Anxiety Plus
CeeCee
Member Posts: 39 ✭
I was diagnosed last month with a 4cm tumour in right breast after having DCIS five years ago. A Mastectomy is booked in for 14/3. A month ago I was having a breast MRI when I had a sharp pain in my right rib. Since then I have had pain/heavy feeling in rib/chest area and struggled to get a deep breath which gets worse when I am researching breast cancer which seems to be a big part of my day now. I’m having a bone scan this week. I am exercising every day, meditating and having massages which help. I know I’m going to be a mess 14/3. Have never been an anxiety suffering person before.
Any suggestions?
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I have an anxiety disorder. When I found out about the cancer I was having multiple panic attacks day plus I couldn't breathe. Talk to your GP and also ask to speak to the hospital,'s oncologist psychologist. Rescue Remedy from the chemist is great and is homeopathic. Hold your breath for 5 seconds and then let it out slowly. Do that a couple of times. All the best.2
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Sorry to see you joining our select little club, @CeeCee .... first suggestion is to stay away from Dr Google .... so much info is either 'old' or not relevant to your own diagnosis, you'll just be scaring yourself xx. Put trust in your team and Breast Care Nurse (have you spoken to them about it yet?)
Did the MRI show any rib damage? Can you remember doing anything that may have caused the pain? Maybe go 'easy' on the exercising until after the bone scan ..... as it could be making the pain worse?
Try & keep yourself busy (and away from the computer) doing things you LOVE doing! Get out with friends, try new things as you wait for the surgery day xx. Remember to be kind to yourself too xx
Check out this post ... there are lots of 'other areas' on the forum that may take your interest ..... show us your gardens, your furkids, art & craft ..... and check out the 'funny bits' as well, as we all need a laugh now & then! xx.
At the bottom of the post are some downloadable docs on self assessing yourself, both physically and mentally .... print them off & keep a copy for your team to check out as well! (Sometimes it is easier to give it to them to read, than to talk about it with them. xx)
https://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/23477/a-big-welcome-to-all-our-new-members#latest
Also - consider ringing our helpline on 1800 500 258 to have a chat .... your team should also be able to refer you to a psych for a chat as well. In the mean time - click on this link and listen to Charlotte Tottman's podcasts on everything 'BC' related .... she is a BC specialist psychologist who was diagnosed in 2018 and had a double mastectomy (choosing to remain flat.) So she really 'gets it', more than others who haven't experienced it themselves. Below is her story in PDF form. And the podcast link is here:
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=charlotte tottman
Make sure you Click on 'view 22 tracks' and start with No 13 (which is the first episode of Series One - weird that they've put Series 2 'first'!) They are really good as she talks more as a BC survivor, not a Psychologist - and they are very easy to listen to!
take care & all the best xxx.0 -
@arpie thank you so much, you have given me some great information to look at.
Yes I am a victim of Google overload but not anymore, I have now got real information from this lovely group, my journey and Charlotte’s podcast.
I had a breast MRI which I don’t think photographs ribs but don’t know for sure. I requested the bone scan as I want to know what’s going on.
Thank you very much for your time and help, this is my first day here and I am overwhelmed by the support. Hopefully I’ll be able to give back in the future xo4 -
Totally get the stress @CeeCee. @arpie gave you good advice. Google really isn't helpful with your anxious but this site is. I don't know what I would do without this lovely group. Keep busy, do things you like.
Keep up the exercise and meditation as it really helps. My other suggestions are eat healthy food and ry to not drink alcohol or just reduce it.
Another trick for anxiety is to count backwards and as you do that imagine you are going down stairs. Do you breath in and exhale on the count as you go down the stairs. (Hope that makes sense).
Best wishes with your bone scan results and we are all here if you have any questions or just want to chat or vent.2 -
@CeeCee sorry you find yourself here. Your medical team will be doing all they can to get you in for scans and treatment. Have you been allocated a breast care nurse. If not, ask for someone in your medical team to put you in touch with one. During covid an organisation in Melbourne called "Think Pink" you could book an online zoom call with a nurse to chat with. This may be helpful. They also ran zoom meditation classes and yoga classes. I did a meditation class a couple of times but had buckleys of getting on the ground for a yoga class. It was more getting off the ground that was hard. I would have been stuck on the ground for days!
I think had a little anxiety before bc that I just thought was normal me...but now I have a much much more heightened anxiety. I do get a overwhelmed at times and I tell myself to breathe, do one thing at a time, its not a race and I have to let a few things go for my mental health. Take some time out and have a cup of tea, go for a walk, binge something on netflix. Be kind to yourself. If may mean you have to say no to others but you do need to rest and put your needs first.2 -
Hi @CeeCee I never
suffered anxiety before I got this disease.
It really messes with your head and you need to develop strategies to avoid or minimize the anxiety .
I am lucky that when my head hits the pillow I’m asleep very shortly after so that’s a great help .
I did meditation for work some years ago and took it up again.
I also do exercise every day even if it’s just a 30 minute walk , I try and eat healthy and have a good group of friends including a retired nurse who has been my rock .
My husband has been great too .
I did a LOT of crying in the beginning and can still get triggered ( when Peta Murphy died I cried on and off for a whole week).
I did have a couple of sessions with a psychologist specializing in cancer related distress and that helped - one thing she said was it’s not only ok to cry it’s important to do so.
The Dr Charlotte Tottman podcasts mentioned above are also very good.
Take care and remember all of us on here “ get it” in a way someone who has never had breast cancer never can 🌺2 -
I agree that Dr Charlotte Tottman podcasts are very helpful. All the best @CeeCee1
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@Julez1958 Thank you so much for your words. Great to talk to real like minded people.I can resonate with the crying about Peta Murphy. Once you’ve had the diagnosis it’s amazing how many cancer related things jump out at you that you didn’t notice much before.
This is a real life changing experience which is only just starting for me …….. one thing at a time xo2 -
I had the bone scan yesterday and was told I had 3 fractured ribs which was caused at the breast MRI 4 weeks ago. There has been constant pain and difficulty breathing which has all added to the high stress. When I was told about the fractures I was so happy as I was thinking a spread as we do. This is good news. Mastectomy next week, one thing at a time, breathe…..3
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Yep - deep breaths (but not too deep or it will hurt your ribs!
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How on earth did the MRI cause the fractures?
Fractured ribs are incredibly painful @CeeCee - and there is not a lot they can do other than painkillers xx I hope they gave you some 'good ones' to deal with the pain.
As it is often painful to breath - you have to be careful not to get congestion in the lungs (as they are probably not being fully inflated due to the pain) .... if the chest pain increases, see your GP asap xx
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@arpie I think I was extremely tense as the nurse had just told me this was going to be the worst 30 mins of my life and twisted the wrong way or something, felt it straight away and screamed. The next 30 mins was not pleasant. The hospital filed an incident report yesterday. Pain relief is definitely helping. I can’t wear a bra as the rubbing on my ribs is so painful. Let’s look on the bright side, won’t be needing to wear a bra soon 🤪2
