Facing Cancer Recurrence, PTSD & Acknowledging Mental Health
It's extremely difficult to face the fact of recurring cancers. After treatments we try and get away from it all and live our life. Then along comes another CT scan or PET scan and POW, you have to face another cancer. My reaction was developing PTSD.
You can read what I wrote in my blog: https://my20yearscancer.com/blog/
How do we cope? How do we react? What do we do?
How have you all reacted to another cancer? Or the possibility of another one? Has your "already compromised" mental health been able to deal with it? How? Or not?
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Cancer: Managing Symptoms Support Group.
Hi Merry, it’s good to be in touch with you. My last treatment was at the end of last Oct. I have had a brain MRI & an upper & lower spine MRI since then because of back aches. There is a suspicious reading on one of the vertebrae. Now waiting to hear back from MAYO in Jacksonville about next step. Praying that it is not bone Mets. Don’t know what is causing the head aches. Drinking more water to stay hydrated & drinking protein drinks for more energy. Of course strong faith & daily prayer helps.
@trixie1313 @1943 @jimmy2248, - My apologies to everyone for misunderstanding the guidelines.
@lady1lake- Good morning. It's good to be in touch with you once again. I'm sorry that you have headaches and backaches. I hope that you hear back soon about the scan results and your next step. Sometimes scans pick up very strange readings. Shortly after my first cancer, and way before my second one I had a scare because the CT picked up, what looked like another tumor. Bit it wasn't It was just a shadow. Drinking a lot of water and a sensible diet ate positive ways to keep control of how you feel. I hope that you have painkillers if you need them. Please come back and let me know what your next step is. Hugs
@ladylake- There's a wonderful magazine called CURE magazine. https://www.curetoday.com/ It is absolutely the best in up to date news, research and spend a lot of time with each different cancer. And a lot of time with lung cancer stories. I believe that it's free.
Thank you Merry for staying in touch. The scan of my upper back shows a questionable area. The person who read the scan recommended that I have another scan & this time have it with contrast. My Mayo Dr ordered the first one without contrast. I have not heard back from him yet even though we mailed the scan CDs a week ago. Nothing on the patient portal yet, so will call him this afternoon. Since I have had degenerative disc disease for many years it could be related to that. Praying that it is not bone metastasis.
I know @lady1lake- I hope that you don't have it either
@lady1lake Am hoping you hear soon and praying with you that is not bone metastasis.
Thank you alamogal635. I did not get in touch with the neurologist about the MRI results yet. Will try again on Monday. Am now having daily right eye pain & head aches in the right temple. Once one has an aggressive form of cancer It causes concern about the spread of it where the pain is located. Will see our optometrist on Monday. This journey gets more complicated.
@lady1lake- Oh no! I'm so sorry that things are getting more complicated. Did you say that you had a brain MRI? Did it show anything?
@merpreb, in Jan. I had a brain MRI in Jan. which showed no metastasis. Am due to go back for another brain scan in April or May.