How do you feel after breast cancer treatment? (2023)

How long does it take to feel normal after breast cancer?

It may take quite a few weeks for some people to get their energy back, for others it may be quicker. Don't lift or carry anything heavy, or drive, while your scars heal up. After breast conserving surgery this is likely to be after about 2 weeks. After a mastectomy, it might take longer.

Some feel pretty normal after a year. Some might take two years. Yet others might battle chronic treatment side effects and never feel quite normal again.

Care for people diagnosed with cancer does not end when active treatment has finished. Your health care team will continue to check that the cancer has not come back, manage any side effects, and monitor your overall health. This is called follow-up care.

Breast cancer treatments can cause fatigue, discomfort, pain, and other changes to your body. These changes may lower your sex drive or make sex painful. Stress can have the same effect.

Women who've had breast cancer can still get other cancers. Although most breast cancer survivors don't get cancer again, they are at higher risk for getting some types of cancer. The most common second cancer in breast cancer survivors is another breast cancer.

Treatment for breast cancer will be successful for most people, and the risk of recurrence gets less as time goes on. Recurrence, unfortunately, can happen even many years after treatment, so no one can say with certainty that you're definitely cured.

People may often believe that cancer is over when a patient enters remission, however many of the difficulties that survivors may experience have only just begun. From long-term physical side effects to emotional distress and difficulty socializing, cancer survivors may experience a wide range of tribulations.

Scans like X-rays and MRIs show if your tumor is smaller or if it's gone after surgery and isn't growing back. To qualify as remission, your tumor either doesn't grow back or stays the same size for a month after you finish treatments. A complete remission means no signs of the disease show up on any tests.

In a complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. If you remain in complete remission for 5 years or more, some doctors may say that you are cured. Still, some cancer cells can remain in your body for many years after treatment.

You have a mammogram every year for at least 5 years after treatment for early breast cancer. You have mammograms every year until you are invited for routine breast screening. This is around the age of 50.

Which type of breast cancer is most likely to recur?

Cancer type: Aggressive cancers like inflammatory breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer are harder to treat. They're more likely to come back and spread.

Long-term physical changes include anatomic changes, chronic pain, phantom breast pain, axillary web syndrome, and lymphedema. In addition, women may have decreased strength, aerobic capacity, mobility, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction.

Other Health Issues

Breast cancer survivors often experience pain, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, dermatology concerns, cardiovascular issues, low bone density and other health problems due to their cancer treatment.

Some general symptoms that breast cancer may have spread include: Feeling constantly tired. Constant nausea (feeling sick) Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite.

Recurrent breast cancer occurs when cells that were part of your original breast cancer break away from the original tumor and hide nearby in the breast or in another part of your body. Later, these cells begin growing again.

Common experiences amongst cancer survivors include: Feeling relief and joy when cancer treatment is over and wanting to recognize that milestone. Having new or changing psychological support needs, such as with self image, anxiety, or grief over your losses. Uncertainty about the future.

If you had a tumor in your breast and it shrank from successful treatment, your cancer is in remission. Your doctor may also use the word response, which means the same thing. Remission doesn't mean you're cured. Cancer cells can still live in your body, even after treatment.

Ductal Carcinoma.

About 1 in 5 people who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer have DCIS. This type is very curable.

Ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS

The cancer cells have not spread through the walls of the ducts into the nearby breast tissue. Nearly all women with DCIS can be cured.

Non-invasive (stage 0) and early-stage invasive breast cancers (stages I and II) have a better prognosis than later stage cancers (stages III and IV). Breast cancer that's only in the breast and has not spread to the lymph nodes has a better prognosis than breast cancer that's spread to the lymph nodes.

What cancer is most likely to return?

Cancers with the highest recurrence rates include: Glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer, has a near 100 percent recurrence rate, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology.

Most cancers that are going to come back will do so in the first 2 years or so after treatment. After 5 years, you are even less likely to get a recurrence. For some types of cancer, after 10 years your doctor might say that you are cured. Some types of cancer can come back many years after they were first diagnosed.

Over time you'll gradually find yourself getting back into the routine of everyday life. Other things start taking over and cancer becomes less of a focus for you. You may get out more and see friends, go on holiday, get back into sport or hobbies, or go back to work.

Cancer survivors often experience worry or periods of feeling down for months or even years after treatment. You may feel sad because of the changes that cancer has caused, fear that the cancer will come back or worries about the future. Many people feel disconnected from their life before cancer.

Cancer recurrence may seem even more unfair then. Worse, it's often more aggressive in the younger cancer survivor – it may grow and spread faster. This aggressiveness means that it could come back earlier and be harder to treat.

Doctor visits: If you have finished treatment, your follow-up visits will probably be every few months at first. The longer you have been free of cancer, the less often the appointments are needed. After 5 years, they are typically done about once a year.

What can you not do after breast cancer surgery?

Activity. Avoid strenuous activity, heavy lifting and vigorous exercise until the stitches are removed. Tell your caregiver what you do and he or she will help you make a personal plan for "what you can do when" after surgery. Walking is a normal activity that can be restarted right away.

stage 3 – the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes (or "glands", part of the immune system)

Physical Challenges

Chemotherapy impacts your whole body and causes a variety of side effects, including nausea, fatigue, chemobrain, skin and nail changes, loss of appetite, changes in smell and taste, menopausal symptoms, and sleep disturbances.

