Hi and welcome to the Online Community, although I am always sorry to see folks finding us.
The post treatment journey can for some be as hard time. We expect to get back to normal but that looks miles away. I call my post treatment life my new normal and I do find that some of my old life I don’t miss and have developed a new satisfaction with life it’s self.
Make a cup of tea and have a look at this great paper, folks actually come back to me and say that they think that the paper had been written just about them.
Its often good to talk with folks, you can try our Macmillan Support Line Services to be helpful - call them on 0808 808 00 00 This free service covers Emotional Support mostly open 8.00 to 8.00 but check the link.
Talking to people face to face can help a lot so check to see if you have any Local Macmillan Support Groups in your area or a Maggie’s Centre as these folks are amazing.
Some of our forums do have ongoing threads where folks support each other. You don’t say what type of cancer you had but you can look through our Cancer specific forums.
When you feel up to it try putting some information in your profile. This really helps others when answering. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. Just click on YOUR username, select 'Edit Profile'. Put as much or as little in your profile and you can amend it at any time - you can see members profiles by hitting our forum names.
All the very best.
Hi and welcome to the community. The way you are feeling will be very familiar to many of us. Being declared clear of cancer (I never use the term cured) can be just as emotional as being diagnosed in the first place. Others think that we should be cracking open the champagne, but we know it is not as simple as that. Of course, we should celebrate, but it is short lived as the reality sets in. Our lives have been dictated by others for months and in some case years, and then we are left to fly solo. The fear and niggles of a recurrence will always be there. Every ache and pain makes us think twice. We try to get back to normal, but the normal that we once knew has gone. We have to learn to adapt to the new norm, and that is how we go forward. It does take time. There is a great article that many of us have read and you will recognise a lot of things in there, After treatment finishes - Then what ? A long read, but worth it. And there will always be someone here to talk to and who understand. Best wishes.
I think you need to get some adoption papers made up for your elephant.
Moving on with life is a choice. I was diagnosed in 1999 and only in the last few years I have been in remission and not had any treatment...... but that battle just about cost me my life so I fully intend to live in the moment, enjoy every experience and yes, go on holiday - my wife and I deserve it.
It would look for somewhere to sit and talk with someone and unpack the big rucksack of stuff that you have collected over your 6 years.
A few years back I went on a 7 week (one afternoon a week) ‘where now?’ course at our local Maggie’s Centre. It was great to sit and talk with survivors but I did find I had to deal with ‘survivors guilt’ I felt guilty that I had survived where two very good friends died after a short journey with their cancers.
But during the course I was reminded that the three of us made a commitment that who of the three of us was left in the end that they would enjoy life to the full and life in honour of them.
Please have a good look at the paper we gave you and keep posting as this actually works.
