I’m sure this has been covered a hundred times, but I’m trying to avoid Google and reading the forum atm - the closer I get to my first post treatment scan, the more anxious I’m feeling.
Anyway, I’m just wondering how you all felt following treatment. Specifically chemorads and brachytherapy. I’m 11 weeks post treatment and a couple of weeks ago I was feeling brand new.
Now I’m beginning to suffer with aches and pains in my pelvis and back and sometimes my stomach where they zapped my para aortic lymph nodes. My ever optimistic brain is telling me this is just side effects from the radiotherapy! But it seems like I’m going backwards again and it’s bringing me down!
Hey you, I know I’m way behind in regards to timelines to you but…
I have been reading up on it. It seems these aches and pains can appear from what seems to be nowhere!
I’ve read ladies posts about all sorts of after effects - aches/pains/cystitis/bowel issues etc… just when we think we’re out the other side of it ‘c’ hands us something else to deal with.
What a b*****d
Thank you Shammy! I thought I had read some similar things, but I’m scared to go looking for the info - and in an attempt to put all this behind me I chucked out all my Macmillan books!
How are you anyway? Hope you’re starting to get back to some form of normality. I’ve got my MRI next week and the results the week after!
I have to say that for one reason and another, it took me a lot longer to feel good again after my treatment, but I did have something very similar to you - because I overestimated how strong I was and started doing too much…. I started getting achey pains in my pelvis back area and walking became painful. I was imagining I’d already got pelvic fractures from radiation disease, and my stomach (I too had my para aortic nodes zapped) was achey as well. I got an appointment with a nurse at my doctors practice. She prodded and poked and got me to do a few movements. She found I had pulled my gluteus medius muscle (deep in the bum/pelvis area). I had to pull back a bit and ask for help with some things. Gradually it improved then I hefted a full 10K of cat litter and -ouch- there was the pain again. Yep. Gluteus medius. My stomach muscles were weak from the radiotherapy, I had the chemo shakes in one leg…
Our bodies have been through so much in a few short weeks. Even getting plates out of a cupboard was harder than it had been. I’m 9 months now, and I can go for a brisk walk, I can handle the cat litter, and the aches and pains have gone.
Still have bowel issues, but even that is not is bad as it was and I’ve retrained my bladder not to have to go to the loo every 1-2 hours after a bad patch of cystitis.
These aches and pains are a consequence of what we’ve been through. Build your strength up slowly and gently. I spent weeks/months berating myself for not getting fitter quicker, but it wasn’t going to make me stronger any quicker! Be gentle with yourself, be patient - 11 weeks is very early days. You’ll get there. X
Yeah I’m getting there. Going back to work after Christmas. I dont have a physically hard job and I really enjoy it so looking forward to the distraction.
Appetite and energy just about back to the norm but when I get tired it does hit me like a train!
Did some baking today and had a coffee and a chat with a friend, it felt so normal I almost forgot what is lurking in my cervix… well hopefully theres not much of it left- if any.
I’ve had a few aches today, I think its because of the dilator last night. The day after I seem to get an ache in my lower pelvis and back and twinges where i kmow the tumour is. Low dow n slightly of centre to my right.
Having spent many hours on this forum many women have pelvic, back and hip pain after treatment for most this is short lived unfortunately for some this becomes a more permanent feature.
After treatment every ache, pain is highlighted your brain seems to register them more and always turns them into something sinister. We all had aches and pains prior to cancer but we just didn’t pick up on them our awareness was not as heightened.
The 7 weeks of treatment is all consuming then you’re left in this period of limbo, has treatment worked? Is it still working? Is the cancer gone? What happens next?
You have your first post treatment scan coming up so you are going to be more anxious try not too worry too much, you had good news during treatment so there’s no reason why things should be different now.
Thank you Jacks. It’s encouraging to know I’m not alone. Glad to hear that you no longer have the pains 9 months on. I guess I just need to be a bit more patient - easier said than done!
That’s fab that you’re going back to work soon. I’m back next week, phased return. I’m usually on my feet all day so I’m a bit anxious about it. One day I feel “normal” and the next day I feel like I’m going backwards!
Thank you AMF! You’re right, everything was going in the right direction at my last scan. I try not to worry but it’s easier said than done! I think I’m getting there though. Some days I barely think about cancer and treatment feels like a distant memory!
Thanks for posting this! I came on this forum precisely to look for people feeling the same as me! I’m around 9 weeks from treatment and have also been having achy lower back and some twinges and obviously they really make you wonder… my scan is the first week of Jan. Have you had yours yet? Fingers crossed for you xxxx
