Hi, I am new

angelcake
angelcake Member Posts: 6
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I was first diagnosed with colon cancer in January 2003 after a routine colonoscopy. They found lung mets a month later. I was on chemotheraphy for 7 months (camphosar, 5FU and leucovourn) The nodules in the lungs were small, but with the chemo they reduced about 50%. My oncologist said I was stable and I went off of the chemo in October 03. I have had regular cat scans and so far the lung mets have remained the same so I have been off of chemo for over a year. Even with this encouraging news, I have problems with depression. As with all of you, this illness totally changed my life. I welcome the opportunity to correspond with you. My husband and my kids, although wonderful throughout everything, have problems understanding my feelings at times. Looking forward to sharing experiences.

Angel

Comments

  • fedester
    fedester Member Posts: 753 Member
    #2
    hi angel,
    sorry we have to meet like this, but glad you are here. we are a diverse group with alot of stories good and bad. we have great family members here all helping each other with coping with this beast.
    have you talked with a pro on this matter of depression???
    i was depressed before i was dx with colon cancer.
    i was on paxil and it was working fine. it is very hard for our families to understand how we feel when we are depressed.i was lucky to find a great team of drs to treat my depression, i would talk to the pros they really helped me.hope everything goes well in the future with both of these beasts.
    stay the course
    stay positive
    keep the faith
    all the best
    bruce
  • angelcake
    angelcake Member Posts: 6
    #3
    fedester said:

    hi angel,
    sorry we have to meet like this, but glad you are here. we are a diverse group with alot of stories good and bad. we have great family members here all helping each other with coping with this beast.
    have you talked with a pro on this matter of depression???
    i was depressed before i was dx with colon cancer.
    i was on paxil and it was working fine. it is very hard for our families to understand how we feel when we are depressed.i was lucky to find a great team of drs to treat my depression, i would talk to the pros they really helped me.hope everything goes well in the future with both of these beasts.
    stay the course
    stay positive
    keep the faith
    all the best
    bruce

    Thanks for contacting me,fedester. Like you, I was diagnosed with depression before my cancer bout. I have been seeing both a doctor and a therapist for my depression. Unfortunately, my doctor moved and I will start seeing a new psychiatrist in December. I am on Effexor plus a couple of meds so that I can sleep at night. I try to remain positive, but there is always a gloomy rain cloud hanging over me. Thanks for you input and concern
    Angel
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #4
    Ahoy, Angel -

    Welcome to our little family. A book suggestion for you AND your family; Chicken Soup For the Surviving Soul. Not only is it full of uplifting stories, it also gives a good snapshot of what is going on inside the heads od dozens of cancer patients - sounds like that might be good for the family unit.

    Like Bruce said, sorry we have to meet under these circumstances but we're glad you're here.

    Cheers

    - SpongeBob

    PS - for a good cheering up, be sure to go and see the opening of my movie tomorrow. See a previous post (a couple pages back) for a link to the trailers!

    - SB
  • steved
    steved Member Posts: 834 Member
    #5
    Welcome to this site- sorry you have to eb here but it is a fab place to come for support, knowledge and the odd laugh- we all need as many of those as we can get.
    Thank you for being honest about your problems with depression- unfortunately it still remains an under diagnosed and ignored problem in thise with cancer and it still has soem stigma attached to it that prevents people talking openly about it. It sounds like you are on teh right treatment (effexor is a great antidepressant and combined with talk therapy is about the most effective treatment available- sorry I try to not be a psychiatrist on this site (which is my day job) as I am here as a cancer survivor but I can't help myself sometimes).

    I hope you find this site useful and consider dong a web page here so we could know a little more about your situation and who you are.

    Steve.
  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    #6
    steved said:

    Welcome to this site- sorry you have to eb here but it is a fab place to come for support, knowledge and the odd laugh- we all need as many of those as we can get.
    Thank you for being honest about your problems with depression- unfortunately it still remains an under diagnosed and ignored problem in thise with cancer and it still has soem stigma attached to it that prevents people talking openly about it. It sounds like you are on teh right treatment (effexor is a great antidepressant and combined with talk therapy is about the most effective treatment available- sorry I try to not be a psychiatrist on this site (which is my day job) as I am here as a cancer survivor but I can't help myself sometimes).

    I hope you find this site useful and consider dong a web page here so we could know a little more about your situation and who you are.

    Steve.

    Hiya Angel from OZ--one of the odd ozzies on this site. Welcome and do take the time to check out some of the personal webpages on offer from the other guys n gals here. I think we all have or still do suffer from depression Angel--and sleep patterns get affected big time. Glad you are seeing a therapist--I was also helped in that way--it all takes a lot out of us and you really need that shoulder for support. As for your hubby?--well-I tried to be very open with my lovely Jen. We spent many a day having a good talk and even the odd crying session. No matter how your hubby and kids try it is pretty impossible for them or anyone--unless they are a cancer sufferer to completely understand how you feel. Don't try too hard to make them understand--as long as they do realise that this disease is a horrid thing that needs every bit of support your family can muster--good times and bad. I freely admit that I had--and still have at times mood swings. If this happens to you, sometimes you will need a shoulder--at other times you will need some space--and other times you will need to vent your anger--hey, it's all a normal reaction. So long as your family realises these things "will" happen--it will make things easier on you all.
    Somtimes you will just want some "space"--tell it as it is Angel--that is the easiest way they can relate to your depression and feeling. Let it all hang out--keeping things pent up only makes things harder.
    And guess what--now you have a "family" here to help you get thru all this!!!!!
    our very best, huggs kanga n Jen
  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    #7
    kangatoo said:

