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Facing Cancer Recurrence, PTSD & Acknowledging Mental Health

Cancer: Managing Symptoms | Last Active: Sep 24 10:31am | Replies (447)
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@odikaflog

Merry,

Three weeks ago, I learned of a recurrence of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) in my lungs. It's been 6.5 years since my initial diagnosis of ACC in my parotid gland. When meeting with my ENT to schedule my annual head & neck MRI, suggested I get a CT chest scan so I have a baseline for comparing future scans (ACC almost always metastasizes to the lungs). I was asymptomatic and expected my lungs to be clear but I was wrong.

I'm spending my free-time reviewing clinical trails for ACC and working with my medical oncologist to figure out which trials/drugs make sense for me to pursue. I'm a pragmatist and want to do what I can to improve my odds.I also want to utilize my remaining time on this planet. How to spend my time wisely?I I asked myself that question when I received my first cancer diagnosis but didn't have an answer so read ife-coach book in search of answers. The book was awful. That's when I realized that I had to figure out the answers for myself..

You ask, "How do we cope?" "How do we react?" "What do we do?"

There aren't universal answer that apply to everyone. To answer these questions, you need to replace "We" with "I" and come up with answers that work for you.

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Replies to "Merry, Three weeks ago, I learned of a recurrence of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) in my..."
padovani | @padovani | Dec 8, 2018

Exactly. Thank you. You are clearly an intelligent and discerning person facing the future with courage. I wish you the very best and send you positive thoughts and energy

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Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Dec 9, 2018

Welcome @odikaflog to Mayo Connect. When I wrote "we" I was trying to include everyone, but of course we all make our own decisions that hopefully work for "ourselves".
I am not familiar with ACC. I know that it is rare so information isn't that readily available. How are you feeling? You sound like you have a science back ground. Am I right?
I think the answer to "how do I spend my time more wisely so that I can get the most out of life" lies in thinking about what would please you the most? If you could look back and change something that you did or didn't do with your time now, what would it be, what would you do? What would make you the happiest, the most peaceful, the most stimulated and rewarding?
I am very glad that you are spending time wisely in research to see what will help you live the longest. My multifocal adenocarcinoma of the lung has taken up many 21 years of my life, almost 22 years. There is a lot of new data about it but the more they find out the more they become confused! Since I have participated in every kind of science study that I know of to help with this cancer I figured that sharing my experiences would both please me the most and help others. This led to my being a Mentor on Connect.
I hope that your research leads you to a long path in your journey. What is your present care?

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