Hi i have been given the all clear from bowel cancer ( dukes B emvi +). I have recently finished chemo which was tough. I should be happy but im full of anxiety not wanting to be outside and seeing people. I was hoping the side effects of chemo would be going but i still have nausea which is so debilitating. I was hoping to be on a thread of similar things to see how others are coping.
Hi @Mj1 and welcome to the Online Community, although I am so sorry to see the circumstance that brought you here but great that you have come through your treatment.
The cancer journey is like a marathon, the first 1/3rd is the diagnosis part, the second 1/3rd is the treatment, the final 1/3rd is the post treatment recovery.
Recovery will take time and yes, the effects of chemo can take much longer then you think to go completely from the body.
First make a cup of tea and gave a look at this great paper about post treatment recovery - I found it very useful.
Second follow this LINK to our Life after Cancer Forum where you will be able to connect with people who understand this part of the journey your are on. Just join the group and have a look through the various discussions or even hit the 'Start a Discussion' tab and introduce yourself to the group - you could just copy an paste what you put in this first post.
Remember to go to the right on the group home page and select how you want to receive email notifications when someone answers your posts.
You may also find our various Macmillan Support Line Services on 0808 808 00 00 to be very helpful even if all you want to do is talk with friendly person that can help in lots of ways.
Check for Local Macmillan Support Groups in your area.
Check to see if you have a Maggie’s Centre near you as they run a very good post treatment course.
We also have our ‘Ask an Expert’ section but please allow a few days to get an reply.
When you have time it would be helpful if you could put some information about yourself and the journey that brought you to the Community into your profile as it really does help the Community members to help you and get to know you.
Click on your username and that will take you to your homepage. Look for ‘Edit my Profile’ click on it and start to tell us as much or as little about yourself as you want then click on save before closing the page. Hit @Thehighlander and see my profile but it is rather long as my journey has been very long.
All the best.
Oh a Maggie’s Centre would be a great move, just go in and simply tell one of the support team where you are at and what challenges you are facing.
The 7 week ‘what now’ course is great - I did it a few years back and it did help me and the others on the course a great deal - you can do it - it would be a great step in the recovery journey.
