Hi Everyone, I wondered about tiredness - how long does it take to recover from major ops? Its been 8 months since my last one.

[mariacpdb]

I had my mastectomies last year and am now back at work getting on with my life.Understandably every ache and pain or symptom becomes a question mark about cancer. So I am trying not to get anxious about this hence this question. No chemo or radiotherapy. I feel like I haven't quite got back to my old energy levels although I am doing a lot I get more easily tired. The web sites seem to paint a rosy picture of recovery but I wonder?

[StickiVicki]

Is part of your fatigue due to being stressed about every ache and pain? If you had no chemo or radiotherapy you must have had very early stage breast cancer and you DO have a great chance of it not progressing ... but there again there are no guarantees in life. However if you live your life in fear of what might happen you are missing out on a lot of LIVING. There is a saying something like 'yesterday is history, and tomorrow is a mystery ... that's why they call this the present'.

You need to find ways to move cancer into the back of your mind. Have you done any of the PBCC courses? Is there any counselling near you that you could have? A Macmillan centre, or something similar, may be able to provide this. Look on breast cancer web sites for information about telephone counselling.

Only you can do this, with the best will in the world no one can flip a magic switch and make you feel better physically, mentally or emotionally. It does take some hard work and determination but cancer has taken your breasts, so don't let it take anything else from you and your enjoyment and fulfilment in life. Try Mindfulness meditation - it is one of the best things I have ever done and it brings you back to this very moment, that you are breathing and centred and that you are ok right now and ultimately that is what matters most.

[dagshome]

Hi I had some fatigue after a cancer opp which could not be resolved by the NHS. Eventually a private nutritionist organised a set of blood tests which DID reveal major imbalances. A change of diet and some special supplements brought my energy back.

[mariacpdb]

Thanks to you both.

I do regular meditation, weekly Pilates, walks, eat well, had loads of counselling and done the Living well course. I also see the Nutritional Therapist. I guess there's so much you can do but maybe its just allowing the process to finish. This was not my first encounter with cancer but as it was a recurrence 14 years later I chose the operations.

I think you're right about not letting the fear of cancer dominate. Yet again I know from previous experiences that it is a natural part of the process to think about cancer. It does fade providing nothing else happens! After a while it just becomes a healthy reminder to take care of your self.

I also recognise that life presents other problems. Here's me questioning about whether its cancer returned or post op fatigue and it may well be something else all together. So I think the advice to get some tests done is a good idea.

And whilst I'm about it I have probably done too much in getting my life back to some normality- partly out of needing to earn a living- when maybe I need to recognise I am still healing on many levels.

I have therefore booked myself into Healing at Penny Brohn- it doesn't require me to do anything except get there.

Good luck to us all.

Maria

[Rosebud51 in reply to mariacpdb]

Hi Maria, I know just what you mean - the C word lurks there with every little niggle, ache or pain. Great that you are going for healing to PBCC - it's brilliant, I can highly recommend it, In fact the whole PBCC experience will lift you as soon as you set foot through the door. I did the Mindful Meditation course which really turned things around for me. Like you, I suffered recurrent breast cancer - so had more surgery, followed by chemo and RT all completed 8 months ago. I returned to work - 35 hours over 4 days, within 2 months of treatment finishing - probably too soon, after being back 6 months I am now suffering fatigue. I need to get myself back to my 'haven' PBCC for some more pampering. Wishing you well, you'll be in good hands.

Mary

[PennyBrohnCancerCare]

Hello Mariacpdb and welcome to Community@PennyBrohn - recovery times vary greatly from person to person but there are a number of self help techniques that can help get your energy levels back up and help with feelings of fatigue including gentle exercise. Its important to start gently, to monitor progress and to build in plenty of rest and recovery time too. We have excellent information sheets on physical Activity and other self help techniques, if you are interested just contact us on the Helpline our email address is [e-mail] or you can call us on 0845 123 23 10.

[helenmo22]

Hi Maria, if it helps, I completely recognise the fatigue and the time it takes to recover. My story starts with a hysterectomy in July 2012. Then, following a screening mammogram, I had several investigations under general and local anaesthetics leading to a single mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with DIEP flap in February 2013. Since, then I've had further reconstruction work and now more recently both ovaries, appendix and omentum were removed in January . The result is that I am clear of cancer (hooray) but I am exhausted.

It seems to me that each operation takes longer to recover from that the previous one and the effects of the general anaesthetics is cumulative. It took from Feb 2013 to November that year for my energy to get to about 90% of normal. This was then knocked again by the reconstruction surgery and then the emotional impact of news that I needed my ovaries etc removed took all energy away again. The operation it's self then took most of the energy left. I am now 8 weeks post op and optimistic but still exhausted. For me it is difficult to disentangle what takes most of the energy, however what I can see is a set of vicious circles at work that deplete energy and Dd to recovery time, and the need to break out from that.

My observations from my personal experience are:-

Operations wear you out given the amount of healing that you need to do. Eat well and sleep well and be kind to yourself.

Affects of general anaesthetics are cumulative and can cause mental fatigue and some confusion especially when you have a number in a relatively short period of time. This in turn makes normal life running a home and family even harder than normal. The additional energy this takes makes recovery more difficult. Don't try to do it all, take it as easy as possible, sleep a lot, have a holiday/break, get help and support from others.

Other areas of life are also impacted can include your ability to earn/work which in turn creates financial worries and damage self esteem and confidence. This too adds to the burden and can stop you from following the advice above. I certainly am struggling to follow my own advice which then takes more energy which in turn can affect recovery times.

Add to this the niggling worry that the cancer may return and you've got a pretty exhausting situation.

All of this seems normal given the circumstances and to be expected. It seems to me that the harder you push for recovery the longer it will take, and the more you worry the harder it gets. It is no wonder that it takes months to recover.

I hope you are getting the support you need and that you are able to give your self time to recover more quickly. I hope my experience helps a little - your are not alone!

[Hidden]

Hi Maria,

A friend of mine had a mastectomy a few years ago and six months later she was still struggling with fatigue. Her operation took a long time so yours must have taken double that! If you had two mastectomies you can expect at least a year to recover generally, but some people take longer, especially if they are under stress and economic (or family) pressure.

I would advise you to listen to your body and stop forcing yourself to 'recover', everyone is different. Your fearful thoughts will stop you from moving on, so do what you can to minimize those.

I wish you lots of patience and kindness to yourself.

We all have many good things in our lives that we need to acknowledge everyday. Feeling grateful for being alive, for having life-saving treatment, for having a job, family, friends!

That will help you.

And if you have ticked all the boxes that we have offered, you can allow yourself to feel tired and to rest. Also, ask your subconscious mind to help you find the answer: it will!

Best wishes for a full recovery whenever it happens.