Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with stage 2 HER+ ER - breast cancer last week. I had a PET scan on Monday and I'm waiting for the results. I've got two young kids and a lovely supportive husband but I can't seem to find any positivity or strength from anywhere. I can't stop thinking about how much easier it would be if I wasn't here right now, for everyone, including me. I know that sounds selfish but I can't say this to anyone else. My every waking minute is consumed with thinking about how the cancer will return and all the tests I'm going to have to go through for years. This is before we've even tackled this one. All I can think of is really dark stuff.
I'd like to get some help with my mental health but don't know where to start. Can anyone recommend anything?
Thanks
Hi pollylop so sorry to hear of your diagnosis, and firstly I would say that you're not alone in dealing with this. I was diagnosed in Feb 2021, and here I am, 18 months or so later, getting on with a crazy busy life. Breast cancer is incredibly treatable these days and the medical teams are superb at ensuring we manage any side effects of treatment.
But, to your question if support. This link Link to MacMillan Support might be a good place to start. There are some online resources, but more importantly, there's the MacMillan contact details for phone and chat. I used this during my treatment and it was a great help.
I don't know if you or your husband work, but many companies provide an EAP (Employee Assistance Program) for their employees. It's one of those benefits we often forget about, but many EAPs do provide free counselling services, so if that's something you have available it's worth considering.
I really hope this helps and I also hope as you get more into your treatment, you are able to get more clarity on the future. For me that also helped a lot.
best wishes
