Loss of appetite etc.

Evening Simon/Grinch 

From what you've said in your other posts you're hardly sleeping at night so I'm sure that will be contributing to you feeling tired. I'm not generally a worrier but if I do have something on my mind then that does affect my appetite.

I hope now you've talked to your GP today and spoken to the counselling service to get help from them, your sleep patterns and appetite will soon return to normal.

Thank you Latchbrook.

Counselling services are coming back to me.

Doctor has prescribed some tablets, but he sort of advised about counselling rather than tablets, which I would have to take for 6 months and can not stop taking them until the 6 months is over.

That's if I am around in 6 months. 

At least I haven't been on the internet at any time today.

But I am still worried sick about leaving my lovely wife and our lovely boys, and our dog.

I will miss them all so much if I have to leave in the next few weeks/ months or so.

Thank you

Simon.

Yes, stress, worry, anxiety can cause that. I experienced both of those and more - complete loss of appetite, rapid weight loss, night sweats, tiredness ( alongside complete inability to sleep for more than 1 hour), headaches, an odd feeling of a lump in my throat and probably several more things in forgetting now. I think I mentioned it before but gp can help with this. I did a combination of medication (antidepressants) and some nhs program on mindfulness and dealing with anxiety. GP wanted me to do the program first. I chose to do both as I felt that I needed quicker results(long story)

One note of caution with medication if you choose that route at some point. There is a long list of side effects that go with many of them. I didn’t know this and felt much worse initially. Once I read the info about them I realised I hit every one of the side effects. However you have to be on them for some period of time before they take effect (3 to 6 weeks I think it was). Once I got through that, they did help and all of the side effects and original symptoms faded away completely and it was worth powering through the initial discomfort. I note this as it’s worth being aware of up front if you consider it. Interestingly the doctor didn’t warn me directly so I’m sure some don’t get the side effects. I did and i thought most of the symptoms I had along the way must have been must have been related to the cancer at the time but it turned out none of it was and it was all stress /anxiety related. I took myself off the meds a few months later when I felt I was ready. 

I’ve always been mindful about mental health however before this most of my direct experience with it was second hand. I had no idea before this how stress and anxiety can manifest in such physical symptoms. 

Not sure if that helps or not but it was my experience. 

Hi ldg559.

I am getting all those things you unfortunately have been getting, anxiety, loss of appetite and sleep, weight loss, then you start to worry about the weight loss

It's a viscous circle isn't it.

I will be trying the counselling first I think, but will keep the tablets just in case.

When my GP said you have to take the tablets for 6 months without a break, I thought, I might not be here in 6 months, that's how bad it's got me.

Thank you.

Take care

Simon. 

Yes can relate to that, it is a vicious circle for sure. In terms of the 6 month thing, I think its because it takes a while for the body to stabilize both when starting taking them, and also when stopping taking them. They are not the sort of thing you can hop on and off as needed as a result of that. I wouldn't worry about the definition of time here (though I understand the context that you refer to), I personally took myself off them in less than 6 months, and I know many that have been on them much longer. One key thing is that I felt the benefits of them at about week 5 or 6. 

Antidepressants are not the right step for everyone and we all have to make that decision for ourselves, but for what it's worth, they helped me for certain when I was low and going through my melanoma journey. Looking back on it I'm glad I took the chance with them at the time. Just to be clear, I am not for or against antidepressants, just sharing my experience with them. The mindfulness stuff from the NHS course was useful too, to be honest I cant remember the course name.

Another night where I keep waking up thinking bad things.

1.21am, 2.38am, 3.43am, 4.30am, 5.11am.

Just wake up suddenly and get so upset thinking I have cancer and I am going to leave my family soon.

Not sure whether to stay up now and just put the TV on.

It's the same every night, I can't get it out of my head that I am going to leave my family soon.

Thank you.

Simon