Is there long term survival without long term "side" effects?

Hi azrescue!

I can't help much (my treatment was quite different than what you've got planned, but for what it's worth I haven't experienced any long term effects from radiation over seven years ago), but wanted to mention if you don't get many positive responses, it may be because the people who have had minimal to no long term effects tend not to come back here and post. That is, if things have gone well, they go on to other things in their lives.

So don't take a lack of responses (if that's what happens) as some sort of harbinger of doom.

HTH,

LisaAlissa

I'm considered one who basically skated through everything so far. BMX last Aug, I had really no pain and full range of motion of the bat. Next in treatment was chemo. I had read all sorts of bad stuff and was really paralyzed in thinking how on earth am I going to do this all alone. What people were saying, wow. But I kept positive and I really think that's how I pretty much skated through. My MO says I'm a rock star compared to what she sees. I had some nausea issues and taste sucked, but other than that, I wasn't too different than before. I'm going to be starting rads soon and hear it's much easier than chemo. I think the best advice I've ever gotten was keep positive. The mind has a lot more control over what happens to us than we give it credit for.

Also I have read many folks here who had a rougher time with chemo come back just fine afterwards.

Ladies: This thread is so hopeful. I saw my MO this week to discuss hormone therapy after completing rads about a month ago. She actually told me that my recurrence risk is so low that the absolute benefit of hormone therapy will be small for me (reducing risk from 9 percent to 5-6 percent, or from 5 percent to 3 percent, etc.) I want to believe her and be able to relax, knowing that I am likely over the most difficult humps.

But I remain nervous and on guard...Small challenges seem really stressful. My husband went with me to appointment and was thrilled, but instead of being excited, I feel anxious. Is this pretty common, after all the intensity of dx, waiting, treatment decisions, more waiting, actual treatments, more waiting, and then trying to "graduate" after all of the above? It feels hard to let this be the life- and mind-altering event it is, without dwelling on it too much. Will time bring some balance to this lingering feeling of "rawness"/vulnerability? Would love to hear others' experiences.

It absolutely takes time. When I was in treatment, I was in a survival mode; just trying to get through each day. I could not bring myself to even try to think about what this all might mean to me. I am a teacher & finished radiation 4 days before school started (which was also the beginning of my son's senior year in high school), so I just threw myself into that year & it wasn't until the next summer that I could catch my breath and try to make some sense of it all (I did a lot of walking & walking & walking that summer). I do think a person can't help but have some sort of a post-traumatic stress thing happen at some point. I guess my advice would be to deal with it however helps you best get through it, and afterwards know that you will have some tough moments; but if you acknowledge them but stay busy, active and involved with life. If you make plans, do fun/interesting/meaningful things, then it will recede (you will be amazed one day when you realize that you have not thought about cancer at all and it is 10 pm). You will always remember it, but eventually you will put it in perceptive and might (very shockingly) even find that some positive things have come out of the experience.