Recovery time for breast cancer surgery

Lumpectomy: Most people can get back to day-to-day activities within 5–10 days. Mastectomy: People may feel back to themselves 3–4 weeks after surgery. Mastectomy with reconstruction: This procedure has the longest recovery time, and takes up to 6–8 weeks.

When treatment ends, you may expect life to return to the way it was before you were diagnosed with cancer. But it can take time to recover. You may have permanent scars on your body, or you may not be able to do some things you once did easily. Or you may even have emotional scars from going through so much.

Is breast cancer more common in the left or right breast? Breast cancer occurs more frequently in the left breast than the right. The left breast is 5%-10% more likely to develop cancer than the right breast.

The average 10-year survival rate for women with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer is 84%. If the invasive breast cancer is located only in the breast, the 5-year survival rate of women with this disease is 99%. Sixty-five percent (65%) of women with breast cancer are diagnosed with this stage.

It most often spreads to the bones, liver, lungs, and brain. Even after cancer spreads, it is still named for the area where it began. This is called the “primary site” or “primary tumor.” For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lungs, doctors call it metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer.

Radiation can give you fatigue that gets worse over time (called cumulative fatigue). It usually lasts 3 to 4 weeks after your treatment stops, but it can continue for up to 3 months.

How do you feel after chemotherapy for breast cancer?

Usually, you receive chemotherapy in two- to three-week cycles, with periods of rest between cycles. Throughout treatment, it's normal to experience hair loss, nausea, vomiting or fatigue. These symptoms may take a few weeks or months to disappear.

Many survivors feel worried or anxious that the cancer will come back after treatment. While it often does not, it's important to talk with your doctor about the possibility of the cancer returning. Most breast cancer recurrences are found by patients between doctor visits.

You may have some long-term side effects or new side effects may occur months or even years after treatment ends. These may include hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, fatigue, chronic breast pain, lymphedema and a loss of sex drive.

Breast cancer usually does not cause symptoms in the early stages. Constantly feeling sick with nausea or fatigue may be a sign that the cancer has spread. If you experience persistent nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, or unexplained weight loss, talk to your doctor.

Studies show that even though breast cancer happens more often now than it did in the past, it doesn't grow any faster than it did decades ago. On average, breast cancers double in size every 180 days, or about every 6 months. Still, the rate of growth for any specific cancer will depend on many factors.

If a lump is present, it is not painful. Although breast cancer is often painless, it is important not to ignore any signs or symptoms that could be due to breast cancer. Some people may describe the pain as a burning and tender sensation.

Other Health Issues

Breast cancer survivors often experience pain, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, dermatology concerns, cardiovascular issues, low bone density and other health problems due to their cancer treatment.

Doctor visits: If you have finished treatment, your follow-up visits will probably be every few months at first. The longer you have been free of cancer, the less often the appointments are needed. After 5 years, they are typically done about once a year.

Remission is when the signs and symptoms of cancer have gone down or gone away. If you had a tumor in your breast and it shrank from successful treatment, your cancer is in remission. Your doctor may also use the word response, which means the same thing. Remission doesn't mean you're cured.

You have a mammogram every year for at least 5 years after treatment for early breast cancer. You have mammograms every year until you are invited for routine breast screening. This is around the age of 50.

How do you tell if your cancer is gone?

Scans like X-rays and MRIs show if your tumor is smaller or if it's gone after surgery and isn't growing back. To qualify as remission, your tumor either doesn't grow back or stays the same size for a month after you finish treatments. A complete remission means no signs of the disease show up on any tests.

Cancer type: Aggressive cancers like inflammatory breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer are harder to treat. They're more likely to come back and spread.

Physical Challenges

Chemotherapy impacts your whole body and causes a variety of side effects, including nausea, fatigue, chemobrain, skin and nail changes, loss of appetite, changes in smell and taste, menopausal symptoms, and sleep disturbances.

Activity. Avoid strenuous activity, heavy lifting and vigorous exercise until the stitches are removed. Tell your caregiver what you do and he or she will help you make a personal plan for "what you can do when" after surgery. Walking is a normal activity that can be restarted right away.

Mastectomy for breast cancer treatment

A mastectomy may be a treatment option for many types of breast cancer, including: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), or noninvasive breast cancer. Stages I and II (early-stage) breast cancer. Stage III (locally advanced) breast cancer — after chemotherapy.

If you remain in complete remission for 5 years or more, some doctors may say that you are cured. Still, some cancer cells can remain in your body for many years after treatment. These cells may cause the cancer to come back one day. For cancers that return, most do so within the first 5 years after treatment.

Ductal Carcinoma.

About 1 in 5 people who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer have DCIS. This type is very curable.

Recovery time for breast cancer surgery

Lumpectomy: Most people can get back to day-to-day activities within 5–10 days. Mastectomy: People may feel back to themselves 3–4 weeks after surgery. Mastectomy with reconstruction: This procedure has the longest recovery time, and takes up to 6–8 weeks.

What happens when you finish cancer treatment?

When treatment ends, you may expect life to return to the way it was before you were diagnosed with cancer. But it can take time to recover. You may have permanent scars on your body, or you may not be able to do some things you once did easily. Or you may even have emotional scars from going through so much.