Facing Cancer Recurrence, PTSD & Acknowledging Mental Health

@gingerw - Ginger my heart just did a nose dive with your news. Why me, the universal cry is never answered but if feels great to scram it out! You have certainly had your fill of being challenged so I hope that the challenge god will go somewhere new, forever. You are so strong to continue to be a support to me and I'm sure that I can speak for a lot of us when I say this.
I will hold my breath until 10/4 when you will hopefully know more with relief!. I hope that your healing from your biopsy will bring you safely to Mayo meet up later next month. xxoo

Yesterday I had a bone marrow biopsy, done by a medical professional whose technique made the whole procedure very bearable, with no sedation nor "twilight sleep". Laying there with a pressure bandage on, recovering, and speaking with the pathology tech who prepared the slides, it came to me that I am now dealing with my fourth cancer. Malignant melanoma, squamous cell skin cancer, cervical cancer in situ, and now Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. While I wait for the most recent results, to be handed down on 10/4, my mental state fluctuates. Wanting to be proactive in the care plan. Wondering "why me" I have so much I want to do. Waiting for all the facts to sleeve it all together to create the best future possible [I also have a rare kidney disease that may or may not be related]. Knowing that this community of Mayo Connect is my support. Honored to be here, hoping to make a difference.
Ginger

@sakota- Joan keep me posted please!

Hi merry it’s good to see you too. I was to a neurologist at mayo and they couldn’t find anything. They suggested I could do the 72 hour study so just had that done here. No the essential tremors were never mentioned but anxiety was mentioned. So will see what happens when I get the results. Meds have been checked. Mri was done had a short eeg at mayo. But nothing showed up.
Here it is sept. And I am not looking forward to winter. I still keep busy with my sewing and signed up for an online class for photo shop. Of course my three great grands are so full of fun and happiness. They are the best medicine around.

Best wishes. Merry

@sakota- Absolutely Joan. It does help for sure.I have to wait until early December for my next CT scan. I do not like to wait, at all, for anything! lol Did your doctor suggest what the changes in your left lung were? Or what it looked like?

@sakota- Hi Joan, it's so good to hear from you. Your language is just fine. I know just what you mean about knowing something is wrong and are stumped as to what it its. What kind of a doctor are you seeing for tremors. I hope that it's a neurologist! I think that we have spoken about this before. Where do you have tremors? Could it simply be essential tremors? My neurologist suggested that I had it. Here are a couple of sites that discuss this.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/essential-tremor/symptoms-causes/syc-20350534
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/essential-tremor/multimedia/essential-tremor-test/img-20177820
Has a doctor reviewed all of your medicines so that any culprits could be taken of of your list?
Have you spoken with @hopeful33250 as she has essential tremors too.?

Hi teresa. Thanks for welcome. I missed talking to all of you and getting the encouragement needed. I go to mayo the middle of nov for my scan. And had the eeg done here in sioux falls. Have to stay positive no matter what. Otherwise you are letting the cancer etc win. Right people????

Good to hear from you, @sakota, I do hope you find some answers for your tremors. I so appreciate your positive attitude. It goes a long way in adjusting to difficulties!
I look forward to hearing from you again. Will you post with an update as you get test results?

Hi merr and everyone else. Its been awhile since i,ve been in here. So far summer hasnt been too. Bad. I go for another ct scan at mayo. The last one there were some changes in my left lung so need to find out about that. My copd has been pretty good or as much as it can be. Now the last thing. Ever since last dec been having these tremors every so often. Had a mri which was good a eeg short one which was good. So no answers. Last week i did a 72 hour eeg so am now waiting on a report on that. It is so hard when you know something is not right and have to sit around waiting and waiting. All you want is answers so you know what you have to do and to keep on surviving. The good lord is with us all and will help us get thru what we need too. Prayers to all of you. .

Ps. And excuse my language. But humor and friends go a long way in dealing with this shit.

This issue of learning to live with a possible cancer recurrence is a very difficult one for me right now. I have read and been given much advise. Each person needs to figure out what will work best. Although I am cancer free right now I may not be in the near future. I have scans coming up in a month and I am worried about them. Worry doesn’t help I need to change my “worry” into something constructive. I find that keeping busy, hobbies, spending time with family/ friends, helps a great deal. I make “deals” with myself and give myself “worry breaks”. Like I tell myself that the coming weekend I will forget the cancer , or try to, and concentrate on doing something fun. Writing things down is helpful. I literally write down all my fears in a journal I now keep. That way I can put the cancer in it’s place and try to “control it” by writing things down. I don’t want cancer to be in “control” of my life! We don’t know what the future may bring but we have a good amount of control on the “now” moments in our lives.