tired after mastectomy

shirley182

hi i had a left mastectomy in july 2016 no revonstruction or further treatment .i have been fine up to now a little tired straight after surgery but nothing you wouldnt expect. For the last few weeks i have been depressed for no reason but i think one factor triggering it is how tired i feel one day im ok the next exhausted....i cant understsnd i just have suddenly felt overwhelmed and sometimes am sleeping for over 12 hours..does anyone know why this is happening now ..is it normal ..i feel ok apart from this tiredness

Moderators

Hi Shirley and welcome to Breastcancer.org!

We're so sorry you're feeling down and exhausted -- both emotions are very common in a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. We're sure many others will be popping in soon to share their experiences, too!

In the meantime, you may want to check out the main Breastcancer.org site's pages on Depression and Managing Fatigue for some really helpful advice on dealing with these side effects.

We hope this helps! Please continue to post, check in often, ask questions -- we're all here for you!

--The Mods

Smallie

I am having a mastectomy with sentinel biopsy on my left breast in two days. I am terrified. I am told that I will have to take the hormone therapy for a while if my lymph nodes are not infected.

I am really scared of the side effects of the hormone therapy since blood clots are high in our family and so is depression.

Wil I get drepressed? Sick? Is a mastectomy painful? I am not able to sleep since the doctor told me DCIS with highest score Index but I do not want to take a xanax or other and get addicted to it.

Anyone has any advice ?

Thanks.

BarredOwl

Hi Smallie:

I was also scared of surgery. Before the procedure, I had to have an excisional surgical biopsy on one side under anesthesia, which was kind of a preview for me and it went very well, which calmed my fears a lot. I also worked on my preparations to distract myself. The bilateral mastectomy (without reconstruction) and sentinel node biopsy also went smoothly. Although everyone is different, I did not experience significant pain, which was well-controlled both in the hospital and at home. I was on tylenol only quite quickly.

It is nice to have a small pillow to keep the seatbelt away from you on the ride home, but loosely rolling up a soft polartec-type jacket also works. Once home, the drain sites and underarms (from SNB) were a little uncomfortable, so I sat with regular pillows tucked under my upper arms/elbows.

Like most, I was advised not to raise my arms above shoulder height (90 degrees) at first. Before leaving the hospital, be sure to ask for guidance about post-surgery exercise. I note there is a low risk of lymphedema after SNB. If you have not already done so, shortly after surgery, you may wish to request a referral to a qualified lymphedema therapist to obtain baseline measurements of your arms, and receive some education about it, possible precautions, and safe approaches to exercise. Meanwhile, this is a helpful site for more information:

http://www.stepup-speakout.org

For now, try not to worry about the endocrine (hormonal) therapy. After surgery, you can request a referral to a medical oncologist ("MO") (at a time when the surgical pathology is available) to discuss the available options, which have quite different side-effect profiles. The MO can help you understand the risks and potential benefits in your particular case, in light of your risk profile (e.g., risk of recurrence or new disease in same or opposite breast), personal medical and family history, and help you to make an informed decision about what is right for you. I note that if you are post-menopausal, you would have the additional option of an aromatase inhibitor. Many tolerate treatment well.

Perhaps you can join the April 2016 surgeries thread here for support. The first post has links to useful information.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/91/topics...

Sending my best wishes for a smooth surgery and the best possible outcome!

BarredOwl

---

Bilateral mastectomy and SNB (without reconstruction), Stage IA (Sept. 2013)

BarredOwl

Hi shirley182:

How are you doing? Some fatigue is normal, so listen to your body if it is telling you to rest. If you are feeling depressed (which can contribute to feeling of fatigue), don't hesitate to raise it with your treatment team in case medication would be appropriate and/or to discuss other suitable options (e.g., a support group, exercise (e.g., walking), hospital-based programs teaching stress-reduction such as "mindfulness").

BarredOwl

StaceySue2U

Smallie, antidepressants are great for the hot flashes that come with the hormone therapy so you can kill to birds with one stone! Do you take an aspirin a day? You might discuss that with your doctor after your surgery (no aspirin before surgery, of course).