The Great Cancer Recovery part 5

[Topofthecliffs]

Amazingly we have now filled four threads and are ready to start again. How time flies when you are being purposeful! Come and join in.

You may have finished active treatment for cancer, be in remission or NED. You want to look forward not dwell on the past. You know you ought to be eating well, exercising more and picking up the threads of your old life. Join us and share the ups and downs of recovery. We understand!
Here are some resources we found helpful:
The Mountain Lion
https://www.cancerpal.co.uk/post/what-it-s-really-like-to-receive-a-cancer-diagnosis
Peter Harvey on Psychology of recovery:
https://workingwithcancer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/After-the-treatment-finishes-then-what.pdf
Resources from Penny Brohn:
https://pennybrohn.org.uk/our-approach/resources/
Breast Cancer Now Moving Forward:
https://breastcancernow.org/information-support/support-you/moving-forward
Get your Oomph Back with Carolyn Garritt
http://www.oomph.london/home.html
Charity providing treats for cancer patients:
https://somethingtolookforwardto.org.uk/
Exercise is good for you:
^https://www.webmd.com/cancer/features/exercise-cancer-patients^
Any more suggestions? Post them below

(There is a thread for those suspected to have cancer, or newly diagnosed and facing treatment, and also a thread for those with Stage IV cancer who want to talk to others in the same boat, and you are welcome on any or all of these)

aww @BatshitCrazyWoman your cat is a stunner! Male or female? I would like to get a cat but am allergic. Mind you, I grew up with them so I'm sure I could re-climatise. Sorry to hear you're still feeling a bit sore - it takes a while doesn't it. Garden centre and charity shop rummage sound great plans.

@PaperbackWrighter she's a girl 🙂

Am pee'd off to still have the dragging pain, I wasn't expecting it to last so long. Ah well, nothing I can do.

@BatshitCrazyWoman Hope it eases up soon for you x

Loving the cat and dog pics.

I’m sorry things are so tough @Zoopet and hope the side effects improve. FWIW, I’ve had three post surgery mammograms now and they have definitely got less painful each time. I also take paracetamol in advance which might help a bit.

Agreed the pet pics are lovely.
@Zoopet your attitude is great, life is very odd during the recovery stage and nothing seems quite as it should be. I hope you get the meds balanced soon and feel better.
@BatshitCrazyWoman has anybody tried to explain why you still have pain?

I still struggle to work out whether the gut symptoms I have are the aftermath of chemo or bad reflux or something else sinister. As my weight doesn’t budge I think it is just a reset after three courses of chemotherapy. I feel sick a lot of the time and my guts just hurt in a way they never used to. But it doesn’t stop me eating more than I should!
I am off on my next adventure. We have travelled from the far southwest to the far north of the UK and tomorrow get the ferry over to the Outer Hebrides with our bikes. The weather is not brilliant but I am just going to enjoy exploring and have lots of cafe stops. I hope I am fit enough for the route I have planned. It is somewhere I have always wanted to see. The hills are not as steep as ours at home so I am optimistic I will survive even if I am slow. I just hope it isn’t too wet!
I will post on progress when I have a signal.

Your trip sounds amazing @Topofthecliffs I have been to the Western Isles/Outer Hebrides several times and love it there (and am always awed by the cycle tourers!!)

You have also reminded me to update that I was moaning a while ago about a mystery rash on my lower leg that my GP thought might be venous eczema/chronic venous insufficiency. I got referred on, had blood tests and it turns out I have Lyme disease! I am on antibiotics and have no other symptoms so should be fine but I must have caught it in my trip to Harris last November. There were a lot of deer. I didn’t notice a bite but apparently you can be bitten by a tick nymph which are too small to see. And my rash wasn’t the typical shape. Hey ho! Another health challenge to navigate. More positively, one of my letrozole side effects is acne and my skin has also improved with the long course of antibiotics so that’s a win.

Golly @dotty2 I am glad you got a diagnosis and treatment before the Lyme disease did too much damage.
Sadly I spoke too soon about our Hebrides trip as CalMac ferries have let us down and we never got across to the Hebrides. All my planning has been in vain and we have lost all our hotel bookings for the week. Instead we are holed up in Fort William trying to salvage our trip. The weather tomorrow looks shocking so we may drive to Inverness and start cycling from there.
I have learned a lot since being diagnosed with cancer. One of my strengths, along with DH, is that we can react to bad news very pragmatically. We swear and shout, have a cup of coffee and some cake then sit down and make a new plan together. It will be interesting to see how the week pans out.

Oh I’m so sorry @Topofthecliffs That is truly rubbish. I admire your ability to be philosophical about it and hope you can still do something lovely.

Calmac do seem to have gone to pot lately. I see a lot of people complaining about them on FB (started following local
acc when we went) In fact our ferry was cancelled both ways too and we had to rebook for a different route and pay for a different hotel the night before. V annoying at the time but at least we got there. Fingers crossed you can salvage your trip

Lovely to see all the pet photos.

Sorry about the disrupted trip @Topofthecliffs and hope you can have a nice time anyway. If you can get further south like Edinburgh the forecast looks much better. I think a lot of holidays are being disrupted this year.

