Anyone have depression and anxiety long after treatment is finished?

Yes... some have called it survivor guilt, others a general seriousness and emotional distance combined with periods of extreme emotions. I have had this and found that I needed to be doing things for others... teaching, volunteer, cleaning. A balance just isn't there... I am doing better no but it tok a couple years... All my best

Chip

Betsydoglover said:

Anxiety when chemo is over

This may sound weird, but when you are on chemo, you can feel like you are doing something - nevermind how much you don't like it.  After 2 years of Avastin,when I went off it, I was depressed because suddenly I was doing nothing - just watching and waiting.  A bit like post partum depression - for a long time it was all about you and suddenly it isn't anymore.

 

Don't be afraid to take an antidepressant.  They can be very helpful and are not addictive at all.

 

Take care,

Betsy

That is exactly how I feel about starting treatment yesterday. My doctors were taking it very slow to come up with my treatment, over 3 months. And I was starting to freak out about how big the tumors must be getting, are there new ones now. I went in not knowing that they had finally picked something,  and ended up getting it the same day. People keep asking me how I feel to be on treatment and I can't really Express it so I just answer, happy to be fighting again. Which is true, but I had been up until 5 am going over in my mind how to say, hop to it sir, and have been a mess emotionally.  And now am so calm, like a huge weight lifted off me. Which is good because being on chemo sucks, but the finally getting to fight again ...

It may be PSTD and psycologysts can fix it in most cases.

and Yoga?

It is just a suggestion, as I have never experienced severe depression and thus, am not qualified to give advice. 

Tru

People with depressiin have hard time to do basic things in life. Did you try to ask yourself honestly is there anything else that causes those reaction? Money, relationship, pressure at work? You may feel it not because you had cancer.

[[I can't understand why I'm not and I haven't felt "on top of the world" by winning the battle]]

Because even though you are winning, you are still experiencing stress- stress is a major condition, even when it's minor, it still affects peopel negatively- both physically and mentally- Sounds like You've developed anxiety- that also is from the stress- it can cause panic attacks, feeling low, nervous, it affects sleep- affects breathing- it's a nasty little condition- if it's partularly bothersome. tell you doctor about it- there are meds that can help-  they will also help the feeling low condition too-

Even though many beat cancer, there is always the fear, way back in the mind, buried deep- that it could come back- We've all read the literature, usually, and know that it coudl very well come back- even when we get our 5 year 'A-ok" diagnosis, we are still fearful- stressed about it- People can learn to ignore it to a certain extent, but ithe fear is still there- causign stress- Don't underestimate how distressign stress is on hte body and mind-

Also your body just went through hell with the treatments- it really does take a heavy toll- even though we 'power through it' - it's still taking a heavy toll-

Cancer is a beast- don't feel one bit bad abotu not feeling on top of the world- you hjave just been through a terrible battle- so, chin up and soldier on- the battle is still waging- now it's the battle to accept that you beat it- and embrace life, and nejoy as much as you can- to the voctor go the spoils- (ie- Life has changed because of the battle, and we can appreciate and embrace thigns we didn't see before, because we now know life can be fleeting- so we pick up o nthe gems of life and claim them as our own that we didn't see before- the little things that bring joy- seeing othersw in a different light- appreciating htem more perhaps- sympathising with htem more maybe-

Beign forced to face the fact that life is temporary has a way of forcign us to embrace it whiel we can- when we're healthy, we're just too busy to recognize this, and steam through life 1000 mph- Now we're forced to slow down and parreciate things in a proactive conscious manner- beofre we  stil lappreciated life, but subconsciously I think- not really thinking about it-

Well- this is long enouhg- Keep soldiering on-

SoCal42 said:

Post treatment

When I finished my initial treatment, my oncologist proactively told me that it's really common for cancer patients to have anxiety and/or depression AFTER finishing treatment and to be on the lookout for that. Her theory was that maybe it's becuase we're so busy dealing with the everyday issues of treatment when we're in the middle of it, but afterwards, we have more time and energy to think about what just happened to us. 

This is "spot on" as during treatment you are more concerned of getting through it so your mind only thinks about that last treatment, or last surgery, or last scan to get them clear.  After you are done, everything just "stops".  No more treatment, weekly blood draws, appointments get spread out from just six months to a year and then you just get passed to your Primary Provider.  Then everytime their is an ache or pain, something you can't explain, your mind tends to wander is is back.  Like my previous post said, I'm 10 years out and I'm still here but everytime my colonoscopy comes due, I'm still nervous and afraid. 

Kim

To fight a cancer battle, like any sustained traumatic event, is going to leave you changed, even if your body heals. Your mind has been taken for a ride, down a path most don't go voluntarily. The vulnerability is always there, you're older, your body's been messed with, poisoned, cut into, and radiated. Make it through all of it, and you haven't won anything, you just survived in a world where you're still sliding towards mortality and an end. We celebrate the little victories and bumps, and stay in the moment, even after treatment, enjoy the things we can, make the most of things we feel re-given. But part of us always knows life's harshness and arbitrary results can visit again, anytime. Hold on to what matters, what got you through, and find the other things you enjoy, but don't expect to find an old life, find the will to make a new one. Best of luck.......................................Dave

beaumontdave said:

To fight a cancer battle,

To fight a cancer battle, like any sustained traumatic event, is going to leave you changed, even if your body heals. Your mind has been taken for a ride, down a path most don't go voluntarily. The vulnerability is always there, you're older, your body's been messed with, poisoned, cut into, and radiated. Make it through all of it, and you haven't won anything, you just survived in a world where you're still sliding towards mortality and an end. We celebrate the little victories and bumps, and stay in the moment, even after treatment, enjoy the things we can, make the most of things we feel re-given. But part of us always knows life's harshness and arbitrary results can visit again, anytime. Hold on to what matters, what got you through, and find the other things you enjoy, but don't expect to find an old life, find the will to make a new one. Best of luck.......................................Dave

Well said, Dave, I could not agree more.