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Emotional aftermath following breast cancer treatment

Breast Cancer | Last Active: 12 hours ago | Replies (82)

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@val97

I'm coming in very late to this thread, but I'm so grateful I found it. Post cancer treatment has been more difficult emotionally for me than going through the treatment itself. I was told how "lucky" I was because I was "only" 1B ER/PR+ HER2- in both breasts with very low oncotype scores. I had a double mastectomy in Oct '23, had a second surgery Nov '23 because they didn't get clear margins. went to three radiation oncologists who all gave me different info (ended up forgoing radiation), and spent countless hours on the internet reading every medical article I could find that looked remotely like my situation. I fought with doctors to get things done, had to show a brave face to my family, and, sometimes, had get angry to just to keep going. The issue is, now that's its "done" I don't feel okay. I don't feel like my pre-BC self. I feel like I've been in fight or flight mode for so long I don't know how to turn it off. And between the Tamoxifen turning me into a crazy person with constant hot flashes, not being able to exercise for almost 8 months due to surgeries, and people around me thinking I should just be done and over it...it has been difficult to be positive. We also sold our home and are moving to another city which brings up its own stressors - packing up, starting over, finding a new job, new doctors, etc. This past week I felt like I hit a low point. Today I made a conscious effort that I was going to start trying to moving toward a more positive me - I can finally exercise, I'm trying to eat better, and I found this support group. Reading your posts made me feel a lot less crazy and more normal. I am very appreciative of that. Thank you for sharing your stories.

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Replies to "I'm coming in very late to this thread, but I'm so grateful I found it. Post..."

@val97 you are describing me 8 months ago. After months of constant, intense fight or flight medical discussions & keeping those around me reassured, I was finally able to start getting back to a regular routine and exercising. It definitely made me feel more normal and in control.

It sounds like you already know to advocate for yourself, so I will only add that if the Tamoxifen crazies get too bad (especially during a big move/settle in ) see if your oncologist will reduce your dosage or have you take a medication holiday. I also have a very low Oncotype score, and when I was having issues, she had me take a 2 week holiday before starting on a lower dose. She told me “this is a marathon, not a sprint, taking some time off so you can get back in the race is more beneficial than getting to the point where you want to quit entirely”.

Good luck with the move and I do hope you find a good doctor at your new location.

And yes, this discussion board made me feel less alone too!