Vulvar cancer/repeat/depression

cbryson

mariejoyce said:

Hi Cathy
Thanks for your reply to me. I am wondering if it is just me or there are others that are obsessed with our health problems. Every waking hour I am thinking that I have this thing robbing me of life. It is hard to even get excited over Christmas. Seems it just isn't the same as it always has been. Guess I am wondering if I will be here for the next one?? Wish there were some way I could look at everything optomistically....
Mariejoyce

Happy New Year, Maryjoyce,

Actually, I'm sort of the wrong person to ask about becoming obsessed with health problem, as I'm afraid I've become a virtual hypochodriac since my second diagnosis. I run to the doctor for everything, always thinking something new (or old) is wrong with me. I am seeing a counselor now to help me focus outward instead of inward, and it's working slowly, slowly, but you might want to try this, too. it helps to have other people to talk to, especially as sometimes friends, as good-hearted as they are, do get tired of hearing complaints all the time (at least mine do). And of course, you can always write to me. I can be very sympathetic, as I know how you feel, literally. It's quite hard to be optimistic, tho I am determined to try in 2005. In one more year, I'll have been clear for five years, and I'm afraid and excited, as my second cancer came back exactly five years later. But we are all different, aren't we, and you and I both need to think we are well now and kinda get back to "life." How about we help each other do that, huh? Take, care, Cathy

Misae

cbryson said:

Hi, Diane, A quick note to let you know my biopsy came out negative for cancer, thank God. It turned out to be a major infection/ulceration. So more atibiotics and creams. Oh Joy.

Am getting all ready for Christmas myself, though for the first time in almost twenty years, I will not be spending it with my Mom. I'm sending her some gifts and will talk to her by phone. Hope you have a great holiday season. Keep well, and we'll get back in touch after the New Year, okay? Cathy

Hi Cathy,
WOOOHOOO!! Glad that your last biopsy results were cancer free. You sure can be glad about it, but I'm sorry for the infection. I hope it's under controll now and has all healed up.

My name is Misae and haven't heard from Diane for some time. Your last reply to her was just a few minutes after hers, and she might not have seen it yet. I'm from another thread of posts, and while I haven't heard from her either, and I thought she was going for a follow up to her gyn/onc sometime this month, I just dropped in to see if she already checked in on you. But I saw that she hasn't, so we're in the same boat. I hope she's doing OK. Maybe she'll get back on us when she's been to her doc.

Anyway, I wanted to say "Hi" to you and to say congrats for the results in Dec. Diane would have been happy to read that. She's been missing out on that good news.
Misae

dcarl

cbryson said:

Hi, Diane, A quick note to let you know my biopsy came out negative for cancer, thank God. It turned out to be a major infection/ulceration. So more atibiotics and creams. Oh Joy.

Am getting all ready for Christmas myself, though for the first time in almost twenty years, I will not be spending it with my Mom. I'm sending her some gifts and will talk to her by phone. Hope you have a great holiday season. Keep well, and we'll get back in touch after the New Year, okay? Cathy

Hey Cathy!!

I hope you don't think i deserted you!! i can't believe i haven't caught up with you since december! what kind of friend am I???
sooo glad to hear about the biopsy results. at least with the creams etc you know it'll go away. hopefully by now it has.
i had another spot removed. the margins weren't exactly clear so most likely will see another surgery in my future. sigh.....
hope you've been well since i last spoke with you. how did you do through the holidays? getting cabin fever in the cold weather? i can't wait until the weather breaks. spring can't come soon enough. i need some fresh air!!!
how is your mom?
i was told by my general practitioner that i have high cholesterol. big surprise there. she put me on medication. boy, i feel like my mother with all the pills evey day! i'm not supposed to be this old!!
hope to hear from you soon.
again, sorry for not checking in sooner.
love
diane

cbryson

dcarl said:

Hey Cathy!!

I hope you don't think i deserted you!! i can't believe i haven't caught up with you since december! what kind of friend am I???
sooo glad to hear about the biopsy results. at least with the creams etc you know it'll go away. hopefully by now it has.
i had another spot removed. the margins weren't exactly clear so most likely will see another surgery in my future. sigh.....
hope you've been well since i last spoke with you. how did you do through the holidays? getting cabin fever in the cold weather? i can't wait until the weather breaks. spring can't come soon enough. i need some fresh air!!!
how is your mom?
i was told by my general practitioner that i have high cholesterol. big surprise there. she put me on medication. boy, i feel like my mother with all the pills evey day! i'm not supposed to be this old!!
hope to hear from you soon.
again, sorry for not checking in sooner.
love
diane

Hi, Diane,

So nice to hear from you. As you can see, you are not the only one not checking in. I actually got a little tired of always thinking about cancer, so I quit for awhile. Unofortunately, my body seems to punish me for the effort, and I've had two more biopsies since I last wrote. Both negative - just showed a ton of scarring and inflamation - but I spent three days or so each time (I had them done on Fridays) worrying my socks off. Hey, I'm taking a ton of pills, too: I loved your comment about being like your Mom. I'm exactly the same way. I always just gagged at all the pills my Mother was taking and swore I'd never be that way, and I'm on 5 different pills (all maintenance). And now I've been diagnosed with diabetes. No new drugs for now, but I gotta change my whole lifestyle, for pete's sake, and test my blood sugar all the time. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! I am still going to see a counselor as I tend to dip into depression now and again, and I've gotten into trouble at work with dockage this year (for some reason, I can't completely lift myself up. I seem to be better this week and I am going to TRY to come in as much of April as I can.

My mom is in the nursing home now, and she refuses to eat their food, so she weighs a whopping 92 pounds. She also refuses to do anything, like get out of bed. She tells me all the time that "it's time for me to go". I know she truly wants to, but unfortunately for her, Mother's body is a sturdy thing (good heart, good lungs,etc), so I think she will here a while longer. I try to call her every weekend to give her a cheer up and I plan to go see her in the summer.

Oh, guess what? I'm planning a two week trip over the Christmas holidays to California to see the Tournament of Roses parade plus something of the Hollywood/Beverly Hills sites. It's a Presly Tour trip. I'm really looking forward to it, and am trying to buck myself up with thought of it.

Ah well, sorry to bore you out of your mind. I'm really glad to hear from you. I worried about you. Sorry to hear you are still having some problems. You know I am praying for you.

Let me hear from you now and again. If you don't want to check here allthe time, please e-mail me anytime at cathyb72@msn.com

Cheers (Spring is here!!!!) Cathy

Callie_Austin

You Aren't Alone
Hello Cathy, I just started treatment for skin cancer and have had breast cancer. My younger sister -- 48 -- passed away last year from colon cancer. She was not the type to complain or want any type of networking with people. She suffered in silence. I have discovered a lump in the labial area and will see my doctor when I have a physical on December 1. I am using Carac for the skin cancer situation. I feel small when I complain about the side effects but then become grateful that there is treatment and that I have medical insurance and loving, dear family. Gratitude lists are a big help for me -- especially when I don't feel like making one. It is hard for all us, no matter what type of cancer we have or have had, to not feel that we are time bombs ready to go off. E-mail and these opportunities are fantastic for people because isolation is crippling. You have so many things going on and some are similar to mine, simply because I am getting older! I haven't had the challenges you have faced but I have a knowledge of the feelings no matter what we are presented with. First, I feel frightened and vulnerable. I become afraid that the doctors don't know what they are doing and that I will be the person they overlook something on. Cathy, your letter touched me so much. I will pray for you and hope to know how you are doing along the way. Bless you -- take care. Jan