Sometimes internet searches don't give the entire story, especially other health factors of a patient. It is good that you do these searches so you can ask important and intelligent specific questions and get answers as well as keep the doctors from becoming robots. One of the ladies in my former cancer group asked her and my oncologist if she could skip the final chemo and go straight to waterboarding as her internet searches showed a high success rate with waterboarding. He laughed and said the waterboarding is top secret and patients are not supposed to know about it.
@Beth Gallagher, please try and do this - for me- for you. Pick two or three words that have a feel of calming to you. Get comfy and quite close your eyes and in your mind write them out, and repeat them to yourself. Several times, at least until you feel yourself relaxing. Start practicing this now. Repeat these words to yourself all day long to yourself. A mantra with focusing on your deep breathing can help with your anxiety. Stay off the damn internet looking up stuff! You already know more than the average person on this. Even if the mantra sounds dumb to you, even if you think it is not helping, it will if you keep at it. I can lower my blood pressure doing this and anxiety ,when going to dentist. I have used this method for years. I also conjure up pictures in my head of a special place to me. For me it is beach on gulf of Mexico, many memories there. It takes practice , but will help you, I promise.
Beth, Of course you have anxiety, don't let it beat you. My health problems are a heck of a lot less than yours, I went online also looking for Hope and solutions, I came away with negative thoughts. They seem to thrive on worst case scenarios so I take it and put it out of my mind . We Are here worrying right along side of you, we know the fight in you will pull you through this, just stay positive forget what the internet says, you have good doctors things are going to be fine. It's good to talk to us let it all out we want to help in any way we can. Soon you will be void of every diseased cell, as always my prayers and thoughts go out to you and your family.
And may I say, HELL YEAH!!! The last chemo is in the record books and "great God almighty, I'm free at last!" The chemo nurse asked me if I was going to "ring the bell", which is a ceremony at the chemo treatment center. There is a large brass bell mounted on the wall and they make a big to-do with clapping and taking pictures. I told her I don't care about being the center of attention, so she brought me this little bell to take home with me instead... It was packaged very nicely so I assume they give these out to a lot of people.
@Beth Gallagher I still admire your courage making all this "public" knowledge. I don't know about your personal surgery, but "one day" surgery, outpatient surgery, etc. is an institution that came to be due to revisions in Medicare billing rules. For many, it has been a blessing as it gets the patient out of the "clutches" of the medical establishment sooner. For some, it causes more complications. I had an outpatient procedure done that was usually an overnight stay on my option. I ended up being re-admitted for observation overnight due to complications that developed. I think I still came out better. Hopefully, yours will come out well and there will be no issues. Also, as I have said before, you are being treated at one of the outstanding cancer institutions in the world. Young or not, the fact that your oncosurgeon is on the staff there, and did a residency there should give you confidence. Believe me, you cannot judge skill or competence on age, experience, or demeanor. Sometimes the opinions of the nurses and technicians who work with the doctors are good to consider, but they may not be truthful in a professional setting.
Beth so happy your done with it. And thats sounds like a sweet nurse. Ring that bell.Congrats and hope your fine and free.
Thanks, Marie. Yes, I'm done with chemo but next is a mastectomy and then at least 6 weeks of radiation, so 2021 is the "Year of Cancer Treatment."
Sorry you have to have that too but also hoping you beat this and the treatments are not too bad. We do keep you in our thoughts and prayers.As we do others here also.
Don, I assure you that I have zero courage; this terrifies me in a way that I have never known before. It surprises me that I have shared this stuff; I'm normally quite private and keep personal matters to myself. I suppose I didn't think many people would have any interest but somehow it helps a bit to share. Many women (including @Babs Hunt ) have shared that the mastectomy is a fairly easy surgical recovery. On the BC forum it is widely agreed that chemo is the toughest part of treatment, followed by radiation. The surgery is most often a "piece of cake" by comparison. I suppose part of my dread of surgery is simple vanity, though at this age I'm not sure why it matters. I guess I'd just like to keep all my body parts... unless they try to kill me in which case all bets are off. I agree that MDA is a top-notch facility and I assume that the associated physicians are all qualified. I will be meeting with the surgeon again this week as well as the plastic surgeon who will do the lymphovenous bypass, and I have a lot of questions for them. As always, thanks for your supportive words. Sometimes that "forest for the trees" thing is a problem I have.
Beth, I just saw this thread. I read your OP then came to the last page. I wish you all the best. I had prostate cancer in 2012. I walked around like a zombie for days. And I wanted to talk about it also, as do you. Normally when someone has cancer, others tend to never ask about it, and if the patient brings it up it usually makes everyone else very uncomfortable. I, and most people, have been in that position more than once. Then, suddenly, I was on the other side, talking about my cancer and making everyone else uncomfortable. I met this couple in 2013, my age, and became good friends with them. She is a breast cancer survivor (15-20 years?) and we have no problem discussing cancers. It's just another thing to yak about. On the lighter side: A day or two after my diagnosis I was really on the bottom. So my life-long friend took me out one night to a familiar watering hole. I ordered a Margarita. Barmaid: "Do you want salt on the rim?" Me: "Sure! Load it up. I've got cancer, what do I care about some salt?" One strange thing: Before surgical prostate removal, all I thought about was dying of cancer. Immediately after surgery, those thoughts went away for the most part, and all I thought about was recovery. Best of luck to you, Beth.
I just read this and I am sitting here crying happy tears for you. I knew you would do it! A big hug for you girl! So so happy for you.
What?? You didn't read all 55 pages?? (Maybe one night when you need a sleep aid.) Thanks for your post, Bruce. People who have had to deal with cancer certainly have a deeper understanding of the emotions of it all. Several SoC members have posted their own cancer experience and have been very supportive, which I appreciate so much. Before my diagnosis I was equally uncomfortable talking about cancer and spouting platitudes because I was clueless. I'm glad that you made it through the experience and hope that you never have to go there again. I'm still in the midst of treatment and my emotions are all over the place, which I have over-shared in this tome. Nothing like a big-ass dose of "Your Mortality" to change one's perspective on life.