What's next?

Hi Marjoram,

Welcome to the Online Community here at Macmillan. I’m sorry we couldn’t reply to you before the weekend. It’s good to hear that you are recovering your energy and feeling physically better after your chemo, but I can tell that you are feeling unsettled and this is understandably impacting the way you feel. You are not alone in feeling this way, and I’m sure what you describe will chime with other people who have felt, or are feeling, the same as you.  

I think what you are describing is the impact of uncertainty right now and that can be really tough to cope with. For some people their cancer diagnosis, treatment and outlook will not be clear and easy to predict. It can involve a succession of checks and reviews, cycles on and off treatment and frequent choices and decisions to be made. This can feel confusing and overwhelming at times and naturally lead to periods of doubt and other emotions. It’s not unusual for this to feel more burdensome after a period of treatment finishes as you adjust to a new phase and work out how to move forwards from this point. Not knowing what is around the corner is challenging. These general tips might be a helpful place to start thinking about things that could ease these feelings.

It may help to have another conversation with your healthcare team. You may want to write down any specific questions you want to have answered and go through these methodically at your next appointment which might help you to feel a little clearer about what can happen next. You can ask for some time to make any decisions and consider applying a strategy to help you make you choices. Some people find the BRAIN acronym helpful when they are deciding what might be their best course of action for their circumstance.

It can be difficult to talk to your doctor about your prognosis. You mention that you have thought about plans and timeframes, and that you have hinted at asking the question but dared not say outright. It’s ok to not want to discuss this if you are not ready, and it’s also possible that your doctor may not have a clear answer for you if there are lots of possibilities for your treatment. I like this webpage as it gently explores some questions you could consider asking if you felt they might be helpful for you to help you plan and feel better about this.  

It can really help to talk to others. Reaching out here is a positive step and I hope you find some helpful support from our wonderful online community. Keep talking to family or friends, or you can pick up the phone and chat with our team of nurses or emotional support advisors here at the Macmillan Support Line. Support groups can be a great place to establish connections and chat about what’s happening – your speciality team may know of some near you or you could search our In Your Area tool to see if there is anything near you on our database. If this feeling is not passing and is affecting your day to day life then it could be really good to seek a bit of counselling support as talking therapies can help you find lasting ways to process and deal with these challenges.

It is understandable that you may not always be feeling positive but it can help to keep searching for positive steps that you can take to move forwards. Perhaps replacing the routine you had with the chemotherapy with a new routine could give you another focus just now? You could take up a class or an activity and reward yourself with something you can feel some enjoyment from, or that builds on your physical and emotional resilience. Our booklet Life After Cancer Treatment is free to order or download and has some helpful advice on ways to access support and adjust to the impacts you describe.

I hope this has been helpful for now and I wish you the very best of luck with your ongoing recovery and any future treatments should they arise.

Kirstine – Macmillan

Information Nurse Specialist

Our Ref: KDf/ KS