Glad things are improving with antibiotics @dotty2

DHs voluntary redundancy has been accepted and will stop work in a few weeks time.

Still awaiting thatched shed quote but have agreed on design and have also ordered 2 like beach hut baby tool stores so we can keep our tools in one and the silkies stuff in the other and have the thatched one as like a summerhouse for DS. I've ordered some paint so we can paint them once they are made and arrive in mid June and they will match the silkies cottage. Its predicted to be very hot here this weekend 27C/28C ish and a 3 day weekend so we should really plan something as well as gardening.

Hope everyone has a nice Bank Holiday weekend.

Hope everyone is having a lovely Bank Holiday weekend. Glorious sunny weather here, around 30C all weekend.

Thatched quote came in incredibly high so we went to visit a cheaper shed company about 2 hours away yesterday and went to their workshop and saw them making sheds. Then went on to RHS Harlow Carr and went to Betty's tea room there and had lunch and cakes. Today DH was doing his classic car with friend this morning then we spent 3 hours gardening with silkies.

DS is going round garden in t-shirt and shorts though with socks and trainers and has eaten all the ice cream but got some more.

Our silkies today

Greetings from the far north. Par for the course for us we have reached the only part of the UK where it has been wet cold and windy! I have been cycling into headwinds swearing and crying over what should be beautiful mountain passes but are just foggy roads! My bum is too sore to go further so I have gone on strike and sent DH back to collect the van. Today is drier and the cloud has lifted a bit but it is just our luck that by the time we get home the drizzle will have returned. I have been very stoical and tough but I have had enough now!

We did a second day of gardening yesterday for 2.5 hours but was 31C and today its 33C which is a bit hot for me but cools tomorrow. DH had piano tuner round which cat was most unimpressed with. More shed discussions.

Hope the weather improves for you @Topofthecliffs if not would be staying inside. Hope its not drizzle when you get back, its sun forecast for next few days and forecasts for more than that tend to change.

Sorry to hear of the travel woes @Topofthecliffs . However on the upside the trip sounds amazing.

Weve just got back from a few nights in South Devon where we did a different beach every day. The boys have played cricket non stop since (tournaments/cricket camps) and I’m left wishing that football season was over!

@MrsSPengiuns @MrsSPenguinz silkies look content - the thatched shed sounds fun and ambitious. I’ll DM you my planning advice !

DP has decided to take a GLP 1 and has lost 16 lbs in 5 weeks. I’m really jealous because I’ve put on weight since starting endocrine therapy and can’t seem to shift it. I was alway a 14/16 and now I’m more a 16/18 despite swimming and strength training. There’s lots of encouraging noises coming out of various studies about post breast cancer GLP 1 drugs apparently. Anyone spoken with their oncologist about it?

Thanks very much @Littlecaf We are awaiting a second quote for a little thatched house garden bedroom which would need building regs, planning and listed buildings consent but am expecting cost to come in so high will rule it out. But I can dream! That's a very impressive weight loss for your DP. A few nights in south Devon sounds lovely.

Hot here today though we briefly had thunder and rain for 30 mins and just after the thunder DS goes into the garden for the rain. 🤔I've been sorting financial things, cancelling memberships DH has but doesn't use which will save £350 a year or so and moving things into higher interest accounts. I am trying to work out how much we can go to for a little thatched cottage. The company have their own architect but I think they normally work for people with listed very expensive houses with massive grounds and massive budgets. I am quite interested in it all anyway and finding out lots of facts about shed making.

@Littlecaf how funny that you are in my part of the world while I am roaming Scotland. I’m amazed how expensive and fully booked up everywhere is here. Tourism must be bringing in billions for Scotland.
The sun finally came out today and we cycled across Skye to a lovely place called Elgol. Then we took a boat trip over to the base of the Cuillins. It was utterly magical! After an ice cream we cycled back. The sunshine really transforms the whole experience, I was so happy today pedalling up the hills past beautiful lochs and crofts.
We are now thinking of how to wend our way back down south. It’s a long way home!

Great you had sun in Skye @Topofthecliffs We went there at Easter a year or maybe 2 years ago and stayed by Elgol and took that boat trip. We were lucky to get lovely weather all trip and loved seeing Skye. There's quite a lot to do there and some very nice restaurants though it was much pricier than I had expected, popular with Americans. We had wanted to go on the Jacobite steam train after but looks like its still not running. Ben Nevis is not too far if you are feeling energetic still.

@MrsSPenguinz the steam train is still broken along with the ferries.
We did pass Ben Nevis on our way up but DH doesn’t do walking! He only travels by bicycle if he has a choice. I think we will try to visit Dunvegan Castle tomorrow before we leave the island.
I am optimistic I will have lost some weight this week. I haven’t eaten as much as usual and I have exercised for at least eight hours a day most days. I feel it too!

Dunvegan Castle is lovely - worth going on their boat trip, and we also ate at the Old School restaurant there and had very nice cullen skink. The fairy pools are magical if you haven't been and think there was also a lighthouse at Neist Point which was a nice walk. There were also puffin boat trips to Isle of Canna from Elgol, we were too early for those.

