Will I ever feel better???

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Amoc1973
Amoc1973 Member Posts: 158
edited June 2014 in HER2+ (Positive) Breast Cancer


hi. I finished chemo July. Finished rads a month ago. Last Herceptin next week & been on tamoxifen for a month. I'm still so tired. Anyone extremely fatigued this far from chemo? Is it the herceptin? Or the month of tamoxifen? I used to be so active. Just needing some encouragement. I'm worried it's the tamoxifen & I have to take that for 10 yrs!!

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  • pupmom
    pupmom Member Posts: 5,068
    edited October 2013


    Amoc, to me it sounds like a reaction to rads. Often tiredness comes after, not during, treatment. Just want to add that exercise, even when you don't feel like it, helps. Try a 15 minute walk every day and if you can tolerate that, increase the amount of walking slowly. Best wishes!

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  • SpecialK
    SpecialK Member Posts: 16,486
    edited October 2013


    Fatigue is definitely a SE of Herceptin, a year is a long time to receive a medication! I am on an AI rather than Tamoxifen, but fatigue is also a SE, so it could be any or all of these things!

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  • Annette47
    Annette47 Member Posts: 957
    edited October 2013


    Most likely it's the rads .... that took me several months to recover from. I had thought it might be Tamoxifen (didn't have any chemo), but the fatigue seems to have completely lifted once I got past the 6 month mark from rads (didn't stay bad all 6 months, just not quite as energetic as before diagnosis).

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  • Moonflwr912
    Moonflwr912 Member Posts: 6,856
    edited October 2013


    fatigue is most likely rads. And also chemo. And Tamox. Not to mention Herceptin. Any if these alone could knock you for a loop. And you had them all. Yes its normal to be tired. If the fatigue is bad though, Mention it to your doc. He will probably order some blood test to see if you are low on iron. Or red blood cells.. you have been through a lot. Exercise does help but dont overdo it wont make it get better faster! It might actually slow you down if you try to hard to get back to where you were too fast. Much love.

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  • Amoc1973
    Amoc1973 Member Posts: 158
    edited October 2013


    Thanks.... I'm just so ready to feel better. Hope I do soon. This sucks

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited October 2013


    In my Breast Cancer Support Group (we met here and moved to Facebook), surveying 20 of us,


    it took about 13 months after chemo to start feeling better - it didn't matter if the people had Herceptin


    or not. Most of us had Rads. That was our unofficial observation. It takes time. You are still early


    in the post Chemo game...don't be too hard on yourself.

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  • sduch1
    sduch1 Member Posts: 104
    edited October 2013


    hi, Denise


    I'm wondering if your group thought it was 13 months after chemo or after Herceptin. I am 13 months out from chemo but only 3 months out from Herceptin. Still having some issues!

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  • JeninMichigan
    JeninMichigan Member Posts: 2,974
    edited October 2013


    Your body has been through a lot. Between Chemo and Radiation, it will take a while to get your strength back. You are not far out from either of them so give youself some time. I have been taking Herceptin now for over 5 1/2 years every three weeks. My energy is great so I don't think it is really is the Herceptin that will cause you too many problems. I recall I ended my chemo August 1 and ended radiation December 10. It was well into the spring before I really felt good. Give yourself some time to get over the chemo and radiation and you will rebound.


    Jennifer

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  • sduch1
    sduch1 Member Posts: 104
    edited October 2013


    Thanks Jennifer, I have had a few issues crop up here and there over the past year--shingles, a UTI, fatigue and I still need to take Ativan to sleep. I blame a lot of it on remnant effects of chemo and am just waiting for the day I start to feel better, over the hump. Maybe this is the new me and I need to just get used to it!

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