a Newbie needing reassurance
@KathSeward Hi Ladies Kath is new and needs our support she intitially posted on my profile thought I would open her a discussion here .... Soldier Crab
Forum Discussion
Hi Kath. I am so sorry you are struggling with this. It's awful, it's unfair and it stinks! But you are not alone - we all have, and still are facing daily challenges and fears. I was diagnosed with stage 3 invasive ductal HER - in late August and had a mastectomy and lymph node removal 3 weeks later. It happened so damn fast! And I'm due to commence chemo in the next few weeks (Yeeks!!). As the other women have said things do shift and change.
I was absolutely terrified, sad, crying all the time and feeling at sea. I requested the Breast Clinic managing my case refer me to a psychiatrist and it really helped me with dealing with the news and pre-surgery feelings, plus also a few of the horrible things that happened straight after my surgery (being left by my partner, and other nasty scenarios).
Ask you GP to refer you immediately. Don't wait. Australia has incredible mental health care support for cancer patients, and I find it really useful to get past the hurdles as I approach them.
Meditation, taking yourself for walks on the beach, or in a park are good for you. Revel in the very simple things in life. Rekindly friendships and reach out. I asked all my old pals to post funny stories plus pics of fun times on my facebook page and the memories buoyed my mood so much.
I also found playing with animals cheered me up. I borrowed my cousin's cat post op' and held that furball tight. He curled up and purred over the surgery site, which felt amazing and I called him my nurse. Now I have my sister's staffies to play with during the journey of chemo and radiotherapy.
As this unfolds you will be amazed at how strong you actually are, and do reach out to us all here. We are in this together, and you are not alone.
Hugs. Karen xo
I was absolutely terrified, sad, crying all the time and feeling at sea. I requested the Breast Clinic managing my case refer me to a psychiatrist and it really helped me with dealing with the news and pre-surgery feelings, plus also a few of the horrible things that happened straight after my surgery (being left by my partner, and other nasty scenarios).
Ask you GP to refer you immediately. Don't wait. Australia has incredible mental health care support for cancer patients, and I find it really useful to get past the hurdles as I approach them.
Meditation, taking yourself for walks on the beach, or in a park are good for you. Revel in the very simple things in life. Rekindly friendships and reach out. I asked all my old pals to post funny stories plus pics of fun times on my facebook page and the memories buoyed my mood so much.
I also found playing with animals cheered me up. I borrowed my cousin's cat post op' and held that furball tight. He curled up and purred over the surgery site, which felt amazing and I called him my nurse. Now I have my sister's staffies to play with during the journey of chemo and radiotherapy.
As this unfolds you will be amazed at how strong you actually are, and do reach out to us all here. We are in this together, and you are not alone.
Hugs. Karen xo