We’re supposed to be going to Scotland for our summer holiday but haven’t booked anything yet - have been looking but it’s rather expensive - we’ve decided to skip Edinburgh because it’s soooo expensive in August! Was over £1000 for two nights! (With kids and a dog!)

DH and I have just done 4 hours gardening, got lawn mowed, silkies house cleaned and leaves etc clear from almost all the garden. It was cute the silkies went behind the garden shed and were singing and the neighbours ducks were quacking back taking it in turns.

I am not sure what we will do over the summer. We are awaiting dates from DD to work around.

@Littlecaf I was astonished at how expensive Scotland is. Even a hostel bed at short notice is £50 each and you have to take your own food and towels. Coffee and cake £18 for two in Visitor centres! We stayed one night in an ex council house Airbnb in Inverness and the lady who came in to make up the beds in the morning said she couldn’t understand how anybody could afford to visit Scotland. It makes an all inclusive trip to Spain or Turkey look like a bargain.
On the way home we stayed at a hotel under renovation near Fort William. The owner upgraded us to his newest nicest room and showed us round. He can charge £140 for even his worst rooms, because there is so little capacity.
We are back home now after a 350 mile drive. I have lost half a dozen house plants but all else is well. Now doing laundry and planning a catch up on my favourite people.
I am a bit broken after the endurance cycling but just sore bum, knee and back which should settle with rest. When I think back to how unwell I was after chemotherapy ended I give thanks every day for my health and energy. If you had told me then I would be fit enough to cycle Bealach na Ba I wouldn’t have believed you. Anybody just starting out on recovery, take heart!
Photo for entertainment but I didn’t see that as it was thick cloud all day when we rode up. I’ll add the picture of me being chased by a steamroller as it makes me laugh. Shortly afterwards they closed the road behind us and we had it all to ourselves.

@Topofthecliffs lovely photos! And yes, so expensive. We’re doing a bit of a tour and 4 nights in Skye (self catering, basic cottage, 4 + dog) is over £1200. Cairngorms was £900 for six nights (in a camping barrel/wigwam) and £900 for six nights in a caravan in Loch Lomond. That’s nearly £3k for two weeks for a family of 4! We didn’t even bother with Edinburgh as so expensive and Glasgow wasn’t cheap either! I don’t blame parents for just throwing it at a Turkey All Inclusive for the same money. At least you get the sunshine and food included!

So I’ve had a very mild pressure pain under my right armpit intermittently for about a month. There is no lump or swelling or skin issues. I emailed the BC team today and they’ve given me an appointment for Friday to get checked over. I’m probably being paranoid but best to get it checked. My cancer was on my left side.

I then realised that they’ve given me an appointment at the same “initial access” breast clinic, at the same building, at the same time on the same day as my diagnosis 2 years ago.

I can see me walking into the same room, with the same doctor and the having to explain why I am feeling so anxious.

Between now and then I have a massage booked, various children’s cricket matches to attend, three days of work including two really busy days at the office, a football tournament, my mums birthday dinner and all sorts of other life logistics to do.

just feeling a weird about it all.

I think that sort of pressure / pain is fairly common @Littlecaf especially I find if you've done any carrying heavy objects so I think there's a very high chance its benign but best to get checked. I've had similar after gardening when I've been lugging heavy things around and when I've really overdone it, can take a month or two to go. I would imagine if you phone them they may be able to alter the time / date if you explain though I think you are often best going for first available and getting it over and done with. Ours at least with symptom based tell you there and then its all clear. The checks are always scary and its weird as well when you are where you where when you have cancer the first time and get the all clear and know other people are being told they have cancer. Hope you get the all clear soon.

We are finding prices have gone up a lot - we got 2 Starbucks drinks on our way back and I joked to DH they'ld probably be £10 now and they were £12 from a service station drive through. DHs sandwich at Betty's was £15. We rarely eat out so its not much of an issue but its a bit of a shock. Also I looked up the hotel we stayed at in March 2025 in the Azores for £150 a night B&B including the spa pools and for this summer cheapest was around £550 a night though March was £200 a night so must be very seasonal. The pools were 37C so not sure it wouldn't be too hot in the summer but its booked out a lot so someone must be paying it.

Love the pictures @Topofthecliffs

We just did cleaning and Sunday lunch at home yesterday. DS has been lying on the grass, swinging in the tree, walking the paths and sitting on the squirrel bench. DH will stop work this month and trying to think about what we do after that but we have 2 lots of gardening to do a week and some house projects and he has a classic car and piano lessons so think we'll find things easily. Still awaiting second thatched tiny house quote and have asked listed buildings for their free 15 minute advice. I'm not totally sure we need listed buildings as its in the garden but not attached to a wall but they'll probably know how fussy planning will be about a shed. Its probably the roof covering which will be the issue. We also need to get the extra bedroom application in but need DH to do some drawings for that and we need to get builder round. Also trying to get plumber round for boiler check. DH worked on his classic car with a friend and is currently at piano. He went round some open gardens this weekend. Seems to be getting into the retirement thing fine.