Link to Story: Uterine Cancer, by yours truly
Here's your free link, lovies!
I'm trying to help women learn about the sneakiness of this disease, be it my type (sigh, okay, garden style! obnoxious, toxic weeds though), or the more serious (pun intended) kind.
So far, I've educated several women, and I'm glad about that.
Deb
Comments
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Deb, thanks for that link. You are such a fine writer. 🙂 Your story is a familiar one around these parts as I think we all try to educate those around us. Also, ladies with anxiety or sleep problems might try the pot gummies. THC. I started using them when I lived in CO as it was legal, for my terrible insomnia. They work! I take one about an hour before bed and I get a good night's sleep. During the worst of the depression and anxiety in the early days of my dx I took them during the day to get me through and they really helped. I did not want addictive or disorienting sleep or anxiety meds that the docs offered, they are ok with me using the gummies but do an eye roll to the nurse when then think I am not looking. 😂 I also get PTSD for a few days when we move back to our summer home for the season as this is where I was the most stressed during the early days. My bedroom, the light at a certain time of day just brings it all back. Each year is a little less stressful but still very traumatic. Knowing that I might expect it to happen makes it a bit easier.
Thanks!
Denise
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Thanks for weighing in! I do NOT like feeling "high," but I most certainly had to deal with my extreme anxiety. I needed to hit it with a sledgehammer.
I haven't used gummies for about nine months, but I was thinking about getting more just in case. We had a favorite dog die last weekend, and it wrecked me.
Anxiety and depression often go hand in hand with a cancer diagnosis, and in my opinion, mental and emotional health issues are not appropriately addressed.
I will keep writing about them!
<3
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Thanks for the link, Deb! I enjoyed your article! I particularly like your description of the 20-somethings! I’m glad the gummies helped you!
Pot isn’t available ‘round here! As I’ve said somewhere here before, Xanax is my go-to anxiety drug. I started taking it for sleep years ago, given to me by a neurologist after I’d had an embolic stroke…age 50…almost no long-lasting effects, (they never could figure the cause)… except my already-wound-too-tight way of being was worse than ever.
I’ve never taken it during the day, until this cancer business. It was the only thing that helped with nausea. So, occasionally I took it so I could muster an appetite. At one point the GO’s office was saying, “Take The Xanax!” Thank goodness I have a PCP who has zero problems prescribing it, because when I asked about it at the GO’s office I was told, “oh…we don’t treat psychological issues.” I said, “Y’all are the instigators of my problem!”
Seriously…they’re wrecking this enoromous havoc on our lives, but aren’t interested in the emotional problems that creates….
❤️, A
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P. S. I’m so sorry about the loss of your pet. The last time that happened to us I thought I might never recover. About 6 months later we got a new puppy. His picture is my profile picture. We love, love, love him! But we will always miss his predecessor.
❤️❤️❤️, A
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I enjoyed your story very much.
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I'm glad to hear that. Thank you. I'll try to do another longer story soon.
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Ladies,
I always feel so much better checking in with everyone. I am so glad you are here. I appreciate you all sharing your feelings of anxiety and depression so much. I am not alone!
'Waiting for the other shoe to drop' just about says it all for me!There isn't a day I don't think about recurrent disease looming somewhere in my body or the list of the many target or immunotherapy drugs scrolling thru my mind. I cannot even count how frequently my mind goes there daily. I have drug therapies listed in my cell phone notes anticipating bringing them up to my ONC one day. Like he doesn't already know of them! Unfortunately, my ONC has never been particularly encouraging with my high risk stage IIIA disease. Mentions of my depth of invasion (98%) and extensive LVSI is part of every 3 month checkup oratory. I think PSTD is a perfect description of the fear I have.
BlueBird, I am so glad you shared using THC. I brought the subject up to my ONC's nurse once prior to chemo who expressed 'their not recommending' anything like THAT'. I would have to obtain my medical marijuana license in MO . I currently use lorazepam prescribed for nausea during chemo but it makes me sleepy. The RN for the Cancer Survivorship Program suggested Xanax. I turned her down my first visit but may be headed there in May. TY for also stating your anxiety has decreased over time.
A, your puppy is so cute. I am sorry you lost your loving pet. My cats are so important to me. ((Hugs))
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There are about five of you who always make me smile when I see you've been online. You are one of them!
