How do you get back to 'normal'
Posted on: Tue, 15/07/2008 - 19:08
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How do you get back to 'normal'
I have recently finished chemotherapy for a non-hodgkins lymphoma (diffuse large b cell). The past few months have raced by in a blur, and I am now left with the waiting for my final scan and the realisation of what has happened to me. I am managing to get things back on track and have some normality in mine and my families life - shopping with my baby, lunch with friends and even the odd glass of wine! I feel great physically as well. However, I am really struggling with how I am with my body - every little twinge or pain scares me, and I am constantly feeling for lumps and bumps- but how do I know what I am looking for? Should I be doing this? It is all so worrying - I dont want to be like this for the next 10 years, but is this how it is? I am not sure if this makes sense to people or if anyone has any strategies for dealing with these feelings. Maybe I just need to accept that this is how it is going to be for the near and perhaps more distant future.Louise
you are definently not alone.
i too was like that for a long time. and many others i know and have met are the same.
what can i say..? other than what others are probably saying to you. it takes..time. (cringe)..but it's true. and that time frame can be different for us all.unfortunately there is no magical time, i can offer.
however..in the meanwhile...i could make some suggestions if you are so inclined this way.
maybe join a yoga..or pilates group.start a relaxation program...like meditation daily. throw yourself into something you love to do. play volley ball..learn something new...piano...harp...do a course..write a book....whatever it may be.
meditation knowledge can also be very helpful. there are many books out there now that help us get in tune with ourselves. and help us to understand who and what we are.
whatever it is that is positive!..move into a positive frame of mind..which it sounds like you do have in many ways. can have a huge impact on how we react to things that will continue to remind us ...of our experience with cancer.
if things get realy on top of you tho..dont' be afraid to seek some help..sometimes after such a deep impacting experience..talking with someone who is uninvolved can help. then again.talking with others who have been there done that can help too, like a support group.
and of course there is us here..:)
i wish you well. (((((love peace and happiness)))) Ocean
and I would vote for that on as well. Yes, it is a time of self-examination, not only of our bodies but of our minds, as Ocean said. Is there anything we can do to look after ourselves and understand ourselves more so than oreviously? I want to wish you the very best of luck for the future.Lots of love xxxx Penny
Penny
I'm in the same boat. After 30 weeks of 5FU, I feel a bit jumpy. Some people have Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, so I'm very lucky. My next scan will be after my next surgeon's appointment, the oncology lot having discharged me to them.
My pre-op x ray (last September) to check me for anaesthetic, was one of the things I asked for, and my oncologist said that no, I had no sign of pulmonary fibrosis, but my heart was slightly enlarged. Staying very calm, I said I would ask my GP about it, and he sent me for an ECG. I don't think he is worried, just staying on the safe side.
Everyone says I have been brave, and yes I have been, but it was all caught very early, Dukes C, and most people with early bowel cancer seem to have a very good chance of walking away.
I am going to remind myself of that and just get better. There are thousands of people who had cancer years ago and have put it behind them. I refuse to be defined by it. If I get depressed, it is normal, but can be treated if neccessary.
I think I need a project that's not too onerous.
Triumph and Disaster are imposters