Struggling adapting back to a normal life

Hi again One2many thank you for your update……. oh you have had a bumpy journey over the years.

It good that you have eventually found the things that you can do and that the visits from your carers brings much needed companionship.

I can relate I had NHL stage 4 after 6 rounds of RCHOP I got the all clear, treated not cured,  I go for the reviews every 3 months, though I'm in remission I'm finding it hard to put the cancer behind me and move on I have a beautiful wife and 2 daughters and I know my struggles are having an impact on family life, it's as though 9 months of focusing on beating it and getting better,  now I don't know how to get back to normal life as it were, my wife will often say your moods are hurting the family. I just want to be happy though its like they just don't understand what I went through 

Hi Moveforward and I see it’s your first post so a warm welcome to this corner of the Community.

I am Mike and I help out around our various Lymphoma groups. 

I was diagnosed way back in 1999 at 43 with a rare (8 in a million) incurable but treatable type of Cutaneous T-Cell NHL (a type of slow growing Low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma) ……. eventually reaching Stage 4a in late 2013 when a second, also rare (4 in a million) type of aggressive Peripheral T-Cell - Not Otherwise Specified NHL (a type of fast growing High-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma) was then presenting so although my Lymphoma ‘type’ is different I most definitely appreciate the challenges of this journey rather well.

Moving on can be done but it can take some work and commitment…… always around to chat.

Hi Moveforward

It is hard to move forward sometimes and does take time and can impact your family. I rarely talk about my cancer and how I am feeling to my family now as they want to move on and in their mind I am cured although I am still having 3 monthly check ups.(I have had 3 occurrences of jaw cancer and 2 lots of radiotherapy over time) I find being on this forum really helps as the people here really understand the psychological impact that cancer treatment has, the long term effects it can cause and how it can change your life.

I found the article very helpful by Peter Harvey called  After Treatment Finishes - Then What? There is a link to it in one of Mike's previous posts. 

I found taking control of the parts of my life that I could really helped and assisted me to move on. I am retired so I decided to take up an exercise class and volunteer at my local library and found both these things took me outside the cancer journey and helped me concentrate on other things and meet new people.

Macmillan has a counseling service that might assist in changing your thought patterns into a more positive direction. It just takes one step to start to change things and coming on this forum and expressing your feelings is that first step.

Sending you my very best wishes for your ongoing recovery.

Lyn