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SueVR's avatar
SueVR
Member
12 years ago

Now What?

Have you ever woken up and realised that life as you once knew it is gone. You may have spent 2013 in a blur of Doctors and Hospitals and living in constant fear that this crap called cancer will come back. But during that time your kids have got 12months older and don't need you as much; the job you once had is taken and you are just surplus stock. I know they save everything happens for a reason; but I wish that "reason" would tap me on the shoulder and tell me what the hell to do next.

We put so much energy into fighting this disease that when it is all over their is a large void in our lives.  As much as we try to go back to our old lives, their comes a time when you have to realise that your "old" life has gone and you will need to adapt.  It is almost as if the rest of the world has kept revolving while you were stationery.  Has anyone elsen felt like this and how did you cope? 

12 Replies

  • I'm only halfway through my treatment and I had a down day yesterday. I kept thinking 'I want my old life back', and was very teary. One of the ladies on this site has said that what you end up with is a new normal and I already know this is true. I haven't completely come to terms with the way life is for me at the moment, like you, I feel everyone is moving ahead except for me. This morning I am feeling a little better and I realise that I am moving forward, this treatment is going to reduce my chances of a reoccurance. My hope is that my 'new normal' is going to be better, I have already become a much stronger person than I was before and I have discovered that my friends and family love me more than I ever knew. These are two positive things that have come out of my having cancer. I'm not sure what the reason is as to why this has happened, but it has and we will get through this and know our fight has been worthwhile. I hope you find your new normal and live life to it's fullest, best wishes, sending you a big hug, 

    Hazelxx

  • Hi Sue

    I think you have expressed a very common feeling. When I had my first breast cancer, aged 47 in 2002, I had recently left a very demanding job and was thinking about different career options. Instead I went through the shock of diagnosis and then treatment with surgery and radiation.  After my treatment ended I was left feeling like I could sink into a void, lacking any confidence in myself and my body, having lost touch with many friends and former colleagues, and completely unsure what to do next to build my life back. I just knew that life was going to be different and that I wanted more balance in it, with more time to do things I enjoyed and to relish the incredible joy of being alive and cancer-free. 

    I enrolled in a Master’s degree and joined a Dragons Abreast dragon boat team. The first of these gave new a new career with a better work-life balance as well as rebuilding my confidence. The second gave me fun, friendship, fitness, and countless adventures travelling around Australia and overseas with my team.

    Twelve years later, I have had an unexpected recurrence and am going through treatment again, this time with a mastectomy, TRAM flap reconstruction and currently on chemo.  I am expecting an emotional crash at the end of my treatment but feel that this time I know what life can be like after cancer and that it can be pretty damn good. I just want to get back to enjoying it fully as soon as possible.

    I hope you can find a pathway that works for you to build your new life. It does take time but in my case it has been really rewarding.

    Viv