Its not just the cancer!

2 minute read time.

It's not just the cancer! It's the loneliness too, it's the world carrying on having fun whilst I weep, it's the practical things I don't have the ability to do, it's the stress of my limited finances, the inability to pretend I'm still me, the confidence that left me, the fear that controls me & the deep sadness I now seem to keep.

I'm trying to heal physically but I'm not healing mentally. I'm lost as to what I now do.

I've realised how lonely I am & what a lonely place cancer can be. I have limited family & friends, most of which live miles away. Some may occasionally call but most are busy with their own lives. With some I pretend I am better than I am because I know they wouldn't cope with the truth. I try to take myself out of my home, to do something different, to break up the day, but at times the weather is atrocious & when it's not, I appear to have lost my confidence around other people so head to deserted places & feel ever more lonely.

I rest my body as I know that's what it needs & in all honesty I have little choice but to rest, as I soon feel exhausted if I try to do too much of the normal everyday stuff I did before. This new exhausted feeling that I now have, worries me, it makes me feel that I will always feel this way, it's made me realise that I am a different me, it makes me worry about my future abilities, at times it makes me feel useless & helpless.

I worry about my finances, the expense of heating my home, the food I need & the repairs that I cant afford. I don't have savings, insurance or a pension. I'm basically living on the poverty line & cant see any future prospects. I wonder if I could find employment but at present feel quite poorly & lethargic; I wonder what employer would take on someone receiving cancer treatment, someone that daily, has not the energy to complete all of her tasks, someone who physically has not the same abilities as she once had, someone who was never overly confident but now seems deplete of any. I wonder, I worry & I stress.

I look at my body which looks different to what it once did. I tell myself it doesn't matter if I no longer look like me, but deep down its had an affect. 

I take the medication  the oncologist prescribed, the medication that's supposed to help me, but it's also the medication that makes me feel nauseous, tired & depressed.

I can still smile my fake smile to others but I'm not fooling myself. 

In my mind I pray for the answers, occasionally I beg. I don't know who to, but I'm desperate.

Anonymous
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember
    <p>What you have written makes total sense to me,&nbsp; I feel like you most of the time,&nbsp; depression, anxiety, often jealousy,&nbsp; but I hate myself for it as I have no right to be jealous as I have liver cancer brought about by heavy drinking 11 year ago I gave up but to little to late. I&#39;m going to see a shrink for help ASAP but I understand everything you said,&nbsp; so,&nbsp; please don&#39;t think your alone.&nbsp;</p>
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember
    <p>I too am struggling . I thought that being given the all clear from ovarian cancer things would get better. I now have depression and anxiety that have taken over most of the time. I feel this journey will take longer than the treatment and operation. It&#39;s good to know I am not alone thanks for sharing your stories and hopefully we will all feel better as the year goes on.</p>
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember
    <p>Hello Peaceful1</p> <p>You don&#39;t say what the prognosis of your cancer is. I had leukaemia in 2017 and had a stem cell transplant which meant a lot of isolation over several months as my immune system was very poor. I was very depressed but somehow got through each day knowing that chances were I would recover eventually, just had to sit it out. Gradually was able to do more and more and got back to normal two years later.</p> <p>But as of September 2019 I have relapsed and it is incurable this time. Trying to get through each day with dignity, but realistically it can only go downhill and that scares me. Like you I am alone at home except when friends visit briefly. Hoping to get more help from palliative care.</p> <p>I understand the anxiety of relapse even when you have been given the all clear, but I would say be realistic about your chances. If they are on the plus side then embrace the belief that you may have a happy ending after all. Dare to be hopeful. Worry and negativity makes things worse. Find some thing to make you happy each day, even if only for a few minutes. Appreciate your food or the feel of your clothes. Eventually you will begin to notice there are times you aren&#39;t thinking the worst.&nbsp;</p> <p>Tessa</p> <p></p>
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember
    <p>Meant to add that I did enjoy the eighteen months&nbsp; of normality I had between illnesses. I made the best of believing everything thing would be ok and did lots of enjoyable things and achieved several projects I wanted to finish. Having a purpose and keeping busy always helped me except when I was just too tired physically. Needed to be discerning on what I spent my time on and who I spent it with. Don&#39;t feel you have to do anything you &#39;should&#39; do unless its for your basic health care or is going to make you happy, even if only for a short time. &#39;Get better in bits&#39;</p> <p>Tessa</p>
  • FormerMember
    FormerMember
    <p>Hello &nbsp;</p> <p>Thank you for writing an honest post about your feelings. I think everyone here feels what you feel to a certain degree even if we have family or friends nearby. When other people are happy or try to be positive for us, we don&rsquo;t want to show our real feelings and bring everybody down so we would feel lonely and isolates from time to time and feel that people around us don&rsquo;t understand us.&nbsp;</p> <p>While this forum is amazing and it&rsquo;s great to talk to people who have similar experiences who support each other maybe you can try to find something like a support group around your area where you can talk to people in person. I find it totally different talking to people in front of you and online. You also mentioned about wanting to find work, maybe you can try to do some volunteer work around your area, they wouldn&rsquo;t be so demanding and probably be more understanding of your situation and while it won&rsquo;t help with your finances, it might help with the loneliness and bring a bit of positivity to your days.&nbsp;</p> <p>I know sometimes these things are easier said than done. The other day I visited a Macmillan centre for the first time and I felt very awkward and I&rsquo;m still not sure if I want to join any support group myself as I always feel awkward around new people but it&rsquo;s something to try.&nbsp;</p> <p>I hope you feel better The online community is always here.</p>