increasing my activity levels have stalled again since surgery as the whole family have been pretty Ill since Boxing Day- I'm getting better but still coughing a lot which is keeping me awake. Been back to work full time since beginning of the week but luckily at home.
My other goal of much less time spent undergoing medical treatment has also been thrown out by the decision that I'll start on zoledronic acid next week. At least it's a quick appt and hopefully short term side effects- does anyone have any experience or tips to share for it- I've heard to stock up on paracetamol/ ibuprofen as can cause aching limbs.
On the up side I've lost a few pounds, over Christmas! This is probably all the muscle that I'd gained from doing weights prior to the op but nothing like seeing the numbers go down! My histology results for ovaries etc all came back clear too so that was good/ not that there was any reason not to but every scan/ check now comes with a breath hold.
Happy New Year everyone

Thanks @myrosehasleftme
My experience of Zolendronic acid has been overall good but the first dose caught me out. I got a flulike illness 36 hours later with severe bone pain fever headache and shivering. It didn’t happen on round 2 or 3 but round 4 was hard. The nurses say to infuse it slowly helps. I have done six and thought I had finished but the oncologist has suggested 2 more for luck. I’m taking up the offer as it will protect me when I fall off my mountain bike! ( which I do a lot as I am a very bad mountain biker).

@TopOfTheCliff I’m setting a weight loss goal. Also when this crazy across Australia trip ends we’re going to do an anti-inflammatory Mediterranean style diet. See if that helps. I’m concerned the swimming is what is triggering my siatica which has finally calmed down despite all the walking.

The other thing I’m doing is I’m going to do all the things I’ve wanted to do. Husband has long service leave due this year, it means I think six weeks paid. (Although he wants a new job anyway). It’s an opportunity to do a bit more travel. Fingers crossed. Need to save a bit! I’m hoping to do a bit more of Europe and Central America in the next year or two. (If I am lucky enough to be about for that).

Had the most amazing few days in Sydney - it’s been wonderful. Such a great city!

Hope you can get to do more travel later Fairywren Great to have been to Sydney. Costa Rica is amazing in Central America if you get chance to go there. Loved the rainforest and wildlife.

This year just continuing the 3 to 5 hours exercising a week which I achieved last year, mainly swimming, done 6 hours this week so far. And some more losing the cancer weight gain, got about 7.4kgs to go, lost over 6kgs now. Today stayed within calories but had cake and pancakes, very nice though to have sometimes. Would love to travel, ideally Borneo the trip we were supposed to take in 2020 but couldn't as covid, then 21 covid, then 22 cancer, then 23 DS. Hoping can make it this year, know what I want to book but its who is coming that's the issue, DS won't currently leave house and if that's the same will be DD and I but she is awaiting to hear re universities. Sure we will get travel in some how. May do more work on house, current project is declutter and nearly complete on that, next may be one which needs permission which may take a while to get. And of course helping my lovely DS. Plus supporting DD through A levels, starting uni and / or gap year. Maybe reconstruction op if I am lucky. DD is also nagging for a Mrs Floof.

@Silkiebunny I used to live in Brunei and have travelled a lot in that area! Amazing place to explore! Yes, Costa Rica would be amazing. I’m eyeing up a Bogotá to Mexico City trip -expensive but good to do that section.

The novel I have been writing on and off starts in Panama so would be good to get some local flavour.

I love pancakes! Soon all sugar and that sort of thing will be banished. We have birthdays coming up!