Facing Cancer Recurrence, PTSD & Acknowledging Mental Health

Good morning @hopeful33250. Good morning everyone! What a wonderful article about cancer recurrences. Thank you so much.
My most feared fear is that I would die from my next cancer, that there would be no treatments anymore for me. My feelings are that I wouldn't know what to do. I would be lost. I mean how do you die? How does anyone? What do I do to prepare from this eventuality. I'll be lost. My parents never taught me a thing about dying. The way I handle this - with no guarantee of a solution - is that I let these fears repeat themselves enough that they literally wear themselves out over time. I think dying is a major fear because we haven't a clue what it's all about after we actually die. Is there another type of existence after we die? Will a higher power greet me? Or is death the same thing as before we are born and therefore we will only have existed in people's memories? As you can see, I haven't resolved this yet. I hope that I do but I might not.

Good morning to @merpreb and the rest of us who have experienced recurrence of our cancer diagnosis.

This morning I read this Mayo article on Managing Your Emotions After Cancer Treatment and felt that many of the ideas were worth sharing. Here is the link to the article,
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer-survivor/art-20047129
For me, the paragraph titled, "Fear of recurrence is common in cancer survivors." was most helpful and I thought about others on Connect. The suggestions included being honest about your fears, talking about them, healthy lifestyle habits of nutrition and exercise. As I thought about myself, after three cancer surgeries, I realized that the following have helped me deal with my fears. Here are some examples: I attend support groups with other cancer survivors, I've also joined exercise programs intended to be gentle (not vigorously aerobic), I've worked to plan nutritious eating.

I look forward to hearing from you. What do you do to keep your fear at bay? How do you deal with the normal fears of another recurrence happening?

To find groups on Connect, go the Groups Directory https://connect.mayoclinic.org/groups/
I've uploaded 2 images to show how to find the Groups Directory in the menu on a computer or mobile device. You can search for groups using the search or sort them alphabetically etc.

Learn more about how to follow and unfollow groups and more in the Get Started on Connect guide: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/get-started-on-connect/

@cherlea Hi 🙂 Am I understanding this correctly.....you had a double mastectomy and have had cancer come back?

Hi all,
Today's member spotlight features @merpreb who most of you have met in this discussion group. Read Merry's interview with fellow member John Bishop to find out what surprised her about Connect and how she finds balance in life. Puppies or kittens?

– A Survivor: Meet @merpreb https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/newsfeed/a-survivor-meet-merpreb/

Check out all the Member Spotlights here https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/tab/newsfeed/

@colleenyoung thank you so much! I doubt it matters but mine was hodgkins not non-hodgkins. I think mantle radiation in that time frame had the same affect on everyone. When I read this "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?" I just had to respond. It is scary...holding your breath at every test result...letting your mind wander into the "what if" area. Quite honestly I know that it will happen. If this much has happened already I don't see how it will be over for the rest of my life. Remember the show Doctor? I am that patient! lol But I am happy 🙂 Happy I'm here. Any one of those things could have killed me.
Now I am in recovery and my art has helped me. I'll check that out .Thank you for the link

Margaret, can you ask your oncologist if they have a cancer coordinator and if not if they know of any support groups? Ours had information for our hospital group, but also provided information from other medical centers that had support groups and classes. Also, when I went for radiation that office also had information for support groups, yoga, etc.

@julie1976, wow. Not sure how else to respond. I simply cannot imagine dealing with what you are managing so incredibly well. To think that radiation to treat childhood NHL can cause so many very serious multiple cancers and other conditions. But yours is not an isolated case. I will look for others who had mantle field radiation for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Luckily this type of radiation treatment is rarely, if ever, used today.

I applaud your ability to remain a positive person and to be such a strong self-advocate. You know your body. We have a group of artists here on Connect who share about art and healing. I think you might like to also join this discussion:
> Just Want to Talk group > Art for Healing > https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/art-for-healing/

I'd like to add my welcome to Connect @margaret2. I'm sorry that your cancer has recurred. Yesterday I was at my hospital, MGH for a follow up CT scan for NSCLC, lung cancer. My cancer journey started in 1997 and since then I have had 4 lung cancers with a total 6 cancerous nodules. The CT scan yesterday appears stable, so for the next 6 months my mind will be at peace. It's been 22 years since my first lung cancer. And each one was like you said, a punch in the gut. I've had chemo and 2 types of radiation.
Being at piece by no means mean that I wont worry or be scared, or think about cancer or dying, it just means that I've learned to put it on my back plate for just a little while.
I know that you have too, it's even scarier because you need to repeat everything. It's a fight that keeps on happening-it's cancer and it sucks.

Hello @margaret2

Welcome to Mayo Connect. While I have not had breast cancer, I have had 3 surgeries for a rare form of cancer and I can understand just a little as to what you are feeling. It can be devastating to get the news that there is yet another cancer to deal with. I certainly admire your ability to go back to work as I'm sure you are not feeling all that great right now.

I see that you have received a lot of support from other Members already. If you are looking for a personal support group, I would like to suggest that you contact the local American Cancer Society in your area. They will undoubtedly have a list of groups nearby.

Will you keep in touch?