    Hiya Angel from OZ--one of the odd ozzies on this site. Welcome and do take the time to check out some of the personal webpages on offer from the other guys n gals here. I think we all have or still do suffer from depression Angel--and sleep patterns get affected big time. Glad you are seeing a therapist--I was also helped in that way--it all takes a lot out of us and you really need that shoulder for support. As for your hubby?--well-I tried to be very open with my lovely Jen. We spent many a day having a good talk and even the odd crying session. No matter how your hubby and kids try it is pretty impossible for them or anyone--unless they are a cancer sufferer to completely understand how you feel. Don't try too hard to make them understand--as long as they do realise that this disease is a horrid thing that needs every bit of support your family can muster--good times and bad. I freely admit that I had--and still have at times mood swings. If this happens to you, sometimes you will need a shoulder--at other times you will need some space--and other times you will need to vent your anger--hey, it's all a normal reaction. So long as your family realises these things "will" happen--it will make things easier on you all.
    Somtimes you will just want some "space"--tell it as it is Angel--that is the easiest way they can relate to your depression and feeling. Let it all hang out--keeping things pent up only makes things harder.
    And guess what--now you have a "family" here to help you get thru all this!!!!!
    our very best, huggs kanga n Jen

    Steve!!!--I was just tinking that if you regularly use your medical expertise here you could charge us all a fee then be able to go out n buy a new "Emily approved" juicer? Waddayathink mate?

    Angel--just ignore this message to Steve--kanga occassionally gets chemo brain drain and has to put in a post when he thinks of something or all is lost.
    btw--you can laugh--AND---you can cry here Angel, nobody is immune to feelings!
    kanga
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #8
    kangatoo said:

    Steve!!!--I was just tinking that if you regularly use your medical expertise here you could charge us all a fee then be able to go out n buy a new "Emily approved" juicer? Waddayathink mate?

    Angel--just ignore this message to Steve--kanga occassionally gets chemo brain drain and has to put in a post when he thinks of something or all is lost.
    btw--you can laugh--AND---you can cry here Angel, nobody is immune to feelings!
    kanga

    Angel -

    Kanga is a "Sensitive Australian guy who likes walks on the beach, crying sessions, and wearing silk thongs..." He's a hoot and we all love him (even if he does suffer fron chemo brain regularly... or is that senility, Kanga?)

    - SB
  • kerry
    kerry Member Posts: 1,313 Member
    #9
    Hi Angel,

    Welcome to the best site here at CSN. I'm so sorry you have the need to be here, but you have certainly come to the right place for information, stories, laughter, comfort and sometimes tears.

    We are one big family with a whole lot in commom. Check out some of our personal web pages and you can get lots of information there. This is one place you never meet a stranger.

    Keep us up to date on your treatment and how you are doing and we'll all cheer you on.

    I can personally vouch for that - lots of support.

    Kerry
  • steved
    steved Member Posts: 834 Member
    #10
    kangatoo said:

    Steve!!!--I was just tinking that if you regularly use your medical expertise here you could charge us all a fee then be able to go out n buy a new "Emily approved" juicer? Waddayathink mate?

    Angel--just ignore this message to Steve--kanga occassionally gets chemo brain drain and has to put in a post when he thinks of something or all is lost.
    btw--you can laugh--AND---you can cry here Angel, nobody is immune to feelings!
    kanga

    Coouldn't possibly thnk of charging my fellow semicolons for medical advise- too many Americans on this site ; my insurance couldn't cope with the fear of being sued tee hee hee!

    As for the juicer I will leave that up to you lot- I'm still on my post op eat everything to put on weight diet- bloody brilliant although my wife seems to have taken it on too!

    Sorry Angel for hijacking your link- its all Kanga fault really.
  • 2bhealed
    2bhealed Member Posts: 2,064 Member
    #11
    hi angel,

    welcome to the semi-colon club. The only requirement for membership is to have had a doctor peering into your intestines. Annual dues are paid through your annual colonoscopy activity.

    Some of us here have refered to this being a family. Well you can't choose your family members!! :-) haha. But I sure would choose this bunch of folks!

    In my research of this stinkin disease, I learned that cancer causes depression. So the fact that you were diagnosed before you cancer is not surprising. It could very well have been one of the physiological reasons.

    Thankfully I didn't have any depression that caused alarm, but I did have sleep problems. My doctor put me on melatonin. It's an anti-oxident (which is a great cancer killer) and it's a natural substance that we can be lacking in especially if we are stressed out. It is not harmful or addictive. It's like taking a vitamin if you are lacking in iron or something.

    Anyway, you'll find that I cannot help but open my mouth about natural healing cuz it's all I have been doing for the past three years.

    I was Stage 3 lymph pos zero mets and didn't do any chemo....did all Eastern Medicine after my surgery to remove tumor.

    Welcome again and jump in here. Don't let Kanga in his thong scare you tho' and watch out for Sponge Bob during the cocktail hour....he gets a bit frisky....donning his Speedo.....

    peace, emily who knows what you mean about family not understanding the feelings....
  • Kanort
    Kanort Member Posts: 1,272 Member
    #12
    Hi Angel,

    Welcome to this site. It is truly a wonderful, caring, and supportive group. I'm so glad that your chemo has kept you stable.

    Yes, a cancer diagnosis does change one's life. I didn't struggle with depression so I think I'm one of the lucky ones. I know many, many patients who do. Please, come here for support any time...night or day...."our lines are always open!"

    Kay

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