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.

It’s not dead @RedRosesPinkLilies it’s just restin’!
I’ve had a funny couple of days. 90 year old FIL with dementia is deteriorating and MIL wants to keep him at home so I’ve been supporting her as the various agencies start buzzing round putting pressure on her. My DH and his DSis seem a bit paralysed by it all. I got the day wrong for the shopping delivery and had to rush home from the gym to open the front door! Then I got a phone call from my surgeon to tell me my mammogram is clear. “You told me how awful it is waiting for the result so I thought I’d ring you with the good news”. What a kind thought! I’ve been loving weeding the allotment in the cold. Today the ground was frozen but I made great progress. Also I did a twenty mile bike ride that made me ache a lot! Doing too much as usual.
@SierraSapphire coffee makes my guts churn. It can be useful sometimes.

@TopOfTheCliff great news re the mammogram

That's great news about the mammogram @TopOfTheCliff - and also that you didn't have long to wait! Wish my hospital was so thoughtful...!

Great news on the mammogram @TopOfTheCliff and the swiftly delivered good news.

My SIL is in the midst of the awful time of uncertainty following a cancer diagnosis. At first she was told the lymph node they biopsied was clear but she saw her surgeon who still is concerned about it and is sending her for a 2nd biopsy. She was feeling calm about just having a lumpectomy and possibly some radiation but now chemo has entered the chat, the lymph node is suspicious, the lump is large, all the stuff you don’t want to hear.

My lovely exercise physiologist emailed me to see how I was going after I had to cancel our appointment due to my elbow injury. She’s offered to work together with the physio to modify my program. I’m off to the physio tomorrow to get a proper diagnosis and treatment. I’ve also made an appointment with the gynaecologist to discuss my hysterectomy to relieve myself of my uterus and ovaries before my genes convince them to become cancerous. I’ve had a blissful few weeks away from medical stuff - it can’t last forever!

I saw a perfect job advertised today. It’s even part time. I will apply although it feels too soon, I was hoping to have another couple of months off. Oh well no guarantee I’ll even get an interview.

Great news @TopOfTheCliff .

Fantastic news @TopOfTheCliff
Your comment to me made me laugh!

I have started back at PT this week. A youngish guy, but seems really switched on and didn’t waste time in chit chat, but was friendly at same time. I was impressed. Just feel I want to be as physically well as possible for whenever I need to be.
Also really enjoying yoga / Pilates. I never used to be a gym person - but enjoying it.

We have terrible weather up here (N Scotland), hope everyone else is ok. Snow is pretty, but also a complete pain!

@RedRosesPinkLilies My friend in Shetland has been unable to get to her hospital appointments because of snow. It sounds very exciting but must be a pain to deal with. We are just cold and dry here.
I’ve just had my last gym session before my operation. I’ve got the arthritic hip, as well as a sore shoulder, stiff knees and rickety ankles. It’s hard to imagine getting back to some sort of normal mobility but I will keep plodding forward in the hope things improve.
DH is going to have to dig in to help look after his DPs while I am out of action, as well as looking after me. I hope he can cope. I’ll fill the freezer with ready meals and batch cooking this weekend so I get the food I want. At least I know what to expect.
Keep warm folks x

Great news re mammogram @TopOfTheCliff and good luck with the op.

@Remaker go for it with the job, you may regret it if you don't and nothing else suitable comes up.

Fab news @TopOfTheCliff

@TopOfTheCliff great news!

Oncology check up for me tomorrow so I'm brooding of course, but slightly less so than my previous one. I'll have an internal exam so fingers crossed they don't spot anything they want to look closer at.

@ClashCityRocker 🤞 Good luck for tomorrow.

Good luck @ClashCityRocker - I have internals for my endometrial cancer as it's most likely to occur at the vaginal cuff,, but I always reassure myself that they rarely find anything that you're not aware of anyway - in fact, for stage 1A grade 1 endometrial, cancer they don't do follow-ups at all because they were found not to make any difference, because you tend to get either pain or bleeding. Having said that I did have to go through a biopsy earlier in the year, although they found it was just granulation tissue from the scar. In some ways, I feel as though I would've been better not having an examination in the first place, then I wouldn't have had three months of worry, but you just don't know.

-5 here and I've got to take DD's car into the garage once I'm dressed, though it's only a 10-15 minute walk back.

That's great news about the mammogram @Top!

Good luck @clashcity @Remaker I think you should go for the job. Anything to get me away from thinking about cancer these days is a yes for me.

