donfoo said:

Good topic T

what can we do to help ourselves?

Other than just treating the symptom with a vial of pills, helping oneself get to the root of anxiety disorder is not a trivial matter. For us here, we need to look back over our lives and examine times when we have experienced various levels of anxiety and when and how it was put away or contained to some managed level. I suspect most of us here manage anxiety of the daily variety well and really only during major events do we experience anxiety to a degree where it effects our daily thinking. I suspect the anxiety subsides once the crises is past.

With cancer, I think of it differently as a cancer diagnosis puts us into a "chronic" lifetime state of having it return or setting off long term nasty side effects. Bundled with the diagnosis was a complimentary boogie man doll we hang in our closets, just there as a constant reminder.

The anxiety is never banashed completely as we all know that cancers are far greater for those who have previously been diagnosed and treated. Each of us must recognize this -  it is unique and different than the reasons for anxiety we have encountered in our past. Maybe the ways we managed anxiety before will not work in this case, maybe they will, maybe it'll require new tools to cope.

Each person needs to be aware we are dealing with anxiety due cancer, among other things, and need to manage it just like any other medical condition although there are likely different therapies offered by different practitioners.

more importantly, help others?

As you have pointed out, is can be very difficult for people to listen to what is being suggested. Equating it to "hard heads" that just don't want to listen or take advice is similar to the behaviour of the folks we come across from here occassionally.

Recently, I have seen the range of responses from members to some of these poor souls. First, there are earnest suggestions and offers of understanding to what appear valid concern over potential cancer. Soon enough though, it becomes apparent there is a history of constant lack of recognition to what is being told to them by medical professionals and those on the forums.

Once it becomes clear the person is really not accepting any of the information, what happens next. Responses on the forum vary from no response as pointed out by Matt to continual engagement with the poster with more responses and even questions to bait yet another response and continuation of the dialog.  No matter where on the range each of us falls, there comes a point when one must concede this person is a "hard head" then resign and disengage as there is zero hope of getting through in a rational and meaningful manner.

Helping ourselves can be difficult. Unless we can rationally recognize we are spiraling out of control, it's difficult to recognize. I know when I was having a severe reaction to the steroids, I had no idea what was going on. I wasn't myself and it was Marcia who really noticed something was wrong. When I finally described my symptoms to my chemo nurse, it was then they brought in the psych team and figured out what was going on. When you're delusional, it's hard to understand what's happening to yourself. So, hopefully those around us can see it and help. I knew something wasn't right after I had my heart attack and surgery but I couldn't really place it. When I spoke to my doctor, he asked a series of questions that help to diagnose depression which fortunately was pretty mild.

Helping others? If they're close to us then it goes back to the previous comment about recognizing the symptoms and acting as an advocate to help the person. In this forum and others the reality is quite different. We can say what we feel but ultimately and inevitably, when nothing seems to be getting through, it comes down to divorcing ourselves from the situation or just offering a word or two of encouragement and moving on. A person caught in the downward spiral of health anxiety hears and sees only what they want to and nothing can dissude them from that. 

"T"

fishmanpa said:

What the Mind Can Do...

I was reading about some of the things the mind can do when a person suffers from health anxiety. If it wasn't so sad, it would actually be comical.

Some examples of what the person thought was wrong and what was really going on....

I'm going blind! --- Dry eyes

West Nile Virus --- Stomach bug

Brain Cancer --- sinus congestion

Colon cancer because of red stools --- ate too many pistacios (that one made me ~lol~)

Woke up with my arm numb. Thought it was a heart attack --- arm fell asleep while sleeping

Thought I had a rare tropical disease because of bright yellow urine --- vitamin B tablets

When they say attitude is such a vital part of the cancer fight, they're spot on. Unfortunately, it can have the opposite effect on us.

"T"

 

Ok... I had to add these two because... well just because.

" I often experience pressure in my head whenever I hold a deep breath for a few seconds. Does anyone else experience these sensations in the same situation?" ---  Could it be because possibly you are holding your breath? Can't really tell if this was serious or a joke.

One more...

"Yesterday I had a headache most of the day which is fine, but when me and my partner were home watching TV, I got a really strong smell of burning! My partner couldn't smell it at all but I could! Now I'm thinking brain tumor... Obviously! Anyone else had this?" --- IDK...Possibly you left the popcorn in the microwave too long? Again, I can't tell if this was serious or a joke...it's so out there!

I do know this. I'll take a little bit of scanxiety over all the things I've read thus far! At least there's a legitimate reason for being anxious. 

"T"