Six Ways to Cope with Breast Cancer Side Effects

There are many ways to cope with breast cancer side effects. I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, or breast cancer, three years ago. I have been NED (no evidence of disease) for three and a half years. Yet, I am still experiencing so many breast cancer side effects!

By now, I thought I would be thriving and happy and have put this whole breast cancer debacle behind me. So, why am I feeling so lousy?

I have always been an upbeat, take-charge person. Multi-tasking and ending my day with many checkmarks on my To-Do List thrilled me. I loved flying all over the country, managing a team, and closing sales with high-level executives. Working under pressure came naturally to me.

Now, I find myself sitting on my couch watching IGTV and figuring out DIY budget projects I can do in my home. Today’s biggest challenge is the daily crossword puzzle and grocery shopping. I am no longer part of Corporate America. Why? Because my brain refuses to function as it did.

Nobody Discusses Breast Cancer Side Effects

Most recently, I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety. I suffer from neuropathy pain in my feet, and my hands go numb a few times each day. I have trouble sleeping and interacting with others. Wait, aren’t I almost four years cancer-free? Shouldn’t I be feeling great?

It turns out there are a lot of side effects that linger or never go away after you have riddled your body with chemotherapy and radiation to fight breast cancer. Combine that with a bout of Sepsis and a lovely kidney stone; your body and mind might never be the same. Nobody prepared me for these side effects. They were never even mentioned.

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever, ever give up.“

Jim Valvano

Love this quote from coach!

Call me naive, but I never expected this.

Below is Six Ways to Cope

Here are six things no one mentioned might occur once I was in remission:

• Fatigue
• Memory Loss & Concentration Issues
• Nightmares
• Neuropathy
• Depression
• Fear

FATIGUE

I am always tired. My stamina seems fragile or almost non-existent. I was forcing myself to walk three miles a day for a while. It didn’t help. I was not able to increase my stamina at all.

Before cancer, I was only able to take naps in my bed. I could never fall asleep on an airplane, on the couch, or in a car. Now, I could put my head down on this computer and take a nap. It is incredibly frustrating.

MEMORY LOSS

I had heard the term “chemo brain” before but never really understood it. Let me tell you, I know now! I frequently have trouble remembering things. We have a set of hooks inside one of our kitchen cabinets where we keep our key chains. It’s perfect for keeping everyone’s keys in one place.

For some unknown reason, I came home one day, walked into the kitchen, and placed my keys in our junk drawer. I had no recollection of doing so. It took me over an hour to find my keys the next time I needed them. I also hid some money that I couldn’t see, which put me into a full-blown panic attack. (I located it, eventually.)

My husband has texted me a few times a day to follow up on a household task to ensure I do it. My kids joke that I am worse after 5 pm, so they need to converse with me before dinner time. It was funny for a while until I realized they were right. How embarrassing!

CONCENTRATION ISSUES

I used to listen to a class and absorb information well. Now I need to take lots of notes, or I will not remember a thing. I find myself daydreaming mid-conversations with people or watching a TV show and not following what’s happening. I edconsidered myself “sharp” and able to learn and understand things very quickly. Concentrating takes effort now.

Side note: I have also become a tad impatient. If I need to concentrate too hard to follow something, I will skip it.

NIGHTMARES

This has been one of my biggest challenges. I do not recall having nightmares before 2017. I have them often now. Not only do they disrupt my sleep, but they are scary!

I frequently relive the time I was in ICU, and they were placing a stent in me with no anesthesia. I am screaming in the dream, and I wake up. Or, I dream of yelling at the doctor to hurry up with putting the main line in my chest. He initially told me it would take about 10-15 minutes, but it took over an hour. It hurt so much, but luckily it saved my life.

Other dreams I have repeatedly are situations where I am a failure. I either forget to do something for my family or screw up some work presentation or task. It is not a good feeling, so those scenarios also wake me up.

Getting back to sleep after a nightmare is never easy for me.

NEUROPATHY

This side-effect is a little confusing. I have Type II Diabetes which reared itself as Gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant with my daughter. I am one of the 3% of women whose Gestational Diabetes stayed with me as Type II.

Chemotherapy is known to cause neuropathy. I am unsure whether my neuropathy results from chemotherapy or just being a Type II Diabetic. Either way, it is painful. It is worse at night when I lie down. Couple this with nightmares, and one can understand why sleeping is not very consistent with me.

DEPRESSION

This symptom continues to baffle me. How can I be diagnosed as clinically depressed? Me, really? I used to be one of the most upbeat individuals you knew. Friends teased me and called me Polly Anna because I was able to stay upbeat during my cancer treatments. I seem to have misplaced my positivity gene recently, and I want it back.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has been working to my advantage. I am no longer interested in socializing, which is odd. I used to love to work the room! If there is a networking event – sign me up! I would walk around and meet everyone in attendance, arrange follow-up meetings, and genuinely enjoy interacting with new people. None of that goes on anymore due to Covid, which makes me happy.

FEAR

Fear is constant in my life. I am afraid of getting cancer again or some other disease (Covid, maybe?). Where is the old me? What if I never find the old me? I am afraid of finances since I do not have a steady job. Can my neuropathy become debilitating? I am worried I have been going crazy since being diagnosed with depression. The bottom line, I am afraid of living most days.

I am also a bit angry. I thought the hard times were behind me. I’ve beaten breast cancer into remission! Doesn’t that count for something? Evidently not.

Living like this is not good. I am uncomfortable in my skin. Being a three-year breast cancer survivor, I thought it would be smooth sailing by now. I still have so much work to do. As Cher often said in the movie, “Moonlight,” I need to “SNAP OUT OF IT!” (Does anyone remember that movie?)

I need to address these issues actively.

This is what I have decided to do:

• FATIGUE – Take short naps when I struggle to keep my eyes open.
• MEMORY/CONCENTRATION LOSS – Write everything down so I don’t forget to do something.
  • I set alarms on my phone to remind me to do tasks.
• NIGHTMARES – I am practicing visualization techniques and using essential oils to make me fall asleep with beautiful images, smells, and thoughts in my mind.
• NEUROPATHY – Going to see an Endocrinologist to discuss what options are available to treat my neuropathy.
• DEPRESSION – Working with a Psychiatrist to treat my symptoms.
• FEAR – Recognizing my accomplishments to rebuild my confidence and forcing myself to be in social situations.

I am asking God for support in these new endeavors. I cannot believe He allowed me to “beat” cancer for me to be miserable. I am choosing to view my current situation as an extension of my breast cancer – another few hurdles I must clear before feeling genuinely healthy.

If you are a breast cancer survivor, what, if any, side effects do you suffer from? How do you stay positive and continue to fight? Are you as frustrated as me? Please share your wisdom in a comment below.