Anxiety

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  • z
    z Member Posts: 1,414 Member
    #22
    mp327 said:

    Good luck!
    Wishing you the best as you return to work today, Carol! I'm sure all will go well. Your boss sounds like the best!

    Carol
    Hello Carol, I hope you had a good day today. I know when I went back to work after 7 weeks, I had anxiety, because I have a physical job, where I walk and stand and lift and push, I just went a lot slower, and went my what my body was able to do. Eventually, I regained all of my stamina allbeit, it took about a year. Slow and steady. I'm glad you went back to work, its good to get back to normalacy. I wish you well. Lori
  • cap630
    cap630 Member Posts: 151 Member
    #23
    z said:

    Carol
    Hello Carol, I hope you had a good day today. I know when I went back to work after 7 weeks, I had anxiety, because I have a physical job, where I walk and stand and lift and push, I just went a lot slower, and went my what my body was able to do. Eventually, I regained all of my stamina allbeit, it took about a year. Slow and steady. I'm glad you went back to work, its good to get back to normalacy. I wish you well. Lori

    Good Choice
    Thanks for all your well wishes. I did start working part-time this week. It was the right choice for me. Having a routine and being out of the house for 3 to 4 hours a day has taken away some of the anxiety. The first step was hard, but I'm glad I did it.
    ~Carol
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #24
    cap630 said:

    Good Choice
    Thanks for all your well wishes. I did start working part-time this week. It was the right choice for me. Having a routine and being out of the house for 3 to 4 hours a day has taken away some of the anxiety. The first step was hard, but I'm glad I did it.
    ~Carol

    Yay!
    Good for you for going back to work, Carol. It sounds like it was a good decision. Distraction from this disease can be a very good thing and I'm sure work will help you with that. Good luck as you get back to your job.
  • RoseC
    RoseC Member Posts: 559
    #25
    cap630 said:

    Good Choice
    Thanks for all your well wishes. I did start working part-time this week. It was the right choice for me. Having a routine and being out of the house for 3 to 4 hours a day has taken away some of the anxiety. The first step was hard, but I'm glad I did it.
    ~Carol

    Congratulations!
    Glad to hear you are back at work. Just remember to take care of yourself. When your body says it needs rest - rest. Congratulations again!
  • cap630
    cap630 Member Posts: 151 Member
    #26
    RoseC said:

    Congratulations!
    Glad to hear you are back at work. Just remember to take care of yourself. When your body says it needs rest - rest. Congratulations again!

    Thank you for your advise and support
    Thank you all for your advise and support. I'm working about 20 hours a week. It has helped me move forward. I have lots of help trying to find the "new normal" and I am letting myself heal. First scan and scope coming up soon. ~Carol
  • mxperry220
    mxperry220 Member Posts: 496 Member
    #27
    You Are Normal
    I think this is a norm for us anal cancer survivors. I am 33 months post treatment and still have anxiety if I have an appointment or need to be out of the house before 10:00 A.M. I think a lot of mine is psychological. It has gotten better over time. I soon realized no one knew what an emotional toll this type of cancer had on me. Friends and family thought after treatment I was fine but they were not fully aware of the side effects of radiation and chemo treatment for anal cancer. It seems the radiation really irritates the colon/rectum area for many months after treatment. I still have some urgent bowel movement symptoms. Never knowing when this may happpen really makes me nervous when I know I have a public engagement. This seems to be a new norm for me. You might check to see if your medical facility where you received treatment. My oncologly area had a cancer support group. I never signed up for this but probably should have. No one understands what anal cancr is all about until they have been there. The problem is this cancer is so rare the probablity of an anal cancer survivor being in a support group is minimal. One other bit of advice, never be ashamed to discuss anal cancer with your family and close friends. This includes any side effects you may be having post treatment. I know this has helped me in my journey through this awful cancer.

    Hope this helps some.
  • Angela_K
    Angela_K Member Posts: 374 Member
    #28
    mxperry220 said:

    You Are Normal
    I think this is a norm for us anal cancer survivors. I am 33 months post treatment and still have anxiety if I have an appointment or need to be out of the house before 10:00 A.M. I think a lot of mine is psychological. It has gotten better over time. I soon realized no one knew what an emotional toll this type of cancer had on me. Friends and family thought after treatment I was fine but they were not fully aware of the side effects of radiation and chemo treatment for anal cancer. It seems the radiation really irritates the colon/rectum area for many months after treatment. I still have some urgent bowel movement symptoms. Never knowing when this may happpen really makes me nervous when I know I have a public engagement. This seems to be a new norm for me. You might check to see if your medical facility where you received treatment. My oncologly area had a cancer support group. I never signed up for this but probably should have. No one understands what anal cancr is all about until they have been there. The problem is this cancer is so rare the probablity of an anal cancer survivor being in a support group is minimal. One other bit of advice, never be ashamed to discuss anal cancer with your family and close friends. This includes any side effects you may be having post treatment. I know this has helped me in my journey through this awful cancer.

    Hope this helps some.

    Surprising encounter
    First, apologies for the many repetitive posts above. I'll blame it on my unpredictable laptop.

    Mxperry is right about finding support, which I do here on this site. I have not sought out anotlher cancer support group locally because I am afraid it will all be about breasts or cervixes or prostates. No one can even begin to understand anal cancer, and it's brutal treatment, like we do.

    Just a couple of weeks ago, in my new job, I came across a customer who shared that she was a two-time cancer survivor, having recently finished her final round of radiation for breast cancer. I mentioned that I was a survivor, too. She asked me what kind of cancer and when I told her, the funniest look washed over her face. She had been treated for anal cancer in 1989 in Germany.

    What are the odds of me running into her? A God-send is what it was.
  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #29
    Angela_K said:

    Surprising encounter
    First, apologies for the many repetitive posts above. I'll blame it on my unpredictable laptop.

    Mxperry is right about finding support, which I do here on this site. I have not sought out anotlher cancer support group locally because I am afraid it will all be about breasts or cervixes or prostates. No one can even begin to understand anal cancer, and it's brutal treatment, like we do.

    Just a couple of weeks ago, in my new job, I came across a customer who shared that she was a two-time cancer survivor, having recently finished her final round of radiation for breast cancer. I mentioned that I was a survivor, too. She asked me what kind of cancer and when I told her, the funniest look washed over her face. She had been treated for anal cancer in 1989 in Germany.

    What are the odds of me running into her? A God-send is what it was.

    Support
    I have been SO very blessed in that I have personally met five anal cancer survivors--one just today! And I am to meet another one in person on October 8th. Luckily, my rad onc and my med onc both recognize not only the rarity of this cancer, but the need for support of those who get this diagnosis. They have both referred people to me. Mark my word, there are going to be more and more people diagnosed with this cancer in the future and it will someday come out in the open. I am very thankful for everyone on this site who give me support and encouragement.
  • z810840b
    z810840b Member Posts: 207 Member
    #30
    anxiety
    Hi Carol-We have all gone through this.I think i became MORE anxious when i finished treatment, than when I was going through it .When i was going through treatment i had a plan. I knew what I had to do....fight the cancer .After I finished treatment....then the fear crept in.."what if it's not gone?' " "What if it comes back?"I even suffered from anxiety attacks.Gradually things got better.My life got more normal..I went back to work ..( i freelance) .I am over three years NED.Im feeling pretty good.I still have side effects from the radiation..but very tolerable.Sure, I get anxious a couple of weeks before a scope...but i talk to myself..and get through it.So Carol...everything you are feeling ???So normal...So expected. Good luck...Hugs...alyse

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