Fatigue after radiation
Hi
Just wondering people's effects after radiation for breast cancer and how long fatigue lasts I just finished 20 sessions and I can't even begin to say how exhausted I am just trying to do normal things.
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Hi
Wow that's alot for sure the knee surgery is massive in itself. All you can do is listen to your body and not beat yourself up about doing things that you can't right now. Hugs
I haven’t started radiation yet but am reading about others experiences as the plan is also for me to have 16 plus 4 boosts. However I still can’t get clean margins! I go in July 19th for my third re-excision. I must say this has had me questioning whether I should have requested mastectomy. You also had 3 surgeries?
Yes, I had 3. It was frustrating. Thankfully the physical recovery from them was pretty easy but the mental anguish was hard. I wondered as well if I should have requested mastectomy but after discussions with my surgeon, the medical oncologist and then the radiology oncologist I felt reassured that for my diagnosis this was the best path and now I'm happy I went with that. Good luck with this hopefully last surgery!!!
Dear meg55,
I had two lumpectomies, and am now cleared to start radiation therapy in a few days. The plan for me is the same as yours: 16 plus 4 boosts. It was frustrating to learn after the first lumpectomy that they didn't get clear margins and I had to have a second one. I am really sorry that you had to have three! I also wondered if I just shouldn't have gotten a mastectomy, but even at two (or three?) lumpectomies, they are much less invasive than a mastectomy, and still leave plenty of tissue so that breast reconstruction surgery is not necessary. I understand that with a mastectomy the skin on your chest is usually permanently numb, plus no nipple. Still having an active sex life, these are important considerations for me. As one of my doctors reminded me, if it becomes necessary in the future, I can still get a mastectomy, but once the breast is gone, it's gone. So I think it is worth a try to see if lumpectomy plus radiation does the trick. Statistically, the survival rate is the same (in my case, better than 99%). Hope this helps.
Thank you for your perspective! 🩷
Yes, for me too and the radiation does seem key to prevent recurrence. Thank you for your input ! Fingers crossed third time’s the charm!
It was a good 6 months before I was less than completely exhausted. It took another 6 months to get back to feeling like myself. (I had a lumpectomy and radiation. I chose not to do aromatase inhibitors.)
Hi
Thank you for sharing that. I also had an lumpectomy and am not doing tge aromatase inhibitors. When you say it took a yr to feel like yourself can you elaborate. I don't feel like me either is it the whole experience and the fatigue my brain feels foggy it's strange