ptsd post treatment?

webbwife50
webbwife50 Member Posts: 394
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I'm 51 and was dxed in June of 09, I had bilat mast, did 4 rounds of AC and 4 of taxol, and tram flap recon last Dec. I had a bad scare last July when my onc thought she saw more caner in my neck following an MRI. After a pet and a second opinion my onc requested it was determined to be arthritis in my upper neck. Since then, I have at times had trouble falling asleep because I am afraid I might not wake up, or I might wake up missing something. It happens other times too and is very unsetteling. Is this normal?

Comments

  • sea60
    sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
    #2
    Are taking any meds right now?
    Such as Tamoxifen or Arimidex?

    Reason is, some drugs can cause this. For me, the Arimidex gave me a sense of impending doom when I would wake up in the morning. Weird!!!

    I was okay once I got off of it. Others have no problem with it.

    Hope you feel better soon,

    Sylvia
  • smalldoggroomer
    smalldoggroomer Member Posts: 1,184
    #3
    Hope your feeling better soon,
    I have the same question as Sylvia. Are you taking anything now. It sounds like you have had a pretty bad scare. Can you talk to some one to put it into perspective. Our fears are always real and normal. Some times you just need to talk about them with some one. We are all here for you and I know there will be more ladies come on soon. We will all do what ever we can to help you through this. Keep us posted Let us know how you are doing. We will help any way we can. Take care. Kay
  • creampuff91344
    creampuff91344 Member Posts: 988
    #4
    smalldoggroomer said:

    Hope your feeling better soon,
    I have the same question as Sylvia. Are you taking anything now. It sounds like you have had a pretty bad scare. Can you talk to some one to put it into perspective. Our fears are always real and normal. Some times you just need to talk about them with some one. We are all here for you and I know there will be more ladies come on soon. We will all do what ever we can to help you through this. Keep us posted Let us know how you are doing. We will help any way we can. Take care. Kay

    PTSD
    My sister-in-law had b/c about 10 years ago, and she and I have discussed this many times. My b/c started in April 2008, and I still have this constant fear that the cancer is back, or it is going to come back. PTSD is definitely a possibility. Once you have been through the traumatic stress of diagnosis, surgery, chemo, and radiation, the fear of having to face this again is no different than having to face going into battle in war. We did fight a war (although there were no guns involved), and in our minds, we are still fighting. I know several people on this Board who have expressed the same thing. It is always there, and probably always will be there. Talk with your oncologist regarding PTSD, and see if he/she will recommend any meds that will help you settle down. Hugs to you, and here's hoping your fears will be less and less as time passes. Judy
  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #5
    I was one who mentioned this
    on an earlier post. My onc told me PTSD was not an effect of this battle. Many ladies on this board begged to differ with him. On this matter I defer to the ladies here who've fought the battle first hand. If your onc doesn't recognize it, find yourself a therapist who you can feel comfortable talking with. The post treatment drugs seemed to me, to make that feeling worse, but that's just my experience with it.
    Having a potential recurrence scare I'm sure would cause some PTSD since having done this once, none of us want to hear those words again.

    Good luck.

    marge
  • webbwife50
    webbwife50 Member Posts: 394
    #6
    mwallace1325 said:

    I was one who mentioned this
    on an earlier post. My onc told me PTSD was not an effect of this battle. Many ladies on this board begged to differ with him. On this matter I defer to the ladies here who've fought the battle first hand. If your onc doesn't recognize it, find yourself a therapist who you can feel comfortable talking with. The post treatment drugs seemed to me, to make that feeling worse, but that's just my experience with it.
    Having a potential recurrence scare I'm sure would cause some PTSD since having done this once, none of us want to hear those words again.

    Good luck.

    marge

    Thank you
    thank you ladies, for your responses. They were very helpfull and I will discuss some of my "new" feeling with my onc., and I love my onc. so it won't be a problem talking about it with her. I am not paranoid, or disabled by these thoughts but they can be very strange when they occur, like I'm not comfortable in my own skin. Yesterday I drove accross a set of railroad track I cross most everyday and had a flash that a train was comming at the same time and hit me. Just out of the blue! Pretty weird, fortunately I have a fabulous husband who makes me feel safe and protected. He loves me!
  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #7
    webbwife50 said:

    Thank you
    thank you ladies, for your responses. They were very helpfull and I will discuss some of my "new" feeling with my onc., and I love my onc. so it won't be a problem talking about it with her. I am not paranoid, or disabled by these thoughts but they can be very strange when they occur, like I'm not comfortable in my own skin. Yesterday I drove accross a set of railroad track I cross most everyday and had a flash that a train was comming at the same time and hit me. Just out of the blue! Pretty weird, fortunately I have a fabulous husband who makes me feel safe and protected. He loves me!

    Knowing
    Knowing that there are people around you who love you and people you trust is probably half the battle with this one. good luck

    marge

Discussion Boards