Just been looking at stats for BC percentage at my age 48 and they seem so low just so angry I'm in them and can't understand why. If I had looked at these percentages before I don't think I'd have worried at all. So upsetting I feel really down .
sorry you're feeling down, I feel quite good today, I took my brother for a walk around the park and up and down the hill in the sunshine and made him do the arm exercises with me, he's just had a bowel op for suspected bowel cancer.
Stats are funny because I love them and loathe them in equal measures .
When I was first diagnosed all I could find, even on here, was that I had a 50-50 chance of making it to the 5 and 10 years bench marks.
I didn't want chemo but my oncologist persuaded me and that improved my stats to 80%
so I could dwell on the 20% or I can focus on the 80%
It has taken me a long time but I am finally able to keep my fears to a minimum, I got my diagnosis in May 2015 so I have really longed it out, laboured the point and wallowed in quite a lot of self pity.
Sunshine helps, it really does. Is there a walk you could go on? We have several really nice areas to wander around.
Remind me what sort of breast cancer did you have ?
Carolyn
xx
real life success stories to remind you that people do survive breast cancer
I have 36 mm er positive grade 3 in two nodes. Carolyn did you struggle at first just started antidepressants and feel such a failure think I've nearly had a breakdown just can't seem. To accept it and recurrence terrifies me feel so sorry for hubby he feels he can't help me at the moment .
I was ONLY IDC Grade 1, no node involvement, ER8, no chemo or rads and yet I was planning my funeral, rehoming the horses, generally wallowing in self pity. I feel quite ashamed now of the stress I put on my husband. In fact he went on antidepressants eventually.
The thing is, it doesn't help, it just brings everyone down and takes away the time you have.
Don't feel a failure, use the antidepressants to get you over this bump in the road, and in the meantime see if you can get some counselling.
I didn't go the antidepressant route but I did have lorazepam during chemotherapy and I had some counselling sessions
I do remember listening to myself talking sometimes and wondering why I was saying some of the things I was saying and I realised I was asking the same questions over and over, thinking that people must have thought I was a bit bonkers
Mind you that happens a lot with me
If nothing else perhaps just ask your husband for a bit of patience because it will get better and hopefully a lot quicker for you than me, a cancer diagnosis is a huge deal, massive and it takes a while to get your head around it
I stuck with anti anxiety meds because they work within 20 mins and I knew what to expect because I'd used them before
Sunshine helps
Xx
Carolyn
real life success stories to remind you that people do survive breast cancer
I agree with everyone who recommended getting out in the sunshine for a good walk, but you may find that gives you too much time to brood. Do you enjoy audio books? (I can't stand them personally, but a friend of mine found them very useful.) I got myself out of the habit of planning my funeral and generally wallowing by reading huge amounts (Terry Pratchett's Discworld books were perfect) and watching films (Marx Brothers movies, Blues Brothers, The Commitments, Steve Martin) that made me laugh and gave me some lighthearted moments with my husband (his first wife died of breast cancer 20 years ago). Hope things improve for you!
Sophie X
"Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first, and the lesson afterward."