Ugh, yeah, the myometrial invasion and LVSI....I've got that stuff too. Not quite as deep as you in the MI, but enough so that I"m at the doc's every three months.
My radiology oncologist is extremely cool, and she figured out a long time ago that I'm very tightly wound. I like her so much I try to just be mellow and not seem like a "cat on a hot tin roof"! I'm doing better emotionally. Not quite so angry, stressed, defensive, offensive, and anxious.
When I was in the thick of the worst times, I absolutely felt justified and had no desire to stop researching, questioning, and worrying. It was part of the whole "depression complex" of cancer. I was in it so deep I couldn't see my way out. I couldn't find anything to be grateful for, and I'd get outraged at the happy club members insisting "attitude" was everything.
I am fully crediting anti depressant medications for pulling me up from the bottom of the well.
Now that I'm doing better--at least, thank God, for now!--I can be so much more of who I was before cancer.
THC was a huge tool.
Vitamins and Metformin....
Anti depressants...
And my band (love my bandmates), my bandleader (who I adore), my husband (lovely man), and three cats and two dogs.
And...so, so many of you.
Glad to call you all family, to be honest.
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Deb,
TY for the welcome smile.
Voicing the emotional toll my cancer dx has had on me, particularly in the abyss of post treatment, has been freeing. I know I can come here and share without judgement. I want to recapture the me I was before this cancer, too. Not all of it, because I have changed, just part would be wonderful!
My cancer survivor meeting is in early May and I have some points to bring up about anti depressants and thc. I would like to find a face to face group meeting of gynecological cancer survivors.
Clinging to the hope that time and sisters here offer.
((Hugs))
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Hi Ladies,
So glad I decided to check out this board this morning. Loved the article you wrote, Deb! :-) You are all so encouraging...to the newbies and us "old-timers" (I think I've been here long enough to call myself that.) that may also have new issues. I always learn something or feel assured when coming here and even though it hasn't been as frequent these past few months, I do take time to come and read all posts every so often. I always feel better after checking in, even if I don't always comment when I am here.
I will start a new thread so as not to "highjack" this one with my stuff, but I just wanted to say, that I found your comments regarding anxiety comforting. I have some new stuff going on and my stomach is in knots this past week. I have some lorazepam left over from chemo treatments and I think it is time to start using it.
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Rita, don't hold off. Use that med if you need it!
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Deb,
You have some awesome resources. Thankyou.
I have not posted in several weeks, been inching alon dealing with my Neulasta shots the day after chemo. Now this past week found out that I need weekly infusions of iron / platelets! I experience so much port pain that they finally prescribed me the Lidocaine to start using on my next treatment. EVERY time they access the port I could scream! YES it hurts that much when the needle pierces it. They are only concerned with the good blood return & no resistance to its use, but on my end it hurts for about an hour. Finally scheduled me for a scan of the port to consider placing it, but like I said, they found no basis to do so. The doctor told me anyways that if it is scar tissue or a nerve pain, then there is nothing they can do. Wow, such empathy for my anxiety each time the port is used! Not only that, many times when trying to sleep I get these twinge of pains and the skin pulling. Anyone have any similar PORT issues?
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if you don't mind my asking, what state are you in? other than state of pain. I am so sorry. It sounds dreadful.
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Lidocaine cream doesn't work for me (I still did it), so (with permission) I started taking an oxy on chemo (port access) days. That did not help. So sometimes it would really hurt when they accessed it; sometimes not. The bad pain part was over fast. I heard some people are having success w/ a numbing spray.
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I was never offered any kind of numbing cream or spray for when they put the needle in my port either. That does smart, but for me the pain usually doesn't last long...just a few minutes. By the time I had read about the numbing cream, I was halfway through chemo, so decided not to bother asking about it. But since I still have my port at my oncologist's recommendation, I wish now that I had asked about it. I go in every 3 months for surveillance exams and my port flush is scheduled for right after, so not a big deal to get that done. But even though it doesn't last all that long for me, that sting when the needle goes in is not pleasant to say the least. In the beginning I had pain similar to yours after the port was installed, but it very rarely bothers me now. Hopefully that will be the case for you also.
HFTG61, I can't believe the health care workers that you've had dealings with treat you and your pain so callously.
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