A mess

 Anxiety & a touch of paranoia are part of this crazy experience, aren’t they!  Best to chat with your nurse (CNS), doc or consultant for reassurance.

Meanwhile, slow breathing & whatever else to stay calm, phone a friend to offload, distract yourself with whatever works - music, Netflix etc - & remind yourself that it’s unlikely to be something serious that can’t wait until Monday.

I just chatted with a nice guy on the Macmillan helpline, open until 7pm this evening on 0808 808 0000

And we’re here for you too  x  toni

Sorry, the helpline is open until 8pm  x

Hi ,

The symptoms you are experiencing are probably due to anxiety & stress. I have osteoarthritis & had suffered some degree of hip pain for around 18 months to 2 years prior to my diagnosis, I convinced myself whilst awaiting my diagnostic scans as you are that it had gone to my bones, it’s totally natural that your mind wanders to the worst possible scenario. I literally had myself dead & buried! Having said that any kind of shortness of breath & chest pain really should be checked out by a Dr just to check it isn’t heart related due to the stress you’re under. 

If you feel talking to someone would help then as Toni8776 has said the Macmillan helpline is available. 

Nicola

Hi I'm so sorry you're feeling like this. I had a cough and felt like my lungs were sort of burning which convinced me it had gone to my lungs. I had a full on panic attack which was awful. This happened  before my scan results confirmed it hadn't gone to my lungs. Also, I had some lower backpain and wondered if it could have spread there too. It was so bad my GP prescribed Propranolol which really helped. It is likely your chest pains are due to anxiety but it's probably wise to get them checked out if they continue to be accompanied by shortness of breath too. In terms of trying to relax, a good tip is to hold your hand, palm facing your face about half an arm's length away from your face and then breathe out a long slow breath as though trying to blow out a candle in your hand, this helps slow down your breathing. Bev x

Thank you all for the replies. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who has had these thoughts. I will speak to my doctor on Monday if things haven’t improved. I hope it is just anxiety. I’m not even scheduled to see an oncologist until Thursday and then he will schedule the scans. Knowing the cancer is still in there and growing is very scary. I SO appreciate the support I am receiving here. It’s comforting to know I can reach out to people who have gone through the same thing that I’m going through. Thank you all so much! ️

Hi again ,

If it’s any comfort to you squamous cell carcinoma anal cancer is usually quite a slow growing cancer.

You’re body is permanently in fight or flight mode & it’s an awful feeling I didn’t sleep or eat properly & felt totally exhausted with it all. Hopefully once you get a bit more information from your oncologist on Thursday it may settle you a little. 

Nicola