After Cancer - stress

dogallagher · New User Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 1 Location: UK

Im a 21 year old student who was diagnosed with testicular cancer 22/12/05 (3 days before xmas!). Had a couple of surgeries, chemo and am now in remission. i coped well with everything, didnt feel sorry for myself and just got on with getting better.
Things have been back to normal (whatever that means) for about 3 months, but im finding it really hard to re-adjust. I have a constant feeling of dread and anxiety. Its not consciously related to cancer, i dont stay awake worrying it'll come back...i just worry about nothing pretty much all the time.
Its not affecting me too badly yet, i still go to lectures, have a fiancee and keep up with friends. I do feel its getting worse, my hair has started thinning round the ears and i have been "ill" for about 10 days with an achy body and sore throat, but i think its stress related (psychosematic).
Is this normal and what can i do? Even as i type this i feel like you would before a big test or job interview etc...
I just want to feel care free like i did 12 months ago!

brainman · Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 8:36 pm Post subject: Re: After Cancer - stress

[quote="dogallagher"]Is this normal and what can i do? Even as i type this i feel like you would before a big test or job interview etc...
I just want to feel care free like i did 12 months ago![/quote]

dogallagher, I don’t know if what you are experiencing right now is “normal" or in anyway related to your cancer. You might be coming down with the flue or something like that. HOWEVER, life will NEVER be the same for you or for me or any other cancer survivor. Nonetheless, you sound like you are doing all the things you need to do to build a support group around you. Many of the things you describe are quite normal for cancer survivors to experience. You are grieving the loss of many, many things. You have not even passed the first year!! That is way too soon for anyone to expect you to be “back to normal.” It is kind of like having to rediscover who you are and what you are capable of doing. It is like taking a test. The good news is that the hard part of the test is over.

Keep connected to your friends and family and count on us to help as we can.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

Richard Day Gore · Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 7:49 pm Post subject: Re: After Cancer - stress

Hi dogallagher!

It takes time! Three months is barely time for the smoke to clear. All the procedures can just sweep you away, then it's later that you're left with the time and space to really start experiencing those deep-dish fears. It took me a good long time of worrying that every little thing was related to my cancer... then, one day, it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't even thought about it since... I couldn't remember when.

Regarding the current illness, dealing with cancer takes a lot out of the body both physically and mentally, and that's a potent combo that can allow other ailments to grab you. In my case, I toted around a chest cold that was on the verge of pneumonia for a couple of months. But time, rest and vitamins took care of it. Time, time, time.

It's an ongoing process. But it sounds like you have good people around you, and three cheers for reaching out. A lot of people just bottle up their fears and that only makes it worse in the long run.

Best regards,
Richard Day Gore
_________________
Richard Day Gore

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