I am still having shortness of breath, weirdly it is mostly early in the morning or when I am at rest. Thankfully my sleep has improved, I have asked for a repeat echo so crossing my fingers for that. As someone said earlier, I have also booked some holidays in a frenzy at Christmas which was just after herceptin was stopped because I felt a bit okay at the time. Now I am not sure if I will be allowed to fly which just makes me so sad. On the bright side, I have commenced walking 8 to 10k steps a day to improve the lvef. I may go back to swimming as well but been advised to take it easy. It's sunny but cold over here in the Midlands. I hope it's same where you are.

Hope the appointment went okay @ClashCityRocker . It’s always such a roller coaster of fear, confusion, relief and gratitude I find.

I’ve been for a fun CT scan of my hip with some jolly men and a series of pelvic X-rays to programme the robot. I’m quite enjoying the non-cancer experience! Also tidying my house and planning ready meals for DH to prepare that I will enjoy. My cleaner has agreed to come for an extra hour a week in February to keep up with laundry and washing up which will help DH.
Today I am trying to take it easy as everything is aching currently.

@Makemineadecafplease my recollection is that if you are able to walk through the airport and onto the plane you are fit to fly. Hopefully this applies to you too.

Thanks guys, all is well, and I have that wonderful feeling of knowing (touch wood) I won't have any more appointments for a wee bit.

Had a padel match straight after and then went to pick my partner's little girl up from school with him. She's in a delightfully perky and hyper mood so I'll definitely sleep tonight!

@TopOfTheCliff that sounds fascinating! I've heard of robotic surgery but never understood how they actually did it. I'm sure I must have done the radiotherapists head in asking how things worked and what they were.

@makemineadecaf 8-10k steps sound good! It's so hard when you're trying to balance improving things with not wearing yourself out.

Just popping in quickly from my holiday in Cornwall to share how happy I was to run by the sea this morning. Very little actual running as it was steep and rocky (and alarmingly near the cliff edge) but the light and views were amazing.

How beautiful@dotty2

That looks stunning @dotty2. Nourishment for the soul!

@dotty2 That looks beautiful, real food for the soul. Which part of Cornwall is that?

Near port Isaac looking towards tintagel. We have been so lucky with the weather, it’s quite magical.

NC here.

Looks like a wonderful trip Dotty

Great news about mammo Top and look forward to hearing about your bike trip across Europe in due course.

Off swimming tonight. Currently with a beautiful candle burning and a cat snuggling with me on the bed. And a cup of tea. Happy to have got through the first half of Jan with everything going well. DD has been admiring my candle, I kept saying it was too much and I wasn't going to buy it, but gave in. Normally I am really sensible. Though it comes in a beautiful ceramic pot with white flowers and leaves painted on.

Love the Cornwall pic @dotty2, I dream of being able to paint places like that!

Parents are off in New Zealand for a couple of weeks. I have a friend coming for a couple of nights next week.

Experiencing a bit of the post holiday blues - ridiculous amounts of cleaning and washing. Plus the I haven’t got a job blues … I had another interview invite, they sent more detailed info about the role and salary and it wasn’t what I wanted. So no! So I’m trying not to apply for last minute roles before the academic year starts. Got a lead on another more desk type job with the Ed department but that may not come off. Nice if it did though!

Made huge amounts of healthy soup yesterday, so going to kickstart the healthy eating and exercise plan on Monday. Also booked an art evening class - watercolours which starts in Feb.

Still no referral for getting fixed. My sad little breast cushions kept shifting about yesterday! Makes me self conscious!

Can’t find my passport. Which I need for loads of adminy stuff! Wah! It’s the worst passport photo I’ve ever taken during chemo. Hideous!

@Remaker did you go for the job? Good luck if so!

@TopOfTheCliff so glad about your mammogram. A weight off your mind. I had robotic excision surgery with a da Vinci machine in Singapore. They cut out all the endo. It is amazing technology. The surgeon showed me a video of it afterwards (I’m usually very squeamish) and it was fascinating. Made my husband nearly faint.

We’ve overspent this holiday and the last year. I need to earn some money! Any ideas? Lotto win unlikely. $2 on Xmas scratch cards from the rellies :(

Creature pic - Do you have toast? We like toast!

@Penguinsa you inspired me to light a nice candle this evening.
I’ve been looking at pictures from a year ago when I went to Cornwall with friends. I look quite ill having just finished IV chemotherapy. I remember I could only walk about 100 yards and my friends left me at the holiday house when they went out. I was so thrilled to be there though. It’s nice to see how much happier, stronger and healthier I look now. It’s easy to forget how far I have come in 12 months, having weathered surgery and radiotherapy and oral chemotherapy too in that time. I wonder what I will be like in another year. Hopefully up another level in fitness and energy.
I’ve been doing pre op shopping ordering new pants and joggers to lurk in for the next month. They need to be baggy! I do love a good online shopping splurge.
@FairyWren7 you have inspired me to watch some videos of the Mako robot. I hope I don’t regret it. Hope you find your